Dr Benjamin Mos
Senior Lecturer in Aquaculture Biology
School of the Environment
+61 7 334 64588
Researcher biography
Dr Ben Mos obtained his BSc (Hons) in Marine Science and Management from the University of New England, Armidale and his PhD from Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour. Ben is an Aboriginal man of Turrbal descent. Ben completed a 3-year postdoctoral position at the National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour, refining technologies he developed during his PhD to grow sea urchins as seafood, supporting Australia's nascent export industry. He was appointed as a lecturer in marine sciences at Southern Cross University in 2019 where Ben worked in the School of Environmental Sciences for 3 years before continuing his academic career at The University of Queensland.
Currently in the School of the Environment, Ben teaches into the Marine Biology major and undertakes research to understand how we (humans) are altering waterways and oceans and impacting the organisms that live there through climate change, pollution, and catching too many fish, and figures out ways we can solve these problems using Indigenous and international science approaches. Ben is based at Moreton Bay Research Station (MBRS) on beautiful Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) where he leads a marine lab with custom seawater systems, located near a unique group of globally important marine and freshwater habitats, ranging from coral reefs, mangroves, and freshwater swamps, and collaborates with First Nations Peoples, industry, government, other researchers, and students from Australia and overseas.
Book Chapter
Mazancourt, V. de, Klotz, W., Marquet, G., Mos, B., Rogers, D.C. and Keith, P. (2021). New insights on biodiversity and conservation of amphidromous shrimps of the Indo-Pacific islands (Decapoda: Atyidae: Caridina). Recent advances in freshwater crustacean biodiversity and conservation. (pp. 381-404) edited by Tadashi Kawai and D. Christopher Rogers. Boca Raton, FL, United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003139560-12
Journal Articles
Tan, Melissa, Hall, Karina C, Litchfield, Sebastian, Champion, Curtis, de Carvalho, Matheus Carvalho, Mos, Benjamin, Dworjanyn, Symon and Kelaher, Brendan P (2024). Water temperature affects somatic growth, body condition and oxygen and carbon otolith isotopes of stout whiting (Sillago robusta). Science of the Total Environment, 945 174058, 1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174058
Becker, Alistair, Dworjanyn, Symon A., Mos, Benjamin, Niella, Yuri V., Smith, James A., Lowry, Michael B. and Taylor, Matthew D. (2024). Residency and movement patterns of juvenile yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus australis, stocked on estuarine artificial reefs. Marine and Freshwater Research, 75 (15) MF24041. doi: 10.1071/mf24041
Mos, Benjamin, Erler, Dirk, Lawson, Corinne and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2024). Crown-of-thorns starfish complete their larval phase eating only nitrogen-fixing Trichodesmium cyanobacteria. Science Advances, 10 (29) eado2682, 1-7. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado2682
Bennett, Joshua, Mos, Benjamin and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2024). Shipping live sea urchins: effects of temperature and exposure time on survival. Aquaculture, 586 740785, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.740785
Neil, Rachel C., Barton, Jonathan A., Dougan, Winona, Dworjanyn, Symon, Heyward, Andrew, Mos, Benjamin, Bourne, David G. and Humphrey, Craig (2024). Size matters: microherbivores make a big impact in coral aquaculture. Aquaculture, 581 740402, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.740402
Mishina, Tomoki, Mos, Benjamin and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2023). Effects of substrate, water flow, and turbulence in raceway culture of the high-value agarophyte Pterocladiella capillacea. Aquaculture, 579 740206, 740206. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2023.740206
Mos, Benjamin, Mesic, Naomi and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2023). Variable food alters responses of larval crown-of-thorns starfish to ocean warming but not acidification. Communications Biology, 6 (1) 639, 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-05028-1
Mos, Benjamin and Mos, Daniel (2022). Range expansion of a widespread Indo-Pacific haemulid, the barred javelin Pomadasys kaakan (Cuvier, 1830), in a climate change hotspot. Journal of Fish Biology, 101 (3), 736-740. doi: 10.1111/jfb.15125
Deaker, Dione J., Balogh, Regina, Dworjanyn, Symon A., Mos, Benjamin and Byrne, Maria (2021). Echidnas of the sea: the defensive behavior of juvenile and adult crown-of-thorns sea stars. Biological Bulletin, 241 (3), 259-270. doi: 10.1086/716777
Pratchett, Morgan S., Caballes, Ciemon F., Cvitanovic, Christopher, Raymundo, Maia L., Babcock, Russell C., Bonin, Mary C., Bozec, Yves-Marie, Burn, Deborah, Byrne, Maria, Castro-Sanguino, Carolina, Chen, Carla C. M., Condie, Scott A., Cowan, Zara-Louise, Deaker, Dione J., Desbiens, Amelia, Devantier, Lyndon M., Doherty, Peter J., Doll, Peter C., Doyle, Jason R., Dworjanyn, Symon A., Fabricius, Katharina E., Haywood, Michael D. E., Hock, Karlo, Hoggett, Anne K., Høj, Lone, Keesing, John K., Kenchington, Richard A., Lang, Bethan J., Ling, Scott D. ... Wilson, Shaun K. (2021). Knowledge gaps in the biology, ecology, and management of the pacific crown-of-thorns sea star, Acanthaster sp., on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Biological Bulletin, 24 (3), 330-346. doi: 10.1086/717026
Mos, Benjamin, Holloway, Ceylena, Kelaher, Brendan P., Santos, Isaac R. and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2021). Alkalinity of diverse water samples can be altered by mercury preservation and borosilicate vial storage. Scientific Reports, 11 (1) 9961 . doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-89110-w
Deaker, Dione J., Mos, Benjamin, Lawson, Corinne, Dworjanyn, Symon A., Budden, Claire and Byrne, Maria (2021). Coral defences: the perilous transition of juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish to corallivory. Marine Ecology - Progress Series, 665, 115-125. doi: 10.3354/meps13660
Basford, Alexander J., Makings, Nirvarna, Mos, Benjamin, White, Camille A. and Dworjanyn, Symon (2021). Greenwater, but not live feed enrichment, promotes development, survival, and growth of larval Portunus armatus. Aquaculture, 534. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.736331
Mos, Benjamin, Byrne, Maria and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2020). Effects of low and high pH on sea urchin settlement, implications for the use of alkali to counter the impacts of acidification. Aquaculture, 528 735618, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.735618
Deaker, Dione J., Mos, Benjamin, Lin, Huang-An, Lawson, Corinne, Budden, Claire, Dworjanyn, Symon A. and Byrne, Maria (2020). Diet flexibility and growth of the early herbivorous juvenile crown-of-thorns sea star, implications for its boom-bust population dynamics. PLoS One, 15 (7) ARTN e0236142, e0236142. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236142
Basford, Alexander J., Mos, Benjamin, Francis, David S., Turchini, Giovanni M., White, Camille A. and Dworjanyn, Symon (2020). A microalga is better than a commercial lipid emulsion at enhancing live feeds for an ornamental marine fish larva. Aquaculture, 523 735203, 735203. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.735203
Rae, David L., Mos, Benjamin, Scott, Anna and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2020). Training fish for restocking: refuge and predator training in the hatchery has limited benefits for a marine fish. Journal of Fish Biology, 97 (1), 172-182. doi: 10.1111/jfb.14345
Deaker, Dione J., Aguera, Antonio, Lin, Huang-An, Lawson, Corinne, Budden, Claire, Dworjanyn, Symon A., Mos, Benjamin and Byrne, Maria (2020). The hidden army: corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastars can spend years as herbivorous juveniles. Biology Letters, 16 (4) 20190849, 1-5. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0849
Choy, Satish, Page, Timothy J. and Mos, Benjamin (2019). Taxonomic revision of the Australian species of Australatya Chace 1983 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Atyidae), and the description of a new species. Zootaxa, 4711 (2), 366-378. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4711.2.8
Karelitz, Sam, Lamare, Miles D., Mos, Benjamin, De Bari, Hattie, Dworjanyn, Symon A. and Byrne, Maria (2019). Impact of growing up in a warmer, lower pH future on offspring performance: transgenerational plasticity in a pan-tropical sea urchin. Coral Reefs, 38 (6), 1085-1095. doi: 10.1007/s00338-019-01855-z
Smith, Meaghan K., Hoang Dinh Chieu, , Aizen, Joseph, Mos, Benjamin, Motti, Cherie A., Elizur, Abigail and Cummins, Scott F. (2019). A Crown-of-Thorns Seastar recombinant relaxin-like gonad-stimulating peptide triggers oocyte maturation and ovulation. General and Comparative Endocrinology, 281, 41-48. doi: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.05.009
Choy, Satish, Page, Timothy J., De Mazancourt, Valentin and Mos, Benjamin (2019). Caridina malanda, a new species of freshwater shrimp (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) from the Wet Tropics World Heritage area, north-eastern Queensland, Australia. Zootaxa, 4652 (1), 113-125. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.1.5
Mos, Benjamin and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2019). Ready to harvest? Spine colour predicts gonad index and gonad colour rating of a commercially important sea urchin. Aquaculture, 505, 510-516. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2019.03.010
Bronstein, Omri, Kroh, Andreas, Miskelly, Ashley D., Smith, Stephen D. A., Dworjanyn, Symon A., Mos, Benjamin and Byrne, Maria (2019). Implications of range overlap in the commercially important pan-tropical sea urchin genus Tripneustes (Echinoidea: Toxopneustidae). Marine Biology, 166 (3) 34, 1-5. doi: 10.1007/s00227-019-3478-4
de Mazancourt, Valentin, Klotz, Werner, Marquet, Gerard, Mos, Benjamin, Rogers, D. Christopher and Keith, Philippe (2019). The complex study of complexes: The first well-supported phylogeny of two species complexes within genus Caridina (Decapoda: Caridea: Atyidae) sheds light on evolution, biogeography, and habitat. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 131, 164-180. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.11.002
Basford, Alexander J., Mos, Benjamin, Mishina, Tomoki and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2019). Oyster larvae as a potential first feed for small-mouthed ornamental larval fish. Aquaculture Environment Interactions, 11, 657-669. doi: 10.3354/aei00338
Mos, Benjamin, Dworjanyn, Symon A., Mamo, Lea T. and Kelaher, Brendan P. (2019). Building global change resilience: Concrete has the potential to ameliorate the negative effects of climate-driven ocean change on a newly-settled calcifying invertebrate. Science of the Total Environment, 646, 1349-1358. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.379
Kamya, Pamela Z., Byrne, Maria, Mos, Benjamin and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2018). Enhanced performance of juvenile crown of thorns starfish in a warm-high CO2 ocean exacerbates poor growth and survival of their coral prey. Coral Reefs, 37 (3), 751-762. doi: 10.1007/s00338-018-1699-5
Mos, Benjamin, Kaposi, Katrina L., Rose, Andrew L., Kelaher, Brendan and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2017). Moderate ocean warming mitigates, but more extreme warming exacerbates the impacts of zinc from engineered nanoparticles on a marine larva. Environmental Pollution, 228, 190-200. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.05.033
Kamya, Pamela Z., Byrne, Maria, Mos, Benjamin, Hall, Lauren and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2017). Indirect effects of ocean acidification drive feeding and growth of juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284 (1856) 20170778, 20170778. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0778
Mos, Benjamin, Ahyong, Shane T., Burnes, Craig N., Davie, Peter J. F. and McCormack, Robert B. (2017). Range extension of a euryhaline crab, Varuna litterata (Fabricius, 1798) (Brachyura: Varunidae), in a climate change hot-spot. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 37 (3), 258-262. doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/rux030
Pratchett, Morgan S., Dworjanyn, Symon, Mos, Benjamin, Caballes, Ciemon F., Thompson, Cassandra A. and Blowes, Shane (2017). Larval survivorship and settlement of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster cf. solaris) at varying algal cell densities. Diversity, 9 (1) 2, 1-11. doi: 10.3390/d9010002
White, Camille A., Dworjanyn, Symon A., Nichols, Peter D., Mos, Benjamin and Dempster, Tim (2016). Future aquafeeds may compromise reproductive fitness in a marine invertebrate. Marine Environmental Research, 122, 67-75. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.09.008
Mos, Benjamin and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2016). Early metamorphosis is costly and avoided by young, but physiologically competent, marine larvae. Marine Ecology - Progress Series, 559, 117-129. doi: 10.3354/meps11914
Mos, Benjamin, Byrne, Maria and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2016). Biogenic acidification reduces sea urchin gonad growth and increases susceptibility of aquaculture to ocean acidification. Marine Environmental Research, 113, 39-48. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.11.001
Mos, Benjamin, Byrne, Maria, Cowden, Kenneth L. and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2015). Biogenic acidification drives density-dependent growth of a calcifying invertebrate in culture. Marine Biology, 162 (8), 1541-1558. doi: 10.1007/s00227-015-2691-z
Kamya, Pamela Z., Dworjanyn, Symon A., Hardy, Natasha, Mos, Benjamin, Uthicke, Sven and Byrne, Maria (2014). Larvae of the coral eating crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci in a warmer-high CO2 ocean. Global Change Biology, 20 (11), 3365-3376. doi: 10.1111/gcb.12530
Kaposi, Katrina L., Mos, Benjamin, Kelaher, Brendan P. and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2014). Ingestion of microplastic has limited impact on a marine larva. Environmental Science and Technology, 48 (3), 1638-1645. doi: 10.1021/es404295e
Swanson, Rebecca L., Byrne, Maria, Prowse, Thomas A. A., Mos, Benjamin, Dworjanyn, Symon A. and Steinberg, Peter D. (2012). Dissolved histamine: a potential habitat marker promoting settlement and metamorphosis in sea urchin larvae. Marine Biology, 159 (4), 915-925. doi: 10.1007/s00227-011-1869-2
Mos, Benjamin, Cowden, Kenneth L., Nielsen, Shaun J. and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2011). Do Cues Matter? Highly Inductive Settlement Cues Don't Ensure High Post-Settlement Survival in Sea Urchin Aquaculture. PLoS One, 6 (12). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028054
Preprints
Elliot Gould, Hannah S. Fraser, Timothy H Parker, Shinichi Nakagawa, Simon C. Griffith, Peter A. Vesk, Fiona Fidler, Daniel G. Hamilton, Robin N. Abbey-Lee, Jessica K. Abbott, Luis A. Aguirre, Carles Alcaraz, Irith Aloni, Drew Altschul, Kunal Arekar, Jeff W. Atkins, Joe Atkinson, Christopher Baker, Meghan Barrett, Kristian Bell, Suleiman Kehinde Bello, Iván Beltrán, Bernd J. Berauer, Michael Grant Bertram, Peter D. Billman, Charlie K. Blake, Shannon Blake, Louis Bliard, Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati ... Rachel A. Zitomer (2023). Same data, different analysts: variation in effect sizes due to analytical decisions in ecology and evolutionary biology.
Research Reports
Mos, Benjamin and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2021). Boosting the productivity of sea urchin aquaculture using advanced culture protocols and dietary intervention. Wagga Wagg, NSW Australia: AgriFutures Australia.
Mos, Benjamin, Cowden, Kenneth L. and Dworjanyn, Symon A. (2012). Potential for the commercial culture of the tropical sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla in Australia. Kingston, ACT Australia: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.