Coral reefs support some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, providing essential benefits to coastal communities through fisheries, tourism and coastal protection. However, increasing human pressures, including overfishing, coastal development and climate change, are altering reef fish communities worldwide. These impacts can change not only the number and types of species present, but also the ecological roles they perform and the differences between communities across space. As human pressures increase, reef fish communities may become more similar to one another, a process known as biotic homogenization. This could reduce the ecological uniqueness of reef ecosystems and potentially undermine their resilience to environmental change. 

My MScRes project aims to investigate whether anthropogenic pressures drive taxonomic and functional homogenization of tropical reef fish communities across spatial and depth gradients. Using existing large-scale reef fish survey data alongside ecological trait information, I will examine how human impacts influence differences in species composition and functional characteristics between reef communities. By comparing taxonomic and functional beta-diversity, the research will explore whether homogenization is driven by the loss of species with particular ecological traits, changes in species turnover, or the loss of species from less diverse communities. The project will also assess the relative importance of anthropogenic pressures compared with climatic variability and habitat structure in shaping these patterns. 

By investigating how human disturbance affects both the composition and ecological functioning of reef fish communities, this research will improve our understanding of how coral reef biodiversity is being reorganised across space. The findings could help identify the ecological consequences of homogenization and inform conservation approaches aimed at maintaining biodiversity, functional diversity and ecosystem resilience. 

I previously completed a BSc in Marine Biology and Oceanography at Bangor University, where my undergraduate dissertation examined the ecological and economic impacts of marine invasive species and current management strategies. This work developed my interest in marine biodiversity, anthropogenic impacts and the management and conservation of marine ecosystems, which I am continuing to explore through my MScRes research.