Research Interests & Current Projects

• Coral reef fish ecology: inter- and intra specific interactions, role of reef fishes in communities
• Early life history of reef fishes, particularly physiology and ecology of recruits: how do events occurring over the short settlement period influence population structure for reef fishes?
• Impacts of pollution on fitness of estuarine and marine fishes: can anthropogenic pollutants influence fitness of fishes? Can aspects of fish ecology and physiology act as effective biomonitors of pollution?
• Diet and condition of marine and estuarine fishes.
• Influence of herbivores on reef ecosystems.
• Modelling dynamics of fish ecology

View of Research sites at Lord Howe Island world heritage area. Copyright David Booth

Returning from a dive, Lord Howe Island world heritage area. Copyright Gigi Beretta.

Butterflyfish (Chaetodon tricinctus)  Lord Howe Island world heritage area.  Copyright David Booth.

Some of the Booth Fish Ecology Lab at UTS:  From Left to Right: E Buckle (PhD student Black cod) M Gregson (PhD student Butterflyfish), M Lockett (PhD introduced gobies), A Stauber (PhD frog ecology) B Brunton (Hons- now U Adelaide), A Wressnig (PhD: monocanthid ecology), R  Alquezar (PhD heavy metals and fish) K Parkinson (pipefish ecology) A  Cadick (Hons damselfish breeding), M Knight (UTS staff), J Upston (PhD fish and invert recruitment), T Trnski (PhD sparid larval supply), D Booth,  M Hixon (Oregon state- Booth PhD advisor)