PO Box 666 Melbourne VIC 3001 Australia
Education Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts (combined) - University of Melbourne (1979-1984). Post Graduate Diploma of Computer Science - La Trobe University, Melbourne (1985). Master of Information Technology - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (1992-1994). Doctor of Philosophy - University of Melbourne, Zoology Department (1996-2001).
Employment history Programmer, software engineer, systems analyst (1986-1995) PhD student (1996-1999) Research Scientist, Museum Victoria (1999-2001) Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates, Museum Victoria (2001-present).
Research Interests Marine biogeography, macro-ecology and macro-evolution; marine conservation biology; and taxonomy and evolution of echinoderms (sea stars, brittle stars, feather stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins).
Overall, the research is focused on using the vast amounts of data and tissues stored in museum collections to address issues of biodiversity management.
Key government committees Australian Ballast Water Management Advisory Council (ABWMAC), Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (1996-2000) Victorian Fisheries Co-management Council, Department of Natural Resources and Environment (1997-1999) National Introduced Marine Pest Coordination Group (NIMPCG), Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Australia (2001-2008) South East Australian Regional Marine Plan, Stakeholder Reference Group, National Oceans Office (2002-2003)
Key publications (excluding Marine Biodiversity Hub publications and taxonomic works)
Naughton, K.M., O’Hara, T.D., Appleton, B. & Cisternas, P.A. (2014). Antitropical distributions and species delimitation in a group of ophiocomid brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea: Ophiocomidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 78: 232-244.
Naughton, K.M., O’Hara, T.D., Appleton, B. & Gardner, M.G. (2014). Sympatric cryptic species in the crinoid genus Cenolia (Echinodermata: Crinoidea: Comasteridae) delineated by sequence and microsatellite markers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 78: 160-171.
Clark, M.R., Rowden, A.A., Schlacher, T.A., Guinotte, J., Dunstan, P.K., Williams, A., O’Hara, T.D., Watling, L., Niklitschek, E. & Tsuchida, S. (2014). Identifying ecologically or biologically significant areas (EBSA): A systematic method and its application to seamounts in the South Pacific Ocean. Ocean & Coastal Management 91: 65-79.
Schlacher, T.S., Baco-Taylor, A., Rowden, A.A., O’Hara, T.D., Clark, M., Kelley, C. & Dower, J. (2014). Seamount benthos in a cobalt-rich crust region of the Central Pacific: implications for conservation challenges posed by future seabed mining. Diversity and Distributions 20, 491–502.
O’Hara, T.D., Smith, P.J., Mills, V.S., Smirnov, I & Steinke, D. (2013). Biogeographical and phylogeographical relationships of the bathyal ophiuroid fauna of the Macquarie Ridge, Southern Ocean. Polar Biology 36:321–333.
Stöhr, S., O’Hara T.D., & Thuy, B. (2012). Global diversity of brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea). PLosOne 7(3): e31940. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031940
Okanishi, M., O’Hara, T.D. & Fujita, T. (2011). Molecular phylogeny of the order Euryalida (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea), based on mitochondrial and nuclear ribosomal genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 61: 392–399.
O’Hara, T.D., Addison, P.F.E., Gazzard, R., Costa, T.L. & Pocklington, J.B. (2010). A rapid biodiversity assessment methodology tested on intertidal rocky shores. Aquatic Conservation 20:452-463.
O’Hara, T.D. & Tittensor, D.P. (2010). Which environmental factors drive variation in species richness on seamounts? Marine Ecology 31 (Suppl. 1): 26-38.
O’Hara, T.D., Consalvey, M., Lavrado, H.P. & Stocks, K.I. (2010). Environmental predictors and turnover of biota on a seamount chain. Marine Ecology 31 (Suppl. 1): 84-94.
Costa, T.L., O’Hara, T.D. & Keough, M.J. (2010). Measures of taxonomic distinctness do not reliably assess anthropogenic impacts on intertidal mollusc communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 413: 81–93.
O’Hara, T.D., Rowden, A.A. & Williams, A. (2008). Cold-water coral habitats on seamounts: do they have a specialist fauna? Diversity and Distributions 14: 925-934.
O’Hara, T.D. (2007). Seamounts: Centres of endemism or species-richness for ophiuroids? Global Ecology and Biogeography 16: 720-732.
Poore, G.C.B & O’Hara, T.D. (2007). Marine biogeography and biodiversity of Australia. Pp 177-198 in Connell, S.D. & Gillanders, B.M. (eds) Marine Ecology. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
O’Hara, T.D. (2002). Endemism, rarity and vulnerability of marine species along a temperate coastline. Invertebrate Systematics 16: 671-684.
Koslow J.A., Gowlett-Holmes K., Lowry J.K., O’Hara T.D., Poore G.C.B., & Williams A. (2001). The seamount benthic macrofauna off southern Tasmania: community structure and impacts of trawling. Marine Ecology Progress Series 212: 111-125.
O’Hara, T.D. & Poore, G.C.B. (2000). Distribution and origin of Southern Australian echinoderms and decapods. Journal of Biogeography 27: 1321-1335.
O’Hara, T.D. (1998). Origin of Macquarie Island echinoderms. Polar Biology 20: 143-151.
An international team of 40 scientists is set to embark on a pioneering voyage to study Australia’s eastern abyss, four kilometres beneath the ocean surface.
The month-long voyage on the Marine National Facility research vessel...
Nature Wednesday 11 May 2016, London
Patterns of biodiversity in the deep ocean are fundamentally different from those that govern species richness in shallower waters or on land, according to a paper published by Marine Biodiversity Hub researchers in the journal Nature. The study analyses the global distribution of thousands of species of brittle and basket stars — close relatives of the starfish — and provides a baseline for conservation efforts across the global sea floor,...
Australia’s Environment Minister, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, joined University of Tasmania scientists and volunteer divers on a Reef Life Survey at Tinderbox Marine Reserve south of Hobart today.
After the dive, the Minister joined UTAS Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen, at Hobart’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies to launch the Marine Biodiversity Hub, one of six hubs funded under the National Environmental Science Programme (NESP).
The NESP is a six-...
The 2011-2015 Final Report of the National Environmental Research Program Marine Biodiversity Hub is available online and in hard copy. The dynamic, searchable website includes photos, videos, maps and animations showcasing more than 40 research projects and can be browsed by region or research topic. Read the newsletter...
The Marine Biodiversity Hub’s exhibition of images celebrated the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010. It has now become a travelling exhibition at venues around Australia.
The exhibition contains images from Hub partners (and a few more), and was curated by Mark Norman, Head of Science at Museum Victoria.
Our aim is to reach out to the general public (especially school students) and raise their awareness of...
Wednesday 10 December 2014
The Australian Government has announced the successful organisations to lead research hubs under the $142.5 million National Environmental Science Programme (NESP). The programme will assist decision-makers to understand, manage and conserve Australia's environment by funding world-class biodiversity and climate science. This research will ensure decisions about managing Australia's biodiversity and environmental resources are made on the best available...
https://www.youtube.com/user/NERPMarineHub
The Conversation, 25 September 2014
A complete tree of life – showing how and when organisms are related to each other – has long been desired by biologists, but obscured by the vagaries of the fossil record. Now, next-generation gene sequencing, capable of sequencing hundreds of millions of pieces of DNA, is not only revolutionising human medicine and agriculture, but also transforming our understanding about the origins and distribution of life on Earth. Read Museum Victoria and...
The Age, 25 August 2014
The scientific secrets of some of Museum Victoria's unique marine animal collection have been unlocked for the first time, thanks to DNA testing.
Researchers sequenced more than 400 genes from 50 different types of brittle stars, with the results set to shed new light on the evolution of Australia's deep-sea life.
Relatives of starfish, brittle stars are marine animals that can live up to five kilometres below the surface on the abyssal plain....
From identifying what's on the end of your fishing line, to finding out which fishes occur in your local waters, FishMap has the answers.
Link https://fish.ala.org.au/
The theme for this year's Australian Marine Sciences Association Conference is “Marine Extremes - And Everything In Between” and will be held in Hobart, Tasmania, from 1 to 5 July 2012.
The Hub is a bronze sponsor for this year's conference and will also be hosting the evening poster cocktail session on Monday 2 July.
Symposia
Marine Biodiversity Hub researchers will convene 4 symposia –
December 2011
Prof Nic Bax, Director NERP Marine Hub
Australia’s Marine Biodiversity Hub is a four-year research partnership established in 2011 by the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) National Environmental Research Program (NERP). It links the expertise and resources of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (...
