ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9603-2271
Current Organisation
Queensland University of Technology
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-07-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16331
Abstract: Antarctic bio ersity faces an unknown future with a changing climate. Most terrestrial biota is restricted to limited patches of ice-free land in a sea of ice, where they are adapted to the continent's extreme cold and wind and exploit microhabitats of suitable conditions. As temperatures rise, ice-free areas are predicted to expand, more rapidly in some areas than others. There is high uncertainty as to how species' distributions, physiology, abundance, and survivorship will be affected as their habitats transform. Here we use current knowledge to propose hypotheses that ice-free area expansion (i) will increase habitat availability, though the quality of habitat will vary (ii) will increase structural connectivity, although not necessarily increase opportunities for species establishment (iii) combined with milder climates will increase likelihood of non-native species establishment, but may also lengthen activity windows for all species and (iv) will benefit some species and not others, possibly resulting in increased homogeneity of bio ersity. We anticipate considerable spatial, temporal, and taxonomic variation in species responses, and a heightened need for interdisciplinary research to understand the factors associated with ecosystem resilience under future scenarios. Such research will help identify at-risk species or vulnerable localities and is crucial for informing environmental management and policymaking into the future.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 17-09-2016
DOI: 10.1017/S0954102015000383
Abstract: On sub-Antarctic Marion Island, wandering albatross ( Diomedea exulans ) nests support high abundances of tineid moth, Pringleophaga marioni , caterpillars. Previous work proposed that the birds serve as thermal ecosystem engineers by elevating nest temperatures relative to ambient, thereby promoting growth and survival of the caterpillars. However, only 17 days of temperature data were presented previously, despite year-long nest occupation by birds. Previous s ling was also restricted to old and recently failed nests, though nests from which chicks have recently fledged are key to understanding how the engineering effect is realized. Here we build on previous work by providing nest temperature data for a full year and by s ling all three nest types. For the full duration of nest occupancy, temperatures within occupied nests are significantly higher, consistently by c . 7°C, than those in surrounding soils and abandoned nests, declining noticeably when chicks fledge. Caterpillar abundance is significantly higher in new nests compared to nests from which chicks have fledged, which in turn have higher caterpillar abundances than old nests. Combined with recent information on the life history of P. marioni , our data suggest that caterpillars are incidentally added to the nests during nest construction, and subsequently benefit from an engineering effect.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/WRE.12355
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 17-06-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-01-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-05-2015
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-07-2022
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1071/RJ17073
Abstract: The Antarctic region is one of the most inhospitable frontiers on earth for weed invasion. On Australia’s world heritage sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island only three species of invasive weeds are well established (Poa annua L., Stellaria media (L.) Vill. and Cerastium fontanum Baumg.), although isolated occurrences of other species have been found and removed. These weed species are believed to have initially been introduced through human activity, a threat which is likely to increase, although strict biosecurity is in place. All three weeds are palatable and may have been suppressed to some extent by pest herbivore (rabbit) grazing. Given the high conservation value of Macquarie Island and threats to ecosystem structure and function from weed proliferation following rabbit eradication, well targeted invasive plant control management strategies are vital. We propose that a successful restoration program for Australia’s most southerly rangeland ecosystem should integrate both control of non-native plants as well as non-native herbivores. Of the non-native plants, S. media may most easily be managed, if not eradicated, because of its more limited distribution. Little, however, is known about the soil seed bank or population dynamics after rabbit eradication, nor the effect of herbicides and non-chemical control methods in cold conditions. A current research project on this non-grass species is helping to fill these knowledge gaps, complementing and building on data collected in an earlier project on the ecology and control of the more widespread invasive grass, P. annua. With an interest in off-target herbicide impacts, our work also includes a study of the movement and fate of herbicides in the cold climate Macquarie Island soils. Research in such a remote, cold, wet and windy place presents a range of logistical challenges. Nevertheless, outcomes are informing the development of effective, low-impact control or eradication options for sub-Antarctic weeds.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-12-2005
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.12830
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/CSP2.439
Abstract: Species inventories and bio ersity assessments are critical to conservation. Yet cryptic species or recolonizing species can be challenging to detect. DNA metabarcoding provides an alternative tool to identify species that can be difficult to observe during field surveys. We test the efficacy of DNA analysis to identify burrowing petrel species in a rapidly changing landscape, on a remote sub‐Antarctic island following pest eradication. Discarded feathers and scats provided high quality DNA for species identification, assisting in detection of new species arrivals and new breeding sites across Macquarie Island. We highlight how DNA metabarcoding informs species inventories and is a valuable tool to complement seabird field surveys.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-02-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13246
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-12-2018
DOI: 10.1111/AEC.12693
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-04-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ECOG.06204
Abstract: Maximising survey efficiency can help reduce the tradeoff between spending limited conservation resources on identifying population changes and responding to those changes through management. Burrow‐nesting seabirds are particularly challenging to survey because nests cannot be counted directly. We evaluated a stratified random survey design for generating unbiased population estimates simultaneously for four petrel species nesting on Macquarie Island, Australia, where the survey cue, burrow entrances, is similar for all species. We also compared the use of design‐based and model‐based analyses for minimising uncertainty in estimates. We recorded 2845 Antarctic prion burrows, 306 white‐headed petrel burrows and two blue petrel burrows while distance‐s ling along 154 km of transects. For blue petrels and grey petrels, we completed nocturnal searches along a further 71 km and searched 249 km of tracks during follow‐up ground searches. We failed to generate unbiased population estimates for two rare and localised species, blue and grey petrels, from our stratified random survey. Only for the most widespread and abundant species, Antarctic prion, did the estimate have reasonable power to detect a rapid population change. Model‐based analyses of the stratified random survey data did not improve upon traditional design‐based analyses in terms of uncertainty in population estimates, but they did provide useful spatial representation of current populations. Models that used the targeted survey data did not reflect current population sizes and distributions of the two rare and localised species. We found that when species ecologies, distributions and abundances vary, a multi‐method approach to surveys is needed. Species with low abundance that occur patchily across large islands are likely to be best estimated using targeted surveys, whereas widespread and abundant species can be accurately and precisely estimated from randomised surveys using informative model‐based analyses.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2021
Abstract: Population estimates are commonly generated and used in conservation science. All estimates carry inherent uncertainty, but little attention has been given to when and how this uncertainty limits their use. This requires an understanding of the specific purposes for which population estimates are intended, an assessment of the level of uncertainty each purpose can tolerate, and information on current uncertainty. We conducted a review and meta‐analysis for a widespread group of seabirds, the petrels, to better understand how and why population estimates are being used. Globally petrels are highly threatened, and aspects of their ecology make them difficult to survey, introducing high levels of uncertainty into population estimates. We found that by far the most common intended use of population estimates was to inform status and trend assessments, while less common uses were trialling methods to improve estimates and assessing threat impacts and conservation outcomes. The mean coefficient of variation for published estimates was 0.17 (SD = 0.14), with no evidence that uncertainty has been reduced through time. As a consequence of this high uncertainty, when we simulated declines equivalent to thresholds commonly used to trigger management, only 5% of studies could detect significant differences between population estimates collected 10 years apart for populations declining at a rate of 30% over three generations. Reporting of uncertainty was variable with no dispersion statistics reported with 38% of population estimates and most not reporting key underlying parameters: nest numbers/density and nest occupancy. We also found no correlation between uncertainty in petrel population estimates and either island size, body size or species threat status – potential predictors of uncertainty. Key recommendations for managers are to be mindful of uncertainty in past population estimates if aiming to collect contemporary estimates for comparison, to report uncertainty clearly for new estimates, and to give careful consideration to whether a proposed estimate is likely to achieve the requisite level of certainty for the investment in its generation to be warranted. We recommend a practitioner‐based value of information assessment to confirm where there is value in reducing uncertainty.
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Date: 2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-11-1998
Abstract: Plants collected from erse sites on subantarctic Macquarie Island varied by up to 30‰ in their leaf δ
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-11-2019
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13224
Abstract: Article impact statement: Structured decision making can be used to identify an optimal source population for conservation introductions.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2022
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.9570
Abstract: Seabirds influence island ecosystems through nutrient additions and physical disturbance. These influences can have opposing effects on an island's invertebrate predator populations. Spiders (order: Araneae) are an important predator in many terrestrial island ecosystems, yet little is known about how seabird presence influences spider communities at the intraisland scale, or how they respond to seasonality in seabird colony attendance.We investigated the effects of seabird presence and seasonality on ground‐active spider community structure (activity‐density, family‐level richness, age class, and sex structure) and composition at the family‐level across five short‐tailed shearwater breeding islands around south‐eastern Tasmania, Australia. Using 75 pitfall traps (15 per island), spiders were collected inside, near, and outside seabird colonies on each island, at five different stages of the short‐tailed shearwater breeding cycle over a year. Pitfall traps were deployed for a total of 2674 days, capturing 1592 spiders from 26 families with Linyphiidae and Lycosidae the most common. Spider activity‐density was generally greater inside than outside seabird colonies, while family‐level richness was generally higher outside seabird colonies. For these islands, seabird breeding stage did not affect activity‐densities, but there were some seasonal changes in age class and sex structures with more adult males captured during winter. Our results provide some of the first insights into the spatial and temporal influences seabirds have on spider communities. We also provide some of the first records of spider family occurrences for south‐eastern Tasmanian islands, which will provide an important baseline for assessing future change.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-10-2016
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-01-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-02-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-019-08915-6
Abstract: Threats to Antarctic bio ersity are escalating, despite its remoteness and protection under the Antarctic Treaty. Increasing human activity, pollution, biological invasions and the omnipresent impacts of climate change all contribute, and often combine, to exert pressure on Antarctic ecosystems and environments. Here we present a continent-wide assessment of terrestrial bio ersity protection in Antarctica. Despite Antarctic Specially Protected Areas covering less than 2% of Antarctica, 44% of species (including seabirds, plants, lichens and invertebrates) are found in one or more protected areas. However, protection is regionally uneven and biased towards easily detectable and charismatic species like seabirds. Systematic processes to prioritize area protection using the best available data will maximize the likelihood of ensuring long-term protection and conservation of Antarctic bio ersity.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-01-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-07-2010
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 31-03-2017
Abstract: Distributions of Earth's species are changing at accelerating rates, increasingly driven by human-mediated climate change. Such changes are already altering the composition of ecological communities, but beyond conservation of natural systems, how and why does this matter? We review evidence that climate-driven species redistribution at regional to global scales affects ecosystem functioning, human well-being, and the dynamics of climate change itself. Production of natural resources required for food security, patterns of disease transmission, and processes of carbon sequestration are all altered by changes in species distribution. Consideration of these effects of bio ersity redistribution is critical yet lacking in most mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-04-2019
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 05-08-2013
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-01-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 04-05-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-07-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.13404
Abstract: Millions of birds migrate to and from the Arctic each year, but rapid climate change in the High North could strongly affect where species are able to breed, disrupting migratory connections globally. We modelled the climatically suitable breeding conditions of 24 Arctic specialist shorebirds and projected them to 2070 and to the mid-Holocene climatic optimum, the world's last major warming event ~6000 years ago. We show that climatically suitable breeding conditions could shift, contract and decline over the next 70 years, with 66-83% of species losing the majority of currently suitable area. This exceeds, in rate and magnitude, the impact of the mid-Holocene climatic optimum. Suitable climatic conditions are predicted to decline acutely in the most species rich region, Beringia (western Alaska and eastern Russia), and become concentrated in the Eurasian and Canadian Arctic islands. These predicted spatial shifts of breeding grounds could affect the species composition of the world's major flyways. Encouragingly, protected area coverage of current and future climatically suitable breeding conditions generally meets target levels however, there is a lack of protected areas within the Canadian Arctic where resource exploitation is a growing threat. Given that already there are rapid declines of many populations of Arctic migratory birds, our results emphasize the urgency of mitigating climate change and protecting Arctic bio ersity.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2018
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-06-2017
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE22996
Abstract: Antarctic terrestrial bio ersity occurs almost exclusively in ice-free areas that cover less than 1% of the continent. Climate change will alter the extent and configuration of ice-free areas, yet the distribution and severity of these effects remain unclear. Here we quantify the impact of twenty-first century climate change on ice-free areas under two Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate forcing scenarios using temperature-index melt modelling. Under the strongest forcing scenario, ice-free areas could expand by over 17,000 km
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-08-2022
DOI: 10.1002/RSE2.235
Abstract: Burrowing seabirds are important in ecological and conservation terms. Many populations are in flux due to both negative and positive anthropogenic impacts, but their ecology makes measuring changes difficult. Reliably recording key metrics, the proportion of burrows with breeding pairs and the success of breeding attempts requires burrow‐level information on occupancy. We investigated the use of camera traps positioned at burrow entrances for determining the number of breeding pairs in a s le to inform population estimates, and for recording breeding success. The performance of two cameras makes we tested differed markedly, with Spypoint Force 10 trail cameras prone to malfunction while Reconyx HC600 Hyperfire cameras performed well. Nevertheless, both makes yielded season‐long activity patterns for in idual burrows, eliminating uncertainty around successful fledging attempts. Dimensionality reduction of activity metrics derived from camera time series suggests breeding and non‐breeding burrows may be identifiable using linear discriminant analyses but s le sizes from our trial were low and group means were only significantly different during certain breeding stages (permutational multivariate analysis of variance: early chick‐rearing f = 3.64, P = 0.06 late chick‐rearing f = 8.28, P = 0.009). Compared with traditional techniques for determining burrow occupancy (e.g. manual burrow inspection and playback of conspecific calls at burrow entrances), camera traps can reduce uncertainty in estimated breeding success and potentially breeding status of burrows. Significant up‐front investment is required in terms of equipment and human resources but for long‐term studies, camera traps may deliver advantages, particularly when unanticipated novel observations and the potential for calibrating traditional methods with cameras are factored in.
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 23-02-2013
Abstract: Climate change leads to species range shifts and consequently to changes in ersity. For many systems, increases in ersity capacity have been forecast, with spare capacity to be taken up by a pool of weedy species moved around by humans. Few tests of this hypothesis have been undertaken, and in many temperate systems, climate change impacts may be confounded by simultaneous increases in human-related disturbance, which also promote weedy species. Areas to which weedy species are being introduced, but with little human disturbance, are therefore ideal for testing the idea. We make predictions about how such ersity capacity increases play out across elevational gradients in non-water-limited systems. Then, using modern and historical data on the elevational range of indigenous and naturalized alien vascular plant species from the relatively undisturbed sub-Antarctic Marion Island, we show that alien species have contributed significantly to filling available ersity capacity and that increases in energy availability rather than disturbance are the probable underlying cause.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2005
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 13-07-2012
Abstract: Changing environments and resource demands present challenges to Antarctic conservation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-11-2011
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 10-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-01-2017
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.13596
Abstract: The two non-native grasses that have established long-term populations in Antarctica (Poa pratensis and Poa annua) were studied from a global multidimensional thermal niche perspective to address the biological invasion risk to Antarctica. These two species exhibit contrasting introduction histories and reproductive strategies and represent two referential case studies of biological invasion processes. We used a multistep process with a range of species distribution modelling techniques (ecological niche factor analysis, multidimensional envelopes, distance/entropy algorithms) together with a suite of thermoclimatic variables, to characterize the potential ranges of these species. Their native bioclimatic thermal envelopes in Eurasia, together with the different naturalized populations across continents, were compared next. The potential niche of P. pratensis was wider at the cold extremes however, P. annua life history attributes enable it to be a more successful colonizer. We observe that particularly cold summers are a key aspect of the unique Antarctic environment. In consequence, ruderals such as P. annua can quickly expand under such harsh conditions, whereas the more stress-tolerant P. pratensis endures and persist through steady growth. Compiled data on human pressure at the Antarctic Peninsula allowed us to provide site-specific biosecurity risk indicators. We conclude that several areas across the region are vulnerable to invasions from these and other similar species. This can only be visualized in species distribution models (SDMs) when accounting for founder populations that reveal nonanalogous conditions. Results reinforce the need for strict management practices to minimize introductions. Furthermore, our novel set of temperature-based bioclimatic GIS layers for ice-free terrestrial Antarctica provide a mechanism for regional and global species distribution models to be built for other potentially invasive species.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-02-2021
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.15539
Abstract: Globally, collapse of ecosystems—potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function—imperils bio ersity, human health and well‐being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km 2 , from Australia's coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic ‘presses’ and/or acute ‘pulses’, drive ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem responses to 5–17 pressures were categorised as four collapse profiles—abrupt, smooth, stepped and fluctuating. The manifestation of widespread ecosystem collapse is a stark warning of the necessity to take action. We present a three‐step assessment and management framework (3As Pathway Awareness , Anticipation and Action ) to aid strategic and effective mitigation to alleviate further degradation to help secure our future.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-08-2017
Publisher: Masaryk University Press
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.5817/CPR2016-1-10
Abstract: In our study, we present responses of Antarctic strain of filamentous alga Zygnema sp. collected at James Ross Island (Antarctica) to application of variuos uncouplers of pri-mary photosynthetic processes. We exposed the alga to different concentrations of nigericin, 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU), dithiothreitol (DTT), methyl viologen (MV) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in order to test stability of photosystem II, involvement of non-photochemical quenching, and PS II functioning under combination of moderate light with particular uncoupler. Oxidative stress tolerance was tested by the combination of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and moderate light. Time courses of FV/FM, FPSII, NPQ and qF0 were investigated and particular effects of the above-specified chem-icals discussed. Moderate doses of uncouplers allowing partial recovery, and the doses causing full inhibition of PS II were specified.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-03-2008
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-06-2013
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.12349
Abstract: Environmental conditions and plant size may both alter the outcome of inter‐specific plant–plant interactions, with seedlings generally facilitated more strongly than larger in iduals in stressful habitats. However, the combined impact of plant size and environmental severity on interactions is poorly understood. Here, we tested explicitly for the first time the hypothesis that ontogenetic shifts in interactions are delayed under increasingly severe conditions by examining the interaction between a grass, Agrostis magellanica , and a cushion plant, Azorella selago , along two severity gradients. The impact of A. selago on A. magellanica abundance, but not reproductive effort, was related to A. magellanica size, with a trend for delayed shifts towards more negative interactions under greater environmental severity. Intermediate‐sized in iduals were most strongly facilitated, leading to differences in the size‐class distribution of A. magellanica on the soil and on A. selago . The A. magellanica size‐class distribution was more strongly affected by A. selago than by environmental severity, demonstrating that the plant–plant interaction impacts A. magellanica population structure more strongly than habitat conditions. As ontogenetic shifts in plant–plant interactions cannot be assumed to be constant across severity gradients and may impact species population structure, studies examining the outcome of interactions need to consider the potential for size‐ or age‐related variation in competition and facilitation.
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Date: 2008
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2015
DOI: 10.1890/140315
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2018
DOI: 10.1111/WRE.12304
No related grants have been discovered for Justine Shaw.