Researcher biography
My research focuses on conservation coastal marine ecosystems. I use a combination of interdisciplinary modelling and field approaches to understand how marine ecosystems respond to environmental stressors. My current research focuses on 1) impacts of land-use change on coastal marine environments; 2) impacts of sea-level rise on coastal environments; 3) cost, feasibility and benefits of marine and riparian restoration; 4) science underpinning marine environmental policy; and 5) bio-physical modelling of coastal marine ecosystems. I currently hold a UQ Development Fellowship in the School of Chemical Engineering. I have previously held research positions in the School of Earth and Environmental Science, School of Biology, and Global Change Institutes at UQ, and in the Oceans Institute at the University of Western Australia. My PhD research examined outbreak dynamics of invasive marine species in kelp beds in the Western North Atlantic.
Publications
Book Chapters
Maxwell, Paul, Connolly, Rod, Roelfsema, Chris, Burfeind, Dana, Udy, James, O'Brien, Kate, Saunders, Megan, Barnes, Richard, Olds, Andrew, Hendersen, Chris and Gilby, Ben (2019). The seagrasses of Moreton Bay Quandamooka: Diversity, ecology and resilience. Moreton Bay Quandamooka and catchment: past, present and future. (pp. 279-298) edited by Ian R. Tibbetts, Peter C. Rothlisberg, David T. Neil, Tamara A. Homburg, David T. Brewer and Angela H. Arthington. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Moreton Bay Foundation.
Saunders, Megan I., Runting, Rebecca K., Charles-Edwards, Elin, Syktus, Jozef and Leon, Javier (2019). Moreton Bay and catchment: projected changes to population, climate, sea-level and ecosystems. Moreton Bay Quandamooka and catchment: past, present and future. (pp. 245-256) edited by Ian R. Tibbetts, Peter C. Rothlisberg, David T. Neil, Tamara A. Homburg, David T. Brewer and Angela H. Arthington. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Moreton Bay Foundation.
Phinn, Stuart, Roelfsema, Chris, Kovacs, Eva, Canto, Robert, Lyons, Mitch, Saunders, Megan and Maxwell, Paul (2018). Mapping, monitoring and modelling seagrass using remote sensing techniques. Seagrasses of Australia: structure, ecology and conservation. (pp. 445-487) edited by Anthony W. D. Larkum, Gary A. Kendrick and Peter J. Ralph. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-71354-0_15
Journal Articles
Bell-James, Justine, Shumway, Nicole, Villarreal-Rosas, Jaramar, Andradi-Brown, Dominic A., Brown, Christopher J., Fitzsimons, James A., Foster, Rose, Hamman, Evan, Lovelock, Catherine E., Saunders, Megan I. and Waltham, Nathan J. (2025). Upscaling marine and coastal restoration through legal and governance solutions: Lessons from global bright spots. Environmental Science and Policy, 163 103962, 103962. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103962
Vozzo, Maria L., Buelow, Christina A., Sievers, Michael, Adame, M. Fernanda, Branson, Paul, Brown, Maddison, Crosswell, Joseph R., Doropoulos, Christopher, Gilby, Ben L., Martinez-Baena, Francisco, Reeves, Simon, Rullens, Vera, Steven, Andy, Xiao, Ziyu, Dahle, Kirk, Silliman, Brian, ter Hofstede, Remment, van Koningsveld, Mark and Saunders, Megan I. (2024). Achieving at-scale seascape restoration by optimising cross-habitat facilitative processes. npj Ocean Sustainability, 3 (1) 57. doi: 10.1038/s44183-024-00095-1
Piccolo, Renee L., Buelow, Christina, Bell-James, Justine, Saunders, Megan I. and Brown, Christopher J. (2024). Are restoration plans missing the target? Land tenure and cyclone risks reshuffles priorities for mangrove restoration. Restoration Ecology, 32 (8) e14261, 1-12. doi: 10.1111/rec.14261
Gatt, Yasmine M., Walton, Rowana W., Andradi-Brown, Dominic A., Spalding, Mark D., Acosta-Velázquez, Joanna, Adame, Maria Fernanda, Barros, Francisco, Beeston, Mark A., Bernardino, Angelo Fraga, Buelow, Christina A., Cadier, Charles, Calzada Vazquez Vela, Alejandra, Canty, Steven W.J., Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid, de Oliveira Gomes, Luiz Eduardo, Duncan, Clare, Eger, Aaron M., Enright, James A., Frausto-Illescas, Tannia C., Friess, Daniel A., Glass, Leah, Grimsditch, Gabriel, Hagger, Valerie, Hein, Margaux Y., Herrera-Silveira, Jorge A., Hilarides, Lammert, Howard, Jennifer F., Hoyos-Santillan, Jorge, Kandasamy, Kathiresan ... Worthington, Thomas A. (2024). The Mangrove Restoration Tracker Tool: Meeting local practitioner needs and tracking progress toward global targets. One Earth, 7 (11), 2072-2085. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2024.09.004
Saunders, Megan I., Cannard, Toni, Fischer, Mibu, Sheppard, Marian, Twomey, Alice, Morris, Rebecca, Bishop, Melanie J., Mayer-Pinto, Mariana, Malcolm, Fiona, Vozzo, Maria, Steven, Andy, Swearer, Stephen E., Lovelock, Catherine E., Pomeroy, Andrew W. M., McLeod, Ian and Waltham, Nathan J. (2024). A roadmap to coastal and marine ecological restoration in Australia. Environmental Science and Policy, 159 103808, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103808
Brown, Christopher J., Campbell, Max D., Collier, Catherine J., Turschwell, Mischa P., Saunders, Megan I. and Connolly, Rod M. (2024). Speeding up the recovery of coastal habitats through management interventions that address constraints on dispersal and recruitment. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 291 (2027) 20241065. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1065
Cadier, Charles, Blake, Julieanne, Ronan, Mike, Zann, Maria, Accad, Arnon, Ceccarelli, Daniela, Chang, Mary, Diaz-Pulido, Guillermo, Dittmann, Sabine, Doropoulos, Christopher, Fleck, Caitlin, Groves, Paul, Hagger, Valerie, Lovelock, Catherine E., McPherson, Taryn, Saunders, Megan I., Waltham, Nathan J. and Fernanda Adame, Maria (2024). A standard condition and threat indicator framework for benthic marine and estuarine condition assessment. Ecological Indicators, 162 111988. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111988
Bell-James, Justine, Foster, Rose, Shumway, Nicole, Lovelock, Catherine E., Villarreal-Rosas, Jaramar, Brown, Christopher J., Andradi-Brown, Dominic A., Saunders, Megan I., Waltham, Nathan J. and Fitzsimons, James A. (2024). The Global Biodiversity Framework’s ecosystem restoration target requires more clarity and careful legal interpretation. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 8 (5), 840-841. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02389-6
Piccolo, Renee L., Brown, Christopher J., Friess, Daniel A., Lovelock, Catherine E., Brown, Benjamin M., Buelow, Christina and Saunders, Megan I. (2024). Feasibility of habitat restoration under multidisciplinary constraints. Ocean and Coastal Management, 249 106977. doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106977
Lekammudiyanse, Manuja U., Saunders, Megan I., Flint, Nicole, Irving, Andrew, Aiken, Christopher, Clark, Dana E., Berthelsen, Anna, Hindmarsh, Breanna, Hooks, Rachel, Connolly, Rod M., Sievers, Michael, Rasheed, Michael A., Smith, Timothy M., Glasby, Tim M., Sherman, Craig D. H. and Jackson, Emma L. (2024). Environmental drivers of flowering in the genus Zostera and spatio-temporal variability of Zostera muelleri flowering in Australasia. Aquatic Conservation-Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 34 (2). doi: 10.1002/aqc.4068
Lekammudiyanse, Manuja U., Saunders, Megan I., Flint, Nicole, Irving, Andrew and Jackson, Emma L. (2023). Flowering variabilities in subtropical intertidal Zostera muelleri meadows of Australia. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10 1195084, 1-10. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1195084
Silliman, Brian R., Angelini, Christine, Krause, Gesche, Saunders, Megan I., Smith, Carter S., Valdez, Stephanie R., McLean, Josette E. T., Paxton, Avery B., Heide, Tjisse van der and Abelson, Avigdor (2023). Editorial: Marine ecosystem restoration (MER) – a call for a more inclusive paradigm. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10 1250022, 1-10. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1250022
Vozzo, M. L., Doropoulos, C., Silliman, B. R., Steven, A., Reeves, S. E., ter Hofstede, R., van Koningsveld, M., van de Koppel, J., McPherson, T., Ronan, M. and Saunders, M. I. (2023). To restore coastal marine areas, we need to work across multiple habitats simultaneously. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120 (26) e2300546120, e2300546120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2300546120
Lekammudiyanse, Manuja U., Saunders, Megan I., Flint, Nicole, Irving, Andrew and Jackson, Emma L. (2023). Simulated effects of tidal inundation and light reduction on Zostera muelleri flowering in seagrass nurseries. Marine Environmental Research, 188 106010. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106010
Shumway, Nicole, Saunders, Megan I., Nicol, Sam, Fuller, Richard A., Ben‐Moshe, Noam, Iwamura, Takuya, Kim, Sun W., Murray, Nicholas J., Watson, James E. M. and Maron, Martine (2022). Exploring the risks and benefits of flexibility in biodiversity offset location in a case study of migratory shorebirds. Conservation Biology, 37 (2) e14031, e14031. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14031
Sievers, Michael, Brown, Christopher J., Buelow, Christina A., Hale, Robin, Ostrowski, Andria, Saunders, Megan I., Silliman, Brian R., Swearer, Stephen E., Turschwell, Mischa P., Valdez, Stephanie R. and Connolly, Rod M. (2022). Greater consideration of animals will enhance coastal restoration outcomes. BioScience, 72 (11), 1088-1098. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biac088
Hagger, Valerie, Worthington, Thomas A., Lovelock, Catherine E., Adame, Maria Fernanda, Amano, Tatsuya, Brown, Benjamin M., Friess, Daniel A., Landis, Emily, Mumby, Peter J., Morrison, Tiffany H., O’Brien, Katherine R., Wilson, Kerrie A., Zganjar, Chris and Saunders, Megan I. (2022). Drivers of global mangrove loss and gain in social-ecological systems. Nature Communications, 13 (1) 6373, 1-16. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33962-x
Twomey, Alice J., Callaghan, David P., O'Brien, Katherine R. and Saunders, Megan I. (2022). Contextualising shoreline protection by seagrass using lessons from submerged breakwaters. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 276 108011, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2022.108011
Lekammudiyanse, Manuja U., Saunders, Megan I., Flint, Nicole, Irving, Andrew D. and Jackson, Emma L. (2022). Simulated megaherbivore grazing as a driver of seagrass flowering. Marine Environmental Research, 179 105698, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105698
Murray, Nicholas J., Worthington, Thomas A., Bunting, Pete, Duce, Stephanie, Hagger, Valerie, Lovelock, Catherine E., Lucas, Richard, Saunders, Megan I., Sheaves, Marcus, Spalding, Mark, Waltham, Nathan J. and Lyons, Mitchell B. (2022). High-resolution mapping of losses and gains of Earth’s tidal wetlands. Science, 376 (6594), 744-749. doi: 10.1126/science.abm9583
Eger, Aaron M., Earp, Hannah S., Friedman, Kim, Gatt, Yasmine, Hagger, Valerie, Hancock, Boze, Kaewsrikhaw, Ratchanee, Mcleod, Elizabeth, Moore, Abigail Mary, Niner, Holly J., Razafinaivo, Frida, Sousa, Ana I., Stankovic, Milica, Worthington, Thomas A., Bayraktarov, Elisa, Saunders, Megan, Vergés, Adriana and Reeves, Simon (2022). The need, opportunities, and challenges for creating a standardized framework for marine restoration monitoring and reporting. Biological Conservation, 266 109429, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109429
Lambert, Victoria, Bainbridge, Zoe T., Collier, Catherine, Lewis, Stephen E., Adams, Matthew P., Carter, Alex, Saunders, Megan I., Brodie, Jon, Turner, Ryan D.R., Rasheed, Michael A. and O'Brien, Katherine R. (2021). Connecting targets for catchment sediment loads to ecological outcomes for seagrass using multiple lines of evidence. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 169 112494, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112494
Mazor, Tessa, Runting, Rebecca K., Saunders, Megan I., Huang, Danwei, Friess, Daniel A., Nguyen, Nhung T.H., Lowe, Ryan J., Gilmour, James P., Todd, Peter A. and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2021). Future-proofing conservation priorities for sea level rise in coastal urban ecosystems. Biological Conservation, 260 109190, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109190
Mazor, Tessa, Friess, Daniel A., Todd, Peter A., Huang, Danwei, Nguyen, Nhung T.H., Saunders, Megan I., Runting, Rebecca K., Lowe, Ryan J., Cartwright, Paula, Gilmour, James P. and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2021). Large conservation opportunities exist in >90% of tropic-subtropic coastal habitats adjacent to cities. One Earth, 4 (7), 1004-1015. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.06.010
Twomey, Alice J., Saunders, Megan I., Callaghan, David P., Bouma, Tjeerd J., Han, Qiuying and O'Brien, Katherine R. (2021). Lateral sediment erosion with and without the non-dense root-mat forming seagrass Enhalus acoroides. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 253 107316, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107316
Saunders, Megan I., Doropoulos, Christopher, Bayraktarov, Elisa, Babcock, Russell C., Gorman, Daniel, Eger, Aaron M., Vozzo, Maria L., Gillies, Chris L., Vanderklift, Mathew A., Steven, Andy D.L., Bustamante, Rodrigo H. and Silliman, Brian R. (2020). Bright spots in coastal marine ecosystem restoration. Current Biology, 30 (24), R1500-R1510. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.056
Twomey, Alice J., O'Brien, Katherine R., Callaghan, David P. and Saunders, Megan I. (2020). Synthesising wave attenuation for seagrass: drag coefficient as a unifying indicator. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 160 111661, 111661. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111661
Collier, C. J., Carter, A. B., Rasheed, M., McKenzie, L., Udy, J., Coles, R., Brodie, J., Waycott, M., O’Brien, K. R., Saunders, M., Adams, M., Martin, K., Honchin, C., Petus, C. and Lawrence, E. (2020). An evidence-based approach for setting desired state in a complex Great Barrier Reef seagrass ecosystem: a case study from Cleveland Bay. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 7 100042, 100042. doi: 10.1016/j.indic.2020.100042
Bayraktarov, Elisa, Brisbane, Shantala, Hagger, Valerie, Smith, Carter S., Wilson, Kerrie A., Lovelock, Catherine E., Gillies, Chris, Steven, Andrew D. L. and Saunders, Megan (2020). Priorities and motivations of marine coastal restoration research. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7 484. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00484
Waite, Anya M., Raes, Eric, Beckley, Lynnath E., Thompson, Peter A., Griffin, David, Saunders, Megan, Säwström, Christin, O'Rorke, Richard, Wang, Miao, Landrum, Jason P. and Jeffs, Andrew (2019). Production and ecosystem structure in cold-core vs. warm-core eddies: implications for the zooplankton isoscape and rock lobster larvae. Limnology and Oceanography, 64 (6), 2405-2423. doi: 10.1002/lno.11192
Bayraktarov, Elisa, Stewart‐Sinclair, Phoebe J., Brisbane, Shantala, Boström‐Einarsson, Lisa, Saunders, Megan I., Lovelock, Catherine E., Possingham, Hugh P., Mumby, Peter J. and Wilson, Kerrie A. (2019). Motivations, success and cost of coral reef restoration. Restoration Ecology, 27 (5) rec.12977, 981-991. doi: 10.1111/rec.12977
Brown, Christopher J., Jupiter, Stacy D., Albert, Simon, Anthony, Kenneth R. N., Hamilton, Richard J., Fredston-Hermann, Alexa, Halpern, Benjamin S., Lin, Hsien-Yung, Maina, Joseph, Mangubhai, Sangeeta, Mumby, Peter J., Possingham, Hugh P., Saunders, Megan I., Tulloch, Vivitskaia J. D., Wenger, Amelia and Klein, Carissa J. (2019). A guide to modelling priorities for managing land-based impacts on coastal ecosystems. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56 (5), 1106-1116. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13331
Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Mumby, Peter J., Saunders, Megan I., Roelfsema, Chris and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2018). Seagrass organic carbon stocks show minimal variation over short time scales in a heterogeneous subtropical seascape. Estuaries and Coasts, 41 (6), 1732-1743. doi: 10.1007/s12237-018-0381-z
Shumway, Nicole, Watson, James E. M., Saunders, Megan I. and Maron, Martine (2018). The risks and opportunities of translating terrestrial biodiversity offsets to the marine realm. Bioscience, 68 (2), 125-133. doi: 10.1093/biosci/bix150
Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Mumby, Peter J., Saunders, Megan I., Barry, Linda A., Zawadzki, Atun, Heijnis, Henk, Morelli, Guia and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2017). Vertical accretion and carbon burial rates in subtropical seagrass meadows increased following anthropogenic pressure from European colonisation. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 202, 40-53. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2017.12.006
Saunders, Megan Irene, Atkinson, Scott, Klein, Carissa Joy, Weber, Tony and Possingham, Hugh P. (2017). Increased sediment loads cause non-linear decreases in seagrass suitable habitat extent. PloS one, 12 (11) e0187284, 1-21. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187284
Hardy, Margaret C., Desselle, Mathilde R., the 2016 Catch a Rising Star Consortium, Allen, Jennifer, Andrews, Katherine T., Barrington, Dani J., Borg, Danielle, Butler, Kaylene, Colvin, Rebecca, Cooper, Tarni Louisa, Furlong, Emily, Hugo, Honor, Johnston, Elecia, Iacona, Gwenllian, Kenkel, Carly, Kuempel, Caitlin, Khosla, Amie, Langbecker, Danette, Liddle, Jacki, Lucia, Diana, Lussini, Vanessa, Nazareth, Lynn, Peel, Alison, Saunders, Megan, Smith, Meaghan and Velasquez, Johana Tello (2017). Engaging rural Australian communities in national science week helps increase visibility for women researchers. Royal Society Open Science, 4 (10) 170548, 170548. doi: 10.1098/rsos.170548
Albert, Simon, Saunders, Megan I., Roelfsema, Chris M., Leon, Javier X., Johnstone, Elizabeth, Mackenzie, Jock R., Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, Grinham, Alistair R., Phinn, Stuart R., Duke, Norman C., Mumby, Peter J., Kovacs, Eva and Woodroffe, Colin D. (2017). Winners and losers as mangrove, coral and seagrass ecosystems respond to sea-level rise in Solomon Islands. Environmental Research Letters, 12 (9) 094009, 094009. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/aa7e68
Saunders, Megan, Bode, Michael, Atkinson, Scott, Klein, Carissa, Metaxas, Anna, Beher, Jutta, Beger, Maria, Mills, Morena, Giakoumi, Sylvaine, Tulloch, Vivitskaia and Possingham, Hugh (2017). Simple rules can guide whether land- or ocean-based conservation will best benefit marine ecosystems. PLoS Biology, 15 (9) e2001886, e2001886. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2001886
Bayraktarov, Elisa, Saunders, Megan, Mumby, Peter, Possingham, Hugh, Abdullah, Sabah and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2017). Response to “Rebutting the inclined analyses on the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of coral reef restoration”. Ecological Applications, 27 (6), 1974-1980. doi: 10.1002/eap.1583
Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Roelfsema, Chris, Kovacs, Eva M., Adi, Novi S., Lyons, Mitchell, Mumby, Peter J., Lovelock, Catherine E., Saunders, Megan I. and Phinn, Stuart R. (2017). Seagrass morphometrics at species level in Moreton Bay, Australia from 2012 to 2013. Scientific Data, 4 (1) 170060, 170060. doi: 10.1038/sdata.2017.60
Mills, Morena, Leon, Javier X., Saunders, Megan I., Bell, Justine, Liu, Yan, O’Mara, Julian, Lovelock, Catherine E., Mumby, Peter J., Phinn, Stuart, Possingham, Hugh P., Tulloch, Vigitskaia, Mutafoglu, Konar, Morrison, Tiffany, Callaghan, David, Baldock, Tom, Klein, Carissa and Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove (2016). Reconciling development and conservation under coastal squeeze from rising sea-level. Conservation Letters, 9 (5), 361-368. doi: 10.1111/conl.12213
Bayraktarov, Elisa, Saunders, Megan I., Abdullah, Sabah, Mills, Morena, Beher, Jutta, Possingham, Hugh P., Mumby, Peter J. and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2016). The cost and feasibility of marine coastal restoration. Ecological Applications, 26 (4), 1055-1074. doi: 10.1890/15-1077
Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Lovelock, Catherine E., Saunders, Megan I., Roelfsema, Chris and Mumby, Peter J. (2016). Organic carbon in seagrass sediments is influenced by seagrass canopy complexity, turbidity, wave height, and water depth. Limnology and Oceanography, 61 (3), 938-952. doi: 10.1002/lno.10262
Saunders, Megan I., Brown, Christopher J., Foley, Melissa M., Febria, Catherine M., Albright, Rebecca, Mehling, Molly G., Kavanaugh, Maria T. and Burfeind, Dana D. (2016). Human impacts on connectivity in marine and freshwater ecosystems assessed using graph theory: A review. Marine and Freshwater Research, 67 (3), 277-290. doi: 10.1071/MF14358
Adams, Matthew P., Saunders, Megan I., Maxwell, Paul S., Tuazon, Daniel, Roelfsema, Chris M., Callaghan, David P., Leon, Javier, Grinham, Alistair R. and O'Brien, Katherine R. (2016). Prioritizing localized management actions for seagrass conservation and restoration using a species distribution model. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 26 (4), 639-659. doi: 10.1002/aqc.2573
Giakoumi, Sylvaine, Brown, Christopher J., Katsanevakis, Stelios, Saunders, Megan I. and Possingham, Hugh P. (2015). Using threat maps for cost-effective prioritization of actions to conserve coastal habitats. Marine Policy, 61, 95-102. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2015.07.004
Lovelock, Catherine E., Cahoon, Donald R., Friess, Daniel A., Guntenspergen, Glenn R., Krauss, Ken W., Reef, Ruth, Rogers, Kerrylee, Saunders, Megan L., Sidik, Frida, Swales, Andrew, Saintilan, Neil, Thuyen, Le Xuan and Triet, Tran (2015). The vulnerability of Indo-Pacific mangrove forests to sea-level rise. Nature, 526 (7574), 559-563. doi: 10.1038/nature15538
Saunders, Megan I., Albert, Simon, Roelfsema, Chris M., Leon, Javier X., Woodroffe, Colin D., Phinn, Stuart R. and Mumby, Peter J. (2015). Tectonic subsidence provides insight into possible coral reef futures under rapid sea-level rise. Coral Reefs, 35 (1), 155-167. doi: 10.1007/s00338-015-1365-0
Duarte, Carlos M., Fulweiler, Robinson W., Lovelock, Catherine E., Pandolfi, John M., Martinetto, Paulina, Saunders, Megan I. and Gelcich, Stefan (2015). 10.1093/biosci/biv088. Bioscience, 65 (8), 746-747. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biv088
Leon, J. X., Roelfsema, Chris M., Saunders, Megan I. and Phinn, Stuart R. (2015). Measuring coral reef terrain roughness using 'Structure-from-Motion' close-range photogrammetry. Geomorphology, 242, 21-28. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.01.030
Lyons, Mitchell, Roelfsema, Chris, Kovacs, Eva, Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Saunders, Megan, Maxwell, Paul and Phinn, Stuart (2015). Rapid monitoring of seagrass biomass using a simple linear modelling approach, in the field and from space. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 530, 1-14. doi: 10.3354/meps11321
Callaghan, David P., Leon, Javier X. and Saunders, Megan I. (2015). Wave modelling as a proxy for seagrass ecological modelling: comparing fetch and process-based predictions for a bay and reef lagoon. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 153, 108-120. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2014.12.016
Saunders, Megan I., Bayraktarov, Elisa, Roelfsema, Chris M., Leon, Javier X., Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Phinn, Stuart R., Lovelock, Catherine E. and Mumby, Peter J. (2015). Spatial and temporal variability of seagrass at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Botanica Marina, 58 (1), 35-49. doi: 10.1515/bot-2014-0060
Rogers, Alice, Harborne, Alastair R., Brown, Christopher J., Bozec, Yves-Marie, Castro, Carolina, Chollett, Iliana, Hock, Karlo, Knowland, Cheryl A., Marshell, Alyssa, Ortiz, Juan C., Razak, Tries, Roff, George, Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Saunders, Megan I., Wolff, Nicholas H. and Mumby, Peter J. (2015). Anticipative management for coral reef ecosystem services in the 21st century. Global Change Biology, 21 (2), 504-514. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12725
Duarte, Carlos M., Fulweiler, Robinson W., Lovelock, Catherine E., Martinetto, Paulina, Saunders, Megan I., Pandolfi, John M., Gelcich, Stefan and Nixon, Scott W. (2015). Reconsidering ocean calamities. BioScience, 65 (2), 130-139. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biu198
Bell, Justine, Saunders, Megan I., Leon, Javier X., Mills, Morena, Kythreotis, Andrew, Phinn, Stuart, Mumby, Peter J., Lovelock, Catherine E., Hoegh-Huldberg, Ove and Morrison, T. H. (2014). Maps, laws and planning policy: working with biophysical and spatial uncertainty in the case of sea level rise. Environmental Science and Policy, 44, 247-257. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2014.07.018
Hamylton, S. M., Leon, J. X., Saunders, M. I. and Woodroffe, C. D. (2014). Simulating reef response to sea-level rise at Lizard Island: a geospatial approach. Geomorphology, 222, 151-161. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.03.006
Sale, Peter F., Agardy, Tundi, Ainsworth, Carmeron H., Feist, Blake E., Bell, Johann D., Christie, Patrick, Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, Mumby, Peter J., Feary, David A., Saunders, Megan I., Daw, Tim M., Foale, Simon J., Levin, Phillip S., Lindeman, Kenyon C., Lorenzen, Kai, Pomeroy, Robert S., Allison, Edward H., Bradbury, R. H., Corrin, Jennifer, Edwards, Alasdair J., Obura, David O., Sadovy de Mitcheson, Yvonne J., Samoilys, Melita A. and Sheppard, Charles R. C. (2014). Transforming management of tropical coastal seas to cope with challenges of the 21st century. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 85 (1), 8-23. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.005
Sawstrom, Christin, Beckley, Lynnath E., Saunders, Megan I., Thompson, Peter A. and Waite, Anya M. (2014). The zooplankton prey field for rock lobster phyllosoma larvae in relation to oceanographic features of the south-eastern Indian Ocean. Journal of Plankton Research, 36 (4), 1003-1016. doi: 10.1093/plankt/fbu019
Baldock, T. E., Golshani, A., Callaghan, D. P., Saunders, M. I. and Mumby, P. J. (2014). Impact of sea-level rise and coral mortality on the wave dynamics and wave forces on barrier reefs. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 83 (1), 155-164. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.058
Saunders, Megan I., Leon, Javier X., Callaghan, David P., Roelfsema, Chris M., Hamylton, Sarah, Brown, Christopher J., Baldock, Tom, Golshani, Aliasghar, Phinn, Stuart R., Lovelock, Catherine E., Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, Woodroffe, Colin D. and Mumby, Peter J. (2014). Interdependency of tropical marine ecosystems in response to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 4 (8), 724-729. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2274
Roelfsema, Chris M., Lyons, Mitchell, Kovacs, Eva M., Maxwell, Paul, Saunders, Megan I., Samper-Villarreal, Jimena and Phinn, S.R. (2014). Multi-temporal mapping of seagrass cover, species and biomass: A semi-automated object based image analysis approach. Remote Sensing of Environment, 150, 172-187. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2014.05.001
Brown, Christopher J., Saunders, Megan I., Possingham, Hugh P. and Richardson, Anthony J. (2014). Interactions between global and local stressors of ecosystems determine management effectiveness in cumulative impact mapping. Diversity and Distributions, 20 (5), 538-546. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12159
Bell, Justine, Saunders, Megan I., Lovelock, Catherine E. and Possingham, Hugh P. (2014). Legal frameworks for unique ecosystems – how can the EPBC Act offsets policy address the impact of development on seagrass?. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 31 (1), 34-46.
Roelfsema, Chris, Kovacs, Eva M., Saunders, Megan I., Phinn, Stuart, Lyons, Mitchell and Maxwell, Paul (2013). Challenges of remote sensing for quantifying changes in large complex seagrass environments. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 133, 161-171. doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2013.08.026
Saunders, Megan I., Leon, Javier, Phinn, Stuart R., Callaghan, David P., O'Brien, Katherine R., Roelfsema, Chris M., Lovelock, Catherine E., Lyons, Mitchell B. and Mumby, Peter J. (2013). Coastal retreat and improved water quality mitigate losses of seagrass from sea level rise. Global Change Biology, 19 (8), 2569-2583. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12218
Brown, Christopher J., Saunders, Megan I., Possingham, Hugh P. and Richardson, Anthony J. (2013). Managing for Interactions between Local and Global Stressors of Ecosystems. PLoS ONE, 8 (6) e65765, e65765.1-e65765.9. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065765
Leon, Javier X., Phinn, Stuart R., Hamylton, Sarah and Saunders, Megan I. (2013). Filling the 'white ribbon': a multisource seamless digital elevation model for Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 34 (18), 6337-6354. doi: 10.1080/01431161.2013.800659
Saunders, Megan I., Thompson, Peter A., Jeffs, Andrew G., Saewstroem, Christin, Sachlikidis, Nikolas, Beckley, Lynnath E. and Waite, Anya M. (2012). Fussy feeders: Phyllosoma larvae of the western rocklobster (Panulirus cygnus) demonstrate prey preference. Plos One, 7 (5) e36580, e36580.1-e36580.9. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036580
Saunders, Megan I. and Metaxas, Anna (2010). Physical forcing of distributions of bryozoan cyphonautes larvae in a coastal embayment. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 418, 131-145. doi: 10.3354/meps08842
Saunders, Megan I., Metaxas, Anna and Filgueira, Ramon (2010). Implications of warming temperatures for population outbreaks of a nonindigenous species (Membranipora membranacea, Bryozoa) in rocky subtidal ecosystems. Limnology and Oceanography, 55 (4), 1627-1642. doi: 10.4319/lo.2010.55.4.1627
Saunders, Megan I. and Metaxas, Anna (2009). Effects of temperature, size, and food on the growth of Membranipora membranacea in laboratory and field studies. Marine Biology, 156 (11), 2267-2276. doi: 10.1007/s00227-009-1254-6
Metaxas, Anna and Saunders, Megan (2009). Quantifying the "Bio-" components in biophysical models of larval transport in marine benthic invertebrates: advances and pitfalls. Biological Bulletin, 216 (3), 257-272. doi: 10.2307/25548159
Saunders, Megan I. and Metaxas, Anna (2009). Population dynamics of a nonindigenous epiphytic bryozoan Membranipora membranacea in the western North Atlantic: Effects of kelp substrate. Aquatic Biology, 8 (1), 83-94. doi: 10.3354/ab00208
Saunders, Megan and Metaxas, Anna (2008). High recruitment of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea is associated with kelp bed defoliation in Nova Scotia, Canada. Marine Ecology-Progress Series, 369, 139-151. doi: 10.3354/meps07669
Saunders, Megan and Metaxas, Anna (2007). Temperature explains settlement patterns of the introduced bryozoan Membranipora membranacea in Nova Scotia, Canada. Marine Ecology-Progress Series, 344, 95-106. doi: 10.3354/meps06924
Conference Papers
Saunders, Megan I., Baldock, Tom, Brown, Christopher J., Callaghan, David P., Golshani, Aliastair, Hamylton, Sarah, Leon, Javier, Lovelock, Catherine E., Lyons, Mitchell B., O'Brien, Katherine R., Mumby, Peter J., Phinn, Stuart R. and Roelfsema, Christiaan M. (2013). Direct and indirect impacts of predicted sea level rise on seagrass. AMSA 2013: Australian Marine Science Golden Jubilee Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 7-11 July 2013. Kilkivan, QLD, Australia: Australian Marine Science Association (AMSA).
Samper-Villarreal, Jimena, Mumby, Peter, Lovelock, Catherine E. and Saunders, Megan (2013). Carbon storage in seagrass meadows across gradients in water quality. AMSA 2013: Australian Marine Science Golden Jubilee Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 7-11 July 2013. Kilkivan, QLD, Australia: Australian Marine Science Association (AMSA).
Javier, L., Woodroffe, C., Phinn, S. R., Hamylton, S., Callagan, D. P., Baldock, T. E. and Saunders, M. I. (2013). A sediment budget for Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef. The 8th IAG International Conference on Geomorphology: Geomorphology and Sustainability, Paris, France, 27-31 August 2013.
CSIRO Marine and Coastal Carbon Biogeochemistry Cluster, Serrano, Oscar, Alongi, Daniel, Arias, Ariane, Cherukuru, Nagur, Connolly, Rod, Duarte, Carlos, Esteban, Alba, Eyre, Bradley, Ford, Phillip, Garcia-Orellana, Jordi, Grierson, Pauline, Hayes, Matthew, Rozaimi, Mohammad, Kendrick, Gary, Larkum, Anthony, Lavery, Paul, Lee, Shing Yip, Lovelock, Catherine, Macreadie, Peter, Marba, Nuria, Masque, Pere, Mazarrasa, Ines, McGowan, Hamish, Oubelkheir, Kadija, Petrou, Katherina, Ralph, Peter, Robertson, Alistar, Samper-Villarreal, Jimena ... Trott, Lindsay (2013). Carbon sequestration, stoichiometry and storage potential of Australian coastal and marine ecosystems*. AMSA 2013: Australian Marine Science Golden Jubilee Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, 7-11 July 2013. Kilkivan, QLD, Australia: Australian Marine Science Association (AMSA).
Leon, J., Phinn, S. R., Woodroffe, C. D., Hamylton, S., Roelfsema, C. and Saunders, M. (2012). Data fusion for mapping coral reef geomorphic zones - possibilities and limitations. 4th International Conference on Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA 2012), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 7-9 May 2012. Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil: National Institute for Space Research (INPE); Director´s Cabinet (GB); Service for Information and Documentation (SID).
O'Brien, K. R., Grinham, A., Roelfsema, C. M., Saunders, M. I. and Dennison, W. C. (2011). Viability criteria for the presence of the seagrass Zostera muelleri in Moreton Bay, based on benthic light dose. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand (MODSIM 2011), Perth, Australia, 12 - 16 December 2011. Perth, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand.
Research Report
Lambert, Victoria M., Collier, Catherine, Brodie, Jon, Adams, Matthew P., Baird, Mark, Bainbridge, Zoe, Carter, Alex, Lewis, Stephen, Rasheed, Michael, Saunders, Megan and O'Brien, Kate (2020). Connecting sediment load targets to ecological outcomes for seagrass: report to the National Environmental Science Program. Cairns, Qld, Australia: Reef and Rainforest Research Centre.
Data Collections
Hagger, Valerie, Lovelock, Catherine and Saunders, Megan (2022). Drivers of global mangrove loss and gain. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/233461e
Roelfsema, Christiaan M., Lyons, Mitchell, Kovacs, Eva, Maxwell, Paul, Saunders, Megan, Samper-Villarreal, Jimena and Phinn, Stuart R. (2016). Habitat map of seagrass cover derived from a supervised moderate-spatial-resolution multi-spectral satellite image, integrated with manual delineation and coincident field data, Moreton Bay, 2004. Pangaea. (Dataset)
Samper-Villarreal, Jimena , Roelfsema, Christiaan M., Adi, Novi , Saunders, Megan , Lyons, Mitchell , Kovacs, Eva , Mumby, Peter, Lovelock, Catherine E. and Phinn, Stuart R. (2016). Morphometrics of seagrasses at species level, Moreton Bay, Australia determined from core samples collected in 2012-2013. Pangaea. (Dataset)
Roelfsema, Christiaan M., Canto, Robert, Saunders, Megan, Leon, Javier X. (Leon Patino, Javier) and Albert, Simon (2015). Benthic and substrate cover data derived from photo-transect surveys in a Sub Set of Roviana Reef, Solomon Islands, 2013-05-05 to 2013-05-09. Pangaea. (Dataset) doi: 10.1594/PANGAEA.840757
Roelfsema, Christiaan M., Lyon, Mitchell, Kovacs, Eva, Maxwell, Paul, Saunders, Megan, Samper-Villarreal, Jimena and Phinn, Stuart R. (2015). Multi-temporal mapping of seagrass cover, species and biomass of the Eastern Banks, Moreton Bay, Australia, with links to shapefiles.. Pangaea. (Dataset) doi: 10.1594/PANGAEA.833767
Roelfsema, Christiaan M., Saunders, Megan , Canto, Robert, Leon, Javier X. (Leon Patino, Javier), Phinn, Stuart R. and Hamylton, Sarah (2014). Habitat Map for Lizard Island reef, Australia derived from a photo-transect survey field data collected in December 2011 and September/October 2012. Pangaea. (Dataset)
Saunders, Megan, Roelfsema, Christiaan M., Phinn, Stuart R., Canto, Robert, Brown, Christopher and Leon, Javier X. (2013). Benthic and substrate cover data derived from photo-transect surveys in Lizard Island Reef conducted on December 10-15, 2011. Pangaea. (Dataset) doi: 10.1594/PANGAEA.807404
Saunders, Megan, Roelfsema, Christiaan M., Phinn, Stuart R., Canto, Robert, Brown, Christopher, Atkinson, Scott and Leon, Javier X. (2013). Benthic and substrate cover data derived from photo-transect surveys in Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef conducted on October 3-7, 2012. Pangaea. (Dataset) doi: 10.1594/PANGAEA.807406