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Jordan K Matley, PhD
Growing up in Canada, nowhere near an ocean, “marine biologist” was a distant dream. What’s life without a dream though? I started my studies at the University of Guelph with Honours in Marine and Freshwater Biology. My thesis project focused on metabolic responses to low oxygen levels in hypoxia-tolerant fishes. After graduation I signed on as a research intern at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida where I worked with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program conducting fish abundance and distribution surveys. After a 3 year hiatus travelling (and timing marathons/triathlons), I started my M.Sc. degree at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. My research was primarily concerned with foraging of top predators (whales, seals, seabirds) in the Canadian Arctic. I determined predator diets (via stomach contents and stable isotopes), quantified interactions (seabird feeding observations) and associations (hydroacoustic surveys) with prey, and examined the general biology and diet of the main prey item – Arctic cod. After a cold Master’s degree, James Cook University and the Great Barrier Reef was a logical next step. I expanded my skills gained in North America to conduct research on coral reefs. My focus was the commercially and recreationally targeted reef fish coral trout (Plectropomus spp). I used a variety of approaches and techniques (e.g., stable isotopes, DNA gut content reconstruction, acoustic telemetry) to compare resource and habitat use between different species of coral trout with overlapping distribution. Ultimately, the goal was to provide managers with species-specific ecological information, something that is lacking. Afterwards, I joined the University of the Virgin Islands for my first postdoctoral position. With access to one of my study sites only a few steps from my office, it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the ocean while continuing research on movement ecology of fishes in the Caribbean.
Recently, I joined the Great Lakes Institute of Environmental Research (GLIER) at the University of Windsor. I hope to broaden my expertise on fish telemetry and foraging ecology to other systems such as freshwater lakes and rivers. I am very excited to be back in Canada and look forward to working with new students and colleagues as we develop better ways to interpret animal behaviour. |