Dr Heidi Luter
BSc (Colorado State University), MAppSc & PhD (James Cook University)
Dr. Luter has a background in sponge ecology and microbiology. She joined NAMRA from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University (), where she completed her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Webster (AIMS), Dr. Steve Whalan (SCU) and Prof. Rocky de Nys (JCU).
Her PhD focused on the effects of disease and environmental stressors on the microbial community of a common marine sponge.
Selected publications
Thomas, T., Moitinho-Silva, L., Lurgi, M., Bjo¨rk, J.R., Esson, C., Astudillo-Garcia, C., Olson, J.B., Erwin, P.M., Lopez-Legentil, S., Luter, H., Chaves-Fonnegra, A., Costa, R., Schupp, P.J., Steindler, L., Erpenbeck, D., Gilbert, J., Knight, R., Ackermann, G., Lopez, J.V., Taylor, M.W., Thacker, R.W., Montoya, J.M., Hentschel, U., Webster, N.S. (2016). Diversity, structure and convergent evolution of the global sponge microbiome. Nature Communications 7:11870. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11870
Luter, H.M., Duckworth, A.R., Wolff, C.W., Evans-Illigdge, E., Whalan, S. (2016). Recruitment Variability of Coral Reef Sessile Communities of the Far North Great Barrier Reef. PLoS ONE. 11: e0153184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153184
Luter, H.M., Widder, S., Botté, E.S., Abdul Wahab, M., Whalan, S., Moitinho-Silva, L., Thomas, T., Webster, N.S. (2015). Biogeographic variation in the microbiome of the ecologically important sponge, Carteriospongia foliascens. PeerJ 3:e1435. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1435
Neave, M., Luter, H., Padovan, A., Townsend, S., Schobben, X., Gibb, K. (2014). Multiple approaches to microbial sourse tracking in tropical northern Australia. MicrobiologyOpen dio:10.1002/mbo3.209
Luter, H.M., Gibb, K., Webster, N.S. (2014). Eutrophication has no short-term effect on the Cymbastela stipitata holobiont. Frontiers in Microbiology 5:216. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00216. http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00216/abstract
Webster, N.S., Luter, H.M., Soo, R.M., Botté, E.S., Simister, R.L. Abdo, D., Whalan, S. (2013). Same, but different: symbiotic bacterial associations in GBR sponges. Frontiers in Microbiology 3:444. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2012.00444 http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmicb.2012.00444/abstract
Luter, H.M., Whalan, S., Webster, N.S. (2012). Thermal and sedimentation stress are unlikely causes of brown spot syndrome in the coral reef sponge, Ianthella basta. PLoS ONE. 7(6): e39779.
Andreakis, N., Luter, H.M., Webster, N.S. (2012). Cryptic speciation and phylogeographic relationships in the elephant ear sponge Ianthella basta (Porifera, Ianthellidae) from northern Australia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 166: 225-235.
Luter, H.M., Whalan, S., Webster, N.S. (2012). The marine sponge Ianthella basta can recover from stress-induced tissue regression. Hydrobiologia. 687: 227-235.
Freckelton, M.L., Luter, H.M., Andreakis, N., Webster, N.S., Motti, C.A. (2012). Qualitative Variation in Colour Morphotypes of Ianthella basta (Porifera: Verongida). Hydrobiologia. 687: 191-203.
Luter, H.M., Whalan, S., Webster, N.S. (2010). Exploring the role of microorganisms in the disease-like syndrome affecting the sponge Ianthella basta. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 76: 5736-5744.
Luter, H.M., Whalan, S., Webster, N.S. (2010). Prevalence of tissue necrosis and brown spot lesions in a common marine sponge. Marine and Freshwater Research. 61: 484-489.
Current projects
