Dr Bridie Allan, Our staff, Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, New Zealand

Contact

Office 310 Castle Street, room 149
Tel +64 3 479 8327
Email bridie.allan@otago.ac.nz

Academic qualifications

BSc University of Otago
MSc James Cook University
PhD James Cook University

Research interests

Marine ecology
Swimming performance in fishes
Chemical ecology of predator-prey interactions
Environmental influences on predator-prey interactions.

My research explores how environmental changes can alter the mechanisms underlying population processes and how these changes scale to community dynamics. To do this, I use field collections, observations and experiments in conjunction with laboratory experiments to investigate a wide range of impacts including climate change, oil pollution, habitat disturbances, microplastic pollution, and other human activities that influence the physiology, behaviour and survival of fish. My field sites span both tropical and temperate regions.

I am also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems.
Coastal People: Southern Skies

I encourage enthusiastic students who have a strong academic background and are interested in joining our research group to contact me directly to discuss potential postgraduate projects:

Influence of habitat complexity on anti-predator behaviour in marine animals
Impacts of microplastic pollution on the physiology and behaviour of marine animals
The impacts of dredging and sediment exposure on the physiology and behaviour of marine animals
Effects of habitat degradation on reproductive fitness in marine animals
The ecological role of chemically-mediated larval behaviour in ecosystem function

Courses

OCEN 322 Biological Oceanography – Course co-ordinator
MARI 112 Global Marine Systems – Lecturer
EAOS 111 Earth and Oceans Science – Lecturer
MARI 202 Marine Invertebrate Ecology and Biology – Lecturer
AQFI 251 Principles of Aquaculture – Lecturer
MARI 301Marine Ecology – Lecturer
OCEN 450 Data Analysis Methods in Oceanography – Lecturer
MARI 401 Advanced Methods in Marine Science – Lecturer

Postgraduate students

José Emilio Trujillo Moyano – Thesis Title (PhD): The relationship between physiological traits and fast-start escape behavior of juvenile blacktip reef sharks under different thermal conditions.
Celia Richardson – Thesis Title (MSc): The effects of microplastic exposure on New Zealand marine invertebrate larvae.
Millie Mannering – Thesis Title (MSc): Do microplastics interfere with the way in which coral reef fish use chemical alarm cues to inform risk?
Teresa Morrell – Thesis Title (MSc): The impact of microplastic exposure on the reproductive success of Triplefins.
Brad Lamont – Thesis Title (MSc): Does a high predation environment during embryogenesis affect larval characteristics in Triplefins?
Isabella Clere – Thesis Title (MSc): Quantifying natural levels of plastic pollution in commercially important fish in Otago.
Fletcher Munsterman – Thesis Title (MSc): The effect of plasticisers on nest guarding behaviour in Triplefins.
Eleanor Kelly – Thesis Title (MSc): Microbial biofilms on marine plastic debris.
Vincent Cheuyglintase – Thesis Title (PGdipSci): The impact of heavy metal and plastic exposure on the olfactory ability of rocky reef invertebrates.
Zoe Psarathoukis – The impact of ingested microplastics with adsorbed heavy metals on the fitness and predator avoidance behaviour of Forsterygion capito (robust triplefin fish).
Paige Olmstead – Thesis Title (PGdipSci): The effect of microplastics on gut morphology in triplefin.
Ashleigh Hawke – Thesis Title (PGdipSci): The effect of heavy metal and microplastic contamination on the escape performance of the New Zealand Triplefin fish.

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Publications

Cresci, A., Allan, B. J. M., Shema, S. D., Berit Skiftesvik, A., & Browman, H. I. (2020). Orientation behavior and swimming speed of Atlantic herring larvae (Clupea harengus) in situ and in laboratory exposures to rotated artificial magnetic fields. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology & Ecology, 526, 151358. doi: 10.1016/j.jembe.2020.151358

Bernal, M. A., Schunter, C., Lehmann, R., Lightfoot, D. J., Allan, B. J. M., Veilleux, H. D., … Ravasi, T. (2020). Species-specific molecular responses of wild coral reef fishes during a marine heatwave. Science Advances, 6(12), eaay3423. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aay3423

Jarrold, M. D., Welch, M. J., McMahon, S. J., McArley, T., Allan, B. J. M., Watson, S.-A., … Munday, P. L. (2020). Elevated CO₂ affects anxiety but not a range of other behaviours in juvenile yellowtail kingfish. Marine Environmental Research, 157, 104863. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2019.104863

Allan, B. J. M., Illing, B., Fakan, E. P., Narvaez, P., Grutter, A. S., Sikkel, P. C., … McCormick, M. I. (2020). Parasite infection directly impacts escape response and stress levels in fish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223, jeb230904. doi: 10.1242/jeb.230904

Allan, B. J. M. (2020). The cost of recreation: How hiking could be making birds sick. Conservation Physiology, 8(1), c0aa058. doi: 10.1093/conphys/coaa058

Journal - Research Article
Journal - Research Other

Journal - Research Article

McCormick, M. I., Fakan, E. P., Nedelec, S. L., & Allan, B. J. M. (2019). Effects of boat noise on fish fast-start escape response depend on engine type. Scientific Reports, 9, 6554. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43099-5

Frommel, A. Y., Brauner, C. J., Allan, B. J. M., Nicol, S., Parsons, D. M., Pether, S. M. J., Setiawan, A. N., … Munday, P. L. (2019). Organ health and development in larval kingfish are unaffected by ocean acidification and warming. PeerJ, 7, e8266. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8266

McCormick, M. I., Watson, S.-A., Simpson, S. D., & Allan, B. J. M. (2018). Effect of elevated CO₂ and small boat noise on the kinematics of predator-prey interactions. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 285(1875), 20172650. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2650

Watson, S.-A., Allan, B. J. M., McQueen, D. E., Nicol, S., Parsons, D. M., Pether, S. M. J., … Munday, P. L. (2018). Ocean warming has a greater effect than acidification on the early life history development and swimming performance of a large circumglobal pelagic fish. Global Change Biology, 24(9), 4368-4385. doi: 10.1111/gcb.14290

McCormick, M. I., Allan, B. J. M., Harding, H., & Simpson, S. D. (2018). Boat noise impacts risk assessment in a coral reef fish but effects depend on engine type. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 3847. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22104-3

McCormick, M. I., Fakan, E., & Allan, B. J. M. (2018). Behavioural measures determine survivorship within the hierarchy of whole-organism phenotypic traits. Functional Ecology, 32(4), 958-969. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13033

Allan, B. J. M., Domenici, P., Watson, S. A., Munday, P. L., & McCormick, M. I. (2017). Warming has a greater effect than elevated CO₂ on predator-prey interactions in coral reef fish. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 284(1857), 20170784. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0784

Ferrari, M. C. O., McCormick, M. I., Mitchell, M. D., Allan, B. J. M., Gonçalves, E. J., & Chivers, D. P. (2017). Daily variation in behavioural lateralization is linked to predation stress in a coral reef fish. Animal Behaviour, 133, 189-193. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.020

McCormick, M. I., & Allan, B. J. M. (2017). Interspecific differences in how habitat degradation affects escape response. Scientific Reports, 7, 426. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00521-0

Ramasamy, R. A., Allan, B. J. M., McCormick, M. I., Chivers, D. P., Mitchell, M. D., & Ferrari, M. C. O. (2017). Juvenile coral reef fish alter escape responses when exposed to changes in background and acute risk levels. Animal Behaviour, 134, 15-22. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.026

Ferrari, M. C. O., McCormick, M. I., Allan, B. J. M., & Chivers, D. P. (2017). Not equal in the face of habitat change: Closely related fishes differ in their ability to use predation-related information in degraded coral. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 284(1852), 20162758. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2758

McCormick, M. I., Barry, R. P., & Allan, B. J. M. (2017). Algae associated with coral degradation affects risk assessment in coral reef fishes. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 16937. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-17197-1

Chivers, D. P., McCormick, M. I., Warren, D. T., Allan, B. J. M., Ramasamy, R. A., Arvizu, B. K., … Ferrari, M. C. O. (2017). Competitive superiority versus predation savvy: The two sides of behavioural lateralization. Animal Behaviour, 130, 9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.05.006

McCormick, M. I., Chivers, D. P., Allan, B. J. M., & Ferrari, M. C. O. (2017). Habitat degradation disrupts neophobia in juvenile coral reef fish. Global Change Biology, 23(2), 719-727. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13393

Johansen, J. L., Allan, B. J. M., Rummer, J. L., & Esbaugh, A. J. (2017). Oil exposure disrupts early life-history stages of coral reef fishes via behavioural impairments. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 1, 1146-1152. doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0232-5

Chivers, D. P., McCormick, M. I., Allan, B. J. M., Mitchell, M. D., Gonçalves, E. J., Bryshun, R., & Ferrari, M. C. O. (2016). At odds with the group: Changes in lateralization and escape performance reveal conformity and conflict in fish schools. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 283(1841), 20161127. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1127

McCormick, M. I., & Allan, B. J. M. (2016). Lionfish misidentification circumvents an optimized escape response by prey. Conservation Physiology, 4(1), cow064. doi: 10.1093/conphys/cow064

Munday, P. L., Welch, M. J., Allan, B. J. M., Watson, S.-A., McMahon, S. J., & McCormick, M. I. (2016). Effects of elevated CO₂ on predator avoidance behaviour by reef fishes is not altered by experimental test water. PeerJ, 4, e2501. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2501

Munday, P. L., Watson, S.-A., Parsons, D. M., King, A., Barr, N. G., Mcleod, I. M., Allan, B. J. M., & Pether, S. M. J. (2016). Effects of elevated CO₂ on early life history development of the yellowtail kingfish, Seriola lalandi, a large pelagic fish. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 73(3), 641-649. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsv210

Chivers, D. P., McCormick, M. I., Allan, B. J. M., & Ferrari, M. C. O. (2016). Risk assessment and predator learning in a changing world: Understanding the impacts of coral reef degradation. Scientific Reports, 6, 32542. doi: 10.1038/srep32542

Ferrari, M. C. O., McCormick, M. I., Allan, B. J. M., Choi, R. B., Ramasamy, R. A., & Chivers, D. P. (2015). The effects of background risk on behavioural lateralization in a coral reef fish. Functional Ecology, 29(12), 1553-1559. doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.12483

Allan, B. J. M., Domenici, P., Munday, P. L., & McCormick, M. I. (2015). Feeling the heat: The effect of acute temperature changes on predator-prey interactions in coral reef fish. Conservation Physiology, 3(1), cov011. doi: 10.1093/conphys/cov011

Ramasamy, R. A., Allan, B. J. M., & McCormick, M. I. (2015). Plasticity of escape responses: Prior predator experience enhances escape performance in a coral reef fish. PLoS ONE, 10(8), e0132790. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132790

Ferrari, M. C. O., McCormick, M. I., Allan, B. J. M., Choi, R., Ramasamy, R. A., Johansen, J. L., … Chivers, D. P. (2015). Living in a risky world: The onset and ontogeny of an integrated antipredator phenotype in a coral reef fish. Scientific Reports, 5, 15537. doi: 10.1038/srep15537

Ferrari, M. C. O., Munday, P. L., Rummer, J. L., McCormick, M. I., Corkill, K., Watson, S.-A., Allan, B. J. M., … Chivers, D. P. (2015). Interactive effects of ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures alter predation rate and predator selectivity in reef fish communities. Global Change Biology, 21(5), 1848-1855. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12818

Domenici, P., Allan, B. J. M., Watson, S.-A., McCormick, M. I., & Munday, P. L. (2014). Shifting from right to left: The combined effect of elevated CO₂and temperature on behavioural lateralization in a coral reef fish. PLoS ONE, 9(1), e87969. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087969

Allan, B. J. M., Miller, G. M., McCormick, M. I., Domenici, P., & Munday, P. L. (2014). Parental effects improve escape performance of juvenile reef fish in a high-CO₂ world. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 281(1777), 20132179. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2179

Allan, B. J. M., Domenici, P., McCormick, M. I., Watson, S.-A., & Munday, P. L. (2013). Elevated CO₂ affects predator-prey interactions through altered performance. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e58520. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058520

Domenici, P., Allan, B., McCormick, M. I., & Munday, P. L. (2012). Elevated carbon dioxide affects behavioural lateralization in a coral reef fish. Biology Letters, 8(1), 78-81. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0591

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Journal - Research Other

Allan, B. J. M. (2020). The cost of recreation: How hiking could be making birds sick. Conservation Physiology, 8(1), c0aa058. doi: 10.1093/conphys/coaa058

Domenici, P., Allan, B. J. M., Lefrançois, C., & McCormick, M. I. (2019). The effect of climate change on the escape kinematics and performance of fishes: Implications for future predator-prey interactions. Conservation Physiology, 7(1), coz078. doi: 10.1093/conphys/coz078

Hess, S., Allan, B. J. M., Hoey, A. S., Jarrold, M. D., Wenger, A. S., & Rummer, J. L. (2019). Enhanced fast-start performance and anti-predator behaviour in a coral reef fish in response to suspended sediment exposure [Note]. Coral Reefs, 38, 103-108. doi: 10.1007/s00338-018-01757-6

Allan, B. J. M. (2019). Scared to death? The killer effect of predation risk in snowshoe hares. Conservation Physiology, 7(1), coz029. doi: 10.1093/conphys/coz029

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