Associate Professor Sean Connell

Teaching Interests

• I designed the BSc (Marine Biology) in reponse to the need for trained biologists to lead South Australian marine science.  The major catalyst was state funding to improve research capacity in marine biology; i.e. $10 Million for Marine Innovation South Australia.
• I am particularly passionate about teaching logic, analytical and quantitative skills to solve real issues.  Students enjoy these courses because they closes the gap between graduation and employment; and connects them to industry needed skills and career aspirations.  My research with policy-makers and managers provides relevant and real life examples.

Research Interests

I forecast the ecological outcomes of management at local-regional-global scales by: 

• Generating knowledge of human influences on producers (e.g. nutrient-pollution), their consumers (e.g. fishing), and synergies with climate (e.g. ocean acidification); as applied to subtidal habitat.
• Reconciling conflicting perspectives across biogeographic boundaries (i.e. MacroEcology) and time (i.e. the past and the future environments). 
• Collaboration with coastal mangers, to changed our perspective of Australian coastal policy, and recently assisted future efforts by recognizing pre-industrial environments and their CO2 and temperate driven future. 

Publications

Latest papers & reviews include:

• Connell SD & Irving in press The subtidal ecology of rocky coast: local-regional-biogeographic regional patterns and their experimental analysis. In Marine Macroecology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
• Gorman D & SD Connell in press  Recovering subtidal forests in human-dominated landscapes.  Journal of Applied Ecology.
• Russell & SD Connell in press Eutrophication science: moving into the future. Trends in Ecology and Evolution.
• Gorman, Russell & SD Connell 2009 Land-to-sea connectivity: linking human-derived terrestrial subsidies to subtidal habitat change on open rocky coasts. Ecological Applications 19: 1114-1126
• Harley & SD Connell 2009 Shifts in abiotic variables and consequences for diversity. In Hard Bottom Communities: Patterns, Dynamics, Diversity & Change. Springer 206: 257-268

More publications: http://www.marinebiology.adelaide.edu.au/people/staff/sean.html

Files

• I assist the public understand pressing issues facing marine science & society: e.g. - Media_release.pdf [1.0MB] (application/pdf)
• I am interested in an Australian perspective of Marine Ecology: e.g. my book for Australians - Book.jpg [39.8K] (image/jpeg)
• I reflect & plan future comment on marine science's leadership & future: e.g. last paragraphs of - Connell_etal_2008.pdf [340.5K] (application/pdf)

Entry last updated: Thursday, 10 Sep 2009