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ABOUT ME

Sharon Wismer, PhD

I am a marine ecologist and live in Switzerland with my husband, two children and a lively bunch of pets! I’m passionate about sharing the wonders of science and nature with kids, which inspired my shift from academic research to science communication. 

My background in academia and research focused on tropical coral reefs, climate change, cooperation and fish behavior on the Great Barrier Reef, which has given me endless ideas and content to share. 

As a children’s non–fiction author, my goal is to make science and emerging research fun and accessible and to inspire the next generation of young naturalists. 

I am currently funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and lead an AGORA Science Communications project at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland.

EDUCATION

RESEARCH

My postgraduate research focused primarily on the behavioral strategies of blue streak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) – one of the ocean’s most clever fishes! Cleaner wrasse live on coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific Ocean and maintain territories called ‘cleaner stations’. As their name suggests, cleaner wrasse clean and remove ectoparasites from so-called fish clients.

While the relationship is mutualistic – the cleaner fish gets food and the client gets health benefits from being cleaned – cleaner wrasse also bite by removing fish mucus and scales! This is considered cheating. 

Using cleaner wrasse as a model system for cooperation, I investigated important mismatches between standard theoretical predictions regarding animal decisions during cooperative interactions and experimental data, and explored how well cleaner wrasse are able to identify and use relevant cues for decision making.

During my postdoctoral studies, I investigated the impacts of mass coral bleaching on coral–associated reef fishes.

Mass bleaching events occur when the symbiotic relationship between corals and their photosynthetic algae breaks down in response to prolonged, elevated water temperatures during marine heat waves. These events are climate driven and are sadly increasing in frequency. Widespread coral mortality often follows bleaching events and represents a major disturbance event for reef organisms, especially for reef fishes that depend on corals for food or shelter.

Using replicate photo quadrats that were spatially-matched across time, we quantified the response of fishes and corals to mass bleaching before, during and after the 2016 mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef.

Scientific Publications
My Children’s Books

My journey as a children’s non-fiction author started when my children became older and began to ask all sorts of interesting questions. Like, ‘’Why does the Nile River flow South to North?’’. ‘‘Are mosquitos strong enough to bite through rhino skin?’’. ‘‘If jellyfish are transparent, does that mean we can watch their food digest from the outside?’’. Other times, they would tell me, with amazement in their eyes, incredible scientific facts they learned at school that day (or YouTube ;).

I realized quite quickly that most kids are little naturalists and have endless curiosity! It is our job as parents to foster that curiosity and support it in the best way we can, so their thirst for knowledge doesn’t dwindle as they grow.

As a scientist and mother, I feel I have unique insight into the scientific literature, including areas unfamiliar to the general public and topics that may resonate with children.

Keepers of the reef

My first children’s book, Keepers of the Reef, was inspired by the work of Prof. David Bellwood and by my time at James Cook University. The Great Barrier Reef is one of Earth’s most celebrated natural treasures and most people can name a few types of animals that live on the reef. Yet, few people, especially children, know how the reef works and which species are critically important for a healthy reef ecosystem.

In Keepers of the Reef, kids are introduced to the brushers, croppers, scrapers, excavators and browsers – the key functional ‘herbivores’ on the reef integral for the reef’s survival. They are the ‘A’ Team of the Great Barrier Reef, yet often overlooked when compared to ‘Nemo’ the clownfish. Children also discover why the reef is threatened and what we can all do to help protect it.

Wildlife in the Balance

In Wildlife in the Balance: The Species that Shape Earth’s Ecosystems, children learn about 25 different keystone species, including wolves, elephants, honeybees, beavers, salmon, gobies and even plants, like saguaro cacti and mangrove trees. This comprehensive book is the first to explore keystone species across all continents and all major biomes. I was astonished to learn from a recent study that school-age children in England could identify more Pokémon characters than real species in their local area! Yikes.

With this book, my goal was to showcase animals from around the world, helping children become familiar with both local and exotic fauna and flora. By covering all continents and major biomes, this book enables children to learn not only about keystone species, but also about the many plants and animals that rely on them.

Outreach

I am currently the scientific lead on an AGORA science communications project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and based at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The AGORA funding scheme accelerates the spread of knowledge through science communication projects and fosters dialogue between scientists and society.

 

Our AGORA project aims are to develop a multi-media environmental education program for school-age children that provides a direct ‘scientist to public’ education channel for communicating research on cooperation and evolutionary game theory from the lab of Prof. Redouan Bshary.

This project is ongoing and currently in development, but will include ‘meet the scientist’ school visits, cooperation games and an interactive PDF that allows children to interact with elements on the page and that will combine artwork and real videos and photographs.A sneak peek is shown here.

Awards, Prizes & Funding