Publications

* indicates supervised students

2025

20. Meekan, M., Lester, E., Kroon, F. and Barneche, D., (2025). Predator removals, trophic cascades and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish on coral reefs. Communications Biology, 8(1), p.305.

19. Tyne, J.A., Raudino, H., Lester, E., Francis, G., Barnes, P. and Waples, K., (2025). Ningaloo Marine Park management program best practice for whale shark (Rhincodon typus) conservation. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 5, p.1499005.

18. Barry, C., Lester, E., Doane, M.P., Ferreira, L.C., Thums, M., Gleiss, A.C. and Meekan, M.G., (2025). Love bites? Pre-copulatory behaviours of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Frontiers in Marine Science, 11, p.1507072.

2024

17. Meekan, M.G., Thompson, F., Brooks, K., Matsumoto, R., Murakumo, K., Lester, E., Dove, A. and Hopper, B., (2024). Internal organs and body tissues of free-swimming whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) imaged using underwater ultrasound. Frontiers in Marine Science, 11, p.1285429.

16. Araujo, G., Bateman-John, R., Shackleton, J.L., Garraway, C., Marsh, N., Whicheloe, D., Rosadoni, J., Jan, A., Saito, K. and Lester, E., (2024). Citizen science highlights rare behaviours by the spotted eagle ray Aetobatus ocellatus Kuhl 1823. Frontiers in Marine Science, 11, p.1406803.

15. Womersley, F. C., Rohner, C. A., Abrantes, K., Afonso, P., Arunrugstichai, S., Bach, S. S.,.. Lester, E. ... & Araujo, G. (2024). Identifying priority sites for whale shark ship collision management globally. Science of The Total Environment, 934, 172776.

2023

14. *Asunsolo-Rivera, A., Lester, E., Langlois, T., Vaughan, B., McCormick, M.I., Simpson, S.D. and Meekan, M.G., 2023. Behaviour of mesopredatory coral reef fishes in response to threats from sharks and humans. Scientific Reports, 13(1), p.6714.

13. Miller, A., de Lestang, S., How, J., Gibbons, B., Lester, E., Navarro, M., Fitzhardinge, J., Brooker, M. and Langlois, T., 2023. Fine-scale variability in catch and growth rates of western rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus) show heterogeneous life-history parameters. Marine and Freshwater Research, 74(4), pp.335-346.

2022

12. Rolim, F.A., Langlois, T., dos Santos Motta, F., de Castro, G.M., Lester, E., Abieri, M.L., Gadig, O.B.F. and de Moura, R.L., 2022. Habitat and marine reserve status drive reef fish biomass and functional diversity in the largest south Atlantic coral reef system (Abrolhos, Brazil). Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, p.701244.

11. Womersley, F.C., Humphries, N.E., Queiroz, N., Vedor, M., da Costa, I., Furtado, M., Tyminski, (+ 60 authors).… Lester, E, et al. 2022. Global collision-risk hotspots of marine traffic and the world’s largest fish, the whale shark. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(20), p.e2117440119.

10. Lester, E., Cannon, T., Lawrence, S., Wilton, J., Araujo, G. and Chin, A., 2022. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) feed on baitfish with other predators at Ningaloo Reef. Pacific Conservation Biology.

9. Lester, E., Langlois, T., Lindgren, I., Birt, M., Bond, T., McLean, D., Vaughan, B., Holmes, T.H. and Meekan, M., 2022. Drivers of variation in occurrence, abundance, and behaviour of sharks on coral reefs. Scientific reports, 12(1), pp.1-13.

2021

8. Lester, E., Langlois, T.J., McCormick, M.I., Simpson, S.D., Bond, T. and Meekan, M.G., 2021. Relative influence of predators, competitors and seascape heterogeneity on behaviour and abundance of coral reef mesopredators. Oikos, 130(12), pp.2239-2249.

7. Ross, C.L., French, B., Lester, E., Wilson, S.K., Day, P.B., Taylor, M.D. and Barrett, N., 2021. Coral communities on marginal high-latitude reefs in West Australian marine parks. Diversity, 13(11), p.554.

6. Meenakshisundaram, A., Thomas, L., Kennington, W.J., Thums, M., Lester, E. and Meekan, M., 2021. Genetic markers validate photo-identification and uniqueness of spot patterns in whale sharks. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 668, pp.177-183.

5. Lester, E., Langlois, T.J., Simpson, S.D., McCormick, M.I. and Meekan, M.G., 2021. Reef‐wide evidence that the presence of sharks modifies behaviors of teleost mesopredators. Ecosphere, 12(2), p.e03301.

2020

4. Lester, E., Langlois, T.J., Simpson, S.D., McCormick, M.I. and Meekan, M.G., 2020. The hemisphere of fear: the presence of sharks influences the three dimensional behaviour of large mesopredators in a coral reef ecosystem. Oikos, 129(5), pp.731-739.

3. Lester, E., Meekan, M.G., Barnes, P., Raudino, H., Rob, D., Waples, K. and Speed, C.W., 2020. Multi-year patterns in scarring, survival and residency of whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 634, pp.115-125.

2. Meekan, M.G., Taylor, B.M., Lester, E., Ferreira, L.C., Sequeira, A.M., Dove, A.D., Birt, M.J., Aspinall, A., Brooks, K. and Thums, M., 2020. Asymptotic growth of whale sharks suggests sex-specific life-history strategies. Frontiers in Marine Science, p.774.

2019

1. Lester, E., Speed, C., Rob, D., Barnes, P., Waples, K. and Raudino, H., 2019. Using an electronic monitoring system and photo identification to understand effects of tourism encounters on whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park. Tourism in Marine Environments, 14(3), pp.121-131.