Minimum sizes and habitat areas for viable populations. This project will address two critical issues in conservation biology: How large do wildlife populations need to be to ensure long-term persistence? How large an area needs to be preserved? At present, no such estimates exist for most species. I will develop realistic population viability analysis (PVA) models (encompassing all threats to persistence) on many bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, invertebrate and plant species, and estimate the ....Minimum sizes and habitat areas for viable populations. This project will address two critical issues in conservation biology: How large do wildlife populations need to be to ensure long-term persistence? How large an area needs to be preserved? At present, no such estimates exist for most species. I will develop realistic population viability analysis (PVA) models (encompassing all threats to persistence) on many bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, invertebrate and plant species, and estimate the minimum population sizes and habitat areas required for long-term survival. My prior research has validated the predictive accuracy of PVA. This research will deliver practical guidelines for managing threatened species.Read moreRead less
Life history responses to habitat heterogeneity and implications for conservation. This exciting new research project will provide a novel understanding of how animals respond and adapt to environmental variation. This will fill a critical gap between ecological theory and real-world populations and initiate a major shift in how we view the relationship between environments and the species that inhabit them. Natural resource use practices like forestry are rarely considered compatible with biodi ....Life history responses to habitat heterogeneity and implications for conservation. This exciting new research project will provide a novel understanding of how animals respond and adapt to environmental variation. This will fill a critical gap between ecological theory and real-world populations and initiate a major shift in how we view the relationship between environments and the species that inhabit them. Natural resource use practices like forestry are rarely considered compatible with biodiversity conservation. This research will provide on-the-ground management recommendations to integrate such land uses with conservation, thereby providing both economic and conservation benefits to the Australian community.Read moreRead less
Mobility of log-dependent invertebrates in fragmented forest. Clearing of Australian native forests continues apace. This leads to declines in total forest area and creates isolated remnants with depleted woody debris. Critical forest processes driven by invertebrates occur in this debris. Despite its major economic and conservation significance, there is little information on the impacts of habitat loss and alteration on organisms in decomposing logs. We will utilize recent advances in popu ....Mobility of log-dependent invertebrates in fragmented forest. Clearing of Australian native forests continues apace. This leads to declines in total forest area and creates isolated remnants with depleted woody debris. Critical forest processes driven by invertebrates occur in this debris. Despite its major economic and conservation significance, there is little information on the impacts of habitat loss and alteration on organisms in decomposing logs. We will utilize recent advances in population genetics to compare impacts on a suite of log-dependent invertebrates in an islands-of-bush-in-a-sea-of-pines model. This will facilitate improvements in conservation and sustainable management outcomes in forests.Read moreRead less
The success and rapid evolution of invasive species: resolving a genetic paradox. Invasive species have an enormous economic impact on trade, agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and eco-tourism in Australia. In order to negate such detrimental impacts, integrated strategies need to be formulated to effectively control and eradicate introduced species. Our limited knowledge of the factors underlying the success of invasive species has hampered such efforts. A detailed understanding of the invasio ....The success and rapid evolution of invasive species: resolving a genetic paradox. Invasive species have an enormous economic impact on trade, agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and eco-tourism in Australia. In order to negate such detrimental impacts, integrated strategies need to be formulated to effectively control and eradicate introduced species. Our limited knowledge of the factors underlying the success of invasive species has hampered such efforts. A detailed understanding of the invasion dynamics of introduced species is essential for identifying potential weaknesses that can be exploited in management strategies. My research will examine the invasion dynamics of a successful invasive species, the delicate skink, providing information directly relevant to the management of introduced species in Australia.Read moreRead less
Australian alpine seed ecology: Plant conservation and adaptation to climate change. The Australian alpine region is critically vulnerable to climate change. Many alpine plant species are already threatened. Our project facilitates effective management of Australian alpine flora, enabling us to preserve alpine biodiversity and improve ecosystem resilience to climate change. Seed banking provides conservation of nationally vulnerable and threatened flora, providing insurance against extinction. O ....Australian alpine seed ecology: Plant conservation and adaptation to climate change. The Australian alpine region is critically vulnerable to climate change. Many alpine plant species are already threatened. Our project facilitates effective management of Australian alpine flora, enabling us to preserve alpine biodiversity and improve ecosystem resilience to climate change. Seed banking provides conservation of nationally vulnerable and threatened flora, providing insurance against extinction. Our exemplary contribution to global seed conservation provides a national resource of alpine seeds for revegetation and research and interpretive resources at the Australian National Botanic Gardens facilitate public awareness of the ecological significance and fragility of Australian alpine ecology in response to climate change.Read moreRead less
Conservation Management of the Endangered Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard. The Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard probably occurred over 150km of the Adelaide Plains before European settlement, but is now known from only a few privately owned properties in the mid-north of South Australia. Before adopting specific conservation strategies, such as release to new sites, more needs to be known about the genetic and social structure of viable populations, and the natural parasite fauna that may detrimentally affect an ....Conservation Management of the Endangered Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard. The Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard probably occurred over 150km of the Adelaide Plains before European settlement, but is now known from only a few privately owned properties in the mid-north of South Australia. Before adopting specific conservation strategies, such as release to new sites, more needs to be known about the genetic and social structure of viable populations, and the natural parasite fauna that may detrimentally affect any transplants. This project explores those aspects of the lizard biology, enhancing both our general understanding of lizard population structure and our specific understanding of conservation issues for this species.Read moreRead less
Does adaptive plasticity play a significant role in the initial colonisation of novel habitats? An increased understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes responsible for generating Australian biodiversity can facilitate effective management and conservation of this unique resource. Islands are especially significant in this context because they host many kinds of distinctive fauna and flora that have vanished from mainland habitats. It is therefore crucial to understand the biolo ....Does adaptive plasticity play a significant role in the initial colonisation of novel habitats? An increased understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes responsible for generating Australian biodiversity can facilitate effective management and conservation of this unique resource. Islands are especially significant in this context because they host many kinds of distinctive fauna and flora that have vanished from mainland habitats. It is therefore crucial to understand the biology of these small isolated systems, as a way to preserve those unique systems as well as the distinctive evolutionary processes that occur within them.Read moreRead less
Evolution, disease and extinction - using ancient and modern Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to investigate molecular evolution in the Tasmanian devil. The Tasmanian devil is Australia's largest living marsupial carnivore and one of Tasmania's key tourism icons. Extinction in the wild will have long-term impacts on Tasmanian native ecosystems and economy. This study will provide critical genetic data and tools to monitor and prioritise conservation strategies, including insurance populations and dis ....Evolution, disease and extinction - using ancient and modern Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to investigate molecular evolution in the Tasmanian devil. The Tasmanian devil is Australia's largest living marsupial carnivore and one of Tasmania's key tourism icons. Extinction in the wild will have long-term impacts on Tasmanian native ecosystems and economy. This study will provide critical genetic data and tools to monitor and prioritise conservation strategies, including insurance populations and disease suppression, aimed at preventing extinction. It will strengthen ongoing conservation programs carried out by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program and will help publicise the plight of the devil both nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Why conserve genetic variation? Is this misdirected effort or a crucial concern? In attempting to conserve populations of threatened plants, ecosystem managers must prioritise allocation of resources to both immediate and long-term threats, including loss of genetic variation. This study will determine the importance of maintaining existing genetic variation within populations of several species in a major Australian plant group. As well as advancing theory in the area of plant ecological genet ....Why conserve genetic variation? Is this misdirected effort or a crucial concern? In attempting to conserve populations of threatened plants, ecosystem managers must prioritise allocation of resources to both immediate and long-term threats, including loss of genetic variation. This study will determine the importance of maintaining existing genetic variation within populations of several species in a major Australian plant group. As well as advancing theory in the area of plant ecological genetics and evolutionary biology, our results will provide a stronger scientific basis for the development of conservation policy and management decisions for conserving threatened plant species. Read moreRead less
Assessing the risk of genetic pollution from Eucalyptus globulus and Corymbia plantations. We will provide the biological information necessary to assess the risk of genetic pollution of native eucalypt forest from plantations of Eucalyptus globulus and Corymbia torelliana. Key biological factors that can act as barriers to hybridisation including flowering time, pollen and seed dispersal distances, crossability, hybrid fitness and the potential for backcrossing will be identified and used to de ....Assessing the risk of genetic pollution from Eucalyptus globulus and Corymbia plantations. We will provide the biological information necessary to assess the risk of genetic pollution of native eucalypt forest from plantations of Eucalyptus globulus and Corymbia torelliana. Key biological factors that can act as barriers to hybridisation including flowering time, pollen and seed dispersal distances, crossability, hybrid fitness and the potential for backcrossing will be identified and used to develop strategies to reduce the risk of genetic pollution. The molecular differentiation between populations of the E. globulus complex, including plantations, will be studied to provide a genetic framework for the management of the genepool of this most important hardwood plantation species.Read moreRead less