After completing his PhD in 1991, Graeme Hays conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Aberdeen, The Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (Plymouth Marine Laboratory) and the University of Wales Bangor, before coming to Swansea University in 1996. He is currently Editor, Journal of Animal Ecology.

Research

Marine turtle studies focus on migration and diving behaviour, seasonal cycles in mating and breeding, individual variation in reproductive fitness and the long-term conservation status of different populations. Comparative work looks at the movements and dive performance of turtles versus other marine vertebrates such including marine mammals and marine birds. Zooplankton work examines the trophic and biogeochemical importance of this group.

Selected Publications

Edwards M, Beaugrand G, Hays GC, Koslow JA, Richardson AJ (2010). Multi-decadal oceanic ecological datasets and their application in marine policy and management. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25, 602–610 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2010.07.007

Hays GC, Fossette S, Katselidis KA, Mariani P, Schofield G (2010). Ontogenetic development of migration: Lagrangian drift trajectories suggest a new paradigm for sea turtles. Journal of Royal Society Interface 7, 1319-1327. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2010.0009

Humphries NE, Queiroz N, Dyer JRM, Pade NG, Musyl MK, Schaefer KM, Fuller DW, Brunnschweiler JM, Doyle TK, Houghton JDR, Hays GC, Jones CS, Noble LR, Wearmouth VJ, Southall EJ, Sims DW (2010). Environmental context explains Lévy and Brownian movement patterns of marine predators. Nature 465, 1066-1069. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature09116

Hays GC, Houghton JDR, Myers AE (2004). Pan-Atlantic leatherback turtle movements. Nature 429, 522.

Lee, PLM, Hays GC (2004). Polyandry in a marine turtle: females make the best of a bad job. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 101, 6530-6535.

Hays GC, Metcalfe JD, Walne AW (2004). The implications of lung regulated buoyancy control for dive depth and duration. Ecology 85, 1137-1145.

Hays GC (2003). A review of the adaptive significance and ecosystem consequences of zooplankton diel vertical migrations. Hydrobiologia 503, 163-170.

Recent & Current Research Funding

NERC, ERDF (INTERREG IIIA), Marine Conservation Society