About

Summary

Samantha is an ecologist dedicated to unravelling the intricacies of marine ecosystems. Presently, her research encompasses seagrass and algal ecology. She has led investigations mapping benthic habitats within the Coral Sea Marine Park's deepwater lagoons, providing critical insights for habitat preservation and marine management. Simultaneously, her postdoctoral pursuits concentrate on pioneering environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to detect Yellow Crazy Ants and their eDNA degradation, offering promising pathways for biosecurity enhancement.

Samantha’s journey began with the Seagrass Ecology Team at TropWATER since 2012, contributing to coastal seagrass monitoring for industrial sectors. In 2021, she successfully completed her PhD, studying the complex dispersal mechanisms of tropical seagrass, notably emphasizing the influential roles of dugongs and green sea turtles. This research has provided insight for conservation strategies, through emphasizing the crucial interplay between species interactions and ecosystem health.

Overall, Samantha's research is marked by a dedicated commitment to bridging academic exploration and practical applicability. Her work provides a synergy between theoretical insight and real-world impact, contributing to the preservation of marine environments and advancing the boundaries of ecological understanding.

Recent Media

Interests
Research
  • Coastal Ecology
  • Seagrass
  • Plant-Herbivore Interactions
  • Marine Ecology
  • Environmental DNA (eDNA)
  • Marine Botany
Experience
  • 2020 to present - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, James Cook Univesrity (Cairns, Australia)
  • 2012 to present - Researcher, Centre for Tropical Water and Aqautic Ecosystem Research (Cairns, Australia)
  • 2014 to 2020 - PhD, James Cook University (Cairns, Australia)
Research Disciplines
Honours
Awards
  • 2022 - Peter Ashton Prize for the outstanding paper in BIOTROPICA by a student
  • 2016 - SeaWorld Research and Rescue Foundation Best Presentation in the area of Science and Conservation of Marine Vertebrates, Australian Marine Science Association Conference
Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles
Other research outputs
More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 16+ research outputs authored by Dr Samantha Tol from 2013 onwards.

Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment - Marine Parks

Reef lagoon benthic habitat mapping in the Coral Sea Marine Park

Indicative Funding
$498,093 over 3 years
Summary
This project will undertake reef lagoon benthic habitat mapping within the Coral Sea Marine Park. Sites to be surveyed are the western lagoon of Holmes Reef, all of Herald Cays, the lagoon between the Diamond Islets in Tregrosse Reef, and the eastern corner of the lagoon in Lihou Reef. This project will produce the first extensive reef lagoon benthic maps of the selected regions in the Coral Sea Marine Park and will be the first seagrass survey in the Coral Sea.
Investigators
Samantha Tol, Paul York, Michael Rasheed, Robert Coles, Alana Grech and Andrew Hoey (TropWater and Research Division)
Keywords
Reef lagoon; Coral Sea Marine Park; Macroalgae; Benthic Habitat Mapping; Seagrass; Coral
Data

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit Research Data Australia.

Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.

  • 5+ collaborations
  • 4 collaborations
  • 3 collaborations
  • 2 collaborations
  • 1 collaboration
  • Indicates the Tropics (Torrid Zone)

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Email
Phone
Location
  • E1.016A, Health & Sciences (Cairns campus)
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