Research on Damselfish Vision and Color Patterns at Lizard Island
The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation features a blog by Valerio Tettamanti, a PhD student at the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, discussing his study on damselfishes. Research conducted at the Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef explores how habitat, ecology, and color variation influence the visual systems of these fish, including ultraviolet communication patterns. The work aims to understand developmental changes and their implications for coral reef management amid global declines in reef health. The foundation has supported scientific efforts since 1978, raising over $13.2 million.
Key facts
- Valerio Tettamanti is a 2022 Zoltan Florian Lizard Island Doctoral Fellow researching damselfish vision.
- Damselfishes, with over 388 species, exhibit diverse colorations and some use ultraviolet patterns for communication.
- The Queensland Brain Institute in Brisbane discovered that damselfish ecology affects gene expression in their eyes.
- Lizard Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef serves as the primary field site for this study.
- The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation has funded over $13.2 million for reef science since 1978.
Entities
Institutions
- Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation
- Australian Museum
- Queensland Brain Institute
- University of Queensland
Locations
- Lizard Island
- Great Barrier Reef
- Brisbane
- Australia