ORCID Profile
0000-0002-4680-8115
Current Organisations
Macquarie University
,
Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Ecology | Terrestrial Ecology | Plant Physiology | Conservation and Biodiversity | Environmental Rehabilitation (excl. Bioremediation) | Ecological Physiology | Global Change Biology
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Land and Water Management of environments not elsewhere classified | Ecosystem Adaptation to Climate Change | Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) | Remnant Vegetation and Protected Conservation Areas in Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Environments | Rehabilitation of Degraded Farmland, Arable Cropland and Permanent Cropland Environments | Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Communication not elsewhere classified | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales |
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Publications
16. Will Alien Plant Invaders Be Advantaged Under Future Climates?
Publisher: De Gruyter Open
Date: 31-12-2015
Characterizing Effects of Microbial Biostimulants and Whole-Soil Inoculums for Native Plant Revegetation
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 24-12-2022
DOI: 10.3390/MICROORGANISMS11010055
Abstract: Soil microbes play important roles in plant health and ecosystem functioning, however, they can often be disturbed or depleted in degraded lands. During seed-based revegetation of such sites there is often very low germination and seedling establishment success, with recruitment of beneficial microbes to the rhizosphere one potential contributor to this problem. Here we investigated whether Australian native plant species may benefit from planting seed encapsulated within extruded seed pellets amended with one of two microbe-rich products: a commercial vermicast extract biostimulant or a whole-soil inoculum from a healthy reference site of native vegetation. Two manipulative glasshouse trials assessing the performance of two Australian native plant species (Acacia parramattensis and Indigofera australis) were carried out in both unmodified field-collected soil (trial 1) and in the same soil reduced in nutrients and microbes (trial 2). Seedling emergence and growth were compared between pelleted and bare-seeded controls and analyzed alongside soil nutrient concentrations and culturable microbial community assessments. The addition of microbial amendments maintained, but did not improve upon, high levels of emergence in both plant species relative to unamended pellets. In trial 1, mean time to emergence of Acacia parramattensis seedlings was slightly shorter in both amended pellet types relative to the standard pellets, and in trial 2, whole-soil inoculum pellets showed significantly improved growth metrics. This work shows that there is potential for microbial amendments to positively affect native plant emergence and growth, however exact effects are dependent on the type of amendment, the plant species, and the characteristics of the planting site soil.
Effects of Growth Form and Functional Traits on Response of Woody Plants to Clearing and Fragmentation of Subtropical Rainforest
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-07-2013
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12088
Abstract: The conservation implications of large-scale rainforest clearing and fragmentation on the persistence of functional and taxonomic ersity remain poorly understood. If traits represent adaptive strategies of plant species to particular circumstances, the expectation is that the effect of forest clearing and fragmentation will be affected by species functional traits, particularly those related to dispersal. We used species occurrence data for woody plants in 46 rainforest patches across 75,000 ha largely cleared of forest by the early 1900s to determine the combined effects of area reduction, fragmentation, and patch size on the taxonomic structure and functional ersity of subtropical rainforest. We compiled species trait values for leaf area, seed dry mass, wood density, and maximum height and calculated species niche breadths. Taxonomic structure, trait values (means, ranges), and the functional ersity of assemblages of climbing and free-standing plants in remnant patches were quantified. Larger rainforest patches had higher species richness. Species in smaller patches were taxonomically less related than species in larger patches. Free-standing plants had a high percentage of frugivore dispersed seeds climbers had a high proportion of small wind-dispersed seeds. Connections between the patchy spatial distribution of free-standing species, larger seed sizes, and dispersal syndrome were weak. Assemblages of free-standing plants in patches showed more taxonomic and spatial structuring than climbing plants. Smaller isolated patches retained relatively high functional ersity and similar taxonomic structure to larger tracts of forest despite lower species richness. The response of woody plants to clearing and fragmentation of subtropical rainforest differed between climbers and slow-growing mature-phase forest trees but not between climbers and pioneer trees. Quantifying taxonomic structure and functional ersity provides an improved basis for conservation planning and management by elucidating the effects of forest-area reduction and fragmentation. Efectos de la Forma de Crecimiento y Atributos Funcionales en la Respuesta de Plantas Leñosas al Desmonte y Fragmentación de Bosque Lluvioso Subtropical.
Climbing plant diversity in Australia: taxonomy, biogeography and functional traits
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-10-2014
Open Science principles for accelerating trait-based science across the Tree of Life
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-02-2020
Germination at Extreme Temperatures: Implications for Alpine Shrub Encroachment
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 09-02-2021
Abstract: Worldwide, shrub cover is increasing across alpine and tundra landscapes in response to warming ambient temperatures and declines in snowpack. With a changing climate, shrub encroachment may rely on recruitment from seed occurring outside of the optimum temperature range. We used a temperature gradient plate in order to determine the germination niche of 14 alpine shrub species. We then related the range in laboratory germination temperatures of each species to long-term average temperature conditions at: (1) the location of the seed accession site and (2) across each species geographic distribution. Seven of the species failed to germinate sufficiently to be included in the analyses. For the other species, the germination niche was broad, spanning a range in temperatures of up to 17 °C, despite very low germination rates in some species. Temperatures associated with the highest germination percentages were all above the range of temperatures present at each specific seed accession site. Optimum germination temperatures were consistently within or higher than the range of maximum temperatures modelled across the species’ geographic distribution. Our results indicate that while some shrub species germinate well at high temperatures, others are apparently constrained by an inherent seed dormancy. Shrub encroachment in alpine areas will likely depend on conditions that affect seed germination at the microsite-scale, despite overall conditions becoming more suitable for shrubs at high elevations.
The AusTraits Plant Dictionary
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 18-06-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.16.545047
Abstract: Traits with intuitive names, a clear scope and explicit description are essential for all trait databases. Reanalysis of data from a single database, or analyses that integrate data across multiple databases, can only occur if researchers are confident the trait concepts are consistent within and across sources. The lack of a unified, comprehensive resource for plant trait definitions has previously limited the utility of trait databases. Here we describe the AusTraits Plant Dictionary (APD), which extends the trait definitions included in the new trait database AusTraits. The development process of the APD included three steps: review and formalisation of the scope of each trait and the accompanying trait description addition of trait meta-data and publication in both human and machine-readable forms. Trait definitions include keywords, references and links to related trait concepts in other databases, and the traits are grouped into a hierarchy for easy searching. As well as improving the usability of AusTraits, the Dictionary will foster the integration of trait data across global and regional plant trait databases.
Modelling the spatial extent of post‐fire sedimentation threat to estimate the impacts of fire on waterways and aquatic species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13640
Abstract: Fires can severely impact aquatic fauna, especially when attributes of soil, topography, fire severity and post‐fire rainfall interact to cause substantial sedimentation. Such events can cause immediate mortality and longer‐term changes in food resources and habitat structure. Approaches for estimating fire impacts on terrestrial species (e.g. intersecting fire extent with species distributions) are inappropriate for aquatic species as sedimentation can carry well downstream of the fire extent, and occur long after fire. Here, we develop an approach for estimating the spatial extent of fire impacts for aquatic systems, across multiple catchments. Southern Australian bioregions affected by the fires in 2019–2020 that burned million ha of temperate and subtropical forests. We integrated an existing soil erosion model with fire severity mapping and rainfall data to estimate the spatial extent of post‐fire sedimentation threat in waterways and in basins and the potential exposure of aquatic species to this threat. We validated the model against field observations of sedimentation events after the 2019–20 fires. While fires overlapped with ~27,643 km of waterways, post‐fire sedimentation events potentially occurred across ~40,449 km. In total, 55% ( n = 85) of 154 basins in the study region may have experienced substantial post‐fire sedimentation. Ten species—including six Critically Endangered—were threatened by post‐fire sedimentation events across 100% of their range. The model increased the estimates for potential impact, compared to considering fire extent alone, for % of aquatic species. Some species had distributions that did not overlap with the fire extent, but that were entirely exposed to post‐fire sedimentation threat. Compared with estimating the overlap of fire extent with species' ranges, our model improves estimates of fire‐related threats to aquatic fauna by capturing the complexities of fire impacts on hydrological systems. The model provides a method for quickly estimating post‐fire sedimentation threat after future fires in any fire‐prone region, thus potentially improving conservation assessments and informing emergency management interventions.
Climate shapes community flowering periods across biomes
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14375
Abstract: Climate shapes the composition and function of plant communities globally, but it remains unclear how this influence extends to floral traits. Flowering phenology, or the time period in which a species flowers, has well‐studied relationships with climatic signals at the species level but has rarely been explored at a cross‐community and continental scale. Here, we characterise the distribution of flowering periods (months of flowering) across continental plant communities encompassing six biomes, and determine the influence of climate on community flowering period lengths. Australia. Flowering plants. We combined plant composition and abundance data from 629 standardised floristic surveys (AusPlots) with data on flowering period from the AusTraits database and additional primary literature for 2983 species. We assessed abundance‐weighted community mean flowering periods across biomes and tested their relationship with climatic annual means and the predictability of climate conditions using regression models. Combined, temperature and precipitation (annual mean and predictability) explain 29% of variation in continental community flowering period. Plant communities with higher mean temperatures and lower mean precipitation have longer mean flowering periods. Moreover, plant communities in climates with predictable temperatures and, to a lesser extent, predictable precipitation have shorter mean flowering periods. Flowering period varies by biome, being longest in deserts and shortest in alpine and montane communities. For instance, desert communities experience low and unpredictable precipitation and high, unpredictable temperatures and have longer mean flowering periods, with desert species typically flowering at any time of year in response to rain. Current climate conditions shape flowering periods across biomes, with implications for phenology under climate change. Shifts in flowering periods across climatic gradients reflect changes in plant strategies, affecting patterns of plant growth and reproduction as well as the availability of floral resources for pollinators across the landscape.
Author Correction: Areas of global importance for conserving terrestrial biodiversity, carbon and water
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-09-2021
Evidence for climatic niche and biome shifts between native and novel ranges in plant species introduced to Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-06-2010
Safety margins and adaptive capacity of vegetation to climate change
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-06-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-019-44483-X
Abstract: Vegetation is composed of many in idual species whose climatic tolerances can be integrated into spatial analyses of climate change risk. Here, we quantify climate change risk to vegetation at a continental scale by calculating the safety margins for warming and drying ( i . e ., tolerance to projected change in temperature and precipitation respectively) across plants sharing 100 km × 100 km grid cells (locations). These safety margins measure how much warmer, or drier, a location could become before its ‘typical’ species exceeds its observed climatic limit. We also analyse the potential adaptive capacity of vegetation to temperature and precipitation change ( i . e ., likelihood of in situ persistence) using median precipitation and temperature breadth across all species in each location. 47% of vegetation across Australia is potentially at risk from increases in mean annual temperature (MAT) by 2070, with tropical regions most vulnerable. Vegetation at high risk from climate change often also exhibited low adaptive capacity. By contrast, 2% of the continent is at risk from reductions in annual precipitation by 2070. Risk from precipitation change was isolated to the southwest of Western Australia where both the safety margin for drier conditions in the typical species is low, and substantial reductions in MAP are projected.
Areas of global importance for terrestrial biodiversity, carbon, and water
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 16-04-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.04.16.021444
Abstract: To meet the ambitious objectives of bio ersity and climate conventions, countries and the international community require clarity on how these objectives can be operationalized spatially, and multiple targets be pursued concurrently 1 . To support governments and political conventions, spatial guidance is needed to identify which areas should be managed for conservation to generate the greatest synergies between bio ersity and nature’s contribution to people (NCP). Here we present results from a joint optimization that maximizes improvements in species conservation status, carbon retention and water provisioning and rank terrestrial conservation priorities globally. We found that, selecting the top-ranked 30% (respectively 50%) of areas would conserve 62.4% (86.8%) of the estimated total carbon stock and 67.8% (90.7%) of all clean water provisioning, in addition to improving the conservation status for 69.7% (83.8%) of all species considered. If priority was given to bio ersity only, managing 30% of optimally located land area for conservation may be sufficient to improve the conservation status of 86.3% of plant and vertebrate species on Earth. Our results provide a global baseline on where land could be managed for conservation. We discuss how such a spatial prioritisation framework can support the implementation of the bio ersity and climate conventions.
Variation in avian egg shape and nest structure is explained by climatic conditions
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-03-2018
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-018-22436-0
Abstract: Why are avian eggs ovoid, while the eggs of most other vertebrates are symmetrical? The interaction between an egg and its environment likely drives selection that will shape eggs across evolutionary time. For ex le, eggs incubated in hot, arid regions face acute exposure to harsh climatic conditions relative to those in temperate zones, and this exposure will differ across nest types, with eggs in open nests being more exposed to direct solar radiation than those in enclosed nests. We examined the idea that the geographical distribution of both egg shapes and nest types should reflect selective pressures of key environmental parameters, such as ambient temperature and the drying capacity of air. We took a comparative approach, using 310 passerine species from Australia, many of which are found in some of the most extreme climates on earth. We found that, across the continent, egg elongation decreases and the proportion of species with domed nests with roofs increases in hotter and drier areas with sparse plant canopies. Eggs are most spherical in open nests in the hottest environments, and most elongate in domed nests in wetter, shadier environments. Our findings suggest that climatic conditions played a key role in the evolution of passerine egg shape.
Expanding the biocultural benefits of species distribution modelling with Indigenous collaborators: Case study from northern Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Environmental associations of abundance-weighted functional traits in Australian plant communities
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
Functional diversity of the Australian flora: Strong links to species richness and climate
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2021
DOI: 10.1111/JVS.13018
Next-Generation Invaders? Hotspots for Naturalised Sleeper Weeds in Australia under Future Climates
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 26-12-2013
Global shortfalls in threat assessments for endemic flora by country
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-04-2023
DOI: 10.1002/PPP3.10369
Abstract: Plants are fundamental to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and are key to human livelihoods. To protect plant ersity, systematic approaches to conservation assessment are needed. Many nations have legislation or other policy instruments that seek to protect bio ersity (including plants), and species‐level assessments are essential for identifying the most threatened species that require special and immediate protection measures. Some plants occur in only one place (for instance, a single country) and here we have estimated how many of these ‘endemic’ species have had their threats assessed in each country or close country‐equivalent worldwide. We show that the level of assessment completion is only weakly related to the income of countries or the likely level of threat that species face. The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation ambitiously called for an assessment of the conservation status of all recognised plant taxa by 2020. This target was not met in the short term. Nevertheless, the need for conservation assessments remains urgent as plants go extinct and face increasing threats from human impacts on the biosphere. Here, the completeness of threat assessments for endemic flora in 179 countries or their close equivalents was assessed. To do so, distribution information from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants was combined with assessments collated in the ThreatSearch database. The completeness of assessments was expected to be associated with the objective affluence of countries (measured using inequality‐adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI)) and/or the exposure of their plant species to threats associated with human impacts (measured using Global Human Modification index (GHM)). The number of endemic species per country was also hypothesised to influence the completion of assessments. Overall, 58% of all country‐based endemic species examined have no conservation assessment (127,643 species). Countries' progress toward the completion of threat assessments for endemic plants could not be confidently predicted by IHDI, GHM or the richness of endemic plant flora. The shortfall in threat assessments identified here restricts national regulation of actions which imperil plant species, with particular consequences for endemic plant species subject to local laws. Some nations with high IHDI scores (i.e. wealthier nations) are not systematically assessing extinction risk in their endemic species. Scarce funding should be directed to global hotspots of endemism with few available resources for assessment.
Trait filtering in island floras: A conceptual framework
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-08-2023
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.14703
Abstract: Dispersal and environmental filtering processes affect plant species colonisation success on islands and can be identified by functional traits. However, the lack of synthesis about the different methodological approaches in functional ecology h ers generalisation of filtering processes across island systems. Seventy islands of the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago, Western Australia. Angiosperms. We (i) apply a simple, conceptual framework based on the mean and variability of in idual functional traits in plant assemblages to identify species filters on islands, (ii) illustrate how trait distributions of island assemblages change in relation to island area and their source pool, (iii) compare distributions of in idual traits to multivariate functional ersity indices and trait spaces and (iv) provide guidelines to detect a signal of trait filtering in island floras. The island assemblages showed evidence for selective filters operating on seed mass and marginally on leaf area but not on plant height. Mean and variability of seed mass differed to those of the source pool indicating selective forces operating between source pool and island assemblages, especially on smaller islands. Multivariate functional ersity indices and trait spaces failed to reveal filtering processes acting on the island assemblages and insights into the putative processes. Using the mean and variability of in idual traits in plant assemblages provides direct information on the trait composition of island floras and the processes involved beyond what can be inferred from multivariate functional ersity indices or trait spaces. We used islands as their distinct boundaries and relatively simple sets of species provide good research models, but joint analyses of trait means and variability should also be applicable to understand filtering processes in isolates and habitat fragments on mainlands.
A review of the heterogeneous landscape of biodiversity databases: Opportunities and challenges for a synthesized biodiversity knowledge base
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13497
Abstract: Addressing global environmental challenges requires access to bio ersity data across wide spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales. Availability of such data has increased exponentially recently with the proliferation of bio ersity databases. However, heterogeneous coverage, protocols, and standards have h ered integration among these databases. To stimulate the next stage of data integration, here we present a synthesis of major databases, and investigate (a) how the coverage of databases varies across taxonomy, space, and record type (b) what degree of integration is present among databases (c) how integration of databases can increase bio ersity knowledge and (d) the barriers to database integration. Global. Contemporary. Plants and vertebrates. We reviewed 12 established bio ersity databases that mainly focus on geographic distributions and functional traits at global scale. We synthesized information from these databases to assess the status of their integration and major knowledge gaps and barriers to full integration. We estimated how improved integration can increase the data coverage for terrestrial plants and vertebrates. Every database reviewed had a unique focus of data coverage. Exchanges of bio ersity information were common among databases, although not always clearly documented. Functional trait databases were more isolated than those pertaining to species distributions. Variation and potential incompatibility of taxonomic systems used by different databases posed a major barrier to data integration. We found that integration of distribution databases could lead to increased taxonomic coverage that corresponds to 23 years’ advancement in data accumulation, and improvement in taxonomic coverage could be as high as 22.4% for trait databases. Rapid increases in bio ersity knowledge can be achieved through the integration of databases, providing the data necessary to address critical environmental challenges. Full integration across databases will require tackling the major impediments to data integration: taxonomic incompatibility, lags in data exchange, barriers to effective data synchronization, and isolation of in idual initiatives.
Assessing the efficacy of extruded seed pellets and microbial amendments for native revegetation
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-01-2023
DOI: 10.1111/REC.13857
Abstract: Worldwide, there is a strong need for new, innovative, large‐scale approaches to restoring erse native vegetation. Seed‐based revegetation, while often employed, can suffer from low plant establishment. Various seed coating technologies have been widely employed for decades to promote efficient agricultural planting however, a significant obstacle to the implementation of this technology for native species revegetation is the limited access to the expertise and techniques which are mostly confidential to and specialized for the agrochemical industry. Here we investigated whether the seeds of Australian native species may benefit from extruded pelleting, measuring both seedling emergence and early growth, and testing the pellets with and without the addition of a commercial plant probiotic. A manipulative glasshouse experiment was carried out with three treatments (bare seeded standard pellets pellets amended with a probiotic) for four native plant species. Incorporation of seeds within standard pellets was shown to maintain high percentages of emergence and improve growth of three of the tested species ( Daviesia ulicifolia , Hardenbergia violacea , and Indigofera australis ) in the glasshouse setting, with increases in mean biomass of 83, 385, and 1,002%, respectively. However, emergence in the fourth species ( Bursaria spinosa ) was low in all seed treatments, perhaps due to excessive sowing depth (bare seeds), while combined with being encased inside a pellet. Relative to the standard pellets, probiotic amended pellets did not impart further detectable emergence or growth benefits. Ultimately, these results highlight exciting prospects for the application of extruded seed pellets in facilitating efficient use of seed in the revegetation of some native species.
A conservation genomics workflow to guide practical management actions
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2021
Climate change increases global risk to urban forests
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-09-2022
Global shortfalls in extinction risk assessments for endemic flora
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 14-03-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.12.984559
Abstract: The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) ambitiously calls for an assessment of extinction risk for all recognised plant taxa by 2020 1 . It is now clear that this target will not be met in the short-term only 21-26% of known plant species have been assessed 2 – a monumental shortfall in anticipated knowledge. Yet the need for risk assessments has never been more urgent. Plants are rapidly going extinct 3,4 and face threats such as climate change 5 and permanent deforestation 6 . Extinction risk assessments continue to provide the critical foundation to inform protection, management and recovery of plant species 7,8 , the loss of which will have clear consequences for maintaining planetary systems and human well-being 9 . Here, we rank countries of the world based on progress towards assessing the extinction risk to their endemic flora. Overall, 67% of country-based endemic species do not have an extinction risk assessment completed (143,294 species). We show that some of the world’s wealthiest nations, which also have relatively strong species protections, are failing to protect their unique flora by not systematically assessing risks to their endemic species.
TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-12-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14904
Abstract: Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to bio ersity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on in idual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
FED-IIoT: A Robust Federated Malware Detection Architecture in Industrial IoT
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 12-2020
Invasion hotspots for non-native plants in Australia under current and future climates
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2012
A global comparison of the climatic niches of urban and native tree populations
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12728
Changing plant functional diversity over the last 12,000 years provides perspectives for tracking future changes in vegetation communities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-01-2023
Orchid diversity: Spatial and climatic patterns from herbarium records
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-10-2018
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.4598
Leaf size estimation based on leaf length, width and shape
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 22-06-2021
DOI: 10.1093/AOB/MCAB078
Abstract: Leaf size has considerable ecological relevance, making it desirable to obtain leaf size estimations for as many species worldwide as possible. Current global databases, such as TRY, contain leaf size data for ~30 000 species, which is only ~8% of known species worldwide. Yet, taxonomic descriptions exist for the large majority of the remainder. Here we propose a simple method to exploit information on leaf length, width and shape from species descriptions to robustly estimate leaf areas, thus closing this considerable knowledge gap for this important plant functional trait. Using a global dataset of all major leaf shapes measured on 3125 leaves from 780 taxa, we quantified scaling functions that estimate leaf size as a product of leaf length, width and a leaf shape-specific correction factor. We validated our method by comparing leaf size estimates with those obtained from image recognition software and compared our approach with the widely used correction factor of 2/3. Correction factors ranged from 0.39 for highly dissected, lobed leaves to 0.79 for oblate leaves. Leaf size estimation using leaf shape-specific correction factors was more accurate and precise than estimates obtained from the correction factor of 2/3. Our method presents a tractable solution to accurately estimate leaf size when only information on leaf length, width and shape is available or when labour and time constraints prevent usage of image recognition software. We see promise in applying our method to data from species descriptions (including from fossils), databases, field work and on herbarium vouchers, especially when non-destructive in situ measurements are needed.
Shortfalls in extinction risk assessments for plants
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.1071/BT20106
Abstract: Research on species recovery, reintroduction, and conservation disproportionally focusses on birds and mammals. Typically, less attention is given to hyper- erse but ecologically important groups such as plants and invertebrates. In this study, we focussed on a continent with one of the world’s highest proportions of endemic plant species (Australia) comparing the number of extinction risk assessments relative to birds and mammals. Specifically, we generated a checklist of Australian endemic vascular plants and used three resources which differ in styles and scope to collate information on how many have an extinction risk assessment – the ThreatSearch database, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and Environment Protection and Bio ersity Conservation Act 1999, (EPBC Act). Between 76 and 93% of endemic Australian plants examined lack an extinction risk assessment based on data from our three sources. We also compared the proportions of endemic plants assessed relative to birds and mammals. Of all endemic plant taxa examined, only 6.8% have been assessed under the EPBC Act, compared with 9.4% of birds and 28.9% of mammals. Similarly, only 8.8% of endemic plants have been assessed for the IUCN Red List, compared with 29.1% of birds and 61.1% of mammals, whereas all birds and mammals have been examined in National Action Plans. This represents a significant underestimation of the actual proportion of Australian endemic plants that are likely to satisfy extinction-risk criteria for listing as threatened. This shortfall in risk assessments for plants is a matter of international significance for conservation given Australia’s high rate of plant endemism. A change in policy and approach to assessing extinction risk is needed to ensure adequate assessment effort across different taxonomic groups.
Frameworks for identifying priority plants and ecosystems most impacted by major fires
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 09-12-2022
DOI: 10.1071/BT22009
Abstract: Globally, many species and ecosystems are experiencing landscape-scale wildfires (‘megafires’) and these events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity as the climate warms. Consequently, the capability to rapidly assess the likely impacts of such large fires and identify potential risks they pose to the persistence of species and ecosystems is vital for effective conservation management. In this review, we propose novel frameworks to identify which plant species and ecosystems are most in need of management actions as a result of megafires. We do this by assessing the impacts of a fire event on plants and ecosystems in the context of the whole fire regime (current fire event combined with recent fire history) and its interactions with other threatening processes, rather than simply considering the amount of habitat burnt. The frameworks are based on a combination of key species’ traits related to mechanisms of decline, components of the fire regime that are most likely to have adverse impacts on species or ecosystem recovery, and biotic and environmental factors that may lify fire impacts or pose barriers to post-fire recovery. We applied these frameworks to guide management priorities and responses following the extensive 2019/2020 fires in southern Australia, and we illustrate their application here via a series of worked ex les that highlight the various mechanisms of post-fire decline the frameworks address. The frameworks should be applicable to a broader range of fire-prone biomes worldwide. Our approach will (1) promote the development of foundational national datasets for assessing megafire impacts on bio ersity, (2) identify targeted priority actions for conservation, (3) inform planning for future fires (both prescribed burning and wildfire suppression), and (4) build awareness and understanding of the potential breadth of factors that threaten plants and ecosystems under changing fire regimes.
Using traits to assess threatened plant species response to climate change
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-04-2019
High fire frequency and the impact of the 2019–2020 megafires on Australian plant diversity
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-03-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13265
Abstract: To quantify the impact of the 2019–2020 megafires on Australian plant ersity by assessing burnt area across 26,062 species ranges and the effects of fire history on recovery potential. Further, to exemplify a strategic approach to prioritizing plant species affected by fire for recovery actions and conservation planning at a national scale. Australia. We combine data on geographic range, fire extent, response traits and fire history to assess the proportion of species ranges burnt in both the 2019–2020 fires and the past. Across Australia, suitable habitat for 69% of all plant species was burnt (17,197 species) by the 2019–2020 fires and herbarium specimens confirm the presence of 9,092 of these species across the fire extent since 1950. Burnt ranges include those of 587 plants listed as threatened under national legislation (44% of Australia's threatened plants). A total of 3,998 of the 17,197 fire‐affected species are known to resprout after fire, but at least 2,928 must complete their entire life cycle—from germinant to reproducing adult—prior to subsequent fires, as they are killed by fire. Data on previous fires show that, for 257 species, the historical intervals between fire events across their range are likely too short to allow regeneration. For a further 411 species, future fires during recovery will increase extinction risk as current populations are dominated by immature in iduals. Many Australian plant species have strategies to persist under certain fire regimes, and will recover given time, suitable conditions and low exposure to threats. However, short fire intervals both before and after the 2019–2020 fire season pose a serious risk to the recovery of at least 595 species. Persistent knowledge gaps about species fire response and post‐fire population persistence threaten the effective long‐term management of Australian vegetation in an increasingly pyric world.
Using species traits to guide conservation actions under climate change
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-09-2018
A global assessment of the Raunkiæran shortfall in plants: geographic biases in our knowledge of plant traits
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-06-2023
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.18999
Will there be a shift to alien‐dominated vegetation assemblages under climate change?
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-05-2015
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12338
Climate shapes flowering periods across plant communities
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 12-10-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.10.10.463841
Abstract: Climate shapes the composition and function of plant communities globally, but it remains unclear how this influence extends to floral traits. Flowering phenology, or the time period in which a species flowers, has well-studied relationships with climatic signals at the species level but has rarely been explored at a cross-community and continental scale. Here, we characterise the distribution of flowering periods (months of flowering) across continental plant communities encompassing six biomes, and determine the influence of climate on community flowering period lengths. Australia Flowering plants We combined plant composition and abundance data from 629 standardised floristic surveys (AusPlots) with data on flowering period from the AusTraits database and additional primary literature for 2,983 species. We assessed abundance-weighted community mean flowering periods across biomes and tested their relationship with climatic annual means and the predictability of climate conditions using regression models. Combined, temperature and precipitation (annual mean and predictability) explain 29% of variation in continental community flowering period. Plant communities with higher mean temperatures and lower mean precipitation have longer mean flowering periods. Moreover, plant communities in climates with predictable temperatures and, to a lesser extent, predictable precipitation have shorter mean flowering periods. Flowering period varies by biome, being longest in deserts and shortest in alpine and montane communities. For instance, desert communities experience low and unpredictable precipitation and high, unpredictable temperatures and have longer mean flowering periods, with desert species typically flowering at any time of year in response to rain. Our findings demonstrate the role of current climate conditions in shaping flowering periods across biomes, with implications under climate change. Shifts in flowering periods across climatic gradients reflect changes in plant strategies, affecting patterns of plant growth and reproduction as well as the availability of floral resources across the landscape.
Using IUCN criteria to perform rapid assessments of at-risk taxa
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-01-2019
Animal population decline and recovery after severe fire: Relating ecological and life history traits with expert estimates of population impacts from the Australian 2019-20 megafires
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Drivers of thermal tolerance breadth of plants across contrasting biomes: do mean or seasonality in climate indices matter more?
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 03-10-2023
Insect pollination for most of angiosperm evolutionary history
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-06-2023
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.18993
Abstract: Most contemporary angiosperms (flowering plants) are insect pollinated, but pollination by wind, water or vertebrates occurs in many lineages. Though evidence suggests insect pollination may be ancestral in angiosperms, this is yet to be assessed across the full phylogeny. Here, we reconstruct the ancestral pollination mode of angiosperms and quantify the timing and environmental associations of pollination shifts. We use a robust, dated phylogeny and species‐level s ling across all angiosperm families to model the evolution of pollination modes. Data on the pollination system or syndrome of 1160 species were collated from the primary literature. Angiosperms were ancestrally insect pollinated, and insects have pollinated angiosperms for c. 86% of angiosperm evolutionary history. Wind pollination evolved at least 42 times, with few reversals to animal pollination. Transitions between insect and vertebrate pollination were more frequent: vertebrate pollination evolved at least 39 times from an insect‐pollinated ancestor with at least 26 reversals. The probability of wind pollination increases with habitat openness (measured by Leaf Area Index) and distance from the equator. Our reconstruction gives a clear overview of pollination macroevolution across angiosperms, highlighting the long history of interactions between insect pollinators and angiosperms still vital to bio ersity today.
Global climatic drivers of leaf size.
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 09-2017
Abstract: Leaf size varies by over a 100,000-fold among species worldwide. Although 19th-century plant geographers noted that the wet tropics harbor plants with exceptionally large leaves, the latitudinal gradient of leaf size has not been well quantified nor the key climatic drivers convincingly identified. Here, we characterize worldwide patterns in leaf size. Large-leaved species predominate in wet, hot, sunny environments small-leaved species typify hot, sunny environments only in arid conditions small leaves are also found in high latitudes and elevations. By modeling the balance of leaf energy inputs and outputs, we show that daytime and nighttime leaf-to-air temperature differences are key to geographic gradients in leaf size. This knowledge can enrich "next-generation" vegetation models in which leaf temperature and water use during photosynthesis play key roles.
The conservation impacts of ecological disturbance: time‐bound estimates of population loss and recovery for fauna affected by the 2019–2020 Australian megafires
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13473
Abstract: After environmental disasters, species with large population losses may need urgent protection to prevent extinction and support recovery. Following the 2019–2020 Australian megafires, we estimated population losses and recovery in fire‐affected fauna, to inform conservation status assessments and management. Temperate and subtropical Australia. 2019–2030 and beyond. Australian terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates one invertebrate group. From 1,050 fire‐affected taxa, we selected 173 whose distributions substantially overlapped the fire extent. We estimated the proportion of each taxon’s distribution affected by fires, using fire severity and aquatic impact mapping, and new distribution mapping. Using expert elicitation informed by evidence of responses to previous wildfires, we estimated local population responses to fires of varying severity. We combined the spatial and elicitation data to estimate overall population loss and recovery trajectories, and thus indicate potential eligibility for listing as threatened, or uplisting, under Australian legislation. We estimate that the 2019–2020 Australian megafires caused, or contributed to, population declines that make 70–82 taxa eligible for listing as threatened and another 21–27 taxa eligible for uplisting. If so‐listed, this represents a 22–26% increase in Australian statutory lists of threatened terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates and spiny crayfish, and uplisting for 8–10% of threatened taxa. Such changes would cause an abrupt worsening of underlying trajectories in vertebrates, as measured by Red List Indices. We predict that 54–88% of 173 assessed taxa will not recover to pre‐fire population size within 10 years/three generations. We suggest the 2019–2020 Australian megafires have worsened the conservation prospects for many species. Of the 91 taxa recommended for listing/uplisting consideration, 84 are now under formal review through national processes. Improving predictions about taxon vulnerability with empirical data on population responses, reducing the likelihood of future catastrophic events and mitigating their impacts on bio ersity, are critical.
Socioeconomics and biogeography jointly drive geographic biases in our knowledge of plant traits: a global assessment of the Raunkiærian shortfall in plants
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 27-09-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.09.26.509556
Abstract: The traits of plants determine how they interact with each other and their environment, constituting key knowledge for erse fields. The lack of comprehensive knowledge of plant traits (the “Raunkiærian shortfall”) poses a major, cross-disciplinary, barrier to scientific advancement. Spatial biases in trait coverage may also lead to erroneous conclusions affecting ecosystem management and conservation planning. Thus, there is an urgent need to assess the spatial completeness of plant trait data, understand drivers of geographic biases, and to identify solutions for filling regional gaps. Here, we leverage a comprehensive set of regional species checklists for vascular plants and trait data for 2,027 traits and 128,929 plant species from the TRY database to assess trait data completeness across the globe. We show that trait data availability in TRY is associated with socioeconomic and biological factors influencing s ling likelihood: trait completeness was positively associated with mean species range size, research expenditure, and human population density and negatively associated with endemism and vascular plant species richness. Integration of a second, regional trait database (AusTraits) more than doubled trait completeness for the continent covered, indicating that the creation and integration of regional databases can rapidly expand trait completeness. The traits of plants determine how they interact with each other and their environment. Our knowledge of plant traits is incomplete, limiting scientific advancement as well as our ability to manage ecosystems and plan conservation actions. We show that there are large biases in trait data availability which are associated with both biological factors (range size, endemism, species richness) and socioeconomic factors (research expenditure, human population density). We also show how regionally-focused efforts can help rapidly expand trait data availability.
An integrated approach to assessing abiotic and biotic threats to post-fire plant species recovery
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13478
Abstract: Existing abiotic and biotic threats to plant species (e.g., disease, drought, invasive species) affect their capacity to recover post‐fire. We use a new, globally applicable framework to assess the vulnerability of 26,062 Australian plant species to a suite of active threats after the 2019–2020 fires. Australia. 2019–2020. Plants. Spatial data for existing threats and information on species‐level susceptibility were combined with estimates of the extent of range burnt in southern Australia ( 22°S) to assign species against 10 criteria into vulnerability categories ( high , medium , low , none , data deficient ). We explore in detail results for three threats (drought, disease, feral animals), highlighting where impacts from multiple threats ranked high vulnerability may compound to reduce post‐fire recovery. Analysis of the full suite of 10 vulnerability criteria, which encompass a broad range of threats, revealed large numbers of species vulnerable to poor post‐fire recovery from one or more different hazards ( high vulnerability: 1,243 species medium vulnerability: 2,450 species). Collectively, 457 plant species that burnt extensively ( 50%) across their range are highly vulnerable to poor recovery due to exposure to pre‐fire drought conditions (235 species), disease (186 species), or feral animals (97 species). Of these 457 species, 61 are vulnerable to more than one of these three threats, highlighting how a suite of interacting hazards can impact plant recovery after fire. While fire can renew plant populations by stimulating recruitment and resetting competitive interactions, the presence of existing threats in post‐fire landscapes jeopardizes recovery. The simultaneous impact of multiple threats that impact recovery can create a suite of hazards that contribute to declines and, potentially, extinction. Our method for rapid post‐fire vulnerability assessment can be applied to large numbers of plant species or other biota in fire affected regions globally.
Invasive plants and invaded ecosystems in Australia: implications for biodiversity
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 22-12-2014
Towards species‐level forecasts of drought‐induced tree mortality risk
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.18129
Abstract: Predicting species‐level responses to drought at the landscape scale is critical to reducing uncertainty in future terrestrial carbon and water cycle projections. We embedded a stomatal optimisation model in the Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE) land surface model and parameterised the model for 15 canopy dominant eucalypt tree species across South‐Eastern Australia (mean annual precipitation range: 344–1424 mm yr −1 ). We conducted three experiments: applying CABLE to the 2017–2019 drought a 20% drier drought and a 20% drier drought with a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The severity of the drought was highlighted as for at least 25% of their distribution ranges, 60% of species experienced leaf water potentials beyond the water potential at which 50% of hydraulic conductivity is lost due to embolism. We identified areas of severe hydraulic stress within‐species’ ranges, but we also pinpointed resilience in species found in predominantly semiarid areas. The importance of the role of CO 2 in ameliorating drought stress was consistent across species. Our results represent an important advance in our capacity to forecast the resilience of in idual tree species, providing an evidence base for decision‐making around the resilience of restoration plantings or net‐zero emission strategies.
The global spectrum of plant form and function: enhanced species-level trait dataset
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-12-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41597-022-01774-9
Abstract: Here we provide the ‘Global Spectrum of Plant Form and Function Dataset’, containing species mean values for six vascular plant traits. Together, these traits –plant height, stem specific density, leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen content per dry mass, and diaspore (seed or spore) mass – define the primary axes of variation in plant form and function. The dataset is based on ca. 1 million trait records received via the TRY database (representing ca. 2,500 original publications) and additional unpublished data. It provides 92,159 species mean values for the six traits, covering 46,047 species. The data are complemented by higher-level taxonomic classification and six categorical traits (woodiness, growth form, succulence, adaptation to terrestrial or aquatic habitats, nutrition type and leaf type). Data quality management is based on a probabilistic approach combined with comprehensive validation against expert knowledge and external information. Intense data acquisition and thorough quality control produced the largest and, to our knowledge, most accurate compilation of empirically observed vascular plant species mean traits to date.
A global analysis of trait variation and evolution in climbing plants
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-09-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-2699.2012.02773.X
Abstract: Climbing plants (lianas, vines, scramblers) are under‐represented in many global datasets that underpin knowledge in functional trait biology, important for ecological theory, conservation and predicting forest dynamics under global change. To address this omission, we tested a set of hypotheses about how the traits of climbers vary with latitude and climate and amongst major biogeographical regions of the world using a comprehensive new, global dataset. Global. Data on seed mass, leaf size, specific leaf area, climbing mechanism, dispersal mode, and growth habit were compiled for 1092 species in 34 countries. For each trait we: (1) quantified the strength of latitudinal gradients using analyses across species and across evolutionary ergences, (2) examined underlying relationships between trait variation and climate variables, (3) tested for phylogenetic signal in traits (the tendency for closely related species to exhibit similar traits), and (4) compared trait variation and phylogenetic clustering between four major biogeographical regions of the world (Africa, the Americas, Asia and Australasia). We found highly significant relationships between latitude and four traits (growth habit, leaf size, seed mass and specific leaf area, SLA ). Leaf size, seed mass and SLA also showed significant relationships with mean annual temperature and precipitation. However, no relationship was found between dispersal mode and latitude or between climbing mechanism and latitude. These results were largely consistent in cross‐species and phylogenetic analyses. All traits, except seed mass, exhibited clear differences between biogeographical regions. SLA and seed mass were the only two traits that did not present a significant phylogenetic signal. Phylogenetic clustering was detected in species from the Americas and Africa, indicating that trait conservatism is important in broad biogeographical regions. The functional traits and phylogenetic patterns of climbers differ between biogeographical regions, and from other better‐studied plant growth forms. Species‐level trait differences may hold the key to understanding why climbers are increasing in abundance in some regions of the world, but not in others.
Substantial declines in urban tree habitat predicted under climate change
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2019.05.287
Abstract: Globally, local governments are increasing investment in urban greening projects. However, there is little consideration of whether the species being planted will be resilient to climate change. We assessed the distribution of climatically suitable habitat, now and in the future, for 176 tree species native to Australia, commonly planted across Australia's Significant Urban Areas (SUAs) and currently grown by commercial nurseries. Species' occurrence records were obtained from inventories and herbaria, globally and across Australia, and combined with baseline climate data (WorldClim, 1960-1990) and six climate scenarios for 2030 and 2070 using climatic suitability models (CSMs). CSMs for each species were calibrated and projected onto baseline and future scenarios. We calculated changes in the size of climatically suitable habitat for each species across each SUA, and identified urban areas that are likely to have suitable climate for either fewer or more of our study species under future climate. By 2070, climatically suitable habitat in SUAs is predicted to decline for 73% of species assessed. For 18% of these species, climatically suitable area is predicted to be more than halved, relative to their baseline extent. Generally, for urban areas in cooler regions, climatically suitable habitat is predicted to increase. By contrast, for urban areas in warmer regions, a greater proportion of tree species may lose climatically suitable habitat. Our results highlight changing patterns of urban climatic space for commonly planted species, suggesting that local governments and the horticultural industry should take a proactive approach to identify new climate-ready species for urban plantings.
Correlates of range size variation in the Australian seed‐plant flora
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-02-2016
DOI: 10.1111/JBI.12711
How can knowledge of the climate niche inform the weed risk assessment process? A case study of Chrysanthemoides monilifera in Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12190
RSS: An Energy-Efficient Approach for Securing IoT Service Protocols Against the DoS Attack
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 03-2021
A review of the heterogeneous landscape of biodiversity databases: opportunities and challenges for a synthesized biodiversity knowledge base
Publisher: California Digital Library (CDL)
Date: 29-06-2021
Traits and ecological strategies of Australian tropical and temperate climbing plants
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-01-2011
Fire‐related threats and transformational change in Australian ecosystems
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13500
Abstract: Megafire events generate immediate concern for wildlife and human well‐being, but their broader ecological impacts likely extend beyond in idual species and single fire events. In the first mechanistic study of fire effects focussed on ecosystems, we aimed to assess the sensitivity and exposure of ecosystems to multiple fire‐related threats, placing impacts in the context of changing fire regimes and their interactions with other threats. Southern and eastern Australia. 2019–2020. Australian ecosystems. We defined 15 fire‐related threats to ecosystems based on mechanisms associated with: (a) direct effects of fire regime components (b) interactions between fire and physical environmental processes (c) effects of fire on biological interactions and (d) interactions between fire and human activity. We estimated the sensitivity and exposure of a s le of 92 ecosystem types to each threat type based on published relationships and spatial analysis of the 2019–2020 fires. Twenty‐nine ecosystem types assessed had more than half of their distribution exposed to one or more threat types, and only three of those were listed as nationally threatened. Three fire‐related threat types posed the most severe threats to large numbers of ecosystem types: high frequency fire pre‐fire drought and post‐fire invasive predator activity. The ecosystem types most affected ranged from rain forests to peatlands, and included some, such as sclerophyllous eucalypt forests and heathlands, that are traditionally regarded as fire‐prone and fire‐adapted. Most impacts of the 2019–2020 fires on ecosystems became apparent only when they were placed in the context of the whole fire regime and its interactions with other threatening processes, and were not direct consequences of the megafire event itself. Our mechanistic approach enables ecosystem‐specific management responses for the most threatened ecosystem types to be targeted at underlying causes of degradation and decline.
Generalized avatar niche shifts improve distribution models for invasive species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-07-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12233
Effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation on avian breeding phenology
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2007
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12750
Assessing the vulnerability of plant functional trait strategies to climate change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13501
Abstract: Our ability to understand how species may respond to changing climate conditions is h ered by a lack of high‐quality data on the adaptive capacity of species. Plant functional traits are linked to many aspects of species life history and adaptation to environment, with different combinations of trait values reflecting alternate strategies for adapting to varied conditions. If the realized climate limits of species can be partially explained by plant functional trait combinations, then a new approach of using trait combinations to predict the expected climate limits of species trait combinations may offer considerable benefits. Australia. Current and future. Using trait data for leaf size, seed mass and plant height for 6,747 Australian native species from 27 plant families, we model the expected climate limits of trait combinations and use future climate scenarios to estimate climate change impacts based on plant functional trait strategies. Functional trait combinations were a significant predictor of species climate niche metrics with potentially meaningful relationships with two rainfall variables ( R 2 = .36 & .45) and three temperature variables ( R 2 = .21, .28, .30). Using this method, the proportion of species exposed to conditions across their range that are beyond the expected climate limits of their trait strategies will increase under climate change. Our new approach, called trait strategy vulnerability, includes three new metrics. For ex le, the climate change vulnerability (CCV) metric identified a small but important proportion of species (4.3%) that will on average be exposed to conditions beyond their expected limits for summer temperature in the future. These potentially vulnerable species could be high priority targets for deeper assessment of adaptive capacity at the genomic or physiological level. Our methods can be applied to any suite of co‐occurring plants globally.
PPVF: Privacy-Preserving Protocol for Vehicle Feedback in Cloud-Assisted VANET
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 07-2022
Wireless-Powered Intelligent Radio Environment With Nonlinear Energy Harvesting
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 15-09-2022
A tool to assess potential for alien plant establishment and expansion under climate change
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2015.05.039
Abstract: Predicting the influence of climate change on the potential distribution of naturalised alien plant species is an important and challenging task. While prioritisation of management actions for alien plants under current climatic conditions has been widely adopted, very few systems explicitly incorporate the potential of future changes in climate conditions to influence the distribution of alien plant species. Here, we develop an Australia-wide screening tool to assess the potential of naturalised alien plants to establish and spread under both current and future climatic conditions. The screening tool developed uses five spatially explicit criteria to establish the likelihood of alien plant population establishment and expansion under baseline climate conditions and future climates for the decades 2035 and 2065. Alien plants are then given a threat rating according to current and future threat to enable natural resource managers to focus on those species that pose the largest potential threat now and in the future. To demonstrate the screening tool, we present results for a representative s le of approximately 10% (n = 292) of Australia's known, naturalised alien plant species. Overall, most alien plant species showed decreases in area of habitat suitability under future conditions compared to current conditions and therefore the threat rating of most alien plant species declined between current and future conditions. Use of the screening tool is intended to assist natural resource managers in assessing the threat of alien plant establishment and spread under current and future conditions and thus prioritise detailed weed risk assessments for those species that pose the greatest threat. The screening tool is associated with a searchable database for all 292 alien plant species across a range of spatial scales, available through an interactive web-based portal at
Characterizing opportunistic breeding at a continental scale using all available sources of phenological data
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 07-2017
DOI: 10.1642/AUK-16-243.1
Transcriptome Mining Reveals a Spectrum of RNA Viruses in Primitive Plants
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 23-02-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.02.07.479358
Abstract: Current knowledge of plant viruses stems largely from those affecting economically important plants. Yet, plant species in cultivation represent a small and bias subset of the plant kingdom. Here, we describe virus ersity and abundance from a survey of 1079 transcriptomes from species across the breadth of the plant kingdom (Archaeplastida) by analysing open-source data from the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative (1KP). We identified 104 potentially novel viruses, of which 40% comprised single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses across eight orders, including members of the Hepelivirales , Tymovirales , Cryppavirales , Martellivirales and Picornavirales . One-third of the newly described viruses comprised double-stranded RNA viruses from the orders Durnavirales and Ghabrivirales . The remaining were negative-sense RNA viruses from the Rhabdoviridae , Aspiviridae, Yueviridae, Phenuiviridae and the newly proposed Viridisbunyaviridae. Our analysis considerably expands the known host range of 13 virus families to include lower plants (e.g., Benyviridae and Secoviridae ) and four virus families to include algae hosts (e.g., Tymoviridae and Chrysoviridae) . The discovery of the first 30 kDa movement protein in a non-vascular plant, suggests that the acquisition of plant virus movement proteins occurred prior to the emergence of the plant vascular system. More broadly, however, a co-phylogeny analysis revealed that the evolutionary history of these families is largely driven by cross-species transmission events. Together, these data highlight that numerous RNA virus families are associated with older evolutionary plant lineages than previously thought and that the scarcity of RNA viruses found in lower plants to date likely reflects a lack of investigation rather than their absence. Our knowledge of plant viruses is mainly limited to those infecting economically important host species. In particular, we know little about those viruses infecting primitive plant lineages such as the ferns, lycophytes, bryophytes and charophytes. To expand this understanding, we conducted a broad-scale viral survey of species across the breadth of the plant kingdom. We find that primitive plants harbour a wide ersity of RNA viruses including some that are sufficiently ergent to comprise a new virus family. The primitive plant virome we reveal offers key insights into the evolutionary history of core plant virus gene modules and genome segments. More broadly, this work emphasises that the scarcity of viruses found in these species to date likely reflects the absence of research in this area.
Predicted impact of exotic vines on an endangered ecological community under future climate change
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-06-2010
Transcriptome Mining Expands Knowledge of RNA Viruses across the Plant Kingdom
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 21-12-2022
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00260-22
Abstract: Our current understanding of plant viruses stems largely from those affecting economically important plants. Yet plant species in cultivation represent a small and biased subset of the plant kingdom. Here, we describe virus ersity and abundance in 1,079 transcriptomes from species across the breadth of the plant kingdom (Archaeplastida) by analyzing open-source data from the 1000 Plant Transcriptomes Initiative (1KP). We identified 104 potentially novel viruses, of which 40% were single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses across eight orders, including members of the
Defining biodiverse reforestation: Why it matters for climate change mitigation and biodiversity
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-09-2022
DOI: 10.1002/PPP3.10329
Abstract: Mixed species plantings present an attractive alternative to monoculture reforestation through their added benefits to bio ersity. Yet there is ambiguity in the use of the term ‘bio ersity’ in carbon and bio ersity markets, which may create perverse outcomes when designing schemes and projects. Here, we review how the concept of bio ersity is defined and applied in reforestation projects, and restoration more broadly. Improved transparency around the use of the term bio ersity is urgently needed to provide rigour in emerging market mechanisms, which seek to benefit the environment and people. Reforestation to capture and store atmospheric carbon is increasingly ch ioned as a climate change mitigation policy response. Reforestation plantings have the potential to provide conservation co‐benefits when erse mixtures of native species are planted, and there are growing attempts to monetise bio ersity benefits from carbon reforestation projects, particularly within emerging carbon markets. But what is meant by ‘bio erse’ across different stakeholders and groups implementing and overseeing these projects and how do these perceptions compare with long‐standing scientific definitions? Here, we discuss approaches to, and definitions of, bio ersity in the context of reforestation for carbon sequestration. Our aim is to review how the concept of bio ersity is defined and applied among stakeholders (e.g., governments, carbon certifiers and farmers) and rights holders (i.e., First Nations people) engaging in reforestation, and to identify best‐practice methods for restoring bio ersity in these projects. We find that some stakeholders have a vague understanding of ersity across varying levels of biological organisation (genes to ecosystems). While most understand that bio ersity underpins ecosystem functions and services, many stakeholders may not appreciate the difficulties of restoring bio ersity akin to reference ecosystems. Consequently, bio ersity goals are rarely explicit, and project goals may never be achieved because the levels of restored bio ersity are inadequate to support functional ecosystems and desired ecosystem services. We suggest there is significant value in integrating bio ersity objectives into reforestation projects and setting specific restoration goals with transparent reporting outcomes will pave the way for ensuring reforestation projects have meaningful outcomes for bio ersity, and legitimate incentive payments for bio ersity and natural capital accounting.
Putting seed traits into pellets: using seed mass data to improve seed encapsulation technology for native plant revegetation
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 21-08-2023
Abstract: 1.Native seed supply is a major limiting factor in ecological restoration and revegetation worldwide. New techniques for maximising seed use efficiency are urgently needed to help meet global targets for nature repair in the UN Decade on Restoration. Seed encapsulation (‘coating’ seeds within or on extruded pellets) is a widely used technology in agriculture that can reduce seed wastage and improve plant recruitment, and holds similar promise for restoration. 2.We quantify how seed mass shapes the performance of native seeds (total % seedling emergence) when encapsulated in extruded pellets designed for revegetation. Two glasshouse trials were undertaken using seeds from 30 native Australian plant species. We hypothesised that seed mass would be positively associated with seedling emergence when seeds are placed in the centre of pellets relative to bare-seeded controls, given that larger seeds are typically adapted for conditions mimicked by this encapsulation technique (e.g., darkness, increased depth) and that smaller-seeded species will perform better when positioned at the pellet periphery relative to the centre, where there is more access to light and less exogenous material for smaller seedlings to penetrate.3.Seed mass predicted seedling emergence from the pellet centre (R2 = 0.32 p = 0.002), but not for bare-seeded controls (p = 0.33). Only two large-seeded species (Acacia decurrens and implexa) emerged from the pellet centre in proportions comparable to bare-seeded controls (p = 0.241 and 0.126, respectively). In a subsequent trial, sowing small-seeded species at the pellet periphery significantly increased seedling emergence by 67%, relative to sowing at the pellet centre (p & 0.001 for all species). For half of the species trialled at the pellet periphery, seedling emergence was comparable to that of bare seeds.4.Synthesis and applications. Seed trait data can help make seed encapsulation technology fit-for-purpose in native plant revegetation. Given the precariousness of bio erse seed supply globally, we advocate for encapsulation that protects seeds but takes account of natural variation in seed mass to maximise emergence outcomes for native species.
Areas of global importance for conserving terrestrial biodiversity, carbon and water.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-08-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41559-021-01528-7
Abstract: To meet the ambitious objectives of bio ersity and climate conventions, the international community requires clarity on how these objectives can be operationalized spatially and how multiple targets can be pursued concurrently. To support goal setting and the implementation of international strategies and action plans, spatial guidance is needed to identify which land areas have the potential to generate the greatest synergies between conserving bio ersity and nature's contributions to people. Here we present results from a joint optimization that minimizes the number of threatened species, maximizes carbon retention and water quality regulation, and ranks terrestrial conservation priorities globally. We found that selecting the top-ranked 30% and 50% of terrestrial land area would conserve respectively 60.7% and 85.3% of the estimated total carbon stock and 66% and 89.8% of all clean water, in addition to meeting conservation targets for 57.9% and 79% of all species considered. Our data and prioritization further suggest that adequately conserving all species considered (vertebrates and plants) would require giving conservation attention to ~70% of the terrestrial land surface. If priority was given to bio ersity only, managing 30% of optimally located land area for conservation may be sufficient to meet conservation targets for 81.3% of the terrestrial plant and vertebrate species considered. Our results provide a global assessment of where land could be optimally managed for conservation. We discuss how such a spatial prioritization framework can support the implementation of the bio ersity and climate conventions.
Biogeographical patterns of liana abundance and diversity
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-10-2014
How well documented is Australia's flora? Understanding spatial bias in vouchered plant specimens
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-03-1970
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12487
Publisher Correction: Open Science principles for accelerating trait-based science across the Tree of Life
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-03-2020
The grass may not always be greener
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-10-2013
Modelling the impact of Hieracium spp. on protected areas in Australia under future climates
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-09-2009
Revisiting the role of mean annual precipitation in shaping functional trait distributions at a continental scale
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.29.546983
Abstract: 1 Mean annual precipitation (MAP) plays an undisputed role in determining the spatial distribution of the vegetative ecosystems on Earth. Nevertheless, the relationship between MAP and plant functional traits remains unclear. Here, we test the relationship between eight key functional traits and MAP. Our analysis reveals a strong, coordinated response of several plant traits including leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen, the leaf carbon isotope ratio and plant height from resource-conservative to resource-acquisitive values as MAP increased. These results establish an important role for MAP in driving trait selection across space and, therefore, a need for these effects to be included in future theoretical frameworks.
Contrasting patterns of trait‐based community assembly in lianas and trees from temperate Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2012
Species loss and gain in communities under future climate change: consequences for functional diversity
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-12-2012
AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-09-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41597-021-01006-6
Abstract: We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field c aigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and in idual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised in idual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.
Ten (mostly) simple rules to future‐proof trait data in ecological and evolutionary sciences
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-11-2022
Abstract: Traits have become a crucial part of ecological and evolutionary sciences, helping researchers understand the function of an organism's morphology, physiology, growth and life history, with effects on fitness, behaviour, interactions with the environment and ecosystem processes. However, measuring, compiling and analysing trait data comes with data‐scientific challenges. We offer 10 (mostly) simple rules, with some detailed extensions, as a guide in making critical decisions that consider the entire life cycle of trait data. This article is particularly motivated by its last rule, that is, to propagate good practice. It has the intention of bringing awareness of how data on the traits of organisms can be collected and managed for reuse by the research community. Trait observations are relevant to a broad interdisciplinary community of field biologists, synthesis ecologists, evolutionary biologists, computer scientists and database managers. We hope these basic guidelines can be useful as a starter for active communication in disseminating such integrative knowledge and in how to make trait data future‐proof. We invite the scientific community to participate in this effort at est‐practices.html .
The Global Urban Tree Inventory
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-08-2020
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.13169
Assisted colonization as a climate change adaptation tool
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-06-2014
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12163
Climate ready street tree trials
Publisher: Macquarie University
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.25949/V8N7-WT66
A global growth‐form database for 143,616 vascular plant species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-02-2019
DOI: 10.1002/ECY.2614
Abstract: For the majority of plant species in the world, we know little about their functional ecology, and not even one of the most basic traits-the species' growth habit. To fill the gap in availability of compiled plant growth-form data, we have assembled what is, to our knowledge, the largest global database on growth-form as a plant trait. We have, with extensive error checking and data synthesis, assembled a growth-form database from 163 data sources for 143,616 vascular plant species from 445 different plant families. This is 38.6% of the currently accepted vascular plant ersity. For our database, we have chosen seven categories to cover the majority of the ersity in plant growth forms: aquatic plants, epiphytes, hemiepiphytes, climbing plants, parasitic plants, holo-mycoheterotrophs, and freestanding plants. These categories were used because we were able to reconcile the wealth of existing definitions and types of growth-form information available globally to them clearly and unequivocally, and because they are complementary with existing databases. Plants in the database were designated into a category if their adult growth form fit the criterion. We make available two databases: first, the complete data set, including species for which there is currently conflicting information, and second, a consensus data set, where all available information supports one categorization. Of the plant species for which we found information, 103,138 (72%) are freestanding, 21,110 (15%) are epiphytes, and 4,046 (3%) are parasites. Our growth-form data can be used to produce useful summary statistics by clade. For ex le, current data suggests that half of pteridophytes are epiphytic, that all hemiepiphytes are eudicots, and that there are no parasitic monocots, gymnosperms, or pteridophytes. Growth form is a crucial piece of fundamental plant-trait data with implications for each species' ecology, evolution, and conservation, and thus this data set will be useful for a range of basic and applied questions across these areas of research. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set, other than citation of the present Data Paper. A static version of this dataset is provided as Supporting Information, and a living and updating version of the dataset is available in a GitHub repository.
Can we integrate ecological approaches to improve plant selection for green infrastructure?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Multiple analyses redirect management and restoration priorities for a critically endangered ecological community
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-02-2021
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.13003
Patterns and drivers of plant diversity across Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-10-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.06426
Abstract: Bio ersity analyses across continental extents are important in providing comprehensive information on patterns and likely drivers of ersity. For vascular plants in Australia, community‐level ersity analyses have been restricted by the lack of a consistent plot‐based survey dataset across the continent. To overcome these challenges, we collated and harmonised plot‐based vegetation survey data from the major data sources across Australia and used them as the basis for modelling species richness (α‐ ersity) and community compositional dissimilarity (β‐ ersity), standardised to 400 m 2 , with the aim of mapping ersity patterns and identifying potential environmental drivers. The harmonised Australian vegetation plot (HAVPlot) dataset includes 219 552 plots, of which we used 115 083 to analyse plant ersity. Models of species richness and compositional dissimilarity both explained approximately one‐third of the variation in plant ersity across Australia (D 2 = 33.0% and 32.7%, respectively). The strongest environmental predictors for both aspects of ersity were a combination of temperature and precipitation, with soil texture and topographic heterogeneity also important. The fine‐resolution (≈ 90 m) spatial predictions of species richness and compositional dissimilarity identify areas expected to be of particular importance for plant ersity, including south‐western Australia, rainforests of eastern Australia and the Australian Alps. Arid areas of central and western Australia are predicted to support assemblages that are less speciose or unique however, these areas are most in need of additional survey data to fill the spatial, environmental and taxonomic gaps in the HAVPlot dataset. The harmonised data and model predictions presented here provide new insight into plant ersity patterns across Australia, enabling a wide variety of future research, such as exploring changes in species abundances, linking compositional patterns to functional traits or undertaking conservation assessments for selected components of the flora.
The Darwinian shortfall in plants: phylogenetic knowledge is driven by range size
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-06-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.06142
Abstract: The Darwinian shortfall, i.e. the lack of knowledge of phylogenetic relationships, significantly impedes our understanding of evolutionary drivers of global patterns of bio ersity. Spatial bias in the Darwinian shortfall, where phylogenetic knowledge in some regions is more complete than others, could undermine eco‐ and biogeographic inferences. Yet, spatial biases in phylogenetic knowledge for major groups – such as plants – remain poorly understood. Using data for 337 023 species (99.7%) of seed plants (Spermatophyta), we produced a global map of phylogenetic knowledge based on regional data and tested several potential drivers of the observed spatial variation. Regional phylogenetic knowledge was defined as the proportion of the regional seed plant flora represented in GenBank's nucleotide database with phylogenetically relevant data. We used simultaneous autoregressive models to explain variation in phylogenetic knowledge based on three bio ersity variables (species richness, range size and endemism) and six socioeconomic variables representing funding and accessibility. We compared observed patterns and relationships to established patterns of the Wallacean shortfall (the lack of knowledge of species distributions). We found that the Darwinian shortfall is strongly and significantly related to the macroecological distribution of species' range sizes. Small‐ranged species were significantly less likely to have phylogenetic data, leading to a concentration of the Darwinian shortfall in species‐rich, tropical countries where range sizes are small on average. Socioeconomic factors were less important, with significant but quantitatively small effects of accessibility and funding. In conclusion, reducing the Darwinian shortfall and smoothen its spatial bias will require increased efforts to sequence the world's small‐ranged (endemic) species.
A guide to using species trait data in conservation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Phenological trends among Australian alpine species: using herbarium records to identify climate-change indicators
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1071/BT08051
Abstract: Global temperatures are increasing at an unprecedented rate and the analysis of long-term phenological records has provided some of the most compelling evidence for the effect of these changes on species. In regions where systematically collected data on the timing of life-cycle events is scarce, such as Australia, researchers must seek alternative sources of information from which climate-change signals can be identified. In the present paper, we explore the limitations and strengths of using herbarium specimens to detect changes in flowering phenology, to select potential indicator species, and to pinpoint locations for potential monitoring schemes of native plants in Australia’s subalpine and alpine zone. We selected 20 species on the basis of a range of selection criteria, including a flowering duration of 3 months or less and the number of herbarium records available in the areas above 1500 m. By the use of gridded temperature data within the study region, we identified an increase in mean annual temperature of 0.74°C between 1950 and 2007. We then matched the spatial locations of the herbarium specimens to these temperature data and, by using linear regression models, identified five species whose flowering response may be sensitive to temperature. Higher mean annual temperatures at the point of collection were negatively associated with earlier flowering in each of these species (α = 0.05). We also found a significant (P = 0.02) negative relationship between year and flowering observation for Alpine groundsel, Senecio pectinatus var. major. This species is potentially a suitable candidate for monitoring responses of species to future climate change, owing to the accessibility of populations and its conspicuous flowers. It is also likely that with ongoing warming the other four species identified (Colobanthus affinis, Ewartia nubigena, Prasophyllum tadgellianum and Wahlenbergia ceracea) in the present study may show the same response.
Trait differences between naturalized and invasive plant species independent of residence time and phylogeny
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.12399
Different climatic envelopes among invasive populations may lead to underestimations of current and future biological invasions
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-04-2009
Embedding biodiversity research into climate adaptation policy and practice
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-07-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15770
Abstract: Addressing climate change risks requires collaboration and engagement across all sectors of society. In particular, effective partnerships are needed between research scientists producing new knowledge, policy‐makers and practitioners who apply conservation actions on the ground. We describe the implementation of a model for increasing the application and useability of bio ersity research in climate adaptation policy and practice. The focus of the program was to increase the ability of a state government agency and natural resource practitioners in Australia to manage and protect bio ersity in a changing climate. The model comprised a five‐stage process for enhancing impact (i) initiation of research projects that addressed priority conservation policy and management issues (ii) co‐design of the research using a collaborative approach involving multiple stakeholders (iii) implementation of the research and design of decision tools and web‐based resources (iv) collaborative dissemination of the tools and resources via government and community working groups and (v) evaluation of research impact. We report on the model development and implementation, and critically reflect on the model's impact. We share the lessons learnt from the challenges of operating within a stakeholder group with erse objectives and criteria for success, and provide a template for creating an environmental research program with real world impact.
The recent and rapid spread of Themeda triandra
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-10-2017
How ready are we to move species threatened from climate change? Insights into the assisted colonization debate from Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-05-2014
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12151
Importance of species translocations under rapid climate change
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13643
Abstract: Species that cannot adapt or keep pace with a changing climate are likely to need human intervention to shift to more suitable climates. While hundreds of articles mention using translocation as a climate‐change adaptation tool, in practice, assisted migration as a conservation action remains rare, especially for animals. This is likely due to concern over introducing species to places where they may become invasive. However, there are other barriers to consider, such as time‐frame mismatch, sociopolitical, knowledge and uncertainty barriers to conservationists adopting assisted migration as a go‐to strategy. We recommend the following to advance assisted migration as a conservation tool: attempt assisted migrations at small scales, translocate species with little invasion risk, adopt robust monitoring protocols that trigger an active response, and promote political and public support.
AusTraits – a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 07-01-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.01.04.425314
Abstract: We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of measurements of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 375 traits across 29230 taxa from field c aigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and in idual taxa descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological parameters (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised in idual-, species- and genus-level observations coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties. This data descriptor provides information on version 2.1.0 of AusTraits which contains data for 937243 trait-by-taxa combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data to increase our collective understanding of the Australian flora.
Insects pollinated flowering plants for most of angiosperm evolutionary history
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 02-2023
DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.31.526530
Abstract: Pollination is a fundamental process driving the speciation of angiosperms (flowering plants). Most contemporary angiosperms are insect pollinated, but abiotic pollination by wind or water and vertebrate pollination by birds or mammals occurs in many lineages. We model the evolution of pollination across angiosperms and quantify the timing and environmental associations of pollination shifts. We use a robust dated phylogeny and trait-independent species-level s ling across all families of angiosperms to model the evolution of pollination modes. Data on the pollination system or syndrome of 1160 species were collated from primary literature. Angiosperms were ancestrally insect pollinated, and insects have pollinated angiosperms for approximately 86% of angiosperm evolutionary history. Wind pollination evolved at least 42 times, with few reversals back to animal pollination. Transitions between insect and vertebrate pollination were more frequent: vertebrate pollination evolved at least 39 times from an insect pollinated ancestor with at least 26 reversals. The probability of wind pollination increases with habitat openness (measured by Leaf Area Index) and with distance from the equator. Our reconstruction of pollination across angiosperms sheds light on a key question in angiosperm macroevolution, highlighting the long history of interactions between insect pollinators and angiosperms still vital to global bio ersity today.
Evidence from the proteome for local adaptation to extreme heat in a widespread tree species
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-01-2019
Variation in the timing of avian egg‐laying in relation to climate
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-12-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.03602
Mapping risk to plant populations from short fire intervals via relationships between maturation period and environmental productivity
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-03-2022
Related Organisations
Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Institute For The Environment
Location: Australia
Related Funding Activities
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100208
Start Date: 05-2017
End Date: 12-2021
Amount: $372,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP200102616
Start Date: 03-2021
End Date: 02-2025
Amount: $423,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP200200688
Start Date: 04-2022
End Date: 04-2026
Amount: $543,650.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity