Dr Koebraa Peters
As a Marine Biologist with a background in Conservation Biology, the research that I undertake focusses strongly on aspects that play a role in conserving the marine environment. While there are many threats to the marine environment, my current research focuses predominantly on the threat of marine alien and invasive species that settle or grow on artificial structures submerged in the marine environment. These include things such as harbour and marina infrastructure as well as recreational vessels. I recently started focusing on marine alien species that occur within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along our natural rocky shores, as well as investigating the invertebrate communities that occur on the walls of manmade tidal pools. Upcoming research will expand this by focusing on marine invertebrate communities that grow on other manmade structures in the ocean such as shipwrecks and oil rigs. While my research mainly focuses on marine alien species and the growth of such species on artificial structures in the ocean (a process known as biofouling), I am open to exploring and, therefore, supervising other research topics.
Peer-reviewed publications
Loureiro TG, Peters K, Robinson TB. 2021. Light, shade and predation: who wins and who loses in benthic sessile communities? Marine Biodiversity, 51: 94.
Loureiro TG, Peters K, Robinson TB. 2021. Dropping plates to pick up aliens: towards a standardised approach for monitoring alien fouling species. African Journal of Marine Science, 43 (4): 483 – 497.
Seymour CL, Simmons RE, Morling F, George S, Peters K and O’Riain MJ. 2020. Caught on camera: the impacts of urban domestic cats on wild prey in a city and neighbouring protected areas, Global Ecology and Conservation, 23: e01198.
Peters K, Sink K and Robinson TB. 2019. Aliens cruising in: explaining alien fouling species richness on recreational yachts. Ocean and Coastal Management, 182: 104986.
Peters K, Sink K, Robinson TB. 2019. Sampling methods and approaches to inform standardized detection of marine alien fouling species on recreational vessels. Journal of Environmental Management, 230: 159 – 167.
Peters K and Robinson TB. 2018. From Chile to the South African west coast: first reports of the Chilean stone crab Homalaspis plana (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) and the South American sunstar Heliaster helianthus (Lamarck, 1816) outside their natural ranges. BioInvasions Records, 7 (4): 421 – 426.
Peters K, Sink K, Robinson TB. 2017. Raising the flag on marine alien fouling species. Management of Biological Invasions, 8 (1): 1 – 11.
Peters K and Robinson TB. 2017. First record of the marine alien amphipod Caprella mutica (Schurin, 1935) in South Africa. BioInvasions Records, 6 (1): 61 – 66.
Alexander ME, Simon CA, Griffiths CL, Peters K, Sibanda S, Miza S, Groenewald B, Majiedt P, Sink KJ and Robinson TB. 2016. Back to the future: reflections and directions of South African marine bioinvasion research. African Journal of Marine Science, 38: 141–144.
Robinson TB, Alexander ME, Simon CA, Griffiths CL, Peters K, Sibanda S, Miza S, Groenewald B, Majiedt P and Sink K. 2016. Lost in translation? Standardising the terminology used in marine invasion biology and updating South African alien species lists. African Journal of Marine Science, 38 (1): 129–140.
Peters K, Griffiths C, Robinson TB. 2014. Patterns and drivers for marine bioinvasions in Western Cape harbours, South Africa. African Journal of Marine Science, 36 (1): 49 – 57.
Book chapters
Robinson TB, Peters K, Brooker B. 2020. Coastal invasions: the South African context. In: van Wilgen BW, Measey J, Richardson DM, Wilson JR, Zengeya TA (eds) Biological invasions in South Africa. Springer, Berlin, pp 227–246.
Faulkner KT, Burness A, Byrne MJ, Kumschick S, Peters K, Robertson MP, Saccaggi DL, Weyl OLF and Williams VL. 2020. South Africa’s pathways of introduction and dispersal and how they have changed over time. In: van Wilgen BW, Measey J, Richardson DM, Wilson JR, Zengeya TA (eds) Biological invasions in South Africa. Springer, Berlin, pp 311–352.
