Dr Page’s marine science career began in Townsville, where she completed her science degree and honours research on coral bleaching. She joined AIMS as part of the long-term monitoring program, but returned to James Cook University to complete a Ph.D. upon seeing increases in the occurrence of novel coral diseases on the Great Barrier Reef. Her research documented spatial and temporal patterns in disease prevalence, as well as the progression and impacts of poorly understood diseases on the reproduction and growth of corals. Dr Page has since applied this knowledge of coral health and reef monitoring in environmental consulting roles and the regulation of industry, particularly large dredging and coastal development projects.
Dr Page returned to AIMS in 2019 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow as part of the Keppel Island Coral Project. Her research is focused on overcoming the high mortality rates experienced by the very early life-history stages of corals. Overcoming these survival bottlenecks is critical to the efficacy of any future efforts to restore coral reefs. This knowledge is also important to inform management of potential methods to naturally improve the natural resilience of GBR coral populations.
Dr Page’s current research focuses on identifying the influence of environmental factors on the survival and growth of the early life-history stages of corals. She combines laboratory experiments with large scale field studies, in particular large field deployments of substrates seeded with corals bred in the AIMS National Sea Simulator, to document natural variation in rates of coral survival and growth in the field. This research aims to identify which environmental factors are most important in driving the mortality of corals in their early years and to inform potential future coral reef restoration efforts.
Page CA, Giuliano C, Bay LK, Randall, CJ (preprint) High survival following bleaching highlights the resilience of a highly disturbed region of the Great Barrier Reef. Submitted to Ecosphere. Link.
Stoddart, J, Jones, R, Page CA, Marnane M, De Lestang P, Eldson T (2019) No effect of dredging on the prevalence of coral disease detected during large dredging program. Marine Pollution Bulletin 140: 353-363 Link.
Page CA, Field SN, Pollock FJ, Lamb JB, Shedrawi G and Wilson SK (2017) Assessing coral health and disease from digital photographs and in situ surveys. Environ Monit Assess 189:18 Link.
Page CA, Croquér A, Bastidas C, Rodriguez S, Neale SJ, Weil E, Willis BL (2016) Halofolliculina ciliate infections on corals. In Diseases of Corals, C Downs, C Woodley, A Bruckner, JW Porter (eds.). Wiley-Blackwell, Iowa. Link.
Ruiz-Morenol D, Willis, BL, Page CA, Weil E, Cróquer A, Vargas-Ange, B, Jordan-Garza GA, Jordán-Dahlgren E, Raymundo L, and Harvell CD (2012) Global coral disease prevalence associated with sea temperature anomalies and local factors. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 100:249-261 Link.
Aeby GS, Williams GJ, Franklin EC, Haapkyla J, Harvell CD, Neale S, Page CA, Raymundo L, Vargas-Ángel B, Willis BL, Work, TM, and Davy, SK (2011) Growth anomalies on the coral genera Acropora and Porites are strongly associated with host density and human population size across the Indo-Pacific. PLoS ONE 6: 1-9 Link.
Heron SF, Willis BL, Skirving WJ, Eakin CM, Page CA, et al. (2010) Summer Hot Snaps and Winter Conditions: Modelling White Syndrome Outbreaks on Great Barrier Reef Corals. PLoS ONE 5(8): e12210. Link.
Onton K, Page CA, Wilson SK, Neale SJ, Armstrong S (2011) Distribution and drivers of coral disease at Ningaloo reef, Indian Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 433:75-84 Link.
Page CA, Stoddart JA (2010) New records of five coral diseases from the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. Coral Reefs 29:987 Link.
Baird A, Birrell C, Hughes T, McDonald A, Nojima S, Page CA, Pratchett MS, and Yamasaki H (2009) Latitudinal variation in reproductive synchrony in Acropora assemblages: Japan vs. Australia. Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies, 11 (2). pp. 101-108. Link.
Page C.A (2009) Ecology and Biology of coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef. Ph.D Thesis. James Cook University. Link.
Page C.A, Baker DM, Harvell CD, Golbuu Y, Raymundo L, Neale SJ, Rosell KB, Rypien KL, Andras JP, Willis BL (2009) Influence of marine reserves on coral disease prevalence. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 87:135-150. Link.
Anthony SL, Page CA, Bourne DG, Willis BL (2008) Newly characterized distinct phases of the coral disease ‘atramentous necrosis’ on the Great Barrier Reef. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 81: 255-259 Link
Beger M, Jacobson D, Pinca S, Richards Z, Hess D, Harriss F, Page CA, Peterson E, Baker N. (2008). "The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Republic of the Marshall Islands" in: The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the US and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2008, Waddell, J.E. and A.M. Clarke (eds.), NOAA. Chapter & Book
Page CA, Willis BL (2008) Epidemiology of skeletal eroding band on the Great Barrier Reef and the role of injury in the initiation of this widespread coral disease. Coral Reefs 27: 257-272 Link.
Bruno JF, Selig ER, Casey KS, Page CA, Willis BL, Harvell CD, Sweatman H, Melendy AM (2007) Thermal stress as a driver of coral disease dynamics on the Great Barrier Reef. PloS Biology 5: 1220-1227 Link.
Arias-Gonzales J, Done TJ, Page CA, Cheal AJ, Kininmonth S, Garza-Pérez JR (2006) Towards a reefscape ecology: relating biomass and trophic structure of fish assemblages to habitat at Davies Reef, Australia. Marine Ecological Progress 320:29-41. Link.
Page C.A, Willis, B.L (2006) Distribution, host range and large-scale spatial variability in black band disease prevalence on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 96:41-51 Link.
Selig ER, Harvell CD, Bruno JF, Willis BL, Page CA, Casey KS, Sweatman H (2006) Analyzing the relationship between ocean temperature anomalies and coral disease outbreaks at broad spatial scales. In: Phinney J, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Kleypas J, Skirving W, Strong. A (eds) Coral Reefs and Climate Change. American Geological Union Coastal and Estuarine Series. pp 111-128 Link.
Willis BL, Page CA and Dinsdale EA (2004) Coral disease on the Great Barrier Reef. In: Coral Disease and Heath. Ed: Rosenberg and Loya. Springer. Link.
