Research Overview
Dr. Rummer's research combines ecological and conservation physiology with an emphasis on issues affecting marine, estuarine, and freshwater fish populations. Her work focuses on understanding how fish respond to environmental change and the implications for conservation.
Research Statement
My research aims to understand the physiological mechanisms that fishes use to acclimate and adapt to climate-related stressors and to make predictions as to which species and populations may be most at risk from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors.
My approach consists of an innovative combination of field- and laboratory-based experimentation, including harnessing geographic gradients and local extreme environments as analogues for future change, investigating the extreme performers within aquatic environments, and integrating conventional and state-of-the-art physiological, biochemical, and molecular techniques.
Research Areas
Ecological & Conservation Physiology
Understanding physiological and biochemical mechanisms fish use to respond to natural and anthropogenic environmental change.
- •Temperature adaptation and acclimation
- •CO2 and ocean acidification impacts
- •Swimming performance and exercise
- •Larval fish biology and development
Climate Change Adaptation
Investigating how marine species acclimate and adapt to climate-related stressors.
- •Geographic gradient studies
- •Local extreme environment research
- •Population-level adaptations
- •Future climate scenario modeling
Major Research Grants
Dr. Rummer's research has been supported by prestigious grants and fellowships, enabling groundbreaking work in marine biology and conservation.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology CRG4
2016-2019 • $1,800,000 AUD
Genomic evidence for adaptation of marine fishes to ocean acidification
Australian Research Council Discovery Fellowship
2015-2017 • $358,536 AUD
Physiological performance of reef fishes under ocean acidification
L'Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship
2015-2016 • $25,000 AUD
Growing up strong in a changing climate: Maintaining physiological performance in juvenile reef sharks
Australian Research Council Super Science Fellowship
2011-2015 • $835,200 AUD
Resilience of Coral Reef Ecosystems to Climate Change
Interested in our research?
Learn more about our findings and their implications for marine conservation.