Dr Gareth Williams

Reader / Director of Impact and Engagement

Contact info

Room: 303 Craig Mair      Phone: +44(0)1248 382588

E-mail: g.j.williams@bangor.ac.uk      Twitter 

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I graduated in Marine Biology (University of Liverpool) in 2004 and completed an MSc in Marine Environmental Protection (Bangor University) in 2006. I began a PhD in Marine Biology (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) in 2007 in coral disease ecology, combining macroecology, experimental ecology, and histopathology to identify disease baselines and drivers of disease prevalence on Pacific coral reefs. A focus study site of mine was Palmyra Atoll, an uninhabited atoll in the Northern Line Islands. After obtaining my PhD in 2011, I was awarded a post-doctoral scholarship at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego (UCSD) where I continued to work on the macroecology of Pacific coral reefs. This role at Scripps transitioned into an Assistant Project Scientist position within the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation in 2013. I left Scripps in late 2015 to return to the UK and take up my full-time role within the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University.  

I am a marine ecologist specialising in coral reef ecology. My work focuses on the interaction of organisms with their environment, often taking a macroecological approach. I am particularly interested in how human activities and natural biophysical gradients interact to drive community patterns across multiple trophic levels (microbes to sharks) and scales (individual reefs to entire ocean basins). Much of my work incorporates remote coral reefs free from direct human impact, providing key replication at the unimpacted end of an intact-to-degraded ecosystem spectrum. By surveying across extensive geographical areas we address broad questions pertaining to: 1. the human, climatic and oceanographic drivers of coral reef ecosystem structure and function, 2. climate change impacts to coral reef ecosystems, 3. the spatial ecology of coral reefs, and 4. disease dynamics on coral reefs.

 

Research Areas 

  1. Published

    Local genomic adaptation of coral reef-associated microbiomes to gradients of natural variability and anthropogenic stressors

    Kelly, L. W., Williams, G. J., Barott, K. L., Carlson, C. A., Dinsdale, E. A., Edwards, R. A., Haas, A. F., Haynes, M., Lim, Y. W., McDole, T., Nelson, C. E., Sala, E., Sandin, S. A., Smith, J. E., Vermeij, M. J., Youle, M. & Rohwer, F., 30 Jun 2014, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111, 28, p. 10227-10232

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  2. Published

    Parsing human and biophysical drivers of coral reef regimes

    Jouffray, J-B., Wedding, L., Norstrom, A. V., Donovan, M., Williams, G., Crowder, L., Erickson, A., Friedlander, A. M., Graham, N. A. J., Gove, J. M., Kappel, C., Kittinger, J., Lecky, J., Oleson, K., Selkoe, K., White, C., Williams, I. & Nystrom, M., Feb 2019, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 286, 1896, 20182544.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  3. Published

    Identifying multiple coral reef regimes and their drivers across the Hawaiian archipelago

    Jouffray, J., Nystrom, M., Norstrom, A. V., Williams, I. D., Wedding, L. M., Kittinger, J. N. & Williams, G. J., 24 Nov 2014, In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 370, 1659

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  4. Published

    Three-dimensional mapping reveals scale-dependent dynamics in biogenic reef habitat structure

    Jackson-Bué, T., Williams, G., Walker-Springett, G., Rowlands, S. & Davies, A., Dec 2021, In: Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. 7, 4, p. 621-637 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  5. Published

    Seabed morphology and bed shear stress predict temperate reef habitats in a high energy marine region

    Jackson-Bue, T., Williams, G., Whitton, T., Roberts, M., Goward Brown, A., Amir, H., King, J., Powell, B., Rowlands, S., Llewelyn Jones, G. & Davies, A., 5 Sept 2022, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 274, 107934.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  6. Published

    Natural variation in coral reef trophic structure across environmental gradients

    Heenan, A., Williams, G. & Williams, I., Mar 2020, In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 18, 2, p. 69-75

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  7. Published

    Natural bounds on herbivorous coral reef fishes

    Heenan, A., Hoey, A. S., Williams, G. & Williams, I. D., 23 Nov 2016, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B.. 283, 1843

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  8. Published

    A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges

    Hays, G. C., Koldewey, H., Meeuwig, J. J., Attrill, M. J., Barley, S., Bayley, D., . Benkwitt, C. E., Block, B., Schallert, R. J., Carlisle, A. B., Carr, P., Chapple, T. K., Collins, C., Diaz, C., Dunn, N., Dunbar, R. B., Eager, D. S., Engel, J., Embling, C. B., Esteban, N., Ferretti, F., Foster, N. L., Freeman, R., Gollock, M., Graham, N. A. J., Harris, J. L., Head, C. E. I., Hosegood, P., Howell, K. L., Hussey, N. E., Jacoby, D. M. P., Jones, R., Lange, I. D., Letessier, T. B., Levey, E., Lindhart, M., McDevitt-Irwin, J. M., Meekan, M. G., Micheli, F., Mogg, A., Mortimer, J. A., Mucciarone, D., Nicoll, M. A., Nuno, A., Perry, C. T., Sannassy Pilly, J., Preston, S. G., Rattray, A. J., Robinson, E., Roche, R., Schiele, M., Sheehan, E. V., Sheppard, A., Sheppard, C., Smith, A. L., Soule, B., Spalding, M., Stevens, G. M. W., Steyaert, M., Stiffel, S., Taylor, B., Tickler, D. M., Trevail, A. M., Trueba, P., Turner, J., Votier, S., Wilson, B., Williams, G., Williamson, B. J., Williamson, M. J., Wood, H. & Curnick, D. J., 14 Oct 2020, In: Marine Biology. 167, 11, 159.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  9. Published

    Meta-Mass Shift Chemical (MeMSChem) profiling of metabolomes from coral reefs

    Hartmann, A., Petras, D., Quinn, R., Protsyuk, I., Archer, F., Ransome, E., Williams, G., Bailey, B., Vermeij, M., Alexandrov, T., Dorrestein, P. & Rohwer, F., 31 Oct 2017, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 114, 44, p. 11685-11690

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  10. Published

    Quantifying upwelling in tropical shallow waters: a novel method using a temperature stratification index

    Guillaume-Castel, R., Williams, G. J., Rogers, J. S., Gove, J. M. & Green, M., Aug 2021, In: Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. 19, 8, p. 566-577 10499.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  11. Published

    Near-island biological hotspots in barren ocean basins

    Gove, J. M., McManus, M. A., Neuheimer, A. B., Polovina, J. J., Drazen, J. C., Smith, C. R., Merrifield, M. A., Friedlander, A. M., Ehses, J. S., Young, C. W., Dillon, A. K. & Williams, G., 16 Feb 2016, In: Nature Communications. 7, 10581.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  12. Published

    Coral reefs benefit from reduced land–sea impacts under ocean warming

    Gove, J. M., Williams, G. J., Lecky, J., Brown, E., Conklin, E., Counsell, C., Davis, G., Donovan, M., Falinski, K., Kramer, L., Kozar, K., Li, N., Maynard, J. A., McCutcheon, A., McKenna, S., Neilson, B., Safaie, A., Teague, C., Whittier, R. & Asner, G., 21 Sept 2023, In: Nature. 621, 7979, p. 536-542 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  13. Published

    Prey-size plastics are invading larval fish nurseries

    Gove, J. M., Whitney, J., McManus, M. A., Lecky, J., Carvalho, F., Lynch, J., Li, J., Neubauer, P., Smith, K., Phipps, J., Kobayashi, D., Balagso, K., Contreras, E., Manuel, M., Merrifield, M., Polovina, J., Asner, G., Maynard, J. A. & Williams, G. J., 26 Nov 2019, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 116, 48, p. 24143-24149 7 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  14. Quantifying Climatological Ranges and Anomalies for Pacific Coral Reef Ecosystems

    Gove, J. M., Williams, G. J., McManus, M. A., Heron, S. F., Sandin, S. A., Vetter, O. J. & Foley, D. G., 18 Apr 2013, In: PLoS ONE. 8, 4, e61974.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  15. Published

    Coral reef benthic regimes exhibit non-linear threshold responses to natural physical drivers

    Gove, J. M., Williams, G. J., McManus, M. A., Clark, S. J., Ehses, J. S. & Wedding, L. M., 2 Mar 2015, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 522, p. 33-48

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  16. Published

    Gradients in primary production predict trophic strategies of mixotrophic corals across spatial scales

    Fox, M. D., Williams, G. J., Johnson, M. D., Radice, V. Z., Zgliczynski, B. J., Kelly, E. L. A., Rohwer, F. L., Sandin, S. A. & Smith, J. E., 5 Nov 2018, In: Current Biology. 28, 21, p. 3355-3363

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  17. Published

    Ocean currents magnify upwelling and deliver nutritional subsidies to reef-building corals during El Niño heatwaves

    Fox, M., Guillaume-Castel, R., Edwards, C., Glanz, J., Gove, J. M., Green, M., Juhlin, E., Smith, J. & Williams, G. J., 14 Jun 2023, In: Science Advances. 9, 24, eadd5032.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  18. Published

    The fundamental links between climate change and marine plastic pollution

    Ford, H. V., Jones, N., Davies, A. J., Godley, B. J., Jambeck, J. R., Napper, I. E., Suckling, C. C., Williams, G. J., Woodall, L. & Koldewey, H. J., 1 Feb 2022, In: Science of the Total Environment. 806, Pt 1, 150392.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  19. Published

    Spatial scaling properties of coral reef benthic communities

    Ford, H., Gove, J. M., Davies, A., Graham, N. A. J., Healey, J., Conklin, E. & Williams, G. J., 1 Feb 2021, In: Ecography. 44, 2, p. 188-198 11 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  20. Published

    Recurring bleaching events disrupt the spatial properties of coral reef benthic communities across scales

    Ford, H., Gove, J. M., Healey, J., Davies, A., Graham, N. & Williams, G. J., 10 Jul 2023, In: Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. 10, 1, p. 39-55 17 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  21. Published

    Local human impacts disrupt relationships between benthic reef assemblages and environmental predictors

    Ford, A., Jouffray, J-B., Norstrom, A. V., Moore, B., Nugues, M., Williams, G. J., Bejarano, S., Magron, F., Wild, C. & Ferse, S., 21 Oct 2020, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 7, 571115.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  22. Published

    Large-area imaging reveals biologically driven non-random spatial patterns of corals at a remote reef

    Edwards, C., Eynaud, Y., Williams, G., Pedersen, N., Zgliczynski, B., Gleason, A., Smith, J. & Sandin, S., Dec 2017, In: Coral Reefs. 36, 4, p. 1291-1305

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  23. E-pub ahead of print

    Near-island enhancement in mesopelagic micronekton communities off Hawaiʻi

    Drazen, J., Clark, B., Gove, J. M., Phipps, J., Copeland, A., Lecky, J., Green, M., Kobayashi, D., Turner, J., Whitney, J. & Williams, G. J., 10 Jul 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 104107.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  24. Published

    Combining fish and benthic communities into multiple regimes reveals complex reef dynamics

    Donovan, M. K., Friedlander, A. M., Lecky, J., Jouffray, J-B., Williams, G. J., Wedding, L. M., Crowder, L. B., Erickson, A. L., Graham, N. A. J., Gove, J. M., Kappel, C. V., Karr, K., Kittinger, J. N., Norström, A. V., Nyström, M., Oleson, K. L. L., Stamoulis, K. A., White, C., Williams, I. D. & Selkoe, K. A., 16 Nov 2018, In: Scientific Reports. 8, 16943.

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

  25. Published

    Coral reef resilience differs among islands within the Gulf of Mannar, southeast India following successive coral bleaching events

    Diraviya Raj, K., Aeby, G., Mathews, G., Williams, G. J., Caldwell, J., Laju, R. L., Selva Bharath, M., Dinesh Kumar, P., Arasamuthu, A., Gladwin Gnana Asir, N., Wedding, L., Davies, A., Moritsch, M. & Patterson Edward, J. K., Aug 2021, In: Coral Reefs. 40, 4, p. 1029-1044

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review