Dr.
Pedro Frade
Main Grants and Research Funding
From April 2022 - PI in the
project “RESTORESEAS - Marine Forests of animals, plants and algae: nature-based tools to protect and restore biodiversity”,
funded by FWF – Austria Science Fund (reference I 5838-B; funding of Euro 241,600.80 for a total of 3 years), as part of an
international BioDivERsA cooperation including 13 partners of 11 countries. https://www.restoreseas.net/
2016 - 2020 - PI in the project "Coral’s Gastric Cavity: a bioreactor for microbe-driven metabolic pathways", funded
by FTC - Portuguese Science Foundation through a Postdoctoral grant (reference nr SFRH/BPD/110285/2015; funding of Euro 18,690.00
per year, for a total of 6 years).
2012 - 2015 - PI in two projects "COSMIC - Coral Surface Microlayer: production and dynamics of mucus-associated microbial communities", funded by the FWF - Austrian Science Fund (nr M1363-B20; total of Euro 149,340.00) and the European Commission (nr 299320, under call identifier FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF; total of Euro 180,191.40).
2010 - Postdoctoral fellowship within the EU-funded FORCE project (Future of Reefs in a Changing
Environment: an ecosystem approach to managing Caribbean coral reefs in the face of climate change).
2004 - 2008
- PhD Fellowship by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT, reference nr SFRH/BD/13382/2003; total funding of Euro 183.520,00).
Students & Alumni
Christian Pruckner
PhD Student; University of Vienna
Since
August 2022
Link
David Coelho
MSc Student; University of Algarve
Since January 2022
Link
Giulia Marchioro
PhD Student; Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, University of Vienna
Since
November 2021
Link
Matthäus Greilhuber
MSc Student; University of Vienna
Since November 2021
Link
Aliah-Noor Hashmi
Volunteer
October 2021 – March 2022
My project at the museum
has revolved around coral. I have been encouraged to explore the relationship between coral skeleton morphology and its involvement
in the development of cilia direction on the surface of live coral. It is a project conjunction between the Natural History
Museum Wien, Adameyko lab which is part of the Medical University of Vienna and the Haus des Meeres. Here at the museum, I’ve
been introduced to using 3D scanning to make digital models of coral specimens already in the museum. These models will be
used to look at coral morphology but they’ll also contribute towards the Museum’s digital library. Using a Micro-CT scanner,
we are able to see the finer details on the surface of the coral skeletons but also any internal structures including growth
rings. In the lab, bead tracking was carried out on live pieces of Echinopora and Pavona coral species donated
by the Haus des Meeres. The tracks visualise the micro-currents on the surface of the corals which can then be overlain onto
Micro-CT scans of the same specimens. With having a better understanding on the morphology of coral, it is hoped to contribute
towards taxonomic identification of species.
Lucia Diaz-Abad
MSc Student; IMBRSea and University
of Algarve
January 2021 – July 2021
I am Lucía Diaz, a Spanish marine biologist. My work with Dr.
Pedro Frade has touched two different marine organisms: corals and green sea turtles, with a similar genetic analysis shared
between them. As part of my Master´s program (IMBRSea, International Master in Marine Biological Resources), I completed my
professional practice analyzing Symbiodiniaceae DNA sequences present in museum samples (Natural History Museum Wien) of pre-industrial
Red Sea corals. Using available preserved museum coral collections allowed us to travel back in time and explore recent
adaptation of coral symbionts and establish such baselines. The work consisted on performing a complete cleaning analysis
and taxonomic assignment of the Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 DNA sequences with the QIIME platform, applying statistical analyses
(in R) to investigate the alpha and beta-diversity of Symbiodiniaceae communities and comparing old corals Symbiodiniaceae
composition with current databases.
In addition, I also completed my Master´s Thesis on the topic
of “Green sea turtle diet and digestive microbiome using DNA metabarcoding”, for which one paper has already been published: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-021-04002-x,
and the second one its one its way. For this, I performed the same analysis done with the coral sequences, but this time,
on green sea turtle and macrophyte DNA sequences from Guinea-Bissau. In an attempt to pioneer in the field of diet studies,
we combined green turtle esophageal and cloacal swabs with a metabarcoding approach, to target the 18S rRNA genes of potential
green turtle diet items, finding that red algae (Polysiphonia sp., Laurencia sp. and Hypnea sp.), were
their favorite diet items.
Moreover, by applying the same metabarcoding technique, but targeting the 16S rRNA gene region,
we were able to set the first microbial baselines for the gut microbiome of juvenile foraging individuals and hatchlings of
green turtles from Guinea Bissau and from some of their potential food items, which allowed to corroborate the findings of
the diet analysis. With this work, we have contributed to the scarce information regarding the availability of feeding
resources around the Bijagós archipelago and how green turtles foraging around the area use them, by establishing the first
baselines for both their diet and digestive microbiota and hopefully, opened the doors for upcoming studies in these lines.
Cassandra Roch
MSc student; IMBRSea and University of Vienna
January 2021 – August 2021
My research interests focus on the effect of global climate change on coral reefs, especially in coral responses
to stress and the mechanisms underlying their potential to adapt to a changing world. For my master thesis with Pedro Frade
and the NHMW, we focused on coral-algal symbiosis. We assessed whether Symbiodiniaceae diversity has changed in Red Sea corals
since the onset of anthropogenic climate change. To do this we analyzed the symbiont community in coral specimen that were
collected around 200 years ago and preserved in ethanol at the NHMW.
2009 - PhD in coral evolutionary biology and microbial ecology, with thesis title "Corals through the light - Phylogenetics, functional diversity and adaptive strategies of coral-symbiont associations over a large depth range". University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (25.06.2009)
2002 - Licentiate Degree (MSc-equivalent) in Marine Animal Biology at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon (FCUL), Portugal
Professional Experience
Since July 2020 - Curator and researcher at the Zoological Department III (Invertebrate Zoology), Natural History Museum Vienna.
2016 - 2020 - Postdoctoral researcher within the group of Prof. dr. Ester Serrão (Biogeographical Ecology and Evolution) at the Center of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) at the University of Algarve; and long-term visitor in the groups of Dr. Nicole Webster at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Dr. David Bourne at James Cook University, in Townsville, Australia.
2011 - 2015 - Postdoctoral researcher within the group of Prof. dr. Gerhard J Herndl (Microbial Oceanography) at the Department of Limnology and Bio-Oceanography (former Marine Biology) in the University of Vienna, Austria.
2010 - Postdoctoral researcher at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM, Mexico) in the EU Project FORCE (Future of Reefs in a Changing Environment: an ecosystem approach to managing Caribbean coral reefs in the face of climate change). This position was supervised by Prof. dr. Roberto Iglesias-Prieto.
2004 - 2009 - PhD research supervised by Prof. dr. Rolf PM Bak at NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and the University of Amsterdam (UvA), The Netherlands, with co-promoter Prof. dr. Jef Huisman.
2008 - Guest Researcher within the group of Dr. Jaap Kaandorp, in the Section Computational Science at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
2003 - 2004 - MPA Researcher at the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries of the University of the Azores, Portugal, with a junior research grant attributed by IMAR (Institute of the Sea), under the EU-funded project INTERREG IIIb/OGAMP, "Planning and Management of Marine Protected Areas", supervised by Prof. dr. Ricardo Serrão Santos (http://www.horta.uac.pt/projectos/macmar/ogamp/ogamp.html).
2001 - 2002 - Research project to conclude the (MSc-equivalent) graduation in Marine Animal Biology, entitled "Coral population structures in marginal environments: the inland bays of Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles", supervised by Prof. dr. Rolf PM Bak (UvA), Dr. Adolph O Debrot (CARMABI) and Prof. dr. Jose Guerreiro (FCUL).
37. Terzin M, Laffy PW, Robbins S, Kit Yeoh Y, Frade PR, Glasl B, Webster NS and Bourne DG (2024) The road forward to incorporate seawater microbes in predictive reef monitoring. Environmental Microbiome 19, 5. doi.org/10.1186/s40793-023-00543-4
36. Palandacic A, Chai MJ, Shandikov GA, Akkari N, Frade PR, Randolf S, Berg H-M, Mikschi E, Bogutskaya NG (2024) An annotated catalogue of selected historical type specimens, including genetic data, housed in the Natural History Museum Vienna. ZooKeys 1203: 253-323. doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1203.117699
35. Hill RW, Florn AM, Vermeij MJA and Frade PR (2023) In situ testing of candidate odorant cues in coral-reef fish: A new method with tests of dimethylsulfoniopropionate and betaines. Frontiers in Marine Science 10: 1187249. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1187249
34. O'Brien PA, Tan S, Frade PR, Robbins SJ, Engelberts JP, Bell SC, Vanwonterghem I, Miller DJ, Webster NS, Zhang G and Bourne DG (2023) Validation of key sponge symbiont pathways using genome-centric metatranscriptomics. Environmental Microbiology 1–18. doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16509
32. Galbraith E, Frade PR and Convertino M (2022) Metabolic shifts of oceans: summoning bacterial interactions. Ecological Indicators 138. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108871
31. Bouderlique T, Petersen J, Faure L, Abed-Navandi D, Bouchnita A, Mueller B, Nazarov M, Englmaier L, Tesarova M, Frade PR, Zikmund T, Koehne T, Kaiser J, Fried K, Wild C, Pantos O, Hellander A, Bythell J and Adameyko I (2022) Surface flow for colonial integration in reef-building corals. Current Biology 32: 1-14. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.054
30. Bogutskaya NG, Mikschi E, Riedl MD, Szeiler S, Frade PR and Palandacic A (2022) An annotated catalogue of the type specimens described by Maximilian Holly housed in the Natural History Museum of Vienna. Part. 1. Chordata: Actinopterygii and Echinodermata: Asteroidea. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien B 124: 19-92
29. Diaz-Abad L, Bacco-Mannina N, Madeira FM, Neiva J, Aires T, Serrao EA, Regalla A, Patricio AR and Frade PR (2022) eDNA metabarcoding for diet analyses of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Marine Biology 169: 18. doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-04002-x
28. Botté ES, Cantin NE, Mocellin VJL, O'Briend PA, Rocker MM, Frade PR and Webster NS (2022) Reef location has a greater impact than coral bleaching severity on the microbiome of Pocillopora acuta. Coral Reefs 41: 63-79. doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02201-y
27. Glasl B, Haskell JB, Aires T, Serrao EA, Bourne DG, Webster NS and Frade PR (2021) Microbial surface biofilm responds to the growth-reproduction-senescence cycle of the dominant coral reef macroalgae Sargassum spp. Life 11: 1199 (special issue on „the Environmental Microbiome and its Interactions“). doi.org/10.3390/life11111199
25. Frade PR, Glasl B, Matthews SA, Mellin C, Schaffelke B, Serrão EA, Wolff K, Mumby PJ, Webster NS and Bourne DG (2020) Spatial patterns of microbial communities across surface waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Communications Biology 3: 442. doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01166-y
24. O‘Brien PA, Tan S, Yang C, Frade PR, Andreakis N, Smith HA, Miller DJ, Webster NS, Zhang G and Bourne DG (2020) Diverse coral reef invertebrates exhibit patterns of phylosymbiosis. The ISME Journal 14: 2211-2222. doi: 10.1038/s41396-020-0671-x
23. Glasl B, Robbins S, Frade PR, Marangon E, Laffy P, Bourne DG and Webster NS (2020) Comparative genome-centric analysis reveals seasonal variation in the function of coral reef microbiomes. The ISME Journal 14(6): 1-16. doi: 10.1038/s41396-020-0622-6
22. Glasl B, Bourne DG, Frade PR, Thomas T, Schaffelke B and Webster NS (2019) Microbial indicators of environmental perturbations in coral reef ecosystems. Microbiome 7:94. doi: 10.1101/524173
21. Engelen AH, Aires T, Vermeij MJA, Herndl GJ, Serrão EA and Frade PR (2018) Host differentiation and compartmentalization of microbial communities in the azooxanthellate cupcorals Tubastrea coccinea and Rhizopsammia goesi in the Caribbean. Frontiers in Marine Science 5: 391. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00391
20. Frade PR, Bongaerts P, Englebert N, Rogers A, Gonzalez-Rivero M and Hoegh-Guldberg O (2018) Deep reefs of the Great Barrier Reef offer limited thermal refuge during mass coral bleaching. Nature Communications 9 (1): 3447. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-05741-0
19. Benzoni F, Arrigoni R, Berumen M, Taviani M, Bongaerts P and Frade PR (2018) Morphological and genetic divergence between the Mediterranean and Caribbean populations of Madracis pharensis (Heller 1868): too much for one species? Zootaxa 4471 (3): 473–492. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4471.3.3
18. van Oppen MJH, Frade PR, Bongaerts P, Peplow LM, Boyd S, Nim H and Bay LK (2018) Adaptation to reef habitats through selection on the coral animal and its associated microbiome. Molecular Ecology 27: 2956-2971. doi: 10.1111/mec.14763
17. Glasl B, Bourne DG, Frade PR and Webster NS (2018) Establishing microbial baselines to identify indicators of coral reef health. Microbiology Australia 10.1071/MA18011
16. Glasl B, Bongaerts P, Elisabeth NH, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Herndl GJ and Frade PR (2017) Microbiome variation in corals with distinct depth distribution ranges across a shallow-mesophotic gradient (15-85 m). Coral Reefs 36 (2): 447-452. doi: 10.1007/s00338-016-1517-x
15. Goldammer H, Hollergschwandtner E, Elisabeth NH, Frade PR and Reipert S (2016) Automated freeze substitution of algae accelerated by a novel agitation module. Protist 167: 369-376. doi: 10.1016/j.protis.2016.06.002
14. Glasl B, Herndl GJ and Frade PR (2016) The microbiome of coral surface mucus has a key role in mediating holobiont health and survival upon disturbance. The ISME Journal 10: 2280-2292. doi: 10.1038/ismej.20169
13. Frade PR, Roll K, Bergauer K and Herndl GJ (2016) Archaeal and Bacterial communities associated with the surface mucus of Caribbean corals differ in their degree of host specificity and community turnover over reefs. PLoS ONE 01/2016, 11 (1): e0144702. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144702
12. Frade PR, Schwaninger V, Glasl B, Sintes E, Hill RW, Simó R and Herndl GJ (2015) Dimethylsulfoniopropionate in corals and its interrelations with bacterial assemblages in coral surface mucus. Environmental Chemistry 13 (2): 252-265. doi: 10.1071/EN15023
11. Bongaerts P, Carmichael M, Hay KB, Tonk L, Frade PR and Hoegh-Guldberg O (2015) Prevalent endosymbiont zonation shapes the depth distributions of scleractinian coral species. Royal Society Open Science 2: 140297. doi: 10.1098/rsos.140297
10. Bongaerts P, Frade PR, Hay KB, Englebert N, Latijnhouwers K, Bak RPM, Vermeij MJA and Hoegh-Guldberg O (2015) Deep down on a Caribbean reef: lower mesophotic depths harbor a specialized coral-endosymbiont community. Scientific Reports 5: 7652. doi: 10.1038/srep07652
9. Bongaerts P, Frade PR, Ogier JJ, Hay KB, van Bleiswijk J, Englebert N, Vermeij MJA, Bak RPM, Visser PM and Hoegh-Guldberg O (2013) Sharing the slope: depth partitioning of Agariciid corals and their associated Symbiodinium across shallow and mesophotic habitats (0-60 m) on a Caribbean reef. BMC Evolutionary Biology 13: 205. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-205
8. Filatov MV, Frade PR, Bak RPM, Vermeij MJA and Kaandorp JA (2013) Comparison between colony morphology and molecular phylogeny in the Caribbean scleractinian coral genus Madracis. PLoS ONE 8 (8): e71287. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071287
7. Vermeij MJA, Frade PR and Bak RPM (2013) Zooxanthellae presence acts as a settlement cue for aposymbiotic planulae of the Caribbean coral Montrastraea faveolata. Caribbean Journal of Science 47: 31-36
6. Frade PR, Reyes-Nivia MC, Faria J, Kaandorp JA, Luttikhuizen PC and Bak RPM (2010) Semi-permeable species boundaries in the coral genus Madracis: introgression in a brooding coral system. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 57: 1072-1090
5. Hill RW, Li C, Jones AD, Gunn JP and Frade PR (2010) Abundant betaines in reef-building corals and ecological indicators of a photoprotective role. Coral Reefs 29: 869-880
4. Frade PR, de Jongh F, Vermeulen F, van Bleijswijk J and Bak RPM (2008) Variation in symbiont distribution between closely related coral species over large depth ranges. Molecular Ecology 17: 691-703
3. Frade PR, Bongaerts P, Winkelhagen AJS, Tonk L and Bak RPM (2008) In situ photobiology of corals over large depth ranges: a multivariate analysis on the roles of environment, host, and algal symbiont. Limnology and Oceanography 53: 2711-2723
2. Frade PR, Englebert N, Faria J, Visser PM and Bak RPM (2008) Distribution and photobiology of Symbiodinium types in different light environments for three colour morphs of the coral Madracis pharensis: is there more to it than total irradiance? Coral Reefs 27: 913-925
1. Vermeij MJA, Frade PR, Jacinto RIR, Debrot AO and Bak RPM (2007) Effects of reproductive mode on habitat-related differences in the population structure of eight Caribbean coral species. Marine Ecology Progress Series 351: 91-102
5. Bräuchler C, Eggers S, Frade PR, Inglez dos Reis M, Dorneles de Andrade EK, Krenn M, de Paula Passos L, Sehnal P and Vohland K (2022) In: Natural History Museum Vienna (ed.) Brazil: 200 years of relations. - 45pp., Wien (Verlag des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien), 2022. ISBN 978-3-903096-54-7
4. Frade PR and Ott I (2021) Meet a scientist. In: Ott I (Ed) Deck 50, pp. 27-28, Wien (ISBN: 978-3-903096-50-9). Verlag des NHMW
3. Wolfe K, Anthony K, Babcock RC, Bay L, Bourne DG, Burrows D, Byrne M, Deaker D, Diaz-Pulido G, Frade PR, Gonzalez-Rivero M, Hoey A, Hoogenboom M, McCormick M, Ortiz JC, Razak T, Richardson AJ, Sheppard-Brennand H, Stella J, Thompson A, Watson SA, Webster NS, Audas D, Beeden R, Bonanno V, Carver J, Cowlishaw M, Dyer M, Groves P, Horne D, Thiault L, Vains J, Wachenfeld D, Weekers D, Williams G and Mumby PJ (2020) Priority species to support the functional integrity of coral reefs. In: Hawkins SJ, Allcock AL, Bates AE, Evans AJ, Firth LB, McQuaid CD, Russel BD, Smith IP, Swearer SE and Todd PA (2020) Oceanography & Marine Biology: An Annual Review 58: 179-318. (ISBN: 978-0-429-35149-5). CRC Press
2. Frade PR, Bongaerts P, Baldwin CC, Trembanis AC, Bak RPM and Vermeij MJA (2019) The mesophotic coral ecosystems of Bonaire and Curaçao. In: Loya Y, Puglise K and Bridge T (2019) Coral Reefs of the World Series: Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems. Springer
1. Frade PR (2009) Corals through the light - Phylogenetics, functional diversity and adaptive strategies of coral-symbiont associations over a large depth range. PhD Thesis, University of Amsterdam, 176 pp. (ISBN: 978-90-9024362-7) (http://dare.uva.nl/record/305853)
11. Frade PR, Goodbody-Gringley G, Latijnhouwers K, Hoey J, Arrigoni R, Benzoni F, Muir P, and Bongaerts P (2022) Widespread introgressive hybridization in the Caribbean coral genus Madracis. 15th International Coral Reef Symposium, Bremen, Germany, 3-8 July
10. Frade PR (2021) Codiversification and biodiversity loss in reef-building corals (keynote talk). 22nd Meeting of the German Society for Biological Systematics, Bonn, Germany, 2-4 March (online)
9. Frade PR, Glasl B, Matthews SA, Serrão EA, Webster NS and Bourne DG (2019) Exploring the distribution and diagnostic power of microbiomes across the Great Barrier Reef towards the implementation of microbial observatories (oral presentation). 15th European Ecological Federation Congress, Lisbon, Portugal, 29 July - 2 August
8. Frade PR (2018) The role of coral-associated microbial communities on host distribution and adaptation across mesophotic depths (invited speaker). Gordon Research Conference on Mesophotic Coral Reefs, Bates College, Maine, USA, 17-22 June
7. Frade PR (2017) A microbial perspective on the coral holobiont: host compartments, microbial successions and adaptations to the mesophotic environment (invited speaker). ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Australia, 21 November
6. Frade PR, Marangon E, Glasl B, Herndl GJ and Serrão EA (2017) Microbial successions within distinct compartments of the coral holobiont and their relation to coral health (oral presentation). 1st Australian Microbial Ecology (AusME), Melbourne, Australia, 13-15 February
5. Frade PR (2015) Keystone host-microbe interactions within the coral holobiont and their ecological significance (oral presentation). Mini-Symposium “Coral Reef Functioning” on the occasion of the PhD defense of PhD candidate Benjamin Mueller, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, The Netherlands, 2 December
4. Frade PR, Schwaninger V, Glasl B, Sintes E, Hill RW, Simó R and Herndl GJ (2015) Coral dimethylsulfoniopropionate: responses to light and stress, and interrelations with bacterial assemblages in surface mucus (oral presentation). 37th Scientific Meeting of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC), Curaçao, 18-22 May
3. Frade PR, Elisabeth NH, Hay KB, Englebert N, Latijnhouwers KRW, Bak RPM, Vermeij MJA, Herndl GJ, Hoegh-Guldberg O and Bongaerts P (2015) A specialized coral-Symbiodinium-Bacteria community deep down on a Caribbean reef (poster presentation). 37th Scientific Meeting of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC), Curaçao, 18-22 May
2. Glasl B, Herndl GJ and Frade PR (2015) Corals use mucus to garden their microbiome and stay healthy (poster presentation). 37th Scientific Meeting of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC), Curaçao, 18-22 May
1. Frade PR and Herndl GJ (2014) Linking the composition of coral surface mucus to the structure and function of its associated microbial biofilm community (oral presentation). Biofilms 6, Vienna, Austria, 13 May
Ongoing and Recent Collaborations
Since 2019 - Using machine learning and artificial intelligence to model the response of microbial communities to environmental dynamics and predict future ecosystem responses in the face of a rapidly changing climate; with Dr. Matteo Convertino from the University of Hokkaido, in Japan.
Since 2018 - Using confocal microscopy to detect patterns of coral tissue fluorescence relating to a undescribed mechanism of coral response to thermal and light stress; with Prof. Igor Adameyko from the Brain Research Center at the Medical University of Vienna, in Austria.
Since 2017 - Collaborator in the project “Marine invertebrates and their associated microbial communities“, a research initiative led by Dr. David Bourne at James Cook University in Australia.
2016 - 2020 - Collaborator in the project “Marine Microbes Framework Data Initiative“ of the Bioplatforms Australia, through the research groups of Dr. David Bourne at the James Cook University and Dr. Nicole Webster at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
2018 - 2019 - Collaborator in the project “Reviewing microbial communities on the Great Barrier Reef: contribution to a functioning reef“, a research initiative coordinated by the National Environmental Science Programme of Australia and led by Dr. David Bourne at James Cook University.
2012 - 2016 - Collaborator within the Catlin Seaview Survey and the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, two major scientific expeditions led by the University of Queensland (Australia) whose aim was to document the composition and health of coral reefs worldwide. Specific research has focused on mesophotic reefs, niche diversification of corals and their symbionts over large depth ranges, the role of ecological speciation in corals.
Since 2014 - Comparing ancient (pre-industrial) with modern Symbiodiniaceae communities associated with stony corals, using the wet collection of the Natural History Museum (NHM) in Vienna (Austria); with Dr. Helmut Sattmann and Dr. Elisabeth Haring from NHM.
Since 2013 - Taxonomic revisions in the coral genus Madracis; with Dr. Francesca Benzoni from University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy) and KAUST (Saudi Arabia).
Since 2010 - Mesophotic reefs, niche diversification of corals and their symbionts over large depth ranges, the role of ecological speciation in corals; with Dr. Pim Bongaerts from California Academy of Sciences (USA) and Prof. dr. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg from the Global Change Institute and the University of Queensland (Australia).
South Coast of Portugal – multiple fieldtrips in 2013-2018
Azores Islands (Portugal) – multiple fieldtrips in 2003-2004
Southern Caribbean Reefs (Curaçao Island) - multiple fieldtrips in 2001-2015
Over 1500 research dives
Teaching
Since 2020 - Guest lecturer of the (Marine Biology) MSc course Coral Reef Ecology at the University of Algarve,
Portugal.
2018 - 2019 - Invited lecturer at the undergraduate course on “Life History and Evolution of Reef Corals“,
coordinated by Dr. David Bourne at the James Cook University, in Townsville, Australia.
2011 - 2012 - Invited lecturer
at the undergraduate course on “Coral Reef Ecosystems“, coordinated by Dr. Petra Visser (Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem
Dynamics) as part of the MSc in Biological Science at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Academic
Supervision
Since 2004 – Advisor of two PhD candidates, Paul O‘Brien (James Cook University) and
Norbert Englebert (University of Queensland), and supervisor of more than 20 MSc students, both in the lab and in the field,
including thesis guidance and final grading (University of Amsterdam, University of Lisboa, University of Vienna, University
of Innsbruck, University of South Denmark, University of Algarve).
Outreach
2020 - Scientific advisor in the project “Whitening Out“, an initiative led by Claudia Schildknecht and the Biotop der Relevanz,
aimed at building and installing a ceramic “dead coral reef“ made by school kids in a public fountain in Lucern, Switzerland.
2019 - Invited speaker at the ProjectAR event, organized by the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal, as coral
expert commenting on the documentary “Chasing Coral”. Information available here: events.ar.fchampalimaud.org/chasingcoral/
2019 - Interview with reporter Joana Moreira, Beauty Editor of “Vogue Portugal”, for an article about “Coral bleaching
and the effect of sunscreens on corals and coral reefs”, published in the September
2019 edition of the magazine.
Article available here: https://www.ccmar.ualg.pt/sites/ccmar.ualg.pt/files/202_voguept_protecao_coral.pdf
2019
- Interview with students from the 8th grade (14 years old) of the JBV School of Sao Bras de Alportel about biotic relations
and marine mutualisms.
2018 - “The deeply appalling condition of the Great Barrier Reef“, a Behind the
Paper contribution to Nature Ecology and Evolution. https://natureecoevocommunity.nature.com/users/170958-pedro-r-frade/posts/38391-the-deeply-appalling-condition-of-the-great-barrier-reef
2016 - 2018 - Member of the science team running the citizen-science project “Earthwatch”, which involves
the general public on field activities of scientists monitoring the effects of cyclones on coral reefs. This project is led
by Dr. David Bourne and runs biannually at the Orpheus Island Research Station of James Cook University, in Australia.
2015 - Scientific Manager in the project “Scopulum Anima - Reef Soul” (directed by digital artist Roman Hansi),
a full-dome underwater documentary including real footage and digital animation (a trailler is available). Trailler exhibited
at the Planetarium of the Natural History Museum in Vienna in October 2015.
Awards
2015 - Recipient of the Hans and Lotte Hass Marine Conservation Prize (“Hans und Lotte Hass Meeresschutzpreis”), awarded
by the “Haus des Meeres - Aqua Terra Zoo”, in Vienna, Austria, to recognize the contribution of the recipient to the conservation
of marine ecosystems.
2015 - University of Queensland Travel Award for International Collaborative Research, to
work with Prof. dr. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg at the Global Change Institute in Brisbane, Australia.
2013 - ASSEMBLE (Association
of European Marine Biological Laboratories) Infrastructure Access Fellowship with the project MUMISOLCOR, “Mucus Microbiome
of Solitary Scleractinian Corals”.
Organization of Workshops and Conferences
2015 - Main organizer of the AutReef2015, a workshop on reef research made in Austria, Natural History Museum (NHM),
in Vienna, 28 Oct 2015 (www.autreef.com).
2015 - Host of the session “Microbial lifestyles and microbe-driven processes
in Caribbean coral reefs” at the 37th Scientific Meeting of the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean (AMLC),
Curaçao, 18-22 May 2015.
Reviewer Duties
Over 40 revisions for scientific
journals such as ISME Journal, Molecular Ecology, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Marine Biology, Biogeosciences, Coral Reefs,
eLIFE, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, JEMBE, Limnology and Oceanography, Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Environmental Chemistry,
Environmental Microbiology, Scientific Reports and Frontiers in Microbiology, as well as for funding institutions such as
the National Science Foundation (USA).