ESA 2010 handbook - Ecological Society of Australia

Transcription

ESA10: 2010 Annual
Conference
Sustaining biodiversity
—the next 50 years
Contents
Welcome .....................................................................................................................3
Conference Committee.........................................................................................3
Program Committee...............................................................................................3
Notice of AGM..........................................................................................................5
Speakers .......................................................................................................................7
Program information........................................................................................... 11
Social program....................................................................................................... 15
Program at a glance............................................................................................ 17
Concurrent sessions............................................................................................. 20
General information ............................................................................................ 39
Instructions for oral presenters........................................................................ 41
Instructions for poster presenters................................................................... 41
Instructions for session chairs .......................................................................... 42
Sponsors.................................................................................................................... 43
Exhibition floor plan............................................................................................. 49
List of exhibitors ..................................................................................................... 50
Abstracts—Plenary sessions ............................................................................... 53
Abstracts—Concurrent sessions ...................................................................... 59
Abstracts—Posters................................................................................................303
Index of presenting authors...........................................................................358
Intecol UK ad on reverse of contents page (received)
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Welcome
On behalf of the Ecological Society of Australia, and the Conference
Local Organising Committee, welcome to Canberra.
The 2010 Annual Conference marks the 50th anniversary of the
founding of the Ecological Society of Australia, and provides a
timely platform for retrospective and prospective considerations of
ecology in Australia.
The theme of this Conference, ‘Sustaining biodiversity—the next 50
years’, aims to set the achievements of the past 50 years of ecology
in Australia against the biodiversity challenges that still face us.
We trust you will take the opportunity to share ideas with
colleagues from around the country and around the world, and
develop innovative ways of bringing biodiversity science closer to
where solutions can be applied on the ground and in shaping
biodiversity policy.
We are delighted with the record number of submitted abstracts
for this year’s Conference, and as a result, the quality of presented
work is very high. We hope you all take the opportunity to attend a
variety of presentations, and to perhaps find inspiration to develop
your own areas of research.
Each day of the Conference will begin with thought-provoking and
inspiring keynote presentations. There are over 400 oral
presentations on offer, over 100 posters plus an afternoon of ‘speed
sessions’ where you will be introduced to interesting research
highlights, or opinions on ecological topics.
Workshops and field trips are scheduled for Wednesday 8
December, which we hope you will find worthwhile and beneficial,
in addition to a refreshing break away from the lecture theatre!
There are various social functions available, many of which are
complimentary, or included as part of your registration fee, and we
look forward to welcoming you to the more relaxed elements of
this very comprehensive program.
Once again, welcome to Canberra, and we hope you enjoy ESA10:
the 2010 Annual Conference.
Mark Lonsdale
Conference Committee Chair
Conference
Committee
Mark Lonsdale (Chair)
Jason Cummings
Geoff Baker
Sue Briggs
Don Driscoll
Frances FitzGibbon
Jim Hone
Rosemary Lott
Nicola Munro
Peter Neville
Debbie Saunders
Gail Spina
Tricia Hopkins
Gina Shaw
Program
Committee
Jason Cummings (Chair)
Geoff Baker
Rosemary Lott
Nicola Munro
Sue Briggs
Jim Hone
Don Driscoll
Conference Secretariat
Conference Logistics*
*acting as agent for the Ecological Society of Australia
PO Box 6150
Kingston ACT 2604
Tel: +61 2 6281 6624
Fax: +61 2 6285 1336
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.esa2010.org.au
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Notice of AGM
The ESA invites you to attend their Annual General Meeting on Thursday during the lunch break.
Notice of Meeting
35th Annual General Meeting
To be held at Theatre T3, Australian National University, Canberra
1230–1330
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Agenda
1.
2.
3.
3.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Apologies
Declaration of Proxies
Minutes of the 34th Annual General Meeting
Matters arising from the minutes
Reports from Office bearers
5.1
President
5.2
VPs
5.3
Secretary
5.4
Treasurer
5.4.1
Presentation of accounts 2009/10
5.4.2
Presentation of Jill Landsberg Trust Fund accounts 2009/10
5.4.3
Election of auditors 2010/11
5.5
Membership Manager
5.6
Executive Officer
5.7
Austral Ecology
5.8
Ecological Management & Restoration
5.9
ESA Bulletin
Election of Office Bearers for 2011
Other Business
7.1
Constitutional amendment Cl 8 b (i) – Remove requirement for proposer/seconder
Proposed Motion: “That Clause 8 (b) Ordinary Members in the document “The Ecological Society of Australia
Incorporated Constitution (1976)” be amended as follows:
“8. Ordinary Members
(b) no persons shall be admitted to membership of the Society unless:
i) their application is made in writing [deleting ‘and is signed by themselves and supported by two (2)
members of the Society recommending membership of the Society’];
ii) their application is approved by the Executive [adding ‘or delegate on the basis that their activities or
qualifications are consistent with the objects of the Society’]; and
iii) they have paid their first annual subscription to the Society.
(c) the Executive may reject an application for membership and the decision of the Executive, which will be
explained in writing to the applicant, shall be final.”
Next AGM
Meeting Close
Please note: If you would like to assign a proxy for voting purposes, please see Gail at the ESA booth.
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Speakers
Keynote speakers
update significant elements of his 2008 Garnaut
Climate Change Review
Professor Ross Garnaut, AO
Professor Charles Krebs
Professor Ross Garnaut (AO) is a Vice-Chancellor’s
Fellow and a Professorial Fellow in Economics at the
University of Melbourne as well as a Distinguished
Professor of the Australian National University. In 2009,
Professor Garnaut was awarded the degree of Doctor
of Letters, honoris causa, from the Australian National
University and was made a Distinguished Fellow of the
Economic Society of Australia.
Professor Charles Krebs is a population ecologist who
divides his time into writing textbooks in ecology and
studying population and community dynamics of the
boreal forest and tundra regions of western Canada.
He is retired from the University of British Columbia and
lives in Canberra during the northern winter.
Dr Peter Bridgewater
Professor Garnaut is currently Chairman of the Papua
New Guinea Sustainable Development Program
Limited (Singapore), and its nominee Director on the
Board of Ok Tedi Mining Limited (Papua New Guinea).
In addition to his distinguished academic career,
Professor Garnaut has also had longstanding and
successful roles as policy advisor, diplomat and
businessman. He was the Senior Economic Adviser to
Australian Prime Minister R.J.L. Hawke from 1983 to
1985 and subsequently served as the Australian
Ambassador to China (1985 to 1988).
In September 2008, Professor Garnaut presented the
Garnaut Climate Change Review to the Australian
Prime Minister. This review, commissioned by the
Australian government, examines the impact of climate
change on the Australian economy and provides
potential medium to long-term policies to ameliorate
these.
Dr Peter Bridgewater became Chair of the UK Joint
Nature Conservation Committee in 2007. Previous
posts include Secretary General of the Ramsar
Convention and Chief Executive of the Australian
Nature Conservation Agency. His current research
interests include linkages between cultural and
biological diversity and linking science and policy
especially in sustainable development.
Professor Garnaut was appointed as an independent
expert advisor to the Multi-Party Climate Change
Committee in September 2010. The Committee will
explore options for the implementation of a carbon
price and will help to build consensus on how Australia
will tackle the challenge of climate change. In
November 2010 the Minister for Climate Change and
Energy Efficiency commissioned Professor Garnaut to
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Dr Lorrae van Kerkoff
Dr Lorrae van Kerkoff is a lecturer in the Fenner School
of Environment and Society at The Australian National
University.
Ecology and Conservation, which has volumes on
birds, education, sustainable use, forests, habitat
management and invasives with insects and remote
sensing in press. He set up the Gratis book scheme that
has given away over five thousand books to
developing countries. He is currently heavily involved in
exploring a range of ways of integrating conservation
science and policy including the development of
evidence-based conservation through the website
ConservationEvidence.com.
Professor Hal Mooney
Lorrae van Kerkhoff holds a PhD from ANU in Human
Ecology. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the National
Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health from
2003–2008, and spent 2004–05 with Harvard’s Center
for International Development, supported by a
Fulbright Post-doctoral Fellowship and a Land and
Water Australia Travelling Fellowship.
Lorrae’s research examines the role of science in
governance, decision-and policy-making as it relates to
sustainability; north-south research collaborations; and
institutional influences on the governance of
knowledge. Lorrae lectures in qualitative and
integrative research methods, and is currently a
contributing Editor to Environment journal.
Professor William Sutherland
Professor William Sutherland holds the Miriam
Rothschild chair of Conservation Biology in the
Department of Zoology at Cambridge University in the
United Kingdom. His research interests largely involve
predicting the consequences of environmental change.
He wrote The Conservation Handbook and From
Individual Behaviour to Population Biology. He edited
Managing Habitats for Conservation, Ecological Census
Techniques, Behaviour and Conservation, Conservation
Science and Action and Bird Ecology and
Conservation: a Handbook of Techniques. He is an
Editor in Chief for Conservation Letters and
Conservation Evidence and an editor for Oryx and
Behavioral Ecology. He edits the Series Techniques in
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Professor Hal Mooney is the Paul S Achilles Professor of
Environmental Biology at Stanford University in the
USA. He received his PhD from Duke University. He
served as President of the Ecological Society of America,
President of the American Institute of Biological Science,
and Secretary General of the International Council for
Science. He was Scientific Panel Co-Chair of the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment from 2000 to 2005
and is now Chair of DIVERSITAS, an international
program on biodiversity science.
Hal Mooney is a member of the US National Academy
of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He
has received numerous awards, including the Tyler
Prize, the Blue Planet Prize, the Ramon Margalef Prize in
Ecology and Environmental Sciences and the BBVA
Foundation Award for Scientific Research in Ecology
and Conservation Biology.
He is currently engaged in research on the impacts of
global change on terrestrial ecosystems, especially on
productivity and biodiversity; the invasion of nonindigenous plant species; and the environmental and
social consequences of industrialised animal production
systems
Julian Cribb
Julian Cribb is an author, journalist, editor and science
communicator and principal of Julian Cribb &
Associates who provide specialist consultancy in the
communication of science, agriculture, food, mining,
energy and the environment. His career includes
appointments as newspaper editor, scientific editor for
The Australian newspaper, director of national
awareness for CSIRO, member of numerous scientific
boards and advisory panels, and president of national
professional bodies for agricultural journalism and
science communication.
His published work includes over 8000 articles, 3000
media releases and eight books. He has received 32
awards for journalism. His latest book, The Coming
Famine explores the question of whether we can feed
humanity through the mid-century peak in numbers
and food demand.
2010 AERA Lecture
Professor Corey Bradshaw
The ESA is pleased to announce that Professor Corey
Bradshaw has been selected to deliver the 2010
Australian Ecology Research Award (AERA) Lecture.
The AERA Lecture recognises excellence in research in
Australian ecology, for a specific body of recent work
by a mid-career researcher, and is delivered annually as
a Plenary at the Conference of the Ecological Society of
Australia. The AERA winner is selected by an
independent panel of expert ecologists from around
Australia, chaired by the ESA’s Vice President—Research,
Glenda Wardle.
Corey joins the ranks of previous distinguished winners
of the AERA lecture.
2010 Gold Medal Recipient
Professor Richard Hobbs
Congratulations to Professor Richard Hobbs, University
of Western Australia, who has been selected to receive
the 2010 Ecological Society of Australia Gold Medal.
The Gold Medal recognises Richard’s significant
contribution to ecology in Australia, through his
research in both theoretical and applied aspects of
restoration ecology, and his role in improving
communications amongst scientists and with
practitioners in ecosystem management.
The ESA awards a Gold Medal in recognition of an
ecologist who has made a substantial contribution to
the study of ecology in Australia over the course of
their career. The Medal can also be awarded to ESA
members who have made a significant contribution to
the operations of the Society.
The 2010 AERA recognises Corey Bradshaw’s
quantitative research in wildlife population
management and climate change impacts on
biodiversity. The work has revolutionised how
ecologists can combine demographic, genetic,
landscape and economic data within advanced
mathematical models to design the most cost-effective
and efficient invasive species control, to determine
threats to biodiversity, and to estimate the impact of
human activities on biodiversity on a global scale.
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Program information
Pre-conference postgraduate
course
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Inclusions:
Sunday, 5 December 2010
0900–1700
Haydon-Allen Lecture Theatre, ANU
Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
The 8th One-Day Postgraduate Course on Current
Ecology and Evolution will be held at the Haydon-Allen
Lecture Theatre (‘the Tank’) in Canberra on Sunday,
5 December 2010, the day before the ESA2010
Conference begins at ANU. The one-day course is
suitable for postgraduate research students or for
people considering a research degree. Honours
students are welcome. Speakers and discussion topics
are different each year, so repeat participation can be
recommended.
The day’s program will include speakers on recent
advances in many areas of ecology and evolution and
on the nexus between science and politics. There will
be focus groups for students to exchange views. If you
attend 2–3 of these one-day courses during your PhD,
you’ll encounter a broader range of ideas compared to
your training within a single research group.
Indigenous Engagement Forum
Date: Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Time: 1230–1330
Venue: Room T4, Manning Clark Centre, ANU
The Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) and the
Australian National University invite you to participate in
the Indigenous Engagement Forum during the 50th
anniversary conference of the ESA. The forum will be
held at lunchtime and form part of the symposium
titled ‘Combining Indigenous and Western ecological
knowledge for future land management solutions’. This
conference will also celebrate the inaugural year of the
ESA Remote Indigenous Participation Award through
which 7 Indigenous land and sea managers/ecologists
from remote Australia will attend the conference,
present their work and participate in the forum.
You are invited to join us to help progress the
engagement of Indigenous Australians in national
ecological debate, activities and land and sea
management discussions.
Topics to be discussed include:
•
What opportunities already exist that engage in
Indigenous ecologists in national ecology/land
management debates?
•
How can we create better relationships and
knowledge exchange between Indigenous and
non-Indigenous ecologists in Australia?
•
What are the obstacles to greater engagement
and participation?
•
The establishment of an ESA steering committee to
facilitate greater engagement and participation of
Indigenous people in the ESA
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Workshops
The design and analysis of ecological field
studies
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Cost:
Inclusions:
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
0900–1700
Room G007, Manning Clark Centre, ANU
Conference delegates—$90
Non-conference delegates—$145
Lunch
This workshop will begin by contrasting classical
experiments with observational studies. The crucial
features of classical experimental designs (controls,
randomisation, replication, blocking) are presented.
More advanced topics like analysis of covariance, split
plot designs and repeated measures designs are briefly
mentioned. However, there are serious problems one
faces with running experiments in ecological field
studies. These include difficulties with spatial scale of the
study, randomisation of treatments, and replication of
treatments. Pseudo replication is illustrated and
discussed followed by a description of quasi
experimental approaches like the BACI design and
other weaker designs that suffer from serious
confounding of effects. The presentation presents core
concepts which are illustrated by many real examples
from the ecological literature.
The Atlas of Living Australia: share your
biodiversity knowledge with the world
online
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Cost:
Inclusions:
0900–1200
Room T6, Manning Clark Centre, ANU
Conference delegates—nil
Morning tea
The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is a five-year project
funded under the Australia Government’s National
Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
Its mission is to develop a biodiversity data
management system which will link Australia’s
biological knowledge with its scientific and agricultural
reference collections and other custodians of biological
information.
The ALA project aims:
•
to integrate information on all Australian species,
including data on specimens held by Australia’s
natural history collection and data from field
observations of living organisms
•
to support the management and integration of
biological data from all areas of research
(molecular to ecological)
Writing scientific research articles
•
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Cost:
to develop search interfaces and web services to
facilitate discovery of biological information
resources and to support the use of biological data
in scientific research, policy-making and education
•
to ensure that data relating to Australian organisms
is well-managed for present needs and organised
to meet future information requirements.
Inclusions:
0900–1700
Room G008, Manning Clark Centre, ANU
Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
Presented by Margaret Cargill, this workshop is
designed to raise participants’ awareness of the highly
strategic nature of international science publishing.
Participants will develop skills and strategies for
planning, writing and submitting articles likely to meet
target journal standards. Participants will be asked to
bring an example article from the journal to which they
intend to submit, plus an early draft manuscript or a set
of analysed results ready to write as a paper.
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This workshop aims to inspire and motivate delegates
to join the growing ALA community, as:
•
contributors of data (data for sharing and linking
with others)
•
contributors of ideas (ideas for moulding the shape
of the ALA to ensure that it meets your needs)
•
users of the online tools currently on offer (tools for
exploring your own particular are of interest).
Field trips
water reuse and wastewater recycling, water treatment
and minimising the urban ecological footprint on river
ecosystems.
Natural grasslands in the bush capital—
conservation of threatened grassland fauna
in the face of increasing urbanisation
Greening Australia: Boorowa River recovery
Time:
Cost:
Time:
Cost:
0930–1630
Inclusions: Picnic lunch
Departing: Manning Clark Centre, ANU
The aim of this day-long local field trip will be to visit
important remnant native grasslands in and near
Canberra. The focus will be on threatened fauna—their
occurrence, habitats and management. We will
consider recent and current research that addresses
these issues. The focus will be on reptiles and insects as
well as herbivore grazing and drought. Some of the
species in the Canberra region that together comprise
an assemblage of threatened faunal species in these
very important grasslands include golden sun moths,
pergunga grasshoppers, Canberra raspy cricket, pinktailed worm lizards, striped legless lizards and grassland
earless dragons. Some of these species are the subject
of ongoing research and monitoring and we will visit a
range of sites to consider approaches to survey and
monitoring, research techniques and habitat
requirements for these species. You will have an
opportunity to discuss the research and management
issues with people involved in these projects and with
reserve management.
ACT catchment tour: minimising the urban
ecological footprint
Time:
Cost:
0900–1600
This field trip is a one-day tour of key sites in and
around Canberra, which will focus on aspects of ACT’s
water distribution and supply network. The tour will
highlight management approaches that aim to protect
and enhance river ecosystem health while securing
water supply for the nation’s capital. The sites visited will
include elements of the ACT’s water distribution
network and discussion will revolve around issues
associated with both centralised (reservoirs) and
decentralised water sources (storm water reuse and
wastewater recycling). Field trip participants will learn
about water security issues associated with ACT’s water
supply dams and inter-basin water transfers, storm
0845–1630
Converting seed funding of $50,000 into a $2 million
multi award-winning partnership project encompassing
a range on ground works to improve water quality and
biodiversity, Boorowa River Recovery (BRR) is a large
scale sub-catchment riparian restoration partnership
managed by Greening Australia Capital Region in
partnership with Lachlan Catchment Management
Authority and Boorowa Landcare, supported by
TransGrid, Australian Government, NSW Environmental
Trust, Alcoa, and the community. Today, BRR boasts
640 ha of riparian restoration along 80 kms of river, the
involvement of more than 70 landmanagers, 5
Corporate partners, 8 community groups, local schools
and 2 Councils.
The BRR field trip showcases a range of riparian
rehabilitation and catchment scale on ground works
including erosion control, protection of vegetation and
whole of paddock scale rehabilitation works in a
framework of sustainable farming.
Regional rocks and wine tour
Time:
Cost:
0800–1800
Inclusions: Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea
You probably know that wines come from grapes and
grapes come from vines, but did you know that the soil
these vines ‘feed’ on influences the character of the
wine. Soil is the weathered, friable product of a rock
and the character of the soil therefore depends on its
parent rock. The geological record of the Canberra
region goes back more than 400 million years. A lot has
happened during this time, including the break-up of
the former super continent Gondwana. The rocks and
abundant fossils tell of a time when the region was
submerged under the sea and of subsequent volcanic
activity and massive earth movements.
Stop 1—Mount Ainslie: a short introduction to the
regional geological history.
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Stop 2—Corner of Mountain Creek and Wee Jasper
Road, your first introduction to some local fossils. Then
marvel at the
spectacularly folded rocks as we drive to Wee Jasper.
Stop 3—Morning tea at Carey’s Caves, Wee Jasper.
Cave tour of this hidden gem of a cave. Understand
cave formation and karst landforms.
Stop 4—Lunch at ‘The Stables’, Wee Jasper.
Stop 5—Shearsby’s Wallpaper: a spectacular outcrop of
Devonian Brachiopods that includes also nautiloids,
corals and even fish. This is a geological monument
and for protection it has been enclosed by a wire cage.
It has been named after AJ Shearsby, a former Yass
resident and keen amateur geologist. It was discovered
during the building of the old Tumut Road.
Stop 6—Wine tasting and return to Canberra.
Canberra highlights hop-on/hop-off bus
Location:
Visit the registration desk for bus timetable
and pick up/drop off locations
Cost:
$40
Inclusions:
Dedicated bus service for conference
delegates only. Does not include entry
fees into attractions.
This hop-on/hop-off tour visits some of Canberra’s main
attractions including the Australian War Memorial,
National Portrait Gallery, Parliament House, Old
Parliament House and the National Museum of
Australia. This bus service allows you to spend as much
or as little time as you like visiting the above attractions.
A bus schedule will be provided to delegates choosing
this tour.
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Grassy Woodlands: Mulligans Flat–
Goorooyarroo Woodland
Time:
Cost:
0900–1200
Conference delegates—$35.00
This field trip complements the symposium ‘Grassy
woodlands: managing processes to restore ecosystem
function’. We will visit the Mulligans Flat–Goorooyarroo
Woodland Experiment site, on the outskirts of
Canberra, and hear from researchers and the park
manager about the different aspects of this
collaborative research project. The parkmanager will
also explain the vision ofr the feral-animal proof
sanctuary at Mulligans Flat. Reintroduction of locally
extinct species to the sanctuary will become a major
focus of future woodland research at the site.
Social program
Welcome Reception and
Exhibition Opening
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Dress:
Cost:
Sunday, 5 December 2010
1730–1900
Foyer, Manning Clark Centre, ANU
Smart casual
Conference delegates—included in full
registration fee
Additional ticket—$50
This ‘kick-off’ event is your first opportunity to meet up
with friends and colleagues and presents a great
networking opportunity. A fun way to start the
Conference.
Wine and Cheese Mixer
(networking and supplementary poster session)
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Dress:
Cost:
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
1730–1900
Melville Hall, ANU
Smart casual
Complimentary (cash bar available)
This supplementary poster session will include the
announcement of the winner of the Photographic
Competition and the Memorabilia Exhibition as well as
further viewing of the posters.
Please note this is a non-catered event and a cash bar
will be operating.
Public lecture
Barbara Rice memorial poster
session
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Dress:
Cost:
Monday, 6 December 2010
1730–1900
Melville Hall, ANU
Smart casual
Conference delegates—included in full
registration fee
The Barbara Rice memorial poster session will be held
on Monday, 6 December 2010. The session operates
on the ESA’s famous ‘sticky dot reward system’. You are
provided with a drinks card at registration and poster
presenters will provide ‘sticky dots’ to add to your card
after you have had a constructive discussion with them.
You can then redeem these dots for a drink (2 dots per
drink) at the bar during the poster session compliments
of the estate of Barbara Rice and the Ecological Society
of Australia.
Barbara Louise Rice (1944–2009) was a key member of
the Macquarie University Ecology Group for nearly 35
years and an elder sister and field mentor to several
dozen research students and postdocs. At least 50
publications and dissertations express thanks for her
help in the field and with identifications. Barb
participated consistently in research conferences of the
Ecological Society of Australia from 1975 to 2008. She
was especially fond of the poster sessions, since she did
not enjoy giving talks herself.
(open to members of the public in addition to
conference delegates)
Date: Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Time: 1900–2100
Venue: CSIRO Discovery Centre, North Science Road,
off Clunies Ross Street (behind ANU)
Dress: Smart casual
Cost:
Complimentary
The Ecological Society of Australia together with the
Council of Australian Museum Directors are happy to
invite you to attend the ‘Biodiversity and you’ public
lecture.
You will be entertained and informed by international
ecologists:
•
Dr Peter Bridgewater, Chair of the UK Joint Nature
Conservation Committee
Who moved my magic pudding? Seven steps to
sustainability
•
Professor Charles Krebs, Retired Fellow, University
of British Columbia
What ecologists know that now underpins
sustainability
•
Dr Lorrae van Kerkhoff, Post-Doctoral Fellow,
Australian National University
Science in the age of democracy, or democracy in
the age of science
The evening will be facilitated by Mr Tony Peacock,
CEO, CRC Association Inc and following on from the
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presentations you will be engaged with a facilitated
discussion, during which audience participation is
encouraged.
•
for new ESA members and students to engage
with established researchers in their field
•
to develop vibrant collaborations
Industry professionals and the general public are all
invited to attend and enjoy this evening.
•
This is an initiative of the Council of Australian Museum
Directors, and is funded with assistance from the
Science Connections Program within the Department
of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
to be part of a group of engaged experts within
ESA who can contribute to policy debates on their
theme
•
to host regular thematic events as part of the ESA.
Come along to the drinks gathering and find out more
or contact [email protected].
Conference Dinner
Date: Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Time: 1900 for 1930–2300
Venue: Old Parliament House
King Georges Terrace, Parkes
Dress: Smart casual
Cost:
This year the Conference Dinner will be held at Old
Parliament House—one of the most significant heritage
buildings in Australia. As the home of the
Commonwealth Parliament from 1927 to 1988, it was
the setting for many major decisions and events that
shaped modern Australia and therefore symbolises and
reflects the development of Australia as a nation.
Research Chapter Mixer
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Dress:
Cost:
1730–1930
Melville Hall
Smart casual
Complimentary (refreshments available for
purchase)
ESA is launching the Research Chapter Network, with
the inaugural Arid Ecology Research Chapter. This
mixer is an evening social gathering to gather ideas
and plan Research Chapter activities and directions.
Interest in developing Research Chapters around other
themes are very welcome.
What can a Research Chapter offer? A Research
Chapter provides opportunities:
•
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to engage with people who share similar
intellectual passions
ESA Film Evening: ‘Ecological
restoration, hope for the future’
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Dress:
Cost:
1800–1930
Manning Clark Centre, Theatre T1
Smart casual
Complimentary (refreshments available for
purchase)
This evening will be an exciting opportunity to view a
screening of several engaging films showcasing
successful ecological restorations from around the
world. Following this will be a Q&A session.
The films have all been specifically chosen to
demonstrate how much can be achieved in ecological
restoration projects across a diverse range of regions,
with the third film using an example of woodland
restoration being undertaken in the Australian Capital
Territory.
The Q&A session, which will include an expert panel of
three ecologists all specialising in ecological restoration,
will give the audience the opportunity to ask questions
and participate in an open discussion between industry
experts, professionals and the general public.
Conference attendees and the general public are all
welcome to attend what is sure to be both an
educational and entertaining evening. Light
refreshments and finger food will be served.
This evening is funded by The Fenner School of
Environment and Society.
Program at a glance
Sunday 5 December 2010
0900–1700
Postgraduate course
1500–1900
Registration open
Foyer
1730–1900
WELCOME RECEPTION
Foyer
Haydon-Allen Lecture Theatre
Monday 6 December 2010
0730–0830
Registration
0830–1030
Plenary session1
Chair: Mark Lonsdale
Foyer
Room T1, MCC
0830
Welcome to country
0835
Official opening—Mark Lonsdale, Professor Ian Chubb
0850
ESA welcome and housekeeping—Carla Catterall
0900
Keynote presentation: 50 years of ecological science—Professor Charles Krebs
0940
Keynote presentation: How can ecology be used to conserve biodiversity?—Professor William Sutherland
1020
Questions
1030–1100
MORNING TEA
1100–1230
Concurrent session 1 (see page 20 for details)
1230–1330
LUNCH
1330–1500
1500–1530
AFTERNOON TEA
1530–1620
Speed talk sessions (see page 24 for details)
1630–1900
Plenary session 2
Chair: Carla Catterall
1630
Keynote presentation: AERA lecture: Heads in the desert sand—why Australians
should wake up to the biodiversity crisis—Professor Corey Bradshaw
1730
Barbara Rice memorial poster session
Foyer and Melville Hall
Room T1, MCC
Melville Hall, ANU
17
Tuesday 7 December 2010
0730–0900
Registration
0900–1030
Plenary session 3
Chair: Jim Hone
0900
Keynote presentation: Economics, climate change and biodiversity
—Professor Ross Garnaut,
0940
Keynote presentation: Global biodiversity science—recurrent challenges and new opportunities
—Professor Hal Mooney
1020
Questions
1030–1100
MORNING TEA
1100–1230
1230–1330
LUNCH
1230–1330
Indigenous Engagement Forum
All welcome to attend (see page 11 for details)
1330–1500
1500–1530
AFTERNOON TEA
1530–1700
1700–1900
WINE AND CHEESE MIXER
1900–2100
Public lecture—Biodiversity and you
Room T1, MCC
Room T4, MCC
Melville Hall, ANU
CSIRO Discovery Centre
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Field trips
0930–1630
Natural grasslands in the bush capital—conservation of threatened grassland fauna in
the face of increasing urbanisation
0900–1700
ACT catchment tour: minimising the urban ecological footprint
0900–1200
Greening Australia: Boorowa River recovery
0800–1800
Regional rocks and wine
0900–1200
Grassy Woodlands: Mulligans Flat–Goorooyarroo Woodland
Canberra highlights hop-on/hop-off bus
Workshops
0900–1700
The design and analysis of ecological field studies
0900–1200
The Atlas of Living Australia: share your biodiversity knowledge with the world online
0900–1700
Writing scientific research articles
1900–2300
CONFERENCE DINNER
18
Old Parliament House
Thursday 9 December 2010
0730–0900
Registration
0900–1030
Plenary session 4
Chair: Sue Briggs
Room T1, MCC
0900
Keynote presentation: Seeing REDD: science, policy and politics in biodiversity and climate change
—Professor Peter Bridgewater
0940
Keynote presentation: Beyond the golden age of rationality: what lies ahead for ecological sciences?
—Dr Lorrae van Kerkhoff
1020
Questions
1030–1100
MORNING TEA
1100–1230
1230–1330
LUNCH
1230–1330
ESA Annual General Meeting
1330–1500
1500–1530
AFTERNOON TEA
1530–1700
1730–1830
RESEARCH CHAPTER MIXER
1800–1930
Film evening: ‘Ecological restoration, hope for the future’
Theatre T3
Melville Hall, ANU
Theatre T1, MCC
Friday 10 December 2010
0730–0900
Registration
0900–1030
Plenary session 5
Chair: Geoff Baker
0900
Keynote presentation: The coming famine: risks and solutions for global food and
ecological security—Julian Cribb
0940
Keynote presentation: Gold Medal citation and presentation—Carla Catterall
0950
Keynote presentation: ESA Gold Medal 2010—Professor Richard Hobbs
1030–1100
MORNING TEA
1100–1230
1230–1330
LUNCH
1330–1530
Plenary session 6
Chair:
1330
Landsberg Award and presentation—Amy Davidson
1350
TNC Award and presentation—Vanessa Adams
1420
President’s address—Carla Catterall
1440
ESA Members service prize
1445
Student prizes
1500
Announcement for 2011 and 2012 ESA conferences
1510
Conference close—Mark Lonsdale
Room T1, MCC
Room T1, MCC
19
20
Building on a
distinguished
heritage
Paul Adam
50 years of
Australian marine
ecology—a
personal
perspective
Alan Butler
Conservation of
arid overstorey
perennials—
determining the
age threshold for
effective
recruitment
Andrew Denham
Habitat loss in
Melbourne and
plant extinction
debt
Mark McDonnell
1100
1115
1130
Intensive
monitoring sites:
relevance,
integration and
effectiveness in
natural resource
management
Mike Liddell
New innovations
for remote sensing
revolutionise longterm monitoring
Alex Held
A unique, plotbased approach
to monitoring
Australian tropical
rainforests
Matt Bradford
Room T4, MCC
Room T1, MCC
On the shoulders
of giants … but
grasping for
what?
Roger Kitching
1c
Symposium
Long-term,
trans-scale,
integrated
monitoring of
Australian
landscapes
1b
Symposium
Ecology in
Australia over
the last 50
years: from the
past to the
future
Room T3, MCC
1a
Conservation
Concurrent session 1
Assessing the
comparative risks
of acidification
and salinisation of
Lakes Alexandrina
and Albert
Kerri Muller
1100–1230
Concurrent sessions
Can secondary
metabolism
pathway genes
reveal signs of
interactions with
ecosystem?
Suat Hui Yeoh
The terreArray: a
new microarray
technology for
quantifying
ecosystem
molecular
functions within
complex microbial
communities
Ross Chapman
Above and belowground
specialisation in
Australian orchids:
novel insights from
integrated
ecological and
genetic analysis
Rod Peakall
Moran G007, MCC
1d
Symposium
From genes to
ecosystems
Invasive primates
in Brazil
Helena Bergallo
Woven plastic
weed mat
succeeds in largescale restoration
where
conventional
weed control
methods failed
Peter Grose
Invader impact
thresholds on
native plant
communities
Ben Gooden
Moran G008, MCC
1e
Invasive species
Time-since-fire and
inter-fire-interval
influence hollow
availability in semiarid mallee
vegetation, southeastern Australia
Angie Haslem
Climate change
impacts on
bushfires and
ecosystem
distribution in
eastern Australia
Jeremy Little
Assessing the
impact of fire
regimes and
topography on
hollow
occurrence in
trees and logs
Luke Collins
Room T2, MCC
1f
Fire
Plant silicon and
herbivory:
strategies and soil
types
Julia Cooke
The ecological
implications of
herbivore
responses to plant
chemical defence
Natasha Wiggins
Foraging patterns
and behavioural
responses to plant
toxins: swamp
wallabies
(Wallabia bicolor)
and cineole
Miguel Angel
Bedoya Perez
Room T5, MCC
1g
Foraging and
herbivory
The use of
electromagnetic
induction surveys
for ecological
research and
sustainable holistic
management
activities in
heterogeneous
upland
environments
Glen Bann
Generating finer
resolution species
distribution data
using an expert
system
Andrew Skidmore
Communal
oviposition,
oviposition site
density, and egg
supply to lotic
caddisfly
populations
William Bovill
Room T6, MCC
Evolution of
breeding systems
in Tibetan poppies
(Meconopsis Vig.,
Papaveraceae)
Hongyan Xie
Prediction of bird
habitat resources
in Great Western
woodlands using
multiple satelliteborne datasets
Peter Lee
1i
Open forum
Moran G009, MCC
1h
Distributions
and tools
21
OzFlux: the
Australian flux and
ecosystem
research network
Helen Cleugh
Publishing
Australian
ecological
research over fifty
years
Michael Bull
1215
Measuring the
contribution of
CAR reserves to
mature forest
biodiversity in
production forest
landscapes
Simon Grove
Key questions in
ecology in the
1960s: have we
answered them
yet?
Mark Westoby
Relocation of the
grey-headed
flying-fox camp
from the Royal
Botanic Gardens
Sydney: history,
approval process
and relocation
monitoring and
methods
John Martin
1200
Long-term, transscale, integrated
monitoring of
Brazilian
landscapes:
lessons for
Australia
William
Magnusson
Freshwater
ecology in
Australia—
directions, threads
and gaps
Sam Lake
Long-term
community
variation as a
baseline for
biodiversity
conservation:
discerning signal
from noise
Amy Macken
1145
1c
Symposium
Long-term,
trans-scale,
integrated
monitoring of
Australian
landscapes
1b
Symposium
Ecology in
Australia over
the last 50
years: from the
past to the
future
1a
Conservation
1100–1230
The genetic basis
of chemotype
variation in mosaic
Eucalyptus
Amanda Padovan
Genes in the
landscape
Alison Shapcott
Assessing
ecological
characteristics
using highthroughput
sequencing and
DNA microarrays
Christopher Hardy
1d
Symposium
From genes to
ecosystems
Testing the
generality of
limiting similarity in
plant communities
Jodi Price
populations in
Mexico
Habacuc FloresMoreno
Cactoblastis
cactorum on
native Opuntia
Potential
demographic
impact of
Approximate
Bayesian
computation for
the estimation of
invasion dynamics
Grant Hamilton
1e
Invasive species
Frequent
colonisation of
ephemeral
habitats reduces
large-scale genetic
structure
Jennifer Pierson
Insights into postfire recolonisation
of reptiles using a
novel application
of population
genetics
Annabel Smith
Management of
ecosystem threats
in the Greater Blue
Mountains World
Heritage Area
Rosalie Chapple
1f
Fire
Habitat use and
behaviour of cattle
in a
heterogeneous
‘patchy resources
in matrix’
environment in
arid Australia
Anke Frank
Assessing the
evidence for
latitudinal
gradients in plant
defence and
herbivory
Stephen Bonser
Adjustments in
foraging
behaviour by
female eastern
grey kangaroos
during lactation
Jemma Cripps
1g
Foraging and
herbivory
Agent-based
modelling of
marine mammals
and maritime
traffic to inform
management and
policy decisions in
marine protected
areas
Lael Parrott
Biodiversity and
ecosystem
resilience: a GISbased adaptive
management
framework
Nancy Auerbach
Bayes Nets as a
method for
analysing return
for investment in
fire management
planning
Trent Penman
1h
Distributions
and tools
The effect of pitfall
drift fences on
capture rate of
vertebrates on the
Swan Coastal Plain
Wesley Bancroft
Habitat
specialisation in
four sympatric
macropod species
Sarah Garnick
1i
Open forum
22
2b
Savanna and
desert
Moran G008, MCC
Are Australian arid
lands really
degraded?
Rod Fensham
Leaf ‘heat
avoidance’ traits in
Australian arid
plants
Ellen Curtis
Using weatherbased models of
species distribution
to predict refugia
in Australia’s
tropical savannas
Genevieve Perkins
Room T3, MCC
The interplay of
history, ecology
and dispersal in
the evolution of
Australasia’s
spectacular parrot
fauna
Leo Joseph
Rabbits and
foxes—Australia’s
ultimate
mammalian
invaders
Steve McLeod
Emigrant
Australian trees:
why are they
seldom invasive?
Trevor Booth
1330
1345
1400
2a
Symposium
When
continents
collide:
biological
invasions and
ecosystem
theory
1330–1500
Trophic energy
links population
community and
ecosystem
indicators of
ecological stress
and rehabilitation
success across
multiple scales
Sandy Gilmore
Biodiversity
benchmarks in the
Australian
rangelands
Jeff Foulkes
Twenty years and
two transects:
spatial and
temporal variation
in local patterns of
biodiversity
Michael Bamford
Room T4, MCC
2c
Symposium
Long-term,
trans-scale,
integrated
monitoring of
Australian
landscapes
Landscape models
and genetics test
the importance of
structural
connectivity for
nine woodland
birds
Nevil Amos
Cryptic diversity
and rapid
evolution in a
stream crustacean
Jane Hughes
Integrating
population
demography,
genetics and selfincompatibility
Susan Hoebee
Moran G007, MCC
2d
Symposium
From genes to
ecosystems
Can subjective
historical datasets
be used to
monitor
vegetation
change?
Christopher Jones
Forests of east
Australia: the 35th
global biodiversity
hotspot
Kristen Williams
Metacommunity
‘putty’: filling gaps
in our knowledge
of biodiversity
Karel Mokany
Room T5, MCC
2e
Biodiversity
status, trends,
national and
international
targets
Fire frequency and
season influence
soil respiration in
tropical savannas
Anna Richards
How important is
fire history in
determining plant
species richness?
Jennifer Taylor
Fire regime
analysis of the
semi-arid Mallee
region
Rebecca Gibson
Room T2, MCC
2f
Fire
Determining
species
composition for
restoration
plantings using
climate change
scenarios
Tina Lawson
Revegetating
agricultural
landscapes: is it
useful for reptiles
and beetles?
Sacha Jellinek
Moreton Bay Oil
Spill Environmental
Restoration
Program:
environmental
recovery and
community
engagement
Samantha Lloyd
Room T1, MCC
2g
Ecosystem
restoration
Variation in the
demography of
Banksia ornata
across its range in
south-eastern
Australia
Emily Willocks
produce
extraordinarily
large seeds and
woody fruit?
Philip Groom
Seasonal changes
in plant–plant
interactions affect
tree establishment
in grasslands
Megan Good
Wide enough?
The relationship
between riparian
corridor width and
ant and plant
diversity in
northern Sydney
Christopher Ives
Why does Hakea
platysperma
(Proteaceae)
Spot the
difference!
Structural versus
visual function of
eggshell
maculation
Golo Maurer
Room T6, MCC
2i
Open forum
Mate density and
sex ratio as
determinants of
pollen receipt and
neighbourhood
size
Saul Cunningham
Moran G009, MCC
2h
Life history
strategies
23
2b
Savanna and
desert
Spatial and
temporal pattern
in potential refugia
for Australia’s
tropical savanna
birds
Alex Kutt
Using species
distribution
modelling to
examine spatiotemporal variation
in fire pattern
Justin Perry
When resources
boom: learning
from the story of
dingoes in the
Tanami Desert
Thomas Newsome
Similar yet
different:
ecological
similarity and
invasion success in
grassy woodlands
Erika Cross
How do the
ecological
processes
associated with
plant invasions
reshape native
communities?
Paul Downey
When continents
collide: biological
invasions and
ecosystem theory
Herbert Prins
1415
1430
1445
2a
Symposium
When
continents
collide:
biological
invasions and
ecosystem
theory
1330–1500
Panel discussion
Reconstructing
historical
transformations of
Australia’s
vegetated
landscapes
Richard Thackway
Vegetation type
modelling and
mapping: optimal
application of old
data and new
techniques
Ian Oliver
2c
Symposium
Long-term,
trans-scale,
integrated
monitoring of
Australian
landscapes
Finding foxes in
Tasmania: faecal
DNA analysis
reveals the
widespread
distribution of
foxes in Tasmania
Stephen Sarre
Chromosomes in
the study of
biological and
ecological systems
Tariq Ezaz
Comparing the
phylogenetic
diversity of
ecological
communities:
correcting for
sampling effort by
rarefaction
David Nipperess
2d
Symposium
From genes to
ecosystems
Landscape
approaches and
threatened
species: making
sure we don’t miss
the targets
Clare Hawkins
The use and utility
of targets for
conservation
policy
Suzi Heaton
Priority threat
management to
protect Kimberley
wildlife
Josie Carwardine
2e
Biodiversity
status, trends,
national and
international
targets
Triodia scariosa
Does soil
seedbank diversity
limit post-fire
regeneration in
small remnants of
long-unburnt
Mallee vegetation?
Richard Davies
Fire and log
density: influence
on beetle
biodiversity in
mountain ash
forests of Victoria
Nicole Sweaney
succession in the
Murray-Mallee,
south-eastern
Australia
Sally Kenny
The influence of
time-since-fire on
2f
Fire
Nutrient cycling in
grazed, fenced
and ungrazed
salmon gum
woodlands in the
Western
Australian
wheatbelt
Amy Robinson
Saving biological
assets from altered
hydrology in the
Western
Australian
agricultural zone
Gavan Mullan
The effectiveness
of mine
rehabilitation and
impact of mulch
harvesting on a
fauna assemblage
Natalia Huang
2g
Ecosystem
restoration
Pinus radiata
James Bevan
Unravelling the
invasion knot: a
spatial
investigation of
serotiny and cone
production in
How do plants
and insects shape
the spatial
patchiness of
pollinator
networks?
Tony Popic
Hiding in the
bushes: the role of
mimicry in a
mistletoe
community
Ray Blick
2h
Life history
strategies
Birds of a feather:
using species
assemblages to
assess the
vulnerability to
extinction of native
birds
Dean Paini
Maximising fauna
return post bauxite
mining—using
science to
influence
restoration
practice
Vicki Stokes
Individual decision
makers drive the
diversity of
cultivated plants in
gardens
Dave Kendal
2i
Open forum
24
Bed size after the flames: postfire litter accumulation in a
mallee community in southwestern NSW
Samantha Travers
The consequences of
interactions between scales of
movement and
fragmentation for dispersal
success
Lorenzo Cattarino
Looking for a phylogenetic
signal in the climate niche of
European mammals
Bernd Gruber
Adaptation to climate change
in SE Australia: an ecological
or a socio-ecological issue?
Ian Mansergh
The vulnerability of natural
values on Tasmania’s
coastline to sea level rise
Clarissa Murphy
Responses of native and
invasive exotic grasses to
elevated carbon dioxide and
fire
Ifeanna Tooth
Subterranean termites
eavesdrop on predatory ants
and other termite species to
secure a distant feed
Glen Bann
Bat species show vegetation
type preferences in the
northern jarrah forest,
Western Australia
Wesley Bancroft
Key biodiversity area
prioritisation in the New
Guinea wilderness
Kristen Williams
Incorporating invasive species
biology into management
Ben Hoffmann
Breeding diet of grey falcons
(Falco hypoleucos) in Sturt
National Park, NSW, Australia
Immy Janse
Gaining insight into the
impacts of severe tropical
cyclones on vegetation in
northern Australia using time
series remote sensing
Leo Lymburner
Is goat management enough
to ensure ecosystem recovery
of the rangelands?
Richard Harris
Splitting vs lumping: the
complexities of vegetation
mapping for assessing
conservation values
Richard Harris
1530
1535
1540
1545
1550
1555
Sustaining vegetation and
bird communities along roads
and hiking trails in semi-arid
gorges
Isabelle Wolf
Trends in the abundance of
hollow-dependent birds and
guilds 1970–2010: what can
they tell us about hollow
dynamics?
Matt White
Major conservation policy
issues for biodiversity in
Oceania
Richard Kingsford
Using remote cameras as a
survey and landholder
engagement tool in
fragmented agricultural
landscapes
Michael Davis
Room T3, MCC
Room T2, MCC
Room T1, MCC
3
2
Speed talks
1
1530–1630
Putting the bite back into
biodiversity conservation and
rangeland management:
what role(s) for dingoes?
Euan Ritchie
The interaction of spatial
autocorrelation and positional
uncertainty of species
occurrences in environmental
niche modelling
Andrew Skidmore
Ten thousand years of
human population increase
in Australia
Chris Johnson
What’s actually there? A
comparison between
systematic searching and
pitfall trapping for reptiles
Amanda Bamford
How to make the most of
expert judgement
Mark Burgman
Edge shapes (convex vs
concave) can increase or
decrease animal dispersal
Vilis Nams
Room T4, MCC
4
A demographic framework
for the active adaptive
management of the
endangered arid zone tree
species, Acacia peuce
S Raghu
Evidence for invader
competitive release under a
projected drier climate in
coastal NSW
Tanya Mason
Australia’s forests and climate
change: from impact
assessment to adaptation
Sarah Boulter
Past the point of no return:
climate change impacts on
the world’s most exceptional
ecoregions
Linda Beaumont
Broad scale conservation
planning in a changing
climate: a koala case study
Christine Adams-Hosking
Floristic value—a useful
indicator of presence of the
threatened pink-tailed worm
lizard?
David Wong
Room T5, MCC
5
Regeneration dynamics of
four semi-arid woodland tree
species
Tricia Wevill
Automated bioacoustic
monitoring for rare, cryptic
fauna: a case study using the
eastern ground parrot
Elizabeth Tasker
Variation in habitat quality
influences fine-scale resource
use by a low-density koala
population
Eleanor Stalenberg
The mobility of unmanaged
insect pollinators attending a
mass flowering crop:
implications for gene flow
Romina Rader
Conservation of temperate
grasslands in Tasmania:
acting locally and thinking
globally
Louise Gilfedder
Are direct seeded
revegetation sites selfsustaining? An analysis of
structure, composition and
regeneration processes
Ian Rayner
Room T6, MCC
6
25
2
Living geodiversity = life rocks!
A new and innovative holistic
eco-geo science education
program for schools,
universities, tourists and
community groups
Glen Bann
Reformation of vegetation
information management in
NSW
Ron Avery
Traditional owner knowledge
recording on Moreton Island
in response to the Moreton
Bay oil spill
Samantha Lloyd
Cost-effective tree-planting to
reforest the tropical landscape
Noel Preece
Nutritional composition of the
forage and seed of Australian
native grasses
Jodie Reseigh
Shifting mine rehabilitation to
ecological restoration
Andrew Wright
Mount Klabat in north
Sulawesi, Indonesia: a
proposed reservation site for
some Sulawesi biodiversity of
endemic birds and mammals
Saroyo Sumarto
More to the point—spinifex
seed is required to drive a
desert boom
Glenda M Wardle
1600
1605
1610
1615
Speed talks
1
1530–1630
Conquering Brazil: the
invasion by the exotic
gekkonid lizard Hemidactylus
mabouia in Brazilian natural
environments
Carlos Frederico Rocha
Restoration of koala habitat in
Gunnedah, NSW: movement
of koalas across a patchy rural
landscape
Mathew Crowther
Exploring drivers of change in
stand structure from preEuropean to present day
woodlands using a stand
simulation model
Karen Ross
The capacity of Echium
plantagineum (Paterson’s
curse) to evolve and respond
to predicted drought
conditions
Tara Konarzewski
The National Conservation
Lands Database Project—
capturing conservation
agreements on private land in
Australia
Eleanor Sobey
By night and by day: web site
selection by orb-weaving
spiders
Luke Tilly
4
Competition or innovation:
what makes Indian mynahs
such successful invaders?
Kathryn Haythorpe
Nights, camera, action:
partitioning of activity time by
sympatric carnivores
Aaron Greenville
3
It is about access to and
benefit sharing from the
utilisation of plant genetic
resources
Abeba Gebreselassie
Interactions between
encroaching woody plants
and existing canopy trees in a
semi-arid woodland
Janet Cohn
Invasion of alien rodents into
Australian coastal forests and
potential of natives to
competitively resist invasion
Vicki Stokes
Using time series remote
sensing to understand the
response of vegetation to
different drivers
Leo Lymburner
5
Developing priorities for
exotic plant species
management in a changing
climate: alpine ski resorts
Mellesa Schroder
Impacts of landscape
complexity and early
predation on the suppression
of horticultural pests
Nancy Schellhorn
6
26
Managing country
combining
Indigenous and
western ecological
knowledge—
Dhimurru’s
experience in northeast Arnhem Land
Daryl Lacey,
Benjamin Hoffmann
Resource selection of
common wombats in
the subalpine zone of
the Snowy
Mountains
Alison Matthews
Australian alpine
seed germination
strategies: a ‘movealong’ investigation
of 24 species
Adrienne Nicotra
1115
1130
Native pastures may
have a limited
contribution to plant
species diversity in
agricultural
landscapes
Nicholas Schultz
Bradshaw land and
resource company …
working on our land
our way
Daniel Jones
Forty years in the
wilderness—is there a
promised land?
David Goldney
Later bogong moth
arrival despite earlier
snowmelt results in
mismatches across
three trophic levels
Ken Green
1100
Success factors for
two-way land
management in the
Tanami
Karissa Preuss,
Madeline Dixon
Room T4, MCC
Room T2, MCC
Room T3, MCC
3c
Symposium
Combining
Indigenous and
western ecological
knowledge for
future land
management
3b
Symposium
Biodiversity
conservation in
agricultural
landscapes: is it
really worth the
effort?
3a
Symposium
Sustaining
biodiversity in the
Australian alps
1100–1230
Different landscape
factors explain
establishment and
persistence of river
red gum (Eucalyptus
camaldulensis) in
agricultural
landscapes of southeast Queensland
Jarrod Kath
Riparian woodland
dysfunction is driven
by groundwater
decline in a northern
Murray–Darling
intensive production
landscape
Kate Reardon-Smith
Biodiversity
conservation in the
ultimate consumer
landscape: protecting
species in urban
ecosystems
Gary Luck
Room T5, MCC
3d
Balancing
biodiversity and
resource
consumption
Species sorting or
patch dynamics? A
test of two models
using stream
invertebrate
communities
Barbara Downes
Assisted migration of
a threatened
tortoise—integrating
ecoenergetics with
hydrology to select
future habitats
Nicola Mitchell
Lasting effects of
maternal behaviour
on the distribution of
an allegedly
quintessential
disperser
Jill Lancaster
Moran G008, MCC
3e
Migration and
dispersal
Functional
redundancy in biotic
assemblages: how do
ecosystem states
translate to ecological
processes in practice?
Peter Fairweather
Toxoplasma gondii: a
threat to Australian
wildlife?
Shuting Pan,
Andrew Thompson
Novel acoustic
monitoring to
examine animal
communication:
koala bellows and
impacts on spatial
dynamics
Sean FitzGibbon
community change
associated with the
invasion and
senescence of a
range-expanding
species
Luke Geddes
Leptospermum
laevigatum: plant
The rise and fall of
Moran G007, MCC
3g
Novel systems and
novel ecological
philosophy
Who’s biting the
woylie and what are
they transmitting?
Craig Thompson
Trypanosomes and
woylie declines—is
there a link?
Andrew Thompson
Room T6, MCC
3f
Symposium
Conservation and
the ecology of
wildlife parasites
and diseases
When, what, where,
why and how should
we assist migration as
climate changes?
Stephen Garnett
Future ready
biodiversity values: a
critical foundation for
biodiversity
conservation and
research
Michael Dunlop
Managing
ecosystems in a
rapidly changing
world requires new
ways of thinking
Richard Hobbs
Room T1, MCC
3h
Symposium
Conserving
biodiversity in a
changing climate:
a forum for
scientists,
managers and
policy makers
27
The Warru
Reintroduction
Project
Eric Abbott
Conservation of
fauna in agricultural
landscapes: what
does the future hold?
Andrew Bennett
Arthropod
assemblages in
agricultural
landscapes: patterns,
process and
conservation in the
matrix
Simon Attwood
Does increased
environmental stress
equate to decreased
seed production and
viability in the
snowgum Eucalyptus
pauciflora subsp.
niphophila?
Shannon LeBel
Marching up the
mountain?
Mechanisms of high
altitude woodland
expansion into the
Australian alpine
zone
Susanna Venn
1200
1215
Saltwater people
addressing the
problem of ghost
nets and marine
debris in northern
Australia
Grace Heathcote
Djelk Rangers
working on, and
caring for, country in
the Djelk IPA,
Arnhem Land
Feline Campion,
Selma Campion,
Jodie Kelly
The benefits—and
limits—of woody
perennial farming
systems for the
conservation of
native biodiversity in
Australia: a resources
perspective
Patrick Smith
The effect of altitude
on reproductive and
vegetative
characteristics in
Australian alpine flora
Deborah Segal
1145
3c
Symposium
Combining
Indigenous and
western ecological
knowledge for
future land
management
3b
Symposium
Biodiversity
conservation in
agricultural
landscapes: is it
really worth the
effort?
3a
Symposium
Sustaining
biodiversity in the
Australian alps
1100–1230
Four years of sheep
exclusion shows no
changes in
understorey
composition in
grazed woodlands of
southern
Queensland
Andy Le Brocque
Ecosystem service
provision by native
vegetation and tradeoffs with grazing
Rhiannon Smith
Balancing biodiversity
and agriculture in
Coleambally District—
a success story
Arun Tiwari
3d
Balancing
biodiversity and
resource
consumption
Do amphibians
preferentially use
streamlines as
terrestrial habitat?
Martin Westgate
Responding to
climate change: flight
capacity and
behavioural buffering
of the common
brown butterfly
(Heteronympha
merope)
Madeleine Barton
Do dragons fly:
ecological and
evolutionary
movement patterns
of Komodo dragons
within and among
islands
Tim Jessop
3e
Migration and
dispersal
Exchange of gastrointestinal helminth
species among
species of kangaroos
and wallabies in the
Grampians area of
western Victoria
Ian Beveridge
Succession of small
mammal species and
their helminth
parasites following
wildfire
Dave Spratt
Moving mammals
and their hangers-on:
the ecology of
translocated animals
and parasites
Judy Dunlop
3f
Symposium
Conservation and
the ecology of
wildlife parasites
and diseases
Can rapid assessment
of biodiversity and
ecosystem function in
urban remnants
reveal ecological
integrity in novel
ecosystems?
Dieter Hochuli
Symbiosis as an
incomplete solution
to the nutritional
problems of phloem
sap feeding aphids
Nigel Andrew
3g
Novel systems and
novel ecological
philosophy
Projecting future,
ecologically scaled
environmental
change and novel
environments for all
of Australia
David Hilbert
Mainstreaming
biodiversity
conservation in a
climate-challenged
Australia: can we
redefine national
‘success’?
Edwina Barton
Improving research
uptake: experiences
from the natural
ecosystems theme
Trevor Booth
3h
Symposium
Conserving
biodiversity in a
changing climate:
a forum for
scientists,
managers and
policy makers
28
4b
Symposium
Biodiversity
conservation in
agricultural
landscapes: is it
really worth the
effort?
Room T2, MCC
Leopard cats and rats
in Borneo: forest
fragments and
biodiversity
conservation in an
agricultural
landscape
Rajanathan
Rajaratnam
Brigalow regrowth: a
conservation bargain
Clive McAlpine
The influence of
agricultural land use
on susceptibility of
fragmented
ecosystems to
invasion by exotic
pastures
Sarah Butler
Room T3, MCC
Baldur Byles: a
forester above the
tree line
Deirdre Slattery
Climate change, fire
and conservation
management in the
Victorian Alps
Richard Williams
Remote sensing of
Australia’s alpine
bioregions: the
spatial and temporal
dynamics of snow
and vegetation
Jeff Thompson
1330
1345
1400
4a
Symposium
Sustaining
biodiversity in the
Australian alps
1330–1500
Use-and-occupancy
mapping in the
Murray–Darling
Basin: articulating
contemporary
connection to
country
Neil Ward
Kuku Nyungkal
working on country
in the Wet Tropics
World Heritage Area
Marilyn Wallace
Return to homelands:
after more than 80
years’ absence, the
Wuthathi people
prepare to return to
their traditional
homelands on the
north-east coast of
Cape York Peninsula
by planning cultural
and natural resource
management
strategies
Andrew Picone,
Ray Wallis
Room T4, MCC
4c
Symposium
Combining
Indigenous and
western ecological
knowledge for
future land
management
Biological surrogates
in benthic tropical
marine systems—a
community analysis
based approach
Patricia Sutcliffe
Identifying coral
species in
underwater images
for quantitative
assessment of reef
health and
biodiversity
Jacques-Andre
Landry
Larval release and
supply of
meroplankton in
response to
environmental cycles
in temperate
saltmarsh and
mangrove habitats
Gerard Ricardo
Moran G008, MCC
4d
Marine
Long-term variations
in the abundance of
Helicoverpa spp.
(Noctuidae). What’s
driving them?
Geoff Baker
Effects of landscape
compositions and
habitat arrangements
on two mirid species
in Japanese rice
paddies
Mika Yasuda
Trans-equatorial
migration of shorttailed shearwaters—
testing old theories
with new technology
Mark Carey
Room T5, MCC
4e
Migration and
dispersal
Quantifying the
effects of parasites:
a medication
experiment in crested
terns (Thalasseus
bergii)
Maggie Watson
In-nest video
monitoring of
parasite impacts
Jody O’Connor
Remote monitoring
of artificial nesting
box use by microbats
Stephen Griffiths
Room T6, MCC
4f
Symposium
Conservation and
the ecology of
wildlife parasites
and diseases
Biodiversity and
climate change:
prioritising
adaptation and
conservation
Stephen Williams
Conservation
planning in a
complex, dynamic
world incorporating
multiple objectives,
multiple criteria and
dynamic data
Jeremy VanDerWal
Lessons learned: prerelocation monitoring
project on greyheaded flying-foxes
at the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Sydney
Anja Divljan,
Kerryn Parry-Jones
A process-based
concept of refugia for
identifying and
understanding safe
havens from climate
change
Gunnar Keppel
Room T1, MCC
4h
Symposium
Conserving
biodiversity in a
changing climate:
a forum for
scientists,
managers and
policy makers
Monitoring flyingfoxes—how stressful
can it get?
Kerryn Parry-Jones
New insights into the
ecology of the
threatened dusky
hopping mouse
(Notomys fuscus)
Ulrike Kloecker
Moran G007, MCC
4g
Threatened
species—mammals
29
4b
Symposium
Biodiversity
conservation in
agricultural
landscapes: is it
really worth the
effort?
Chalk ‘n’ cheese or
something inbetween: Brigalow
regrowth is not the
same as remnant in
production
landscapes of
southern
Queensland
Peter Wagner
Efficient delivery of
conservation: making
payments in the right
places
Kristen Williams
Where should we
start? Identifying
priorities for
conservation in the
agricultural
landscapes of South
Australia
Daniel Rogers
The effect of de-icing
salts on alpine bogs
and associated fens
in Kosciuszko
National Park, NSW
Richard Hocking
The status and
condition of the
Australian alps
catchments in the
context of predicted
climate change
Graeme Worboys
Climate change and
the Australian alpine
environment—
adapting to the 21st
century challenge:
land use and
management and
socio-ecological
research
Ian Mansergh
1415
1430
1445
4a
Symposium
Sustaining
biodiversity in the
Australian alps
1330–1500
Black hands on the
steering wheel
Wayne Barbour
Looking back to
move forward: twoway land
management in
Arnhem Land
Emilie-Jane Ens
Managing waru
(fire): traditional and
contemporary
burning of country
for ecological and
cultural outcomes
Gail Carnes
4c
Symposium
Combining
Indigenous and
western ecological
knowledge for
future land
management
Forecasting
responses of
estuarine benthic
fauna to changes in
the delivery of detrital
subsidies
Mirella Verhoeven
Quantifying seasonal
variability in the
response of
macrofaunal
assemblages to
beach
morphodynamic
types
Rebecca Langley
Can one species of
seagrass act as a
surrogate for
providing habitat for
other taxa?
Ben Hamilton
4d
Marine
Seedling
regeneration
depends on seed
availability and
ecological filters
Kadri Koorem
Dispersal differences
facilitate reef fish
coexistence
Michael Bode
Plant height is more
important than seed
mass for seed
dispersal distance
Fiona Thomson
4e
Migration and
dispersal
Network models and
management of
wildlife disease, with
applications to
Tasmanian devil facial
tumour disease
Hamish McCallum
A novel emerging
wildlife disease in a
transition zone:
epidemiology, impact
and immunological
responses of
Tasmanian devils to
facial tumour disease
Menna Jones
Host specificity and
reservoirs of infection:
the epidemiological
characteristics of an
emerging pathogen
David Gordon
4f
Symposium
Conservation and
the ecology of
wildlife parasites
and diseases
Understanding
refuge use of
Australia’s desert
rodents: an extreme
conservation
challenge
Chris Pavey
The effect of habitat
clearing on the
spectacled flying-fox
Adam McKeown
4g
Threatened
species—mammals
Future conservation
of Tasmanian
saltmarshes and
associated
biodiversity in view of
climate change and
sea level rise.
Vishnu Prahalad
Conserving
biodiversity in a
changing climate:
creating workable
solutions at the
junction of politics,
science and practice
David Parkes
Understanding
species interactions
with microclimate:
can it improve
estimates of a species
vulnerability to
threat?
Collin Storlie
4h
Symposium
Conserving
biodiversity in a
changing climate:
a forum for
scientists,
managers and
policy makers
30
5b
Symposium
Biodiversity
conservation in
agricultural
landscapes: is it
really worth the
effort?
Room T2, MCC
Using species’
historical distributions
to prioritise ecological
restoration
Richard Fuller
How to engage
stakeholders in
multidisciplinary
research projects in
agricultural
landscapes
Kerry Bridle
Yaraguia: a
Balardong Nyungar
family-based
association
preserving
biodiversity in the
Avon Valley, Western
Australia
Virginie Bernard
Room T3, MCC
Long-distance
human dispersal of
weed seed in the
Australian alps
Catherine Pickering
Using structured
decision making to
develop a strategy for
managing willow
invasion in alpine
Victoria
Joslin Moore
Wild horse
population growth in
the Australian alps
Michelle Dawson
1530
1545
1600
5a
Symposium
Sustaining
biodiversity in the
Australian alps
1530–1700
Inventorying the
animals and plants of
the Great Victoria
Desert, WA
Karl Brennan
Working together for
country: a new
partnership in
western Arnhem
Land
Alys Stevens
Incorporating
Aboriginal
perceptions of
introduced animals in
resource
management:
insights from the feral
camel project
Patronella VaarzonMorel
Room T4, MCC
5c
Symposium
Combining
Indigenous and
western ecological
knowledge for
future land
management
Does the river
continuum concept
apply in the
Onkaparinga River,
South Australia?
Courtney Cummings
Carbon flow through
the food web of a
neotropical stream
involves non-trophic
pathways
(bioturbation) and
indirect effects
(trophic cascades)
and is based primarily
on microalgae
Tim Moulton
Subtropical tadpoles:
complex trophic
guilds in freshwater
food webs
Jennifer Francis
Moran G008, MCC
5d
Aquatic
Brazilian Atlantic
rainforest
Carlos Frederico
Rocha
Brachycephalus
didactylus in the
Ecology of the
smallest world’s
tetrapod, the flea-frog
Improving estimates
of above-ground
biomass in tropical
forest using modified
transect methods for
better returns
Noel Preece
A broad approach to
abrupt boundaries:
soil attributes within
and across tropical
vegetation types
Laura Warman
Room T5, MCC
5e
Rainforest
guild of parasitic
trematodes
Emily Williams
Velacumantus
australis and their
Zombie snails: the
ecology of
Networks and
parasite transmission
in the sleepy lizard,
Tiliqua rugosa: the
importance of
transmission mode
Stephanie Godfrey
Parasite infection
patterns in a network
of endangered
lizards: a role for
dispersers?
Aaron Fenner
Room T6, MCC
5f
Symposium
Conservation and
the ecology of
wildlife parasites
and diseases
Ecology and
conservation of
threatened species
red panda in the
kingdom of Bhutan
Sangay Dorji
Factors influencing
the persistence of the
New Holland mouse
(Pseudomys
novaehollandiae) at
the landscape scale
Jason Mumbulla
Truffles and swamp
wallaby mycophagy
in eucalypt forests:
patterns in diversity
and composition
Melissa Danks
Moran G007, MCC
5g
Threatened
species—mammals
Maximising
representation of
faunal assemblages
under climate
change
Gilad Bino
Investigating current
and future climatic
hotspots for
Australia’s weeds of
national significance
Jessica O’Donnell
Habitat
heterogeneity
increases the
resilience of plant
populations to
extreme drought and
climate change
Robert Godfree
Room T1, MCC
5h
Symposium
Conserving
biodiversity in a
changing climate:
a forum for
scientists,
managers and
policy makers
31
Research on
predicted climate
change impacts and
the restoration of
alpine bogs and fens
Roger Good
reveal the impact of
declining snow cover
Matthew Brookhouse
Symposium summary
and synthesis
Denis Saunders
30 years’ experience
of ecological
restoration: 10
principles for success
David Carr
Snow change:
1630
1645
Interdisciplinary
devotion: revisiting
Lubchenko’s call for
social contracts for
science: lessons from
sustainable farms
research in southern
New South Wales
Richard Price
Disturbance and
dynamics: 25 years of
feral pig research in
the Australian alps
Jim Hone
1615
Podocarpus
lawrencei tree rings
5b
Symposium
Biodiversity
conservation in
agricultural
landscapes: is it
really worth the
effort?
5a
Symposium
Sustaining
biodiversity in the
Australian alps
1530–1700
Implications of the
governments’ ad hoc
approach to
Indigenous cultural
and intellectual
property rights and
benefit sharing in
natural resource
management.
Sarah Holcombe
Working together to
manage a
threatened
ecological
community in the
Kimberley: Dampier
Peninsula monsoon
vine thickets, Western
Australia.
Louise Beames
5c
Symposium
Combining
Indigenous and
western ecological
knowledge for
future land
management
Regime creation
challenges for policy
modelling on
freshwater wetlands
in Bangladesh
Nazrul Islam
Application of stable
isotope analysis for
the effective
management of
aquatic ecosystems
Debashish
Mazumder
5d
Aquatic
Influence of tree ferns
on forest biodiversity
and dynamics in
New Zealand
Bruce Burns
Nomad trees in
rainforests: do solar
elevation angles
restrict them to low
latitudes?
Chris Lusk
Modelling climate
change impacts on
endemic montane
carabids with limited
dispersal within the
Wet Tropics
Kyran Staunton
5e
Rainforest
Resource tracking in
marine parasites:
going with the flow?
Ross Thompson
5f
Symposium
Conservation and
the ecology of
wildlife parasites
and diseases
Home range
dynamics and habitat
selection of Macaca
nigra at Tangkoko
Batuangus Nature
Reserve, Indonesia
Trina Tallei
Comparing koala
(Phascolarctos
cinereus) detection
methods: implications
for the conservation
of low-density
populations
Alexa Mossaz
5g
Threatened
species—mammals
When, if ever, to
move species in the
face of climate
change
Tara Martin
Exploring thermal
constraints in the
germination niche
Anne Cochrane
Ecologically relevant
information is
required to improve
climate change
forecasts for small
mammals
Nerissa Haby
5h
Symposium
Conserving
biodiversity in a
changing climate:
a forum for
scientists,
managers and
policy makers
32
6b
Symposium
Monitoring for a
purpose: optimal
monitoring and
management of
cryptic or
declining
populations
Room T4, MCC
Rules of thumb for
managing or
surveying networks
of pests, diseases and
endangered species
Iadine Chades
Monitoring for
surprise: is it a
legitimate purpose
for monitoring?
Brendan Wintle
Optimal monitoring
of indicators: why
sensibly
incorporating costs
will help managers
select the right
species
Ayesha Tulloch
Room T3, MCC
Testing the accuracy
of species distribution
models: range shifts
of Australian
butterflies
Katherine McClellan
Effects of climate
change and fire
regimes on the
structure and viability
of three Banksia
metapopulations
David Keith
Functional diversity
and climate change
Rachael Gallagher
1100
1115
1130
6a
Climate change
1100–1230
The effect of species
range estimation
methods on richness
and phylogenetic
diversity estimates
Mayra Amboni
Three ways that
theory fails
conservation
biologists and what
we can do about it
Don Driscoll
Correlations among
plants, animals, and
people in Australia:
causes and/or effects
Michael Huston
Room T5, MCC
6c
Symposium
Dissecting
Australian
diversity: the key
to understanding
global biodiversity
Habitat utilisation of
lantana-invaded
vegetation by small
mammals in an
urban bushland
Noni Dowsett
Finding simple rules
of thumb for the
optimal containment
of invasive species
with complex lifecycles
Jean-Baptiste
Pichancourt
Australia’s
susceptibility to
establishment by
non-indigenous
reptile species: a
predictive modelling
approach
Dustin Welbourne
Moran G008, MCC
6d
Invasive species
Responses of floral
visitor networks of a
tropical rainforest
tree, Acronychia
acidula, to habitat
fragmentation
Tobias Smith
Ecology of southern
scrub-robins
(Drymodes
brunneopygia) in the
north Murray Mallee,
South Australia
Andrew Barker
Influence of the
yellow-throated
miner (Manorina
flavigula) on bird
communities and
tree health in a
fragmented Mallee
landscape
Thea Shell
Moran G007, MCC
6e
Impacts of habitat
loss and
fragmentation
Partnerships and
pragmatism pave the
road to conservation
Nicola Markus
Caring for country
together: Indigenous
and non-Indigenous
conservation in north
Australia
Joe Morrison
Creating ecologycommunity-policy
partnerships
Judy Lambert
Room T6, MCC
6f
Symposium
Taking action
together: the role
of ecology in
conservation
partnerships
Monitoring the
impacts of extreme
weather events:
climate change and
the lemuroid ringtail
possum
Stephen Williams
Confirmation of
globally consistent
responses of ant
communities to
grazing impacts
Ben Hoffmann
Biodiversity under
climate change:
monitoring for
structure and
function
Roger Kitching
Room T2, MCC
6g
Symposium
Biodiversity
indicators for
measuring and
monitoring
ecosystem
condition and
climate change
adaptation
Managing vertebrate
grazing can benefit
insect diversity at site
and microhabitat
scales
Philip Barton
Prospects for
restoring function
and diversity in grassy
woodlands
Sue McIntyre
The Mulligans Flat –
Goorooyarroo
Woodland
Experiment—
integrating research
and restoration
Adrian Manning
Room T1, MCC
6h
Symposium
Grassy woodlands:
managing
processes to
restore ecosystem
function
33
6b
Symposium
Monitoring for a
purpose: optimal
monitoring and
management of
cryptic or
declining
populations
Monitoring a cryptic
invasive species:
fallow deer on
Kangaroo Island
Pip Masters
Western Shield fauna
recovery program—a
learning experience
in monitoring and
evaluation of fauna
populations
Juanita Renwick
Optimising fauna
surveys for predicting
species distributions
for bioregional
assessment
Gilad Bino
Adaptive
management for
climate change
adaptation: when the
law comes in handy
Alexander Gold
The relative impacts
of climate change
versus management
on ecological
condition: which is
bigger?
Rebecca Lester
Observed responses
of Australasian
species and
communities to
recent climate trends
Lesley Hughes
1145
1200
1215
6a
Climate change
1100–1230
Patterns of arthropod
diversity in a shrubencroached
landscape: the effect
of shrub species and
resource
concentration
Alan Kwok
Effects of climate on
wildlife population
dynamics
Maria Boyle
Biodiverse—a tool for
the spatial dissection
of diversity
Shawn Laffan
6c
Symposium
Dissecting
Australian
diversity: the key
to understanding
global biodiversity
Is there evidence for
shifts in growth,
reproduction and
fitness between the
native and novel
ranges of introduced
Acacias?
Carla Harris
Responses to
environmental
adversity in range
edge and central
population of an
invasive species
Jennah Bakker
6d
Invasive species
Understanding the
drivers of connectivity
in human-modified
landscapes
Jonathan Rhodes
Response of fauna
and flora to habitat
loss and
fragmentation in
tropical savanna
agricultural
landscapes
Alistair Stewart
Investigating avian
response to
landscape change
using informative
Bayesian prior
estimates of dispersal
distance
Georgia Garrard
6e
Impacts of habitat
loss and
fragmentation
The costs and
benefits of
organisational
partnerships in
biodiversity
conservation
Samantha Vine
Making sure
partnerships produce
better conservation
outcomes
Sarah Legge
Partnerships in
practice: adapting
conservation
planning to an
Indigenous context
Emma Ignjic,
Heather Moorcroft
6f
Symposium
Taking action
together: the role
of ecology in
conservation
partnerships
Moths as indicators of
climate change—
investigating species
with restricted
altitudinal
distributions
Louise Ashton
Biodiversity indicators
for measuring and
monitoring
ecosystem condition
and climate change
adaptation in Brazil
William Magnusson
The relative merits of
indicators and
surrogates versus
direct measures
David Lindenmayer
6g
Symposium
Biodiversity
indicators for
measuring and
monitoring
ecosystem
condition and
climate change
adaptation
Ecological function
and woodland trees:
size matters
Chris McElhinny
The impact of
kangaroo grazing on
fauna within grassy
woodlands
Brett Howland
Debris or not debris:
microclimatic benefits
of large woody
debris
Sarah Raphael Goldin
6h
Symposium
Grassy woodlands:
managing
processes to
restore ecosystem
function
34
7b
Symposium
Monitoring for a
purpose: optimal
monitoring and
management of
cryptic or
declining
populations
Room T4, MCC
The influence of
abundance on
detectability
Michael McCarthy
Estimating
biodiversity metrics in
cleared areas,
accounting for varied
detectability between
species
Michelle Ensbey
Monitoring impacts
of bauxite mining on
threatened species
using species specific
monitoring programs
Vicki Stokes
Room T3, MCC
EcoFire—restoring
biodiversity values of
the Kimberley
Sarah Legge
Biodiversity
conservation,
vegetation condition
and management
intervention
David Lindenmayer
Transformative
restoration: the
challenges of
working at multiple
scales
David Freudenberger
1330
1345
1400
7a
Symposium
Ecological
restoration science
and practice:
current and future
directions
1330–1500
Not enough niches
to explain a
remarkable cooccurrence of
congeneric ant
species
Alan Andersen
Age and growth of
an old-growth stand
of Eucalyptus
regnans: the world’s
tallest angiosperm
Sam Wood
Competition for light
promotes plant-trait
and species diversity
via niche partitioning
and neutral dynamics
Daniel Falster
Room T5, MCC
7c
Symposium
Dissecting
Australian
diversity: the key
to understanding
global biodiversity
Is a vulnerable native
marsupial naive to
the predation threat
of domestic cats and
dogs?
Alexandra Carthey
Using TOPS to
identify host hot
spots for rust
incursion
management
John Weiss
Mammal extirpation
on Australia’s islands
Emily Hanna
Moran G008, MCC
7d
Invasive species
Impact of
urbanisation on frog
communities in
streams along an
urban–rural gradient
in Melbourne,
Victoria
Stefano Canessa
Roost tree selection
by insectivorous bats:
can urban remnants
sustain populations
of hollow dependent
fauna?
Caragh Threlfall
Modelling spatial
patterns of wildlife
mortality in periurban landscapes
Harriet Preece
Moran G007, MCC
7e
Urban landscapes
Implementing
Naturelinks—the
WildEyre experience
Emma Coates
Ecological drivers in
landscape planning
in the Gondwana
Link area of Western
Australia
Jim Radford
Continental scale
connectivity
conservation in
Australia and North
America: science in
partnership
Carina Wyborn
Room T6, MCC
7f
Symposium
Taking action
together: the role
of ecology in
conservation
partnerships
Vulnerability of
aquatic
macroinvertebrates
to climate change in
eastern New South
Wales
Alex Bush
A new approach to
biodiverse ecosystem
indicator
measurement for
change adaptation
Judy Fisher
Warming UK climate
increases avian
species richness and
homogenisation as
generalists spread
Cath Davey
Room T2, MCC
7g
Symposium
Biodiversity
indicators for
measuring and
monitoring
ecosystem
condition and
climate change
adaptation
Restoring ecological
resistance to invasion
by exotic annual
plants in degraded
woodlands
Ian Lunt
Ameliorating grassy
woodland soils by
enhancing truffle
production and
establishing
populations of
mycophagous
marsupials
Jacqui Stol
Return of the fauna:
brown treecreeper
reintroductions in
Eucalypt woodland
Victoria Sheean
Room T1, MCC
7h
Symposium
Grassy woodlands:
managing
processes to
restore ecosystem
function
35
Monitoring
threatened savanna
finches using health
indices
Kimberly Maute
Restoring forests for
biodiversity and
carbon
John Kanowski
1445
The effect of
contrasting edaphic
conditions on birds in
mulga woodland in
central Australia
Adam Leavesley
How many
waterbirds are there
in Australia—chasing
the impossible?
Richard Kingsford
Phylogenetic and
taxonomic structure
of plant communities
across the south-west
Australian biodiversity
hotspot
Marcel Cardillo
Endangered species
reintroduction
success in protected
areas: monitoring for
conservation
Kerryn Herman
Monitoring protocols
to assess the recovery
of native plants
following the control
of widespread weeds
Paul Downey
7c
Symposium
Dissecting
Australian
diversity: the key
to understanding
global biodiversity
7b
Symposium
Monitoring for a
purpose: optimal
monitoring and
management of
cryptic or
declining
populations
Intervention ecology:
managing altered
ecosystems to sustain
and restore function
Mike Perring
7a
Symposium
Ecological
restoration science
and practice:
current and future
directions
1430
1415
1330–1500
The influence of
landscape and localscale attributes on
invasive predator
activity patterns in
agricultural
landscapes
Cameron Graham
Assessing rapid
morphological
change in the
invasive common
starling (Stunus
vulgaris) in Australia
Ellen Couchman
Role of nitrogen
fixing bacteria in the
invasion success of
weedy Australian
Acacias
Christina Birnbaum
7d
Invasive species
Boorowa River
recovery—a case
study demonstrating
the importance of
partnerships in
landscape scale
rehabilitation
Lori Gould
The primacy of
ecology in NGO
conservation
planning
Stephen Garnett
Urban wildlife across
the divide: the
unlikely costs and
benefits of urbanised
landscapes
Nelika Hughes
Sustaining mammals
in urban landscapes:
the importance of
maintaining
functional
connectivity and
understanding
behavioural ecology
Sean FitzGibbon
Strange bedfellows?
Partnerships between
environmental NGOs
and resource
extraction companies
Robert Lambeck
7f
Symposium
Taking action
together: the role
of ecology in
conservation
partnerships
Urban edges: bird
responses at the
interface between
suburbs and reserves
Karen Stagoll
7e
Urban landscapes
ClimateWatch:
community
monitoring of
ecological change
Lynda Chambers
Effectiveness of
vegetation condition
attributes for
predicting vertebrate
assemblages in
inland Queensland
Victor Neldner
Towards meaningful
quantitative indices
for monitoring
degradation and
restoration of
biological
communities
Carla Catterall
7g
Symposium
Biodiversity
indicators for
measuring and
monitoring
ecosystem
condition and
climate change
adaptation
Landscape
restoration and
spatial planning for
biodiversity
Peter Vesk
Temperate
woodlands,
vegetation condition,
vegetation
restoration and
biodiversity
conservation: insights
from a decade of
field-based empirical
research
David Lindenmayer
Influence of a
parasitic shrub on
diversity in eucalypt
forests: a resourcebased approach
David Watson
7h
Symposium
Grassy woodlands:
managing
processes to
restore ecosystem
function
36
Room T6, MCC
Coins to
conservation: how
do the values of
avifauna to Australian
society affect
conservation
outcomes?
Gill Ainsworth
Resource limitation
and interspecific
competition
constrain
reproduction in an
endangered finch
James Brazill-Boast
Ten little dicky birds
up against the wall:
social behaviour of
an endangered
population of chats
Richard Major
Room T4, MCC
Evaluating riparian
restoration in the
Murray–Darling
Basin: lessons and
implications
Paul Reich
Improving
biodiversity outcomes
from restoration
actions using a
landscape
assessment
framework and
recovery group
Nigel Willoughby
Fish for the future—
what difference is the
Native Fish Strategy
making?
Terry Korodaj
1545
1600
8b
Threatened
species—birds
8a
Symposium
Ecological
restoration science
and practice:
current and future
directions
1530
1530–1700
Developing an
integrated approach
to climate change
refugia in old stable
landscapes
Grant WardellJohnson
Modelling bottom-up
trophic dynamics in
estuarine habitats:
food-chain responses
to nutrient
enrichment
Paul York
Importance of
location and habitat
structure in
determining
nearshore faunal
assemblages within
Botany Bay, Australia
Judy Upston
Room T5, MCC
8c
Symposium
Dissecting
Australian
diversity: the key
to understanding
global biodiversity
Distribution and
impacts of the
invasive ant Pheidole
megacephala on
Great Barrier Reef
coral cays
Chris Burwell
Australian family ties:
does a lack of local
relatives help invasive
plants succeed?
Kerinne Harvey
Factors that effect the
detection of the
northern Pacific
seastar
Kimberley Millers
Moran G008, MCC
8d
Invasive species
Habitat usage of
parrots in an urban
landscape
Adrian Davis
On the snail trail!
Mitchell’s rainforest
snail (Thersites
mitchellae) and
microhabitat use
Mark Robinson
Threatened species in
the path of progress:
major infrastructure
projects acting
responsibly
Wendy Jeffery
Moran G007, MCC
8e
Urban landscapes
Allocasuarina emuina
(Casuarinaceae)
Robert Lamont
Genetic effects of
habitat loss and
fragmentation on the
endangered
tetraploid shrub,
Linking plant–
pollinator interactions
to gene flow in
fragmented plant
populations
Carole Elliott
Back to the brink—
population decline of
the endangered
grassland earless
dragon following its
rediscovery
Wendy Dimond
Room T3, MCC
8f
Impacts of habitat
loss and
fragmentation
Where’s the seed
going to come from?
Florabank tools to
enable restoration of
grassy woodlands
Penny Atkinson
State-and-transition
modelling for
adaptive
management of
grassy woodlands in
south-eastern
Australia
Libby Rumpff
Incorporating fire
frequency in species
distribution models
enhances climate
change predictions
for tropical savanna
birds
April Reside
Presenting an
experimental, fieldscale project focused
on reconstructing
grass and herb
components of open
woodland
Paul Gibson-Roy
Room T1, MCC
8h
Symposium
Grassy woodlands:
managing
processes to
restore ecosystem
function
The influence of
climate on the
numerical response
of a top order
mammalian predator
Berlinda Bowler
Alpine soil as a
methane sink:
predicting the effects
of climate change
and fire
Kerryn McTaggart
Room T2, MCC
8g
Climate change
and other
disturbances—
impacts on species
assemblages
37
How are our birds
doing? Red List
indices calculated
from 20 years of bird
statuses and trends in
Australia
Judit Szabo
Habitat use by
hooded robins
When environmental
filters become too
fine: multiple,
interacting stressors
drive regeneration
failure in semi-arid
floodplain forests
Gillis Horner
A genetic assessment
of ecological
restoration success
Siegy Krauss
Restoration of
threatened plants
recipes for success
Alison Shapcott
1615
1630
1645
Resource allocation
between multiple
management actions:
how to costeffectively conserve
the malleefowl
Jessica Walsh
(Petroicidae)
Phillip Northeast
Melanodryas
cucullata
8b
Threatened
species—birds
8a
Symposium
Ecological
restoration science
and practice:
current and future
directions
1530–1700
Panel discussion/
Q&A session
Catherine Nano
peuce
Bottom-up versus
top-down limits on
recruitment in the
threatened long-lived
arid tree, Acacia
Using weather
events, not climate
means, to model the
distribution and
competitive
outcomes of
marsupials
Jeremy VanDerWal
8c
Symposium
Dissecting
Australian
diversity: the key
to understanding
global biodiversity
The impacts of urban
growth on Brisbane’s
biodiversity
Jessica Sushinsky
Esther Levy
Ctenophorus ornatus
Land clearing
reduces gene flow in
the granite outcrop
dwelling lizard,
Bat activity in forests
in south-east NSW as
revealed by Anabat
call detection and
radiotracking
Dan Lunney
Local turnover in
amphibian
communities in an
urbanised landscape
Andrew Hamer
How far does pollen
and seed of the
invasive willow, Salix
cinerea, move?
Tara Hopley
Brushtail possums in
New Zealand: a
nutritional study
Hannah Windley
Not drowning,
waving—the effect of
flooding and fallen
timber availability on
floodplain ant
assemblages
Greg Horrocks
8f
Impacts of habitat
loss and
fragmentation
Pattern, process and
prediction:
developing a
stochastic patch
occupancy model for
an endangered
Australian amphibian
Geoffrey Heard
8e
Urban landscapes
From individual
damage to
population level
consequences: the
biocontrol program
against the invasive
weed groundsel
bush
Yvonne Buckely
8d
Invasive species
Vulnerability of
Australian forests to
climate change:
contrasting
bioclimatic and
ecophysiological
approaches
Belinda Medlyn
Which species are
most responsive to
rising CO2 under
resource limited
conditions? A model
analysis
Ashehad Ali
Response of eucalypt
arthropods to climate
change factors:
predicting future
community changes
Tara Murray
8g
Climate change
and other
disturbances—
impacts on species
assemblages
Woodland
conservation
through
environmental
stewardship—
applying research to
policy and practice
Emma Burns
Connect the people,
connect the
landscape, restore
the system
Toni McLeish
Beyond remnants
and single properties:
landscape scale
improvement in box
gum grassy
woodlands
Peter Ampt
8h
Symposium
Grassy woodlands:
managing
processes to
restore ecosystem
function
38
9b
Invasive species
Room T5, MCC
Understanding the ecological
drivers of invasion to structure
management
Cameron Fletcher
Threats to woodlands posed
by invasive grasses: the case
of Coolatai grass
(Hyparrhenia hirta)
Chris Nadolny
Habitat specificity of
biocontrol agents of Mimosa
pigra: implications for
evaluating effectiveness of
biocontrol
Louis Elliott
Australian Acacias behaving
badly: correlates of
invasiveness in novel ranges
Michelle Leishman
Managing feral olives and
restoring endangered
bushland—how can we
maximise restoration success?
Peter Cuneo
Room T4, MCC
Can Reverend Bayes redeem
categorical vegetation
assessments to help monitor
change over time?
David Duncan
‘Jack-and-Master’ species:
when adaptive phenotypic
plasticity maximises
geographic ranges and their
transformations
Jean-Baptiste Pichancourt
How does habitat complexity
affect ant foraging success? A
test using functional
measures on three continents
Heloise Gibb
How well do small urban
remnants sustain forest bird
communities over time?
Jarrad Cousin
A new workshop called
‘Bioscapes—an introduction to
biodiversity in grazing
landscapes’
Clare Edwards
Adaptive management
through research-directed
monitoring of the operational
roll-out of variable retention
silviculture in Tasmania
Steve Read
1100
1115
1130
1145
1200
1215
9a
Open forum
1100–1230
Supporting native fauna
recolonisation following
catastrophic fires: using SDMs
and ‘zonation’ to prioritise
predator control activities
Graeme Newell
Comprehensive ‘Red List’
assessments of flora at the
municipal scale
Graeme Lorimer
Conservation management
frameworks for protected
areas in South Africa and
Australia: comparing resource
use approaches
Kelly Scheepers
Translocation of Eremophila
resinosa, is it working and
Plant translocations and the
consequences for dependent
insect assemblages
Melinda Moir
have we improved our
cultural practices
Bob Dixon
Continuing loss of tropical
forests on agricultural land
could be reversed by carbon
credit trading
Noel Preece
Does recovery planning
improve the status of
threatened species?
Madeleine Bottrill
Specialised symbioses and
their role in rarity in hammer
orchids (Drakaea)
Ryan Phillips
Green roofs: delivering urban
ecosystem services using a
novel experimental platform
Nicholas Williams
Using competitive native
plants to achieve grassland
restoration goals
Kris Hulvey
Breeding birds and farm
revegetation
Suzi Bond
Assessing consequences of
assemblage change for
ecological processes: a case
study using frugivorous birds
Catherine Moran
Restoration in a current and
changed climate—should we
source seeds locally, or not?
Ann Smithson
Room T1, MCC
9e
Ecosystem restoration
Cats or quolls? Feasibility and
conservation impact of
keeping native mammals as
pets
Rosie Cooney
Long-term monitoring of
endangered plant
populations in the ACT:
values and limitations
Emma Cook
The usefulness of resilience
thinking in conservation
policy and planning
Kate de Smeth
Room T3, MCC
9d
Ecological science and
policy making
National vegetation attributes
for linking vegetation type
and condition to the delivery
of ecosystem services
Richard Thackway
Room T6, MCC
9c
Threatened species—
plants
Altitudinal variability of flower
visitor assemblages of
subtropical rainforest plants—
predicting climate change
impacts
Sarah Boulter
Bird community disarray in
eastern Australia: the relative
roles of landscape properties
and interspecific competition
Martine Maron
Assessing the habitat
specificity of Hall’s babbler
(Pomatostomus halli) at
multiple spatial scales
Dean Portelli
Niche separation in herb-rich
woodlands: evidence from
novel use of species cooccurrence tests
John Morgan
Evolution of crown
architecture and its role in the
coexistence of trees
Peter Vermeulen
Historical grazing
management (1976–1998) in
travelling stock reserves in
southern NSW: influence on
woodland conditions
Peter Spooner
Room T2, MCC
9f
Woodlands
General information
Conference venue
(Manning Clark Centre, Haydon-Allen Rooms, Melville
Hall)
Canberra City ACT
Conference registration desk
The registration desk will be located in the foyer of the
Manning Clark Centre and will be open as follows:
Sunday 5 December
Monday 6 December
Tuesday 7 December
Wednesday 8 December
Thursday 9 December
Friday 10 December
1500–1900
0730–1730
0730–1730
0730–0930
0730–1730
0730–1530
The registration desk can be contacted during these
hours on 0448 576 105.
Accommodation
For those registrants who have booked
accommodation through the Conference Secretariat,
please ensure that accounts are settled in full prior to
your departure and that the appropriate deposit has
been deducted from your account.
ATM locations
ATMs are located in the following spots around the
ANU campus:
•
University Union Building (located outside the Post
Office Shop)
•
Concessions and Student Facilities Building
•
Arts Centre
•
University House (Inside UniHouse Reception)
Conference carbon neutral
statement
The carbon footprint for the Canberra Conference has
been estimated as 700 tonnes of CO2 equivalents,
based on the detailed calculations undertaken for the
Sydney ESA Conference in 2008, and the anticipated
similarity of the events. Given the variability of other
drivers that determine the magnitude of offset
requirements (e.g. the price of carbon), this was
considered a valid assumption by the Local Organising
Committee.
As a leading broker of scientific knowledge on
ecological issues, ESA is keen to carry out its business in
a more ecologically sustainable manner. The
Organising Committee encourages delegates to
voluntarily contribute funds equivalent to your share of
this carbon footprint.
To date, over $6000 in offset funds has been received,
which will support restoration efforts that provide both
biodiversity and carbon sequestration benefits. They will
be used for re-establishment of native forest in the
Cotter catchment following the wildfires of 2003,
which destroyed pine plantations in that area.
Dress
The dress for all sessions and social functions is smart
casual.
Exhibition hours
The exhibition will be open as follows:
Sunday 5 December
Monday 6 December
Tuesday 7 December
Thursday 9 December
Friday 10 December
1730–1900
0830–1730
0830–1730
0900–1730
0900–1500
Catering
Lost or found property
Morning and afternoon teas and lunches will be served
each day in the foyer of the Manning Clark Centre and
in Mellville Hall, and are included in your registration
fee. We have arranged for special meals to be
prepared for those delegates who have pre-registered
their special requirements. These meals will be available
from the designated buffet stations in the Manning
Clark Centre foyer during meal breaks. Please visit the
registration desk if you require assistance.
Please report any lost or found property to the
registration desk.
39
Mobile phones and pagers
Program information
As a courtesy to other delegates and speakers, please
ensure all mobile telephones and pagers are turned off
or in ‘silent’ mode during all sessions and social
functions.
A full program can be found on page 17.
Name badges
Your name badge is your entry to all sessions,
exhibition, social functions, lunches, morning and
afternoon teas. Please wear it at all times.
Online evaluation survey
Delegates are encouraged to complete the Conference
evaluation survey as it assists us to plan future
Conferences. An email will be sent to all delegates next
week providing a link to the online evaluation.
Parking
The Conference organisers cannot be held responsible
for any program changes due to external or
unforeseen circumstances. Please check the
noticeboard located near the registration desk for any
changes to sessions.
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted in any of the Conference
venues.
Useful contact numbers
Taxis
Canberra Elite
Cabxpress
13 22 27
6260 6011
Parking at ANU is very limited. Pay parking is available
at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Clunies
Ross Street, in a safe and secure location, just a short
walk away from ANU. Parking is $8 per day and can be
arranged by visiting the staff at the registration desk.
Airlines
Participant list
Accommodation
A participant list has been provided to delegates at
registration. Anyone who indicated on their registration
form that they did not want their name and
organisation to appear on the participant list has not
been included.
Posters
Posters are located in Melville Hall, ANU and will be
available for viewing from morning tea on Monday
6 December to lunch on Friday 10 December.
Qantas
VirginBlue
Jetstar
13 13 13
13 67 89
13 15 38
University House
The Australian National University
Corner Balmain Crescent and Liversidge Street
Acton
02 6125 5275
On campus
Novotel Canberra
66 Northbourne Avenue
Canberra City
02 6245 5000
5–10 minutes walk to ANU
The Barbara Rice Memorial Poster Session will be held
on Monday 6 December from 5.30 pm. A
supplementary networking poster session will be held
on Tuesday 7 December from 5.30 pm, which will also
include the announcement of the Photo Competition
winner and the Memorabilia Exhibition.
Rydges Lakeside Canberra
1 London Circuit
Canberra City
02 6247 6244
Delegates are encouraged to view the posters, which
have been grouped according to the Conference
themes. Poster presenters have been asked to stand
beside their poster during the sessions.
Medina Executive James Court
74 Northbourne Avenue
Canberra City
02 6240 1234
40
Instructions for oral
presenters
Instructions for poster
presenters
Speakers’ preparation room
Poster presenters are requested to have their posters up
for display from 1100 on Monday 6 December through
to 1100 on Friday 10 December. Posters are being
displayed according to themes, in numerical order, in
the Melville Hall, a short walk from the Manning Clark
Centre.
The speakers’ preparation room is located in the foyer
of the Manning Clark Centre. Upon arrival at the
conference, all speakers who have not previously
emailed their presentation, should take it as soon as
possible to the speakers’ preparation room.
Presentations will then be pre-loaded for the
appropriate session room. Speakers may run through
their presentations in the speakers’ preparation room at
their leisure.
All speakers are requested to report to their allocated
room 20 minutes prior to the start of the session to
meet with the session chair and to check that their
presentation has been correctly loaded.
Instructions to presenters of
oral papers
Time slots for oral presentations are 15 minutes. This is
based on a 12 minute talk, and 3 minutes for question
time/changeover. Session chairs are instructed to
ensure that ALL presenters adhere strictly to these
times. Speakers will be gently warned when the talk
reaches the 10 minute mark, and courteously but firmly
invited to cease at the 12 minute mark.
Instructions to presenters of
speed session oral papers
In addition, poster presenters are requested to be at
their poster display during the following times:
•
Barbara Rice Memorial poster session on the
evening of Monday 6 December (1730–1900).
This time will provide authors time to discuss and
describe their work.
You are also encouraged to be close to your poster
during morning and afternoon tea breaks, and
lunches, to enable anyone who wishes to discuss your
particular poster topic to be able to find you and do so!
We hope that this will allow you several hours of
opportunity and exposure that will give you the widest
possible audience.
Poster abstracts, in numerical order, start on page 303
of this handbook. Staff at the registration desk will be
available to help you find the correct location for
mounting your poster. Please ensure that you have
your own velcro spots.
Please ensure that you collect your poster at the end of
the conference. Any posters not collected by Friday
afternoon will be discarded.
Time slots for speed session oral papers are 5 minutes.
There is no question time. Please prepare for 4 minutes,
allowing up to 1 minute for changeover. Session chairs
are instructed to ensure that ALL presenters adhere
strictly to these times. Speakers will be gently warned
when the talk reaches the 3 minute mark, and
courteously but firmly invited to cease at the 4 minute
mark.
41
Instructions for session
chairs
Please be available in your allocated room at least
20 minutes before your session starts. Ensure you are
acquainted with the AV and general room set up, and
that all speakers are also familiar with the equipment
that will be used. A technician is available to assist you if
required. All presentations will be uploaded prior to the
commencement of each session in the speakers’
preparation room.
Please start sessions on time, even if people are still
arriving. You are welcome and encouraged to
introduce the session, but please keep this brief! It is
essential that sessions run to the indicated schedule, as
there are up to 8 parallel sessions at a time. It is your job
to ensure that speakers start and finish on time.
For oral papers, please give speakers a warning
shortly before their time is up (at 10 minutes) and then
tell them when their time is up (at 12 minutes). This will
allow 3 minutes for questions and changeover. This will
give time for the audience to move between rooms
after each presentation, if they desire.
For speed sessions, please give speakers a warning
shortly before their time is up (at 3 minutes) and then
tell them when their time is up (at 4 minutes). There is
no time for questions between speakers, and this will
allow 1 minute for changeover.
If a speaker shows no indication of stopping at the
required time, please ask them to stop immediately,
even if their talk is not completed. Ensure that question
time does not extend beyond the allocated time, even if
there are still outstanding questions. There are
opportunities during the breaks for additional questions
to be directed to the presenter.
Please remind all participants that their mobile phones
need to be silent, or off.
Please do not start presentations early. If a speaker
finishes early, or in the event that a talk is cancelled,
please use this time by inviting questions from the
previous presentation.
A volunteer will be available to assist you, and will
contact the AV technician if required. Alternatively,
please contact the registration desk on 0488 576 105.
Remember, you are in charge of your session. The
audience will appreciate good chairing, which will
keep proceedings on time, and speakers and audience
under control.
42
Sponsors
Platinum sponsors
CSIRO
Minerals Council of Australia
CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency and one of
the largest in the world.
The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) represents
Australia’s exploration, mining and minerals processing
industry, nationally and internationally, in its
contribution to sustainable development and society.
MCA member companies produce more than 85 per
cent of Australia’s annual mineral output.
CSIRO research delivers solutions for agribusiness,
energy and transport, environment and natural
resources, health, information technology,
telecommunications, manufacturing and mineral
resources.
Our work delivers improvements to every aspect of life
from oceans to energy, metals to medicine, and
sustainability to food. CSIRO also works at the forefront
of emerging sectors, such as information and
communication technologies, gene technology and
nanotechnology.
CSIRO’s success is based upon 80 years of excellence in
research.
Working from sites across the nation and around the
globe, our staff are focused on providing new ways to
improve quality of life and the economic and social
performance of our industries.
The MCA’s strategic objective is to advocate public
policy and operational practice for a world-class
industry that is safe, profitable, innovative,
environmentally and socially responsible, attuned to
community needs and expectations.
Ben Mitchell
Director—Public Affairs
PO Box 4497
Kingston ACT 2604
E: [email protected]
We are committed to Australia’s National Research
Priorities and have developed nine National Research
Flagships to lead our research into the 21st century.
These are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Climate Adaptation Flagship
Energy Transformed Flagship
Food Futures Flagship
Future Manufacturing Flagship
Light Metals Flagship
Minerals Down Under Flagship
Preventative Health Flagship
Water for a Healthy Country Flagship
Wealth from Oceans Flagship.
PO Box 1139
Collingwood, Victoria 3066
W: www.publish.csiro.au
43
Gold sponsor
Silver sponsors
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) is
Australia’s leading ecosystem science network.
Taking a collaborative approach to terrestrial ecosystem
research, TERN is focused on helping ecosystem
science groups and government agencies to work
together in a nationally coordinated way.
TERN oversees six facilities whose locations span
Australia, including the Australian Centre for Ecological
Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS).
ACEAS fosters the development of teams of scientists
and resource managers to address critical natural
resource management issues that require new insights
into ecosystem dynamics.
Established in July 2009, TERN is supported by the
Australian Government through the National
Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and the
SuperScience initiative.
Professor Stuart Phinn
TERN Director
07 3346 7020
[email protected]
www.tern.org.au
44
The Australian National University is host to two
internationally recognised centres of ecological
research and training. The Fenner School of
Environment and Society is unique in Australia as a
place where ecologists work with economists,
hydrologists, historians, foresters, geographers and
climatologists towards a common objective of
ecologically sustainable land management. The School
is host to one of the world’s most productive ecological
research groups, lead by Professor David Lindenmayer.
The Ecology, Evolution and Genetics division of the
Research School of Biology has a research program
that spans the field of ecology, including behavioural,
evolutionary, physiological, population and macro
ecology and population genetics. The ANU is pleased
to support ESA 2010 for its focus on one of this
university’s major research strengths
Fenner School of Environment and Society
Canberra ACT 0200
P: 02 6125 2579
F: 02 6125 0746
Department of Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities
Bronze sponsor
Gaia Resources
Parks Australia supports the Director of National Parks, a
federal statutory officeholder, to conserve Australia’s
biodiversity and cultural heritage.
Our responsibilities range from management of the
Commonwealth's protected areas, including six
national parks (three jointly managed with their
traditional owners) and two botanic gardens, to
implementation of the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
Gaia Resources is a consultancy that responsibly
delivers sustainable technology solutions to companies
that work with the environment. We deliver solutions in
field data capture, data management and
Geographical Information Systems to our clients across
Australia. Find out more about what we do on our
web site at www.gaiaresources.com.au.
At our Australian National Botanic Gardens, visitors
enjoy the world's largest collection of Australian native
plants. Also at the Gardens is the Centre for Australian
National Biodiversity Research, a unique partnership
between Parks Australia and CSIRO, researching plant
classification and conservation biology.
Our national parks range from tiny Pulu-Keeling, a
pristine atoll far out in the Indian Ocean, to the iconic
World-Heritage–listed Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta and
the award-winning Booderee National Park.
We also help build the National Reserve System,
Australia’s great environmental partnership, and
support Indigenous landholders declare Indigenous
Protected Areas in some of the most remote and fragile
parts of the country.
Parks Australia is part of the Australian Government
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities.
www.environment.gov.au/parks
45
Satchel sponsors
NSW Department of Environment, Climate
Change and Water
of emerging sectors, such as information and
communication technologies, gene technology and
nanotechnology.
CSIRO’s success is based upon 80 years of excellence in
research.
The NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change
and Water (DECCW) is responsible for the
management and conservation of biodiversity in NSW.
DECCW has a key role in planning mitigation and
adaptation responses to climate change and manages
more than seven million hectares of national parks and
marine reserves. Its diverse environmental charter also
includes the protection of cultural heritage and the
sustainable management of air and water quality.
DECCW employs more than 100 scientists in its
Scientific Services Division alone, and many others
elsewhere in the Department. DECCW has a longstanding commitment to high-quality applied research,
and the need for scientifically-based planning and
management for biodiversity conservation. As part of its
approach to research, DECCW supports a wide range
of collaborative projects with universities, consultants,
NGOs and other government agencies, and is always
keen to foster new links. Climate change magnifies the
challenges posed by existing threats to biodiversity, and
the Department continues to expand its research effort
and forge new partnerships to meet these rapidly
changing needs.
CSIRO
Working from sites across the nation and around the
globe, our staff are focused on providing new ways to
improve quality of life and the economic and social
performance of our industries.
We are committed to Australia’s National Research
Priorities and have developed nine National Research
Flagships to lead our research into the 21st century.
Greening Australia
Greening Australia is passionate about protecting and
restoring the health, diversity and productivity of our
unique Australian landscapes.
With over 28 years of experience in creating
sustainable environmental outcomes, Greening
Australia is a solutions-driven organisation that is
committed to doing something practical about
Australia's environmental problems. We do much more
than simply plant trees.
With a network of over 350 staff in locations across the
continent, Greening Australia lives and works with
people from remote, regional and metropolitan
communities.
CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency and one of
the largest in the world.
CSIRO research delivers solutions for agribusiness,
energy and transport, environment and natural
resources, health, information technology,
telecommunications, manufacturing and mineral
resources.
Our work delivers improvements to every aspect of life
from oceans to energy, metals to medicine, and
sustainability to food. CSIRO also works at the forefront
46
Notepad and pen sponsor
Ecological solutions for a healthy environment
The Institute for Applied Ecology provides ecological
solutions for a healthy environment through highquality research and teaching. State and Associates of
the Institute work to address specific problems and to
push the boundaries of knowledge.
Institute for Applied Ecology,
University of Canberra ACT 2601 Australia.
P: +61 (2) 6201 5893
W: www.appliedecology.edu.au
Conference Dinner
entertainment sponsor
47
page for Parks Australia (DECCW) ad (received)
48
Exhibition floor plan
Exhibitors
Booth 5
Ecological Society of Australia
Booth 6
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
Tables 7, 8
Wiley Blackwell
Table 9
CSIRO Publishing
Table 11
Cambridge University Press
Table 12
NCCARF—Adaptation Research Networks
Table 13
Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre
Table 18
The Atlas of Living Australia
Table 19
Titley Scientific
Table 20
John Morris Scientific Pty Ltd
49
List of exhibitors
Ecological Society of Australia
Incorporated
The Ecological Society of Australia Incorporated (ESA) is
the peak group of ecologists in Australia, with over
1500 members from all states and territories.
We aim to create a community of knowledge and
understanding amongst ecologists, and reach out to
those working in related fields. We invite you to join us
in our efforts to promote the scientific study of all
organisms in relation to their environment, and
encourage the application of ecological principles in
the development, use and conservation of Australia's
natural resources.
Gail Spina
Executive Officer
PO Box 2187
Windsor QLD 4030
CSIRO Publishing
CSIRO Publishing operates as an independent science
and technology publisher with a global reputation for
quality products. Our internationally recognised
publishing program covers a wide range of disciplines,
including agriculture, the plant and animal sciences,
and environmental management.
PO Box 1139
Collingwood, Victoria 3066
Australia
W: www.publish.csiro.au
P: 03 9662 7500
Invasive Animals CRC
P: 07 3162 0901
W: www.ecolsoc.org.au
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research
Network
The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) is
Australia’s leading ecosystem science network.
Taking a collaborative approach to terrestrial ecosystem
research, TERN is focused on helping ecosystem
science groups and government agencies to work
together in a nationally coordinated way.
The Invasive Animals CRC creates new technologies
and integrated strategies to reduce the impact of
invasive animals on Australia’s economy, environment,
and people. We concentrate on developing smarter
tools to prevent and detect new invasions, advanced
and tactical tools to strengthen integrated
management strategies of carp and other pest fish, and
new tools and integrated management strategies for
major pests including foxes, wild dogs, feral pigs, rats
and mice, cane toads, feral cats and rabbits.
CEO: Andreas Glanznig
Post: 3D1
University of Canberra, ACT 2601
P: 02 6201 2887
F: 02 6201 2532
W: www.tern.org.au
Cambridge University Press
Wiley-Blackwell
The 27 Wiley-Blackwell published journals in the
Ecology category* contributed 3,700+ articles and
received 187,000+ citations last year—more than any
other publisher. We are proud to publish the Ecological
Society of Australia’s journals Austral Ecology and
Ecological Management & Restoration.
*Thomson Reuters 2009 Journal Citation Reports
®
W: www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/subject/ecology
50
Cambridge University Press has a long-established,
dynamic, and broad-based publishing program in the
biological sciences. Titles range from multi-volume
works such as European Garden Flora, to high-profile
series such as Ecological Reviews and Conservation
Biology, as well as textbooks for students at all levels.
For more information please contact:
P: 03 8671 1400
NCCARF—Adaptation Research
Networks
The NCCARF—Adaptation Research Networks for
Terrestrial Biodiversity, and Freshwater Resources and
Freshwater Biodiversity primary goals are to synthesis
relevant knowledge for climate change adaptation and
facilitate collaborative and cross-disciplinary research in
these areas at a national scale. These networks strive to
ensure that terrestrial and freshwater systems have the
greatest resilience and best outcomes for adaptation to
climate change now and in the future. To find out
more about the networks or join please visit this display
table.
Titley Scientific
Titley Scientific creates and customises innovative
products that benefit the environment and ecological
scientific community worldwide. We understand the
importance of quality product and advice. Titley
Scientific has a purpose-built team of RF, systems,
design, firmware, software and acoustic engineers,
biologists, manufacturing and customer service
specialists. Customers can be confident in receiving
reliable products in the shortest delivery time.
1/905 Stanley Street East
East Brisbane QLD 4169
P: 07 3881 5577
F: 07 3205 8355
Cotton Catchment Communities
Cooperative Research Centre
The Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative
Research Centre, along with its 11 core participants,
enhances the Australian cotton industry, the
catchments and communities in which it is grown
through proactive research and adoption of the
world’s best practice in production, environmental and
catchment management.
Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research
Centre
21888 Kamilaroi Hwy
Narrabri 2390 Australia
Locked Bag 1001
Narrabri 2390 Australia
P: 02 67991500
F: 02 67931171
W: www.cottoncrc.org.au
W: www.titley.com.au
John Morris Scientific Pty Ltd
John Morris Scientific is a family-owned supplier of
environmental monitoring equipment, with offices
across Australia and New Zealand. Products include;
portable photosynthesis systems, light sensors, soil and
atmospheric CO2 analysers, greenhouse gas analysers,
automatic water samplers; grab samplers; open
channel and magnetic flowmeters; handheld and
multiparameter water quality instruments.
63 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood NSW 2067
T: 02 9496 4200
F: 02 9417 8855
W: www.johnmorris.com.au
The Atlas of Living Australia
The Atlas of Living Australia project was developed in
response to the need for more comprehensive and
accessible information on Australia’s biodiversity. The
Atlas website, a key part of the Atlas project, includes
species names lists, distribution maps, photos,
identification keys, species pages, occurrence records,
literature and more. Members of the public can help
researchers build a better picture of Australia’’s
biodiversity by contributing photos and information
about Australian species to the Atlas site.
51
PLENARY ABSTRACTS
Abstracts—Plenary sessions
0900, Room T1, MCC
0940, Room T1, MCC
50 years of ecological science
How can ecology be used to conserve
biodiversity?
Charles J Krebs1
1
University of British Columbia
William Sutherland1
1
I will review in this talk the major achievements of
ecological science during the last 50 years, with a focus
in particular on Australian ecology. We must be clear
about what ecologists wish to achieve because there
are three ecological worlds that operate almost
independently. Population ecologists have developed a
detailed understanding of single species systems, but
putting this understanding into the world of
community and ecosystem dynamics has been less
successful. I will review 3–4 key examples of progress in
understanding populations, communities, landscapes
and ecosystems to illustrate the advances that have
been achieved. Until about 1980 the prevailing
paradigm in ecology was to understand species
interactions in natural communities and ecosystems,
and to use that information as a template to
understand what goes wrong in human disturbed
systems. This paradigm is now obsolete because we do
not have a good inventory of biodiversity at a time
when most of the earth’s ecosystems are affected by
human activities and introduced species. The major
problem now is that we face rapid change in
ecological communities at a time when person-power
is in short supply. We try for shortcuts but most
shortcuts to ecological knowledge have been a
disaster, and we should be cautious in what we predict
for future ecological changes. Indirect interactions
within food webs can invalidate simple single-species
models, and modelling communities and ecosystems
while necessary in the long-term is in its infancy.
Complex models that cannot be validated or evaluated
are not a substitute for the predictive reliability that
society demands. Economics for all its sophisticated
models and Nobel Prizes has been a recent global
failure that should give us caution to demand
adequate experimental tests of our guiding principles.
Many of the recommendations ecologists have made
for changes in society are basic to sustainability but the
devil is always in the details.
Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, UK
There have been some spectacular conservation
successes but overall we are presiding over a global
loss of biodiversity. Part of the reason for this is the
failure to comprehensively integrate science and
practice. I suggest that we need to fundamentally
change how we work. This involves horizon scanning
for novel issues, determining the policy options
available, identifying the gaps in knowledge and
especially by ensuring that evidence-based
conservation underpins policy and practice. I suggest
this approach is best achieved by collaborating with
policy makers at all stages of the process and will give
example to show that this is practical.
I will suggest that the current emphasis on determining
whether projects are a success is misguided and we
should place our emphasis on studying the
consequences of interventions. I will describe the
process of solution scanning to generate a list of the
wide range of possible options. I suggest that collating
the effectiveness of interventions is a far more cost
effective means of operating. The ‘bee synopsis’
describes the global evidence for the effectiveness of
the 59 interventions that we are aware of that can
retain or restore wild bee populations (downloadable
from the website www.conservationevidence.com).
We plan such synopses for all taxa and habitats.
Finally, I will suggest that the same approach could be
applied to almost any area of policy including
education, social interventions or road safety, where, at
least in the UK, there is little attempt to explore the
range of options and take advantage of the global
experience.
53
PLENARY ABSTRACTS
1630, Room T1, MCC
AERA Lecture
Heads in the desert sand—why Australians should
wake up to the biodiversity crisis
0900, Room T1, MCC
Corey Bradshaw1
Professor Ross Garnaut AO1
1
University of Adelaide
The ESA is pleased to announce that Professor Corey
Bradshaw has been selected to deliver the 2010
Australian Ecology Research Award (AERA) Lecture.
The 2010 AERA recognises Corey Bradshaw’s
quantitative research in wildlife population
management and climate change impacts on
biodiversity. The work has revolutionised how
ecologists can combine demographic, genetic,
landscape and economic data within advanced
mathematical models to design the most cost-effective
and efficient invasive species control, to determine
threats to biodiversity, and to estimate the impact of
human activities on biodiversity on a global scale.
The AERA Lecture recognises excellence in research in
Australian ecology, for a specific body of recent work
by a mid-career researcher, and is delivered annually as
a Plenary at the conference of the Ecological Society of
Australia. The AERA winner is selected by an
independent panel of expert ecologists from around
Australia, chaired by the ESA’s Vice President—Research,
Glenda Wardle.
Economics, climate change and biodiversity
1
University of Melbourne
Australia’s biodiversity is in decline for a variety of
reasons. Aspects of the observed changes in Australia’s
natural systems have already been linked to climate
change. In addition to climate change pressures,
Australian Governments have failed to appropriately
correct for the market’s failure to value biodiversity.
The risks from climate change, and policies to address
them, have been subject to extensive analysis and
discussion in Australia, most prominently through the
2008 Garnaut Climate Change Review. I was recently
commissioned by the Government to update the
Review.
The 2008 Review posed one central question. ‘What
extent of mitigation, with Australia playing a
proportionate part, provides the greatest excess of
gains from reduced risks of climate change over costs
of mitigation?’
In answering this question, I proposed a decisionmaking framework that identified four types of benefits
or gains from the reduced risks of climate change. One
of these types of benefits related to non-market
benefits. These are benefits not reflected in the usual
measures of economic value and include the benefits
of biodiversity and preserving the natural estate.
The Review found that there is considerable potential
for biosequestration to contribute to national mitigation
efforts.
The update to the Review will include a discussion of
abatement opportunities in the land sector. Adopting a
carbon price will correct the negative carbon
externality associated with greenhouse gas externalities.
It will provide incentives for increased bio-sequestration
activities. This will generally be helpful to biodiversity
directly, as well as through its indirect effect on the
global effort on climate change.
However, a carbon price does not incorporate the
value of biodiversity. The expansion of other
mechanisms for supporting biodiversity can overlay
incentives for carbon sequestration, and maximise the
value of the co-product. This will require careful design
of incentives.
The likelihood that future generations will value nonmarket benefits such as biodiversity ever more than
today’s, further motivates the need for us to develop
policies that not only correct the world’s greatest
market failure of carbon pollution but also the related
great failure to appropriately value the natural estate
and biodiversity.
54
PLENARY ABSTRACTS
0940, Room T1, MCC
Global biodiversity science—recurrent challenges
and new opportunities
1
Harold Mooney
0900, Room T1, MCC
Seeing REDD: science, policy and politics in
biodiversity and climate change
1
Department of Biology, Stanford University, USA
2010, the UN year of biodiversity has provided an
impetus for summing up the current global status of
biological diversity. The picture is not pretty; we are still
suffering losses at the genetic, species, populations and
ecosystem levels, examples of tipping points in
ecosystem status are increasing driven by climate
change, land use practices and invasive species.
Participating nations to the Convention on Biological
Diversity in Nagoya, Japan this past month made new
commitments to reverse these unfavorable trends. The
intent is important; the path to attain these new goals
by the target date of 2020 is problematic given the
enormity of the challenge of meeting the increasing
resource demands of a growing population with
higher consumption expectations.
The science community has a crucial role to play in the
path to a more sustainable future that need not
depend on a continuing depletion of our natural
resources. We must continue to forge new
understanding of the origins, distribution, structure and
functioning of all levels of biological diversity and how
these respond to the large number of the drivers of
change. We must continue to unify our science and to
reach out beyond our immediate peer group with the
relevance of our work and to devise new ways of
communicating with the general public. For example
the ecosystem service paradigm has reached a new
and larger public audience on the significance of
biological diversity to their everyday lives and to their
businesses. It has also brought new directions to
research and development agencies. We need more
ways of connecting with the public on the significance
the losses we are incurring by the continuing assault
on our biological life support system and what it means
to their future wellbeing.
We also can all play a role in engaging the policy
community. We have new opportunities to do this
through the developing Intergovernmental Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, modeled after the
IPCC, where many of us will be called upon to provide
a synthesis and analysis of the data we have gathered.
Also, we will have an opportunity to aid in the
development of a much needed biodiversity
observation network (GEO-BON) where at last we will
have a solid baseline on which we can gauge the
progress we are making in attaining a sustainable
future.
Peter Bridgewater1
1
Chair, JNCC
In late October 2010 the Convention on Biological
Diversity held its tenth meeting, regarded as
successfully achieving a new target for 2020, having
missed the target set for 2010. As this abstract is being
written, preparations are in hand for the 16th meeting
of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, to
be held in Cancun, December 2010. As I write the
prospects do not look that good for an agreement on
the way forward.
But a key issue for both conventions is that of Reducing
Emissions (of carbon) from Deforestation and (forest)
degradation (REDD). This has morphed to REDD+ in
recent discussions, where the plus includes
conservation measures for forests. This has led to
discussions about where the discussions and decisions
about forest, carbon and biodiversity should be
conducted within the UN Morass. And it ignores the
inconvenient truth that while forests are a significant
carbon moderator there are other ecosystems on earth
(the word morass is used in a very deliberate sense!)….
More interesting is the way that climate change is now
featuring on the agenda of Biodiversity related
conventions, especially the CBD itself, and biodiversity is
featuring on the agenda of the Climate change
convention. And both are being discussed by the most
ineffectual of the 3 ‘Rio’ conventions, the Convention to
combat desertification.
To be relevant in these increasingly important political
and policy discussions ecological science should
explore the links between biodiversity and climate
change, and the impact those links have on the key
and important global environmental issue of the
availability of fresh water. Doing and making
biodiversity science accessible and available for more
focused national and international policy discussions in
the future is the only way the world can achieve viable
policy outcomes for sustainability in the coming
decades.
55
PLENARY ABSTRACTS
0940, Room T1, MCC
Beyond the golden age of rationality: what lies
ahead for ecological sciences?
0900, Room T1, MCC
Lorrae van Kerkhoff1
1
Much of science is premised on the notion of
rationality: a single logic of knowledge and action in
which science itself is the ultimate source of rigorous,
robust knowledge decision-makers need to manage
our earth and its ecosystems sustainably and well. Yet in
recent years we have seen this idea take a battering on
many fronts. Challenges from policy-makers, lay-people,
affected communities and, of course, controversy
within scientific ranks themselves all undermine
scientific claims to rationality and superior reasoning.
While the limits of this caricature of science are no
doubt apparent to many of us, the ramifications for
practice are often less clear. In other words, while we
typically acknowledged the complex and dynamic
socio-political world in which ecological sciences now
operate, we are not very well equipped to do our
research or teaching in ways that accommodate, let
alone embrace, these complexities. I will present some
recent work and thinking in sustainability research that
can help people working in the ecological sciences to
understand how the best and most valuable features of
science fit in this age beyond simple concepts of
rationality; and offer some insights into how we can rethink scientific practice to embrace the dynamics and
complexities of the next age—that is already upon us.
56
The coming famine: risks and solutions for global
food and ecological security
Julian Cribb1
1
Julian Cribb & Associates
In coming decades the world faces the risk of major
regional food crises leading to conflicts and mass
refugee movements. This is driven primarily by
emerging scarcities of all the primary resources
required to produce food—water, land, energy,
nutrients, science, fish and stable climates. The paper
outlines key factors in emerging global food insecurity
and their ecological consequences, and the challenges
facing farmers, consumers, NR managers and
policymakers. It proposes a number of solutions.
PLENARY ABSTRACTS
0950, Room T1, MCC
1330, Room T1, MCC
Gold Medal of the Ecological Society of Australia
Aussie battlers vs Spanish conquistadores: plasticity
and adaption in populations of Erodium
cicutarium.
Richard Hobbs1
1
University of Western Australia
Professor Richard Hobbs, University of Western
Australia, has been selected to receive the 2010
Ecological Society of Australia Gold Medal.
The Gold Medal recognises Richard’s significant
contribution to ecology in Australia, through his
research in both theoretical and applied aspects of
restoration ecology, and his role in improving
communications amongst scientists and with
practitioners in ecosystem management.
The ESA awards a Gold Medal in recognition of an
ecologist who has made a substantial contribution to
the study of ecology in Australia over the course of
their career. The Medal can also be awarded to ESA
members who have made a significant contribution to
the operations of the Society.
Amy Davidson1, Oscary Godoy1, Andy Sheppard1,
1
Adrienne Nicotra
1
Phenotypic plasticity is frequently referred to as playing
an important role in plant invasions and in coping with
environmental heterogeneity. It is also increasingly
mentioned as one means by which plants, in particular,
may cope with climate change. We present some
preliminary work from greenhouse experiments in
Spain comparing populations of Erodium cicutarium
from both the invaded range (Australia) and the native
range (Spain). The species grows along a natural
rainfall gradient in both countries and seed was
collected from drier and wetter sites in each. An
herbivory treatment was applied to half the plants in
which 50% of the aboveground biomass was removed
on two occasions. Plants were grown in 60cm custom
built rhizotrons to enable measurement of both root
and leaf morphology. The plasticity of allometric
relationships between leaves and roots to herbivory for
the four populations was analysed. As expected, plants
tended to increase their allocation of resources towards
leaves at the expense of roots following herbivory;
however this response was not always adaptive.
Populations from drier areas and from the invaded
region were more responsive to the herbivory
treatment than populations from the native region or
wetter sites.
57
PLENARY ABSTRACTS
1350, Room T1, MCC
Applying choice modelling to design payment
programs for off-reserve conservation in the
Northern Territory, Australia
Vanessa Adams1
1
James Cook University
The need to integrate social and economic factors into
conservation planning has become a focus of
academic discussions and has important practical
implications for the implementation of conservation
areas. However, to date the focus has been only on
selection of areas for strict reservation. With limited
resources, progressive degradation of habitats, and
rising expectations about the necessary extent of
conservation management, it is increasingly apparent
that other conservation actions such as stewardship
agreements or conservation covenants on private land
will be necessary to achieve conservation objectives.
We surveyed landholders in the Daly Catchment,
Northern Territory, to estimate their current land
management costs associated with conservation
actions and threats. The Daly Catchment is a national
priority for biodiversity conservation but also highly
suitable for intensified extractive uses. We used choice
modelling to assess the probability of success of three
conservation actions by land parcel: acquisition for
reservation, payments to support a Conservation
Management Agreement, and payments to support a
Conservation Covenant. Additionally, we assessed the
current costs of conservation for the catchment and
used regression to estimate the budget required to
support the various conservation actions under
consideration. We incorporated these results into
conservation planning software, Marxan with Zones, to
select areas for the three conservation actions under
different budgets for stewardship programs.
58
CONCURRENT ABSTRACTS
Abstracts—Concurrent sessions
Concurrent session 1a—Conservation
1100, Room T3, MCC
1115, Room T3, MCC
Assessing the comparative risks of acidification and
salinisation of Lakes Alexandrina and Albert
Conservation of arid overstorey perennials—
determining the age threshold for effective
recruitment
Kerri Muller1
1
Kerri Muller NRM
Andrew Denham1, Tony Auld1
1
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, NSW
Lakes Alexandrina and Albert, together with the
Coorong, form a Ramsar Wetland of International
Importance at the terminus of the Murray–Darling Basin.
Sustained low River Murray inflows, from a combination
of drought and over-allocation, saw the lakes drop to
unprecedented low levels with consequent exposure of
large areas of acid sulfate soils. Modelling indicated that
mobilisation of oxidation products from these soils could
lead to widespread acidification and/or metal toxicity if
lake levels drop below critical thresholds. One option
proposed was to selectively open the barrages that
separate the freshwater lakes from the estuary to allow
sufficient seawater in to keep lake levels above these
thresholds. Sixteen ecological experts, representing six
biotic groups, semi-quantitatively assessed the ecological
risks associated with using sea water to maintain target
water levels compared to alternative options: drawdown
of lake levels below thresholds, bioremediation of
exposed soils or delivering River Murray water to
maintain target levels. Novel methods used for screening
exposure to stressors (e.g. salinity, pH) and scoring risks
to Ecological Character are presented. A brief history of
the site will also be presented to aid understanding of
the complexities of managing the extant Matters of
National Environmental Significance in this highly altered
landscape.
In arid systems infrequent recruitment or elimination of
recruits by herbivores threatens many keystone
overstorey species. Typical management responses to
this are to reduce grazing pressure through fencing or
herbivore population control. Both these types of action
often lead to rapid establishment of new individuals, but
the difficulties of maintaining reductions in grazing
pressure beg the question—when can we stop? Clearly
plants need to attain grazing resistant size for effective
recruitment. In a long term study of recruitment and
survival at Kinchega NP, we examined growth rates of
several species with contrasting regeneration modes—
those that primarily produce suckers and exclusive
seedling producers. We found that growth toward
grazing resistant size varied with location, recruit type
and with species. Seedlings generally grew rapidly and
some reached a grazing resistant size within a decade.
This growth pattern was also apparent in some species
of sucker producers. However, some suckering species
such as Acacia carneorum appeared to slow their
growth rates after the initial establishment. For these
species, several decades may be required before it
would be safe to expose them to grazing. We discuss
the possible mechanisms behind this variation and the
conservation management implications.
Dr Kerri Muller is a freshwater ecologist who specialises in assessing
ecological risks and determining environmental water needs. She
has worked in the Murray–Darling Basin since 1992 and is a
Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation.
Andrew Denham’s research interest is in plant conservation
biology. His current work is looking at combining plant
demographics with genetic studies to overcome impediments to
recruitment in keystone arid species.
59
1130, Room T3, MCC
1145, Room T3, MCC
Habitat loss in Melbourne and plant extinction debt
Long-term community variation as a baseline for
biodiversity conservation: discerning signal from
noise
Mark J McDonnell1, Amy K Hahs1, Cynnamon Dobbs1,2
1
Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Royal Botanic
Gardens Melbourne, 2School of Botany, University of Melbourne
Amy Macken1
1
Hahs et al. (2009) examined the extinction debt of 22
cities around the world and reported debts as high as
55% of the flora for young cities (i.e., ~200 years old)
such as Melbourne, Australia. To explore the nature of
Melbourne’s extinction debt in more detail, we
examined the extinction debt of the major vegetation
communities based on broad Ecological Vegetation
Classes (EVCs) using a variety of data including
herbarium records and the Victorian Flora Information
System records. Today, native vegetation communities
(i.e., EVCs) in Melbourne occupy between 4 and 20% of
their original distribution. All EVCs exhibited an extinction
debt. The Plains Grasslands had the highest debt with
21% of the species predicted to be lost in the future
which equates to a loss of some 184 species. Riparian
and Swampy Scrub had the lowest extinction debt with
7% of the species predicted to be lost in the future
which equates to a loss of some 71 species. The Plains
Woodlands broad vegetation class actually contained
fewer species than would be explained by a species area
relationship suggesting other factors are negatively
impacting on the vegetation.
Mark McDonnell has conducted research and published research
papers and books on the ecology of cities and towns over the last
25 years.
Flinders University of South Australia
Concern about the impacts of future climate change on
biodiversity has led to increased recognition by the
conservation community of the need for long term
perspectives of ecosystems and their variability through
time. This is because ecosystems are not temporally static
but express natural variation in response to short and
long term disturbances, including climate change.
Examining patterns of ecological variation over the
Quaternary provides a means of determining whether
or not variation expressed by an ecosystem, community
or species is within the ‘normal’ range for the system.
The vertebrate fossil deposits of the Naracoorte Caves
World Heritage Area in south-eastern South Australia
contain long term records of ecosystem response to
multiple climate fluctuations at one location and provide
an opportunity to examine the variation expressed by
the local fauna through time. Despite the recognised
significance of the fossil deposits, no studies have
attempted to direct palaeontological investigation
towards providing information that may be used by
conservation biologists. Here, I present preliminary results
of my PhD research into late Pleistocene variation in
community and species dynamics and examine how
these records can provide a basis for distinguishing
‘natural’ variation (noise) from responses to extrinsic
factors such as climate change (signal).
Amy Macken is a PhD student at Flinders University. She
completed a BSc in Ecology/Botany from the University of
Adelaide, achieving an Honours degree from Flinders in 2009.
60
1200, Room T3, MCC
Relocation of the grey-headed flying-fox camp from
the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: history,
approval process and relocation monitoring and
methods
John Martin1, Billie Roberts2, Rodney van der Ree3, Peggy Eby4
1
Botanic Gardens Trust, 2Griffith University, 3Melbourne University,
Peggy Eby Consulting
4
The Botanic Gardens Trust (BGT) has received approval
from DECCW (NSW) and DEWHA (Commonwealth) to
relocate the Grey-headed Flying-fox (GHFF) camp
located within the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
(RBGS). The GHFF camp within the RBGS has been
steadily increasing since their recolonisation of the site in
1989, with a peak of 35 000 GHFF counted in 2007.
Since 1998 GHFF have been continually present within
the RBGS. As a result the heritage listed Gardens
continue to be degraded through mechanical damage
(knocking off leaf buds) caused by roosting GHFF. To
date 26 trees and 20 palms have died and the condition
of 40 others is considered critical. The BGT application
process commenced in 2007 and received a conditional
approval in 2009 from DECCW and in 2010 from
DEWHA. Both applications were advertised for public
comment and over 300 submissions were received and
addressed. The method proposed to relocate the GHFF
is based on the successful Melbourne Botanic Gardens
relocation conducted in 2003 which used industrial
noise to deter roosting GHFF. To monitor the
behavioural response of the GHFF during and after the
relocation the BGT is required to conduct the most
detailed monitoring program of a relocation to date. In
this presentation, we will outline the approval process,
the proposed methods to relocate and monitor, and
progress to date.
John Martin is the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens Flying-fox
Relocation Project Officer. ‘Troublesome’ urban species are a
research and management interest of John’s. In previous roles at
the Australian Museum and Centennial Park he has worked with
native and introduced flora and fauna. Study species include
rabbits, foxes, carp, possums and ibis. Urban ibis continue to be a
research interest of John’s, extending upon his PhD studies
through the University of Wollongong.
61
Concurrent session 1b—Symposium: Ecology in Australia over the last 50 years: from the past to
the future
1100, Room T1, MCC
1115, Room T1, MCC
On the shoulders of giants … but grasping for
what?
Building on a distinguished heritage
Roger Kitching
1
1
Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University
In 1971 when I arrived in Australia as a newly minted
ecologist, the animal ecology profession dominated by
population ecologists. Nicholson, Andrewartha and
Birch had constructed the profession in Australia and
their students, appointees or protégés were the stars:
Clark, Geier, Hughes, Readshaw, Browning—all names to
be reckoned with at the time, and all concerned with
population ‘regulation’ and pest management. Systems
analysis and modelling were the ‘tools de jour’ and a
young Robert May and a slightly less young Neil Gilbert
went through the Australian ecological community like
an unexpected laxative. Nicholson, Andrewartha, Birch
and May were all seeking ecological ‘universals’
reflecting the well known physics-envy of the day!
Others denied the existence or utility of such universals
proposing that differences were more important than
similarities. In the ensuing 40 years the focus has moved
so that ecology sees itself more as serving conservation
rather than population management (although these
aren’t always different). The pursuit of generalities has
become perhaps less fashionable here although
elsewhere it remains de rigour. And animal ecologists
have returned to their roots and included community
studies in their ambits—concerns with diversity, food
webs and biogeography re-emerging as of special
interest.
Professor Roger Kitching holds the Chair of Ecology at Griffith
University. He is a rainforest ecologist interested in the beta
diversity of animals, particularly arthropods.
62
1
Paul Adam
1
School of Biological Earth and Environmental Science, University
of New South Wales
The Ecological Society of Australia is 50 years young, but
it did not suddenly rise out of nowhere. There is a long
history of pioneering ecological study in Australia and a
strong intellectual heritage of rigorous and innovative
research in what is now regarded as ecology. On this
foundation the Society was built and many of the early
activities and publications of the Society reflect this
history. Much of the early ecological work in Australia
was involved with the exploration and assessment of the
potential, of natural resources, particularly for forestry or
agriculture. A number of examples of these studies will
be discussed. One topic of these early studies, the
ecology of rainforests became a topic of public and
political concern in the early years of the Society, and the
Society engaged in debate over the definition of
rainforest and its conservation, which was an important
precursor to the subsequent development of position
statements on a number of issues.
In contrast to rainforest, I will briefly consider coastal
saltmarsh, a habitat which played a key role in the
development of ecology in the northern hemisphere,
but which despite a few notable early studies, has only
become a subject for intensive study in Australia in
recent years.
Paul Adam is a plant ecologist at UNSW, with interests in
threatened species conservation, saltmarsh and rainforest ecology
and conservation.
1130, Room T1, MCC
1145, Room T1, MCC
50 years of Australian marine ecology—a personal
perspective
Freshwater ecology in Australia—directions, threads
and gaps
Alan Butler1
PS (Sam) Lake1
1
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
When the ESA was founded, much of Australian marine
ecology was derided as merely descriptive. But it moved
into a period of very active experimental work, testing
hypotheses about the dynamics of ecological systems,
mainly in habitats that were easy to access. This phase
was successful and enlightening, but the challenge
remains to scale up, and to do applied ecology on
systems not amenable to controlled experiments.
Australia has been a leader in this area as well.
Approaches to the management of fisheries and other
uses are officially ‘ecosystem based’—and we’re busy
figuring out how to do that! We think in terms of a
meta-ecosystem view of the linked social-ecological
system; we no longer think of the environment as
statistically stationary, even as a convenient simplification;
in particular we are trying to anticipate the effects of
climate change. The interface between ecological
theory, social science, and field marine ecology is a
challenging place to be right now. Despite all this, much
of marine ecology is still descriptive because the deep
sea has continued to be really difficult to get at—we are
still struggling to establish the ‘natural history’ basis that
underpins good ecology everywhere. New technologies
are rapidly changing that.
Alan Butler studied and taught marine ecology at the University of
Adelaide, Zoology Department, for 24 years before joining CSIRO
and moving into deeper waters. He has recently retired, which
gives him slightly longer weekends.
1
School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
Up till 1961, taxonomy, distribution and the natural
history of the aquatic biota were major activities in
freshwater science. Starting in the early 60s, the major
ecological effort focused on the limnology of lakes—
especially salt lakes. Studies on the chemistry and
adaptations of salt lake biota served to stimulate salt lake
studies world-wide. Before the mid 70s the ecology, but
not the use, of flowing waters had been neglected. The
River Continuum Concept (1980) stimulated efforts to
apply it to Australian streams. These were unsuccessful,
largely due to the high flow variability of Australian
streams. This variability led to studies of temporary
streams, inland rivers and their floodplain wetlands. In
relation to disturbance (floods, drought) research has
focused on assemblage and trophic structure,
production and use of refugia by biota. Inputs of plant
litter into low-order streams are held to drive their
production, though in arid and tropical systems, algae
may be the major trophic input. Periodic flooding is
critical to maintaining and restoring the ecological
integrity of floodplain rivers. Flow variability and
connectivity are critical requirements for environmental
flow schedules, which combined with rapid ecological
assessment and freshwater ecosystem restoration, are all
key areas currently addressing management problems.
Sam Lake BSc (ANU), PhD (So’ton) has mainly researched in
freshwater ecology for the past 45 years. He has focused on the
effects in aquatic ecosystems of natural and human-created
disturbances and on the remediation of the latter in recent times.
63
1200, Room T1, MCC
1215, Room T1, MCC
Key questions in ecology in the 1960s: have we
answered them yet?
Publishing Australian ecological research over fifty
years
Mark Westoby1
Michael Bull1
1
Macquarie University
What were seen as the key questions in ecology in the
1960s? In the fifty years since then, have we solved
them, dodged them or reformulated them?
Mark Westoby has taught ecology and evolution at Macquarie
University since 1975.
1
Flinders University
Early publications in ecology from Australia emphasised
unique aspects of the natural history of our biota.
Australian ecology started to have an impact on the rest
of the world after the publication of Andrewartha and
Birch: The Distribution and Abundance of Animals in
1954. Soon after its foundation, the Ecological Society of
Australia started publishing a series of Proceedings in
1966, and then its journal The Australian Journal of
Ecology, in 1976. Now we publish two journals Austral
ecology and Ecological Management and Restoration.
This talk will reflect on the evolution of these publications
over the years, and the scientific and financial impact
they have had. It will reflect on possible directions in the
next 50 years, indulging in speculative behaviour that
would not be allowed by any sensible journal editor or
conference scientific program director.
Michael Bull is Managing Editor of Austral Ecology and
Co-Convenor of the Symposium.
64
Concurrent session 1c—Symposium: Long-term, trans-scale, integrated monitoring of Australian
landscapes
1100, Room T4, MCC
1115, Room T4, MCC
A unique, plot-based approach to monitoring
Australian tropical rainforests
New innovations for remote sensing revolutionise
long-term monitoring
Matt Bradford1, Daniel Metcalfe1
Alex Held1, Stuart Phinn2
1
CSIRO
Tropical rainforests are highly variable ecosystems and
exhibit this variability in both space and time. This poses
a logistic challenge when attempting to monitor and
interpret system dynamics. Should limited resources be
focused at a single large site or distributed over multiple
small sites? To examine the relative benefits of these two
approaches we compare 40 years of data from twenty
0.5Ha plots distributed across Queensland’s Wet Tropics
with data from a newly established 25Ha plot. The
multiple smaller plots have allowed us to study diversity,
growth rates, mortality and recruitment in different forest
types, while documenting the occurrence of, and
recovery from, natural phenomena such as cyclones,
Phytophthera and erosion. The larger plot allows us to
collect similar data in one location but at a larger spatial
scale and in combination with associated faunal,
hydrological, meteorological and atmospheric data. This
enables improved consideration of population and
community processes and drivers of change. The two
plot systems provide distinct windows into
understanding rainforest systems with the 0.5Ha plots
allowing biome level insights while the 25Ha plot
allowing a detailed process insight into populations and
a community. Furthermore, the 25ha plot will allow
comparison with similar plots on other continents.
Matt Bradford has been a Research Technician at CSIRO, Atherton
since 1992. His work centres on tropical forest dynamics and
current interests include fruiting phenology, seed dispersal and
plant invasion.
1
CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research, 2TERN,
University of Queensland
Since the inception of satellite imagery in the early 1980s,
remote sensing has beckoned the ecosystem scientist
with its promise of spatial and temporal integrative
power and insights into the health and nature of
vegetation cover in Australia. This potential has not been
realised by the community, remote sensing too often
being used as just another means of generating
‘pictures’.
There have been several problems with the effective use
of remote sensing technologies in the ecosystem science
community: (i) the consistency and quality of the images
available, (ii) their high cost and sophisticated technical
requirements, and (iii) the changing technology and
understanding in the field.
This presentation will discuss a range of new systematic
and innovative provision of remote sensing products
which will revolutionise its use. These products include:
•
derivation of key variables: LAI, %Cover, PV-NPV-Soil
fractions
•
measurement of the diversity and composition of
biological materials visible in the imagery
•
spatial distribution and heterogeneity of biological
and inert materials
•
monitoring changes over time: e.g. phenology or
ground cover dynamics
•
identify chemical nature of terrestrial surface
materials and their temporal dynamics (vegetation,
soils, water bodies, etc).
Dr Alex Held is Facility Leader for TERN-AusCover and Team leader
of the Terrestrial Remote Sensing Group in CSIRO Division of
Marine and Atmospheric Research
65
1130, Room T4, MCC
1145, Room T4, MCC
Intensive monitoring sites: relevance, integration
and effectiveness in natural resource management
Long-term, trans-scale, integrated monitoring of
Brazilian landscapes: lessons for Australia
Mike Liddell1, Peter Grace2, Andy Steven2
William Magnusson1, Jean-Marc Hero2, Flavia Costa1, Ben
Lawson2, Rodrigo Koblitz3, Guy Castley2, Elizabeth Franklin1,
1
Albertina Lima
1
2
James Cook University, Queensland University of Technology,
CSIRO
3
1
There have been many instances of intensive monitoring
plots and transects in the history of Australia’s ecosystem
science, mostly modelled on international practice.
Integral to these is the combination of soil, gas exchange
and biotic information at one place and their alignment
with thematic issues in natural resource management.
Such sites have delivered much useful product for the
better understanding of the function of our ecosystems,
but have tended to be abandoned once the initiator
retires or loses enthusiasm or funding is terminated. It is
important to consider their value to national ecosystem
science and management. The great advantage of these
sites is the integration of the various levels of ecosystem
function and process in one location and the multidisciplinarity provided for problem solving and model
development and testing. The TERN Supersite network is
a national ecosystem research construct providing data
essential for informed natural resource management
and the global ecosystem science community. Each of
the Supersites undertakes a set of core activities
addressing aspects of biodiversity, carbon management
and water availability within the landscape: an Ozflux
system; soil, plant, atmosphere interactions ranging from
basic plant physiology to soil carbon, water and nutrient
dynamics and long term vegetation/faunal monitoring.
The latter activity will provide an integration point with
the extensive LTER systems also being developed
through TERN.
Mike Liddell has expertise in monitoring carbon dioxide, water
vapour and energy fluxes in the field. He is program leader for the
rainforest Supersite facility of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research
Network.
66
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, 2Environmental
Futures Centre, Griffith University, 3Instituto Brasileiro do Meio
Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis
Most research proposals mention long-term
interdisciplinary research that has relevance to
stakeholders whose interests cover a wide range of
scales. However, results are usually specific to one
location or scale, and the ecological synthesis does not
materialise. One of the reasons for this is that planning is
for specific results, and no thought is given to common
infrastructure that is useful to researchers from a wide
range of disciplines. The lack of planning for integration
results in mindless megaprojects that involve many local
management-oriented studies that are related only
through a common funding source. The Brazilian PPBio
and CENBAM programs were designed integrate
researchers from a number of disciplines, and part of
that integration involves the construction of common
field infra-structure, that complements pre-existing
intensive or extensive research. The results from these
programs show that integrated research is feasible, and
that it returns results that are useful to a far wider range
of stakeholders than conventional science. Specific
examples include integration of environmental variables
2
and biodiversity, integration of scales from 25 km to > 1
2
million km , and even transcontinental comparisons with
Australia.
Dr William Magnusson did his PhD at Sydney University and went
into the Amazon to work on Manatees in the 1970s. He has
published widely in many fields of ecology and currently leads the
Program for Biodiversity Studies (PPBio) of the Ministry of Science
and Technology in Brasil.
1200, Room T4, MCC
1215, Room T4, MCC
Measuring the contribution of CAR reserves to
mature forest biodiversity in production forest
landscapes
OzFlux: the Australian flux and ecosystem research
network
Simon Grove1,2, Tim Wardlaw1,2, Steve Read1
1
1
2
Forestry Tasmania, CRC for Forestry
Regional Forest Agreements in Australia provide for
biodiversity conservation in production forests through a
network of reserves complemented by management
prescriptions in harvesting zones. The effectiveness of
this strategy remains largely untested, despite its
importance for a social licence for ongoing commercial
forestry in native forests. The 55,000 ha Southern Forests
Experimental Forest Landscape (SFEFL) in southern
Tasmania, anchored on the Warra Long-Term Ecological
Research Site, provides a continuous gradient of
modification from wilderness to heavily modified
plantation and agricultural areas, within a relatively
uniform biophysical environment, and has been
established for the study of forestry management at the
range of scales. An initial project uses a ‘replicated
patch/landscape with controls’ design to test responses
in focal taxa (birds, vascular plants and saproxylic
beetles), and investigates possible changes across the
gradient of modification in whether mature forest
remains viable as habitat, and whether harvested areas
close to mature forest are richer in mature-forest
biodiversity than those more distant. We have already
found that historical patterns of disturbance, both
natural (from wildfire) and anthropogenic (from forest
harvesting), give strong signals in coarse woody debris
levels across the SFEFL. The effect of this finding on
saproxylic beetles is being explicitly tested.
Ray Leuning1, Helen Cleugh1, Mike Liddell2
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, 2James Cook University,
QLD
This presentation describes OzFlux, a network of flux sites
across Australia supported by TERN, the Terrestrial
Ecosystem Research Network. OzFlux provides a
consistent set of observations at time scales from hours
to decades. Each site has micro-meteorological
instrumentation to measure fluxes of water vapour and
CO2, sensors for radiation, soil moisture, soil temperature,
wind speed and direction, air temperature and humidity
plus electrical power and telecommunications
equipment. Stocks of carbon, water and nutrients and
remote-sensing of vegetation structure are measured at
‘super sites’.
Data from OzFlux are used by the land-surface and
ecosystem modelling communities in Australia and
globally to: 1) evaluate uncertainties in the performance
of ecosystem and land surface models, 2) provide
parameter values for models, 3) aid the incorporation of
better process representations in these models, 4)
develop detailed understanding of biogeochemical
cycles of carbon and nutrients from local to regional
scales, 5) provide evaporation data to develop local and
regional water balances thereby enhancing our ability to
manage landscapes for sustainable water yields.
Quantitative extrapolation of knowledge gained at flux
station sites to regional and continental scale is achieved
by combining models, remote sensing and climate data.
67
Concurrent session 1d—Symposium: From genes to ecosystems
1100, Moran G007, MCC
Above and below-ground specialisation in
Australian orchids: novel insights from integrated
ecological and genetic analysis
The terreArray: a new microarray technology for
quantifying ecosystem molecular functions within
complex microbial communities
Rod Peakall1, Michael Whitehead1, Kate Griffiths1, Celeste
1
2
2
Linde , Jacqueline Poldy , Russell Barrow
Ross Chapman1
1
EcoGeonomix
1
Research School of Biology, The Australian National University,
2
Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University
Flowering plants are inextricably linked with other
organisms. Above ground, orchids are well known for
their diverse animal-pollination mechanisms. Below
ground, orchids depend on mycorrhizal associations for
seed germination. These interactions are often
specialised and have likely played major roles in driving
the astonishing diversification of the Orchidaceae. One
serious research impediment is our inability to identify
species by morphology alone, in all three groups.
Therefore, we are employing chemical, ecological and
genetic tools to better understand these interactions. In
sexually deceptive Chiloglottis orchids this work has
revealed the novel chemistry used by cryptic orchid
species to lure their male pollinators to the flower.
Pollinator choice experiments have further confirmed the
primacy of chemistry in controlling pollinator specificity.
We have also uncovered multiple cryptic species of
pollinators. Contrary to expectations, multiple species of
orchid are associated with a monophyletic group of
fungal lineages. Thus, pollinator, rather than fungal
specialisation may have been the major driver of
speciation in Chiloglottis. These specific pollinator
interactions may increase the conservation risk for some
orchid species. Our integration of ecology and genetics
is offering novel insights that would not be possible from
either field alone.
Rod Peakall’s research interests include plant reproduction,
molecular ecology, conservation biology, chemical ecology and
the statistics of population genetic analysis. While his study species
include insects, plants, mammals and birds, he has a special interest
in the evolution and speciation of orchids.
68
Microbial communities are responsible for driving critical
ecosystem processes, including the cycling of energy,
nutrients and methane, and the degradation of toxins.
Productive and sustainable management of ecosystems
therefore requires a sound understanding of molecular
microbial processes that occur. However, gaining an
ecosystem wide perspective of the multiple molecular
processes undertaken by a myriad of microbial
organisms has presented a major challenge to microbial
ecologists. The terreArray is a new microarray
technology that enables the quantitative study of
multiple microbial molecular processes within complex
microbial communities by assessing the abundance of
key genes associated with those processes. Processes
represented on the terreArray include the cycling of
carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, and phosphorous; methane
oxidation; heavy metal resistance; and the
biodegradation of organic toxins. Data is presented
demonstrating the ability of the terreArray to detect
functional differences between soil microbial populations
from contrasting soil samples. The terreArray can be a
valuable tool both for environmental auditing, for
example to assess the impact of environmental stress
and restoration practices on microbial function, and as a
research tool to provide a more complete
understanding of the impact of experimental treatments
or environmental stimuli on microbial function.
Ross Chapman has a PhD in Grassland Ecology from Aberdeen
University, Postdoc Restoration Ecology, Newcastle University. He is
a seed bank ecologist, CSIRO Plant Industry Bioinformatician,
School of Botany, Melbourne University Group Leader, Victorian
Microarray Technology Consortium, DPI, Victoria.
Can secondary metabolism pathway genes reveal
signs of interactions with ecosystem?
Assessing ecological characteristics using highthroughput sequencing and DNA microarrays
Suat Hui Yeoh1, William Foley1, Gavin Moran1
Christopher Hardy1, Leon Court1, Diana Hartley1,
Matthew Morgan1, Matthew Colloff1, Anthony Chariton2
1
1
Evolutionary processes can leave distinct signatures in
the genetic material of an organism. In order to
understand the evolutionary history, interactions and
roles of an organism in its ecosystem, the relative
magnitude of these processes must be distinguished.
Eucalyptus dominates the forest ecosystems of Australia.
Past research has highlighted the significance of the
response of eucalypts to herbivores and to stress. We
used a comprehensive set of neutral genetic markers to
investigate the genetic structure of Eucalyptus globulus
across its entire geographic range. We then compared
the genetic variance of these markers with key upstream
genes in the terpene biosynthesis pathway which is
important in the response to both stress and herbivores.
We discuss whether these gene polymorphisms are
under random genetic drift or display local adaptation.
Understanding the basis of the polymorphisms in the
key genes in an important pathway of secondary
metabolism will enable us to determine how chemical
diversity is maintained in natural forests and how it in
turn, promotes biological diversity.
Suat Hui Yeoh is a PhD candidate from the Division of evolution,
ecology and genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian
National University. She received her BSc (Hons.) in Genetics and
Molecular Biology from University of Malaya, Malaysia before
accepting an academic fellowship from the University of Malaya
Academic Training Scheme to pursue her PhD. She is now
working on the population genetics of Eucalyptus globulus with
the aim of using neutral markers and the genes involved in
terpene biosynthesis pathwayto understand more about the
population structure of this species.
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2CSIRO Land and Water
Ecosystem health is commonly assessed using small
subsets of species that are tractable for identification,
typically invertebrates and plants; an approach requiring
large numbers of replicates, long sorting times and the
need for specialist taxonomic expertise. Recent advances
in high-throughput DNA sequencing, as well as highdensity DNA microarrays, offer exciting new
opportunities to improve our understanding of
ecosystem characteristics and provide a more complete
picture of biodiversity. Both approaches provide
considerable benefits over existing monitoring tools
through their ability to detect previously ignored or
cryptic biota.
We have recently used one technique, 454
pyrosequencing, to identify eukaryotic sedimentdwelling species assemblages from locations with
varying concentrations of contaminants in Sydney
1
Harbour . This study highlighted a number of key gaps
in our current understanding of both the powers and
limitations of the new sequencing-based platforms as
well as the need for greatly improved bioinformatics
capability to facilitate the processing of increasingly
massive datasets.
A second technique, screening samples against a
custom designed Affymetrix DNA microarray chip
(ecosystem array) containing over 480,000 gene
sequence targets grouped into 50,000 probe sets
encompassing species representing all major kingdoms
of biota (metazoa, fungi, plants and micro-organisms)
has also been developed and tested by our team. The
genetic information included on the chip is derived from
two sources: 1) Small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU
rDNA) sequences for eukaryotic organisms in Sydney
Harbour sediments; and 2) Eukaryotic and bacterial SSU
rDNA as well as bacterial N and S cycle genes retrieved
from GenBank. DNA extracted from Sydney Harbour
sediments were hybridised against targets on the
ecosystem array and the outputs validated against 454
data from the same samples, thus providing equivalent
information on the identity and differences in biota
between locations. The ability of high density ecosystem
DNA microarrays to provide large amounts of data
rapidly and at a cost comparable to standard chemical
approaches makes them an attractive and far cheaper
alternative to sequencing for routine ecological
monitoring.
Dr Chris Hardy is a molecular geneticist and team leader for
Functional and Environmental Genomics at CSIRO Ecosystem
Sciences based in Canberra. His primary interest is in applying
gene technologies for understanding ecosystem function.
69
Genes in the landscape
The genetic basis of chemotype variation in mosaic
Alison Shapcott1
1
University Sunshine Coast
Geneticists have long tried to explain landscape level
genetic patterns as well as local community scale genetic
structure. Early studies found relationships between
genetic diversity of species populations was correlated
with community level species diversity in Carpentaria
acuminata from the Northern Territory showing
landscape scale patterns from the macro to the micro
were taking place. More recently niche modelling of
species has enabled better explanation and predictions
of landscape level geneflow when matched with
genetic patterns in Macadamia. Genetic studies have
identified metapopulation structure is maintained by
pollen flow in some species and genetic studies are
becoming useful tools to our understanding of seed
dispersal and have enabled confirmation that some
species distributions are dispersal limited. This talk will use
case studies to highlight examples of where the
integration of ecology and genetics has lead to greater
insights and new approaches that will enable further
integration. The understanding of the impacts of climate
change and how species may adapt or persist offers an
ideal setting for integration at a variety of scales which
will be discussed.
Alison Shapcott has been attempting to integrate ecology and
genetics since the mid 80s and has worked on a variety of systems
and is actively engaged in innovtive approaches.
Eucalyptus
Amanda Padovan1, Andras Keszei1, Tobias Kollner2, Jorg
Degenhardt2, William Foley1
1
Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 2Institut
für Pharmazie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg,
Germany
Mosaic Eucalyptus trees provide unparalleled natural
experiments to understand how plants control the
synthesis of chemical defences against herbivorous
insects and mammals. In natural eucalypt mosaics,
different branches on a single tree show vastly different
leaf terpene and FPC profiles and thus vastly different
responses to herbivores. Terpenes are responsible for the
aroma and biological activity of many plant products,
including Eucalyptus oil. They also play an important
ecological role, particularly in defence against herbivores
and pathogens. Formylated phloroglucinol compounds
(FPCs) are unique to Eucalyptus and have strong antifeeding properties against marsupials and some insect
herbivores. We collected leaf samples from mosaic trees
of three species of Eucalyptus and analysed the foliar
terpene and FPC variation. We identified 68 unique foliar
terpenes and just seven foliar FPCs. The patterns of
terpene variation suggest that a limited number of
terpene synthases are responsible for chemotypic
variation. We are using genomic and transcriptomic
approaches to identify these terpene synthases and
other genes that may synthesise the FPCs in order to
explain chemotypic variation in mosaic Eucalyptus.
Amanda Padovan completed a Bachelor of Science with honours
at the Australian National University in 2009. Her thesis was ‘The
molecular basis of terpene variation in Melaleuca quinquenervia’.
Amanda started a PhD this year, also at the ANU, investigating the
molecular mechanisms of terpene variation in mosaic Eucalyptus
melliodora and E. sideroxylon. These trees are heavily defoliated
during insect outbreaks, leaving very little of the canopy. However
there is a single branch supporting healthy foliage, the insects
don’t eat these leaves. Amanda is looking at this interaction from
the trees’ perspective to determine what differs between the
‘resistant’ and ‘susceptible’ leaves and how this is controlled at the
molecular level.
70
Concurrent session 1e—Invasive species
Invader impact thresholds on native plant
communities
Woven plastic weed mat succeeds in large-scale
restoration where conventional weed control
methods failed
Ben Gooden1, Kris French1, Peter J Turner2, Paul O Downey2
1
Institute for Conservation Biology and Environmental
Management, School of Biological Sciences, University of
Wollongong, 2Pest Management Unit, Parks and Wildlife Group,
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, NSW
Adverse effects of alien plant invaders on native
communities are well documented, yet it remains poorly
understood whether invasion causes a linear or nonlinear loss of native species diversity. Invader impact
thresholds may occur where low levels of invasion have
little effect on native diversity, above which native
species rapidly decline. We used a multi-site comparison
approach to assess non-linear impact thresholds of a
prolific alien shrub, Lantana camara L. (lantana), on
vascular plant assemblages in wet sclerophyll forest of
south eastern New South Wales. The number (richness)
of native species declined significantly with increasing
lantana foliage cover; however, non-linear models better
explained species decline, suggesting invader thresholds
exist. Native species richness declined only where
lantana cover exceeded 75% in the forest understorey
indicating that only with extensive invasion is species
richness affected. Above this level species richness
declined rapidly (about two species disappeared with
every percentage increase in lantana cover). Lantana
impacts were pervasive among life-forms although herbs
and vines showed relatively greater species losses than
ferns, shrubs and trees. Lantana invasion above 75%
cover changed community composition and shifted
vegetation structure from tall open forest to low, dense
lantana-dominated shrubland. A possible broad scale
biodiversity conservation strategy could be to restrict
invader cover to a level below the 75% cover threshold
at sites comprising regionally common species, which
would then allow more of the limited management
resources for invader eradication to be used in areas of
high conservation priority, such as those containing
uncommon, rare or endangered species.
Peter Grose1
1
School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia
Sustained conventional weed control efforts using fire,
herbicides and cultivation over five years failed to permit
the restoration of 6.5 ha of fertile Vertosol soil farmland
to its pre-existing natural state using seedling planting
and direct seeding. Apart from a few large remnant
trees, weeds completely dominated the site, primarily
seven species that cover the full year in times of
germination. All seven grow profusely in spring, the
most critical time for establishment of native species,
which were unable to compete adequately to overcome
the threshold created by the weeds, despite the
assistance of conventional weed control. Small-scale trials
of jute mat, mulch and woven black plastic weed mat in
2006 showed the latter to be most cost-effective for
weed control, and it is now proving successful on a
much larger scale for expansion of the adjacent
important wetland reserve and bird habitat as an offset
for freeway construction. Nowadays there is some
resistance to the use of herbicides for weed control, and
in some instances conventional herbicide usage can be
ineffective. In some situations woven black plastic weed
mat can be a viable and cost-effective alternative on a
large-scale basis, particularly where there is a significant
threshold to overcome.
Peter Grose is Managing Director of Tranen Revegetation Systems
in Perth and part-time PhD student researching soil stabilisation
with mulch and native plants and weed control systems.
Ben Gooden is a first year PhD candidate working in conservation
and invasive plant biology at the University of Wollongong.
71
Invasive primates in Brazil
Approximate Bayesian computation for the
estimation of invasion dynamics
Helena Godoy Bergallo1, Daniel Gomes Pereira1, Nathalia
1
1
Detogne , Wagner Silva Souza
1
Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil
Brazil has about 110 primate species; of which most are
endemic to the Amazon and Atlantic Forests. Four
species of native primates are considered invasive in
other Brazilian regions: Callithrix jacchus, C. penicillata,
Saimiri sciureus and Leontopithecus chrysomelas. Except
for the last species, the others have been introduced into
new areas, being captured and sold along Brazilian
roads or in illegal markets as pets. However, as they tend
to be aggressive, the owners end up releasing them into
the wild and urban areas. Nowadays, C. jacchus and C.
penicillata can be found in many areas in south and
south-eastern Brazil. These species present considerable
negative impact on birds, and in a lower scale in lizards,
tree frogs and infant mammals. Another major impact is
the hybridisation with congeneric species. We estimated
the population size of three different populations of
these species in Rio de Janeiro State: in an island
(0.29+0.12 ind/ha), in an Urban Park (2.80+ 1.20 ind/ha)
and in a National Park where some hybrids (0.005+
0.003 ind/ha) between C. penicillata with the native and
threatened species, C. aurita can be found. The
population sizes tend to be higher in urban areas, where
the human population feeds the marmosets.
Helena Bergallo works with research and teaching of ecology at
Rio de Janeiro State University. Her research is in the area of
mammal ecology, currently focusing on invasive alien species.
Grant Hamilton1, Rune Rasmussen1
1
Queensland University of Technology
Understanding the dynamics of species invasions allows
better management, and is therefore a high priority
challenge. Currently we lack many of the tools that are
needed to understand and predict the critical range
expansion component of invasions. Range expansions
dynamics are complex, with interplay between the site of
invasion, the time until the invasion is discovered,
dispersal (localised and long distance), population
growth, and the landscape across which the range
expansion occurs. Because the invasion process and the
landscape across which invasions occur are both
complex, however, it has been difficult to develop
generic methods to understand range expansions.
Typically estimating the parameters of range expansions
has meant either unduly simplifying the ecology of the
invasion process, and ignoring (or greatly simplifying)
features of the landscape across which the invasion
occurs. We demonstrate a newly developed method for
the estimation of range expansion parameters across a
heterogeneous landscape using Approximate Bayesian
Computation (ABC). Using this method, it is possible to
preserve the essential components of the ecological
process that we need to understand for better
management, and the landscape that will make each
invasion unique. We demonstrate the utility of this
approach using both simulations and data.
Grant Hamilton is a lecturer in Ecology. He uses statistical and
computational methods for the modelling and management of
pest species and is particularly interested in the range expansion
process.
72
Potential demographic impact of Cactoblastis
cactorum on native Opuntia populations in Mexico
Testing the generality of limiting similarity in plant
communities
Habacuc Flores-Moreno1, Maria del Carmen Mandujano
Sánchez2, Jordan Golubov3, Francisco Mandujano2
Jodi Price1, Meelis Partel1
1
2
1
University of Tartu
3
University of New South Wales, UNAM, Mexico, UAM, Mexico
Cactus moths (Cactoblastis cactorum) have been used
worldwide as biological control agents of prickly pear
(Opuntia spp). Native to South America, cactus moths
were introduced to the Caribbean and reached southeastern Mexico in 2006. The presence of Cactoblastis in
Mexico is of great concern because most native Opuntia
species have both biological and social importance.
Using herbarium data and bioclimatic models we
projected the distribution of susceptible Opuntia species
and of their morphologically related species. We also
projected the demographic effects of an invasion by C.
cactorum on a wild Opuntia population using
population models. Based on demographic data from
one wild Opuntia species, we projected the damage by
the cactus moth with matrix population models.
Reductions in demographic processes were then applied
to the model, based on reported damage by the cactus
moth in South Africa. We found Opuntia species
susceptible to Cactoblastis are mainly distributed in
northern and central Mexico. Demographically
unperturbed Opuntia populations showed numerical
equilibrium, but a 10% reduction in plant growth
considerably decreased the rate of population increase.
Our results suggest that many wild Opuntia species
could be seriously affected throughout Mexico by the
cactus moth, with serious biological and social
consequences.
Habacuc Flores-Moreno conducted undergrad and masters
studies at National Autonomous University of Mexico. His main
interest is invasive species evolution. Now he is conducting PhD
studies with Dr Angela Moles at UNSW.
Limiting similarity is a proposed assembly rule based on
the idea that species must be functionally different to
coexist. There has been controversy over the applicability
of this ‘rule’ for plant communities with some studies
finding evidence for limiting similarity and others not.
One approach to testing this has been to examine the
‘invasion’ success of species into communities in which
the functional diversity and composition has been
manipulated. Using a meta-analysis approach, we
examine the generality of this principle for plant
communities based on published experimental studies.
We asked—is establishment of an invading species less
successful if it belongs to a functional group that is
already present in the community compared to a
community in which that functional group is absent?
We found that communities containing functionally
similar species to the invader could reduce the invaders
biomass, cover or growth, but only for forb invaders.
There was no support for limiting similarity when studies
used a measure of invader colonisation (i.e. germination,
establishment or survival). Hence, provided sufficient
propagule supply, functionally similar invaders can
establish, but biotic interactions may limit their
abundance post-establishment. This finding has
important implications for understanding community
assembly processes, invasion ecology, and restoration.
Jodi Price is a plant ecologist currently working on aspects of
community assembly in herbaceous communities from a macroecological perspective. Previous work includes species invasions,
disturbance impacts and land-use.
73
Concurrent session 1f—Fire
1100, Room T2, MCC
1115, Room T2, MCC
Assessing the impact of fire regimes and
topography on hollow occurrence in trees and
logs
Climate change impacts on bushfires and
ecosystem distribution in eastern Australia
1
1,2
2
Luke Collins , Ross Bradstock , Liz Tasker
1
University of Wollongong, 2Department of Environment, Climate
Change and Water
Hollows are a vital habitat resource for many animals.
Fire has the potential to alter hollow dynamics through
both creation and destruction, though impacts may vary
spatially due to the influence of topography on fire
behaviour. This study in dry sclerophyll forests near
Nowra examined the effect of fire frequency, severity
and topography on the presence of hollows in fallen
logs and standing trees. A total of 684 logs and 585
trees were randomly selected across 30 sites, stratified by
fire frequency and topography (gully/ridge). Fire
frequency was categorised as ≤2 (low) or ≥4 (high) fires
over a 26 year period. Generalised linear mixed models
were used for analysis. Hollow occurrence in logs was
typically greater in the low fire frequency treatment,
although log diameter and decomposition determined
the degree of influence. Fire severity had no impact on
hollow occurrence in logs. Fire frequency and severity
had no effect on hollow occurrence in trees. Logs in
gullies and trees on ridges were more likely to contain
hollows, with no interaction being observed between
fire frequency and topography. Frequent fire may
reduce hollow availability in logs, although underlying
topographic effects on hollow occurrence may maintain
this resource across topographically heterogeneous
landscapes.
Luke Collins is a PhD candidate conducting research that assesses
how fire and the landscape interact to shape habitat characteristics
and thus determine the abundance of small and medium sized
mammals.
74
Jeremy Little1, Steve Williams1, David Bowman2,
Jeremy VanDerWal1, Will Edwards1, Chris Johnson1
1
James Cook University, 2University of Tasmania
Predicted increases in bushfire frequency and intensity
are likely to be one of the most significant influences of
climate change on terrestrial ecosystems globally.
Ecosystems found in cool moist climates, as well as
ecosystems that are fire sensitive are those most likely to
be at risk.
In Australia, cool moist and fire sensitive ecosystems,
which include rainforests and tall eucalypt forests, are
currently restricted to uplands and slopes associated
with the great eastern ranges. These ecosystems also
host Australia’s highest biodiversity, so the consequences
from adverse impacts are potentially catastrophic.
The extent to which a change in climate and fire regime
could affect these ecosystems has been studied in the
Wet Tropics region of north-east Australia. This includes
a detailed field-based study of climatic conditions and
Fire Danger across an ecosystem gradient consisting of
rainforest, ecotonal tall eucalypt forest and savanna
woodlands. A complex of field, vegetation,
biogeographic and other regional data has then been
used in conjunction with cutting-edge spatially explicit
models to predict how these ecosystems will respond to
changes in climate and fire regime.
This research has implications for bushfire managers
aiming to mitigate potential impacts to biodiversity and
ecosystems most at risk from climate change.
Prior to starting a PhD, Jeremy Little worked for NSW and Qld
National Parks in bushfire and wildlife research, and as an area
manager in the Wet Tropics.
1130, Room T2, MCC
1145, Room T2, MCC
Time-since-fire and inter-fire-interval influence
hollow availability in semi-arid mallee vegetation,
south-eastern Australia
Management of ecosystem threats in the Greater
Blue Mountains World Heritage Area
Angie Haslem1,2, Simon J Watson2, Rick S Taylor1, Lisa M
1
2
3
2
Spence-Bailey , Dale G Nimmo , Sally A Kenny , Luke T Kelly ,
1
1
2
Kate E Callister , Sarah C Avitabile , Andrew F Bennett , Michael
F Clarke1
1
Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, 2School of Life and
Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3Department of Botany,
La Trobe University
Tree-hollows provide an important habitat resource for
many animals. Fire affects hollow availability by both
destroying and creating hollows. We investigate the
influence of time-since-fire and inter-fire-interval on
hollow occurrence in semi-arid mallee vegetation.
Characteristics of hollow-bearing eucalypt stems were
recorded at 545 sites in the Murray Mallee, south-eastern
Australia. For each site, the number of years a) since the
last fire and b) between the two most recent fires was
determined from fire-history mapping and predictive
models of fire-year. Fire-year models were based treeage/live stem DBH relationships at sites of known fireage, and applied to data on dead stem DBH to estimate
the age at which stems were killed by fire (thus
indicating inter-fire-interval). The influence of time-sincefire and inter-fire-interval on hollow-bearing stem
characteristics was examined using mixed models. Timesince-fire affected the proportion and size of live stems
with hollows; inter-fire-interval had a greater influence
on these characteristics in dead hollow-bearing stems.
Hollows take ≥40 years to develop in live stems, while
the proportion and size of dead hollow-bearing stems
increases steadily with inter-fire-interval. Results highlight
the complex way in which fire affects the availability of
faunal habitat resources, and demonstrate that such
influence operates over extended time-periods.
Rosalie Chapple1, Daniel Ramp2, Richard Kingsford2, John
Merson2, Ross Bradstock3, Tony Auld4, Peter Fleming5, Robert
6
Mulley
1
Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, 2University of NSW,
University of Wollongong, 4NSW Department of Environment,
Climate Change and Water, 5NSW Department of Industry and
Investment, 6University of Western Sydney
3
Effective management of large protected conservation
areas is challenged by political, institutional and
environmental complexity and inconsistency. We
examine how these challenges impact upon
management of the Greater Blue Mountains World
Heritage Area (GBMWHA), which covers a million
hectares west of Sydney and incorporates eight
protected reserves. Multiple government agencies and
other stakeholders are involved in its management, and
decision-making is confounded by numerous plans of
management and competing values and goals,
reflecting the different objectives and responsibilities of
stakeholders. We argue for more transparent links
between science, policy and management within an
adaptive learning by doing framework for more effective
conservation of biodiversity in the GBMWHA. We
highlight the complexities of the decision-making
process for this large network of reserves by focusing on
the management of fire and pest animals (particularly
wild dogs) and consider how existing knowledge is
integrated into management. We conclude that the
major barrier to improved policy and management is not
lack of knowledge but lack of a decision-making
framework that can effectively integrate knowledge that
influences on-ground management.
Rosalie Chapple is Executive Director of the Blue Mountains World
Heritage Institute. She also teaches part time in environmental
studies at UNSW. Her primary research interests are in the broader
socio-political aspects of wildlife conservation.
75
1200, Room T2, MCC
1215, Room T2, MCC
Insights into post-fire recolonisation of reptiles using
a novel application of population genetics
Frequent colonisation of ephemeral habitats
reduces large-scale genetic structure
Annabel L Smith1, Michael G Gardner2, C Michael Bull2, Don A
Driscoll1
Jennifer Pierson1
1
CSIRO
1
The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian
National University, 2School of Biological Sciences, Flinders
University
Uninformed fire management could threaten animal
species that specialise on a post-fire seral stage. Complete
fire suppression may harm early successional species
while wide spread burning may harm late successional
species. Reptiles show differing responses to fire: some
species increase with time since fire, some decrease, and
others show a non-linear response. It is therefore
assumed that a fire mosaic will benefit the reptile
community. However, the spatial scale at which a
mosaic should be implemented is not known because
the capacity for species to recolonise is uncertain.
Although dispersal might strongly influence post-fire
recolonisation, it has not previously been considered in
animal fire response models. This study used population
genetic analyses to examine the relationship between
fire and dispersal in three fire-sensitive lizard species.
Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite markers for each
species were used to study gene flow within and
between sites burnt at different times. Specifically we
asked: 1) do dispersal rates change with time since fire?
and 2) do species recolonise from survivors within a
burnt habitat, or by migration from surrounding unburnt
habitats? The results from all three species will be
presented with a discussion of how spatial scales of fire
mosaics will influence recolonisation in reptiles.
Annabel Smith is a PhD student at the ANU. Her project on fire
ecology in reptiles has a focus on using population genetics to
examine post-fire recolonisation.
76
The genetic characteristics of classical metapopulations,
where extinction and colonisation of subpopulations
occurs in static habitat patches, have been studied
extensively. However, genetic characteristics of a habitattracking metapopulation, where a species tracks early
successional habitat patches that vary through space
and time, are virtually unknown. In this study, I used life
history and dispersal parameters similar to a rare firespecialist and a common generalist to estimate patterns
of large-scale genetic structure in a habitat-tracking
metapopulation. This led to two basic models of
dispersal being simulated: frequent colonisation of new
patches and stable migration among static patches. I
then compared simulation results to empirical patterns of
genetic structure of black-backed woodpeckers, a firespecialist, and hairy woodpeckers, a generalist, to
understand the mechanisms that create the observed
patterns of genetic structure. Simulation results suggest
that a combination of frequent colonisation of new
habitat patches combined with an intermediate dispersal
distance can result in low genetic differentiation without
spatial structure at large scales, the pattern observed in a
fire-specialist, the black-backed woodpecker. Blackbacked woodpeckers show no spatial structure across a
vast spatial scale (3500 km) whereas hairy woodpeckers,
a common generalist, show a strong pattern of isolation
by distance.
Jennifer Pierson has a BS from Oregon State University, a MS from
the University of Montana, and a PhD from the University of
Montana.
Concurrent session 1g—Foraging and herbivory
1100, Room T5, MCC
1115, Room T5, MCC
Foraging patterns and behavioural responses to
plant toxins: swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor)
and cineole
The ecological implications of herbivore responses
to plant chemical defence
1
1
2
Miguel Angel Bedoya-Pérez , Daniel D Issa , Peter B Banks ,
1
Clare McArthur
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, 2School of
Biological, Earth, Environmental Science, The University of New
South Wales
Natasha Wiggins1, Clare McArthur2
1
School of Zoology and School of Plant Science, University of
Tasmania, 2School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney
1
Herbivores encounter plants secondary metabolites
(PSMs) that can act as toxins or as digestibility-reducers,
diminishing food profitability. Foragers are selective in
where and what they eat, in part to reduce costs of
consuming PSMs. Swamp wallabies are mammalian
browsers that eat range of plants (such as Eucalyptus
seedlings, shrubs and bracken fern) containing a variety
of toxic PSMs. Our aim was to determine how the
concentration of a toxin influences foraging behaviour.
We used the Giving-Up Density (GUD) framework and
cameras to quantify behavioural responses during
feeding bouts. We ran two experiments: (1) small-scale
Latin square and (2) large-scale repeated measures, both
with the terpene cineole at five concentrations. We
found a direct positive relationship between cineole
concentration and GUD. Food with no cineole,
however, had a higher GUD than food with low cineole
concentration. We hypothesise that cineole may act as
an olfactory cue, decreasing search time, partly
counteracting its physiological cost. Our results
demonstrate the ecological importance of PSMs
concentration as a modifier of the foraging of freeranging herbivores. This has important implications for
the potential selective pressure that herbivores exert on
plants and plant defences.
Miguel Bedoya-Pérez is a PhD student at Sydney University. He has
an Honours degree on sexual selection by females Capybaras at
Universidad Simon Bolivar, Venezuela in 2007, and was a Research
Assistant for NaGISA Project Venezuela in 2008.
Plants and herbivores have coexisted for millions of years,
resulting in a complex array of plant-herbivore
interactions. Plants are continually challenged by the
herbivores that consume them and herbivores are
continually challenged by the plants that they consume.
This co-evolutionary relationship sees both entities
adapting to the others’ strategies: plants are laden with
physical and chemical defences while herbivores use
physiological and behavioural strategies to mitigate
these defence.
With more than 1,000 mammalian herbivores across the
globe, 99% have adapted a generalist feeding strategy.
Generalist herbivores consume a variety of different
plants to meet their nutritional requirements and reduce
the toxic load ingested, but if they choose the wrong
plant species or over-indulge in the next, the
consequences could be deleterious. A smorgasbord of
essential nutrients may very well be accompanied by a
plethora of harmful toxins, making diet selection a very
arduous task but one essential for survival.
The behavioural ecology of foraging herbivores can
have important individual, population, community and
ecosystem level implications. This presentation will focus
on a well studied system of possum-eucalypt interactions
at the individual and population-based levels for both
plant and herbivore, and explore ecosystem level
responses to chemically-driven interactions.
Natasha Wiggins is presenting a summary of research she had
been involved with at the University of Tasmania, focusing on the
behavioural responses of generalist mammalian herbivores to
plant defensive chemistry.
77
1130, Room T5, MCC
1145, Room T5, MCC
Plant silicon and herbivory: strategies and soil types
Adjustments in foraging behaviour by female
eastern grey kangaroos during lactation
Julia Cooke1, Michelle Leishman1
1
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University
Jemma Cripps1, Mark Elgar1, Graeme Coulson1
1
Silicon is ubiquitous in plants and can constitute up to
10% of plant dry mass. The amount of silicon that a plant
accumulates is related to phylogeny and the amount of
plant available silicon. One function of plant silicon is as a
herbivore defence by reducing the palatability and
digestibility of plants as well as damaging the
mouthparts of herbivores. Silicon is considered an
alternative to other chemical or carbon-based herbivore
defences, and has been best studied in the Poaceae (a
high silicon-accumulating family) with the majority of
studies carried out on agricultural species. We
investigated the abundance and role of plant silicon at a
community level by comparing leaf silicon concentration
with herbivory rates, defence chemicals and carbon
compound concentrations in plant communities from
two different soil types with contrasting levels of plant
available silicon. We investigated how leaf silicon
concentration varies between and within taxa across soil
types, with herbivore damage and with other plant
herbivore defences including phenols and tannins or
lignin and cellulose.
Julia Cooke is a plant ecologist interested in the functional roles of
plant silicon in natural ecosystems. She is currently completing her
PhD thesis on this topic.
Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne
Lactation is one of the most energetically expensive
components of reproduction in mammals.
Consequently, reproducing females often alter their
behaviour to compensate for increased energy
demands during this period. Previous investigations into
differences in the behaviour of reproducing and nonreproducing female mammals are largely correlative and
the results are typically confounded by intrinsic
differences among individuals. We avoided these
confounding factors by experimentally controlling
reproduction using a fertility control agent, then
compared the activity patterns and fine-scale foraging
behaviour of reproducing and non-reproducing adult
female eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus).
Using focal and scan sampling, we calculated three key
foraging variables: total feeding time (a measure of an
individual’s trade-off between its energetic requirements,
vigilance and maternal care), bite rate (a measure of
resource intake rate) and step rate (an indication of
selection for higher quality forage). Late in lactation,
reproducing female kangaroos spent longer periods of
time foraging during the day and less time resting than
non-reproducing females. During this period,
reproducing females also had significantly higher bite
rates (91.7 bites/min) compared to non-reproducing
females (76.5 bites/min). These behavioural adjustments
allow females to increase their food intake during late
lactation when energetic demands are high.
Jemma Cripps completed BSc(Hons) in 2008 and is presenting her
results from her Honours project at ESA 2010. She has just started
a PhD at Melbourne University, examining the fitness effects of
gastrointestinal parasitism on kangaroos.
78
1200, Room T5, MCC
1215, Room T5, MCC
Assessing the evidence for latitudinal gradients in
plant defence and herbivory
Habitat use and behaviour of cattle in a
heterogeneous ‘patchy resources in matrix’
environment in arid Australia
Stephen Bonser1, Angela Moles1, Ian Wallis2, Alistair Poore1,
William Foley2
1
University of New South Wales, 2Australian National University
The idea that biotic interactions are more are more
intense in the tropics is widely accepted at underpins
several dominant theories on the latitudinal gradient in
biodiversity. Current theory also predicts that since biotic
interactions are more intense in tropical systems, plants
will also be better defended in these systems. We
surveyed the literature on latitudinal gradients of
herbivory and plant defence and conducted metaanalyses on these studies to test for latitudinal gradients
in herbivory and defence. We found 16 studies
examining latitudinal gradients of herbivory. Of these
studies, only 6 showed significantly higher herbivory at
lower latitudes, while 4 showed significantly higher
herbivory at higher latitudes. We found 48 studies
examining latitudinal gradients of physical and chemical
defence. 15 of these studies showed greater defence at
lower latitudes, while 14 showed greater defence at
high latitudes. The available data to not support the
widespread view that herbivory is generally more
intense toward the tropics, or that plants from low
latitudes are better defended than those from high
latitudes. These results suggest it is time to generate new
hypotheses on global patterns of herbivory and defence.
Stephen Bonser is an evolutionary ecologist at the Evolution and
Ecology Research Centre, UNSW. His research focuses on the
evolution of ecological strategies in plants.
Anke Frank1, Glenda Wardle1, Chris Dickman1
1
The University of Sydney
Areas more than 10 km from water in arid Australia are
considered to be relatively free from the impacts of cattle
grazing, as livestock seldom move further away to drink.
However, there is concern about the adequacy of such
water-remote areas as few now remain. In the typically
heterogeneous environments of arid Australia, grazing
impacts also are difficult to predict as cattle activity is
unlikely to decrease uniformly, as radial piospheres, with
distance from water. By using sightings and dung
transects in the parallel dune system of the Simpson
Desert, central Australia, we show that patchily
distributed gidgee woodland, comprising only 16% of
the available habitat, is the most important habitat for
cattle away from watering points providing critical food
and shade resources. Dunes swales and sides, which
comprise 70% of the available habitat, are hardly used.
These results suggest that habitat use by cattle is
influenced strongly by the dispersion of gidgee patches
in a matrix of shade- and food-deficient spinifex
grassland. We use our findings to build a new
conceptual model, compare this with the original
piosphere model of Lange (1969), and discuss the
consequences for wildlife in environments where the
model applies.
Anke Frank finished her PhD on the ecological impacts of cattle
grazing on flora and fauna in the Simpson Desert, which included
the study of habitat use and behaviour of cattle under the
supervision of Chris Dickman and Glenda Wardle, in March 2010
and has just started a post-doc as an ARC Research Assistant with
Prof Chris Johnson to investigate the effects of cattle grazing, feral
predators and fire on mammals in the tropical savannas of
northern Australia.
79
Concurrent session 1h—Distribution and tools
Prediction of bird habitat resources in Great
Western Woodlands using multiple satellite-borne
datasets
Generating finer resolution species distribution data
using an expert system
1
1
1
Peter Lee , Brendan Mackey , Chris McElhinny , Sandra Berry
1
1
Great Western Woodlands (GWW, around 16 million
ha), is a critical habitat supporting approximately 200
bird species in semi-arid south-western Australia.
However, the abundance of the birds is decreasing due
to the decline in woodland habitats. This study aims at
(a) investigating the relationship between vegetation
structure and woodland bird habitat resources and (b)
predicting potential bird habitat resources using satelliteborne data. Based on vegetation structure-related
habitat resources collected from published literature, bird
habitat functional groups are classified. Datasets from
four satellite-borne sensors including MODIS, ASTER,
PALSAR and GLAS are used in mapping four structural
variables: (a) foliage density using MODIS imagery; (b)
understorey vertical layering using ASTER imagery; (c)
vegetation volume using PALSAR imagery; and (d)
vegetation height using GLAS data. The thematic layers
are combined to generate a comprehensive system to
predict potential bird habitat resources of GWW bird
species. Spatial variations of foliage density and
understorey layering showed strong relationships with
MODIS and ASTER data, and models developed for
estimating vegetation volume and height were highly
correlated with PALSAR and GLAS data. A combined
final model was considered to be useful in predicting
bird habitat resources and then managing habitat
resources-based functional groups in the GWW region.
Peter Lee is doing a PhD at ANU developing a method for
applying remote sensing techniques to vegetation structure
analysis and generating a 3D model.
80
1
1
1
Aidin Niamir , Andrew Skidmore , Bert Toxopeus , Antonio2
3
Román Munoz Gallego , Raimundo Real
1
University of Twente, Netherlands, 2Fundacion Migres, Spain,
University of Malaga, Spain
3
Noticeable amount of knowledge, either in the form of
literature or expert’s opinion, are often available in local
scales, whereas it have not been addressed adequately
in species distribution modelling (SDM). In this
presentation, incorporation of existing knowledge into
the SDM is outlined by enhancing the sampling scheme
from coarse resolution atlas to yield more accurate
predication in a finer resolution. Coarse-resolution
distribution map Aquila faciata in southern Spain, was
obtained from the Atlas of breeding birds. Bayesian
Theorem was used to generate an ‘expert-enhanced’
sampling scheme based on existing knowledge in the
literature. Maximum entropy approach was employed to
predict distribution maps using two treatments: control,
where models were calibrated with conventional
random sampling species data from the atlas, and
expert, where species sampling data were enhanced by
the expert system. Four categories of environmental
explanatory variables, topographic, bioclimatic, biologic,
and anthropogenic were served into Maxent.
Independent breeding territories were used to evaluate
the predictive performance of models. Serving expertenhanced sampling scheme into SDM, prediction
accuracy improved significantly. Existing knowledge may
prove useful to enhance classical random sampling into
more reliable sampling scheme in downscaling from
coarse resolution species distribution atlases to finer
suitability prediction maps, however, the usefulness of
this approach may be limited to well-known species.
The use of electromagnetic induction surveys for
ecological research and sustainable holistic
management activities in heterogeneous upland
environments
Bayes Nets as a method for analysing return for
investment in fire management planning
Glen Bann1, John Field1
1
Electromagnetic induction (EM) techniques that
measure apparent bulk (soil) profile electrical
conductivity (ECa) have been increasingly utilised for
environmental objectives, however, very few studies
have investigated associated biological attributes. The
possible advantages of utilising EM for ecological
applications, including conservation activities, are
considerable, as the EM measurements are accurate,
rigorous and efficient, with a capability to survey large
areas quickly and non-invasively, by carrying the
instruments on foot, or vehicles such as quad bikes. This
research investigates the applicability of these
instruments for ecological objectives, namely the
Geonics EM38 and EM31, (EM38 measures to
approximately 0.75m and 1.5m and EM31 to 3m/6m in
horizontal/vertical dipoles respectively). Biotic
(floral/faunal) and abiotic metrics were collected along
transects on grassy woodland sites on the Southern
Tablelands of NSW. Results indicate that the EM38 ECa
yielded strong correlations (p<0.001) with many of the
biotic and most abiotic metrics, including those
associated with ecological processes (e.g. pH,
compaction). However, correlations with faunal
attributes were generally absent. Correlations with the
EM31 were weaker, with all surface attributes showing
an inverse relationship with depth (no strong
correlations with biotic metrics and the deeper EM31).
Results confirm that the EM38 can provide valuable
abiotic and biotic information, hence, it should be
further investigated.
Trent Penman1, Owen Price2, Ross Bradstock2
1
Industry and Investment NSW, 2University of Wollongong
Wildfire can result in significant economic costs to land
managers and adjacent property owners. Inquiries
following such events often recommend an increase in
management effort to reduce the risk of future losses.
Currently, there are no objective frameworks in which to
assess the relative merits of management actions or the
synergistic way in which the various combinations may
act. Bayes Nets are a method for examining complex
environmental relationships that have not been tested
on fire management scenarios. We examine the value of
Bayes Nets as a method for assessing return for
investment in fire management using a case study from
a forested landscape managed primarily for
conservation. The Bayes Net was developed using
existing datasets, a process model and expert opinion
taken from two fire management agencies. The model
successfully duplicated recorded fire data for an 11 year
period from 1997–2007. Initial attack and suppression
effort had the greatest impact on the distribution of the
fire sizes for a season. Bayes Nets provide a holistic
model for considering the impact of multiple fire
management methods on the risk of wildfires. The
methods could be further advanced by including the
economic and environmental costs of management.
Trent Penman is a fire ecologist in the Forests and Rangeland
Ecosystems group with Industry and Investment NSW. His work
has focused on the effect of forest management practices on
ecological attributes of forest systems.
Glen Bann has a background in geology and ecology, and has
worked in both fields, including natural resource management.
Glen is presently finalising a PhD at the ANU investigating dryland
salinity, biodiversity and geodiversity in south-eastern Australia. In
his spare time Glen works on a science education program, called
Living GeoDiversity, which he’s hoping to have included in the
new national secondary schools science syllabus due for rollout in
2011.
81
Biodiversity and ecosystem resilience: a GIS-based
adaptive management framework
Agent-based modelling of marine mammals and
maritime traffic to inform management and policy
decisions in marine protected areas
Nancy Auerbach1, Roslyn Taplin1
1
Bond University
This paper proposes a GIS (geographic information
system)-based adaptive management approach for
biodiversity management. Addressing the worldwide
decline in biodiversity requires effective and testable
environmental management actions at the local level.
An adaptive management perspective which can
incorporate natural variance and non-linearity in
management outcomes and emerging threats is needed
to respond to the dynamic nature of challenges to
biodiversity. The proposed adaptive management
framework guides actions to sustain the synergism of
healthy, functioning ecosystems, based upon a
systematic, justifiable, and repeatable methodology. It is a
flexible action framework that allows for adjustment
based upon formative assessment of management
action effectiveness. GIS provides the infrastructure to
store, analyse, communicate, and update scientific and
community-based biodiversity information, management
actions and outcomes. A spatially-based structural
component to support visualisation and science-based
decision-making synthesises biodiversity, resilience, and
adaptive management research into a practically applied
framework. As a trial case study, application to the multispecies recovery plan for the Burnett-Mary Natural
Resource Management Region of Queensland, Australia
is examined. Outcomes are focused on restoring and
maintaining healthy, functioning ecosystems with high
resilience to ongoing environmental and human
induced challenges.
Nancy Auerbach is a PhD student and teaches GIS at Bond
University. Her interest is in applying theory and spatial analysis to
inform management practices for restoring and sustaining
biodiversity.
82
Lael Parrott1, Jacques Andre Landry2, Clement Chion1,2,
2
1
Philippe Lamontagne , Samuel Turgeon , Cristiane CCA
1
Martins
1
University of Montreal, 2University of Quebec (ETS)
The agent-based model, 3MTSim, has been developed
as a decision support tool for the management of
marine protected areas where the regulation of whalewatching and other types of tourist excursions is a key
priority. The current version of the model simulates the
spatiotemporal movement of marine mammals and
maritime traffic in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada and
is being used to inform policy and adaptive
management in the region. The approach may also be
applied to informing management of tourism activities
such as whale shark and marine mammal observation in
Australia’s coastal waters. 3MTSim currently includes an
individual-based model of the movement patterns of fin,
blue, humpback, minke and beluga whales. Different
types of vessels, including cargo ships, commercial
whale-watching and tour boats, pleasure craft, and
ferries are also modelled individually. The model allows
users to test different zoning scenarios for maritime traffic
(e.g., area closures, speed limits, regulations concerning
the observation of marine mammals) in order to assess
their effects both on navigation dynamics and on marine
mammal exposure to vessels. In this presentation, an
overview of the system is presented, and the
effectiveness of the approach for decision support in
marine protected area management is discussed.
Lael Parrott is Director of the Complex Systems Laboratory in the
Department of Geography at the University of Montreal. She
applies the theory and methods of complex systems studies to
better understand ecosystem structure and dynamics.
Concurrent session 1i—Open forum
1100, Room T6, MCC
1115, Room T6, MCC
Evolution of breeding systems in Tibetan poppies
(Meconopsis Vig., Papaveraceae)
Communal oviposition, oviposition site density, and
egg supply to lotic caddisfly populations
Hongyan Xie1, Adrienne Nicotra1, Julian Ash1,
Saul Cunningham2
William Bovill1, Barbara Downes1, Jill Lancaster2
1
The University of Melbourne, 2Monash University
1
Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of
Biology, Australian National University, 2Entomology Division,
CSIRO
Viguier (1814) removed poppies with a style from
Papaver to Meconopsis. Recent DNA-based phylogenies
suggest styles are present and vary in both genera, and
that Meconopsis is a clade of 45 polyploid Tibetan
species. Self-incompatability (SI) is well understood in
diploid Papaver (2n=14), however some polyploid
Papaver are self-compatible (SC). Breeding systems in
eight Meconopsis species were tested: species with
2n=56 were SI but those with 2n=76 or 84 were partially
SC. Some SC species show additional changes: petals
enclosing anthers and stigma; a short style; and a shift
from blue-violet to yellow or red petals. The SI species,
e.g. M. racemosa, are buzz pollinated by Bombus or by
large Diptera: well suited to outcross pollination. In
contrast, enclosed SC species had abundant small
Diptera (e.g. Agromyzids) that feed and remain within
flowers, facilitating self-pollination. We speculate that (1)
creation of 2n=76–84 species (from 2n=56 + 28
ancestors) was associated with a breakdown in SI,
enabling (2) a shift from dependence on large outcross
vectors to smaller Dipterans that could live and selfpollinate within flowers, and (3) this lead to selection for
changes in colour and morphology of flowers that
favoured the small Dipterans.
Hongyan Xie is a PhD candidate in ANU and current studying
ecology, evolution and conservation of Meconopsis in the Eastern
Tibetan region.
Supply of new individuals is an important determinant of
population size and persistence. In stream insects, egg
supply remains virtually unstudied despite its role in
setting the initial abundance and distribution of
neonates.
Females of many aquatic taxa have specialised
oviposition behaviour. Several deposit all of their eggs in
a single mass on emergent rocks, and communal
oviposition is common. We tested the hypothesis that
egg supply increases with the density of oviposition sites.
Alternatively, communal oviposition could generate egg
mass aggregations such that egg supply is unrelated to
substrate density.
Egg supply was compared for two caddisfly species
(Hydrobiosidae) with different oviposition strategies.
Apsilochorema sp. over disperse their eggs laying very
few egg masses per emergent rock, whereas
Ulmerochorema sp. cluster their egg masses in large
aggregations leaving many rocks unexploited.
Apsilochorema sp. egg mass supply increased with the
density of oviposition sites, but supply of aggregated
Ulmerochorema sp. eggs showed no association with
emergent rock density.
Communal egg-laying behaviour decouples egg supply
from the density of oviposition sites, bringing other
factors (e.g. distribution of adults) to the fore. But for
species that disperse their eggs across oviposition sites,
source and sink locations of larval supply may be well
described by the density of emergent rocks.
William Bovill is a PhD candidate at The University of Melbourne
with a fascination for aquatic insects, and the population dynamics
of species with complex life histories.
83
1145, Room T6, MCC
1200, Room T6, MCC
Habitat specialisation in four sympatric macropod
species
The effect of pitfall drift fences on capture rate of
vertebrates on the Swan Coastal Plain
Sarah Garnick1, Graeme Coulson1, Mark Elgar1
Wesley Bancroft1, Michael Bamford1, Natalia Huang1, Nick
Sibbel2
1
1
How species coexist is a key ecological question; one
significant answer involves resource partitioning, where
species specialise on resources along habitat, diet and
temporal gradients. Habitat specialisation is commonest
form of specialisation. The scale of habitat selection is
crucial, with microhabitat, aspects of habitat that operate
on a small scale, featuring prominently.
Our study assesses habitat specialisation in a complex
macropod community, Macropus giganteus (EG: eastern
grey), M. fuliginosus (WG: western grey), M. rufogriseus
(RN: red-necked wallaby) and Wallabia bicolor (SW:
swamp wallaby), in the Victoria Valley, Grampians
National Park, Victoria, Australia.
We fitted macropods with two-stage radiotransmitters
and radiotracked individuals throughout the diel period.
At all radio fixes we recorded ecological vegetation class
(EVC) and measured microhabitat components
including lateral/overhead cover and species
composition of plant functional groups.
We found habitat partitioning at EVC and microhabitat
scales. For example, SWs selected EVCs with high lateral
cover, whereas foraging fixes for RNs and WGs were
concentrated in microhabitats with low lateral cover and
high grass abundance.
Much of the literature on specialisation focuses on twospecies systems. This study contributes a fuller
perspective on specialisation by demonstrating a
spectrum from specialists to generalists along multiple
resource dimensions.
Sarah Garnick completed her honours on faecal aversion in
eastern grey kangaroos 2007. She is now doing her PhD at the
University of Melbourne on ecological specialisation in macropods.
84
MJ & AR Bamford Consulting Ecologists, 2Tiwest Pty Ltd
Pitfall trapping is widely used to survey terrestrial fauna,
and drift fences are regularly employed to ‘assist’ (i.e.
improve) pitfall capture rates. Drift fence methodology is
highly variable between studies. Here we report on two
field experiments that investigated the effects of three
fence materials (flywire, ‘panel’ and dampcourse), two
fence lengths (1.2 m and 2.4 m) and the number of
fences (0, 2 or 3) on the capture rates of vertebrates in
pitfall traps on the northern Swan Coastal Plain, Western
Australia. The presence of a fence significantly increased
the capture rate of vertebrates (on average, by 93%),
and pitfalls with three fences captured significantly more
animals than those with two fences (on average, by
39%). Neither fence material or fence length significantly
affected the capture rate of vertebrates. The number of
species captured (i.e. species richness) was not
significantly affected by fence presence, material or
length. We advocate the use of three pitfall fences (of
any material or length tested) for studies that require
maximum capture rates, however, fences provide no
advantage in studies that simply aim to produce an
inventory of species.
Dr Wesley J Bancroft completed a Bachelor of Science degree at
The University of Western Australia in 1999, with a double major in
Zoology and Microbiology and honours in Zoology (a
neurobiology project run through the Zoology Department). His
PhD on the ecosystem ecology of shearwater colonies on Rottnest
Island, also at UWA, was completed in 2004 and he has worked as
a zoological consultant since that time.
Concurrent session 2a—Symposium: When continents collide: biological invasions and
ecosystem theory
1330, Room T3, MCC
1345, Room T3, MCC
The interplay of history, ecology and dispersal in
the evolution of Australasia’s spectacular parrot
fauna
Rabbits and foxes—Australia’s ultimate mammalian
invaders
1
2
3
Steve McLeod1, G Saunders1
3
Leo Joseph , Alicia Toon , Erin Schirtzinger , Timothy Wright
1
2
3
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Griffith University, New Mexico State
University
The parrots have been a most successful group in the
Australasian region, having evolved such familiar groups
as cockatoos, lorikeets and rosellas to name a few. From
likely origins in Gondwanaland, they appear superbly
adapted to most environments in Australia and of course
beyond Australia. We review recent phylogenetic
analyses of parrots and focus on tests of alternative
hypotheses concerning the systematic placement of
enigmatic groups such as the New Guinean tigerparrots Psittacella spp. We use that historical approach to
examine which species’ histories may have involved
dispersal to or from Australia and when. We also address
questions such as whether parrots may have been ‘preadapted’ to extra-Australian environments or represent
independent radiations ‘just’ filling niches that other
groups of birds species could have filled.
Leo Joseph has long been interested in the evolution of parrots as
well as how the interplay between phylogeny and ecology has
shaped present-day diversity of bird faunas generally.
1
Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Industry and Investment NSW,
Orange Agricultural Institute
The European rabbit was introduced to Australia with
the First Fleet in 1788 as a source of food. But it was not
until 1859, when wild caught rabbits imported from
England were released for sport hunting near Geelong
(Victoria) that they became a pest. Their rate of spread,
by natural means and assisted by hunters, was so rapid
that within 30 years they had reached the
Queensland/New South Wales border. Once
established in an area, rabbits had an immediate impact
on primary production, consuming pasture to such an
extent that farmers feared for their livelihoods. They now
occur across 70% of the continent.
Foxes were introduced for the sole purpose of providing
sport for hunters. This pursuit was well established in
Victoria by the mid-1860s and within 25 years fox
numbers had grown to such an extent that they were
declared vermin in parts of this state. Their rapid and
successful colonisation was in large part thought to be
due to the high numbers of rabbits that preceded them,
providing a reliable, familiar and abundant food source.
With the exception of the wet tropics of Australia, foxes
have successfully colonised all bio-climatic regions.
Although they are predators of lambs and other
livestock their greatest impact has been, and continues
to be, on critical weight range mammals vulnerable to
predation.
These pests have been a major factor in Australia’s
unenviable record of having nearly half the known
mammalian extinctions worldwide in the past 200 years.
Conservative cost estimates for the collective damage
caused by these pests are in excess of AUS$300 million
p.a. In this paper we describe their arrival and
establishment, their rate of spread and geographic
distribution, the likely reasons for their successful
establishment, their ecological impacts on species and
processes, and the implications for the future, particularly
in Tasmania where foxes have only recently been
introduced.
Dr Steve McLeod is a research scientist in the Vertebrate Pest
Research Unit of Industry and Investment NSW—Primary Industries.
He has an interest in the management of pest animals and has
published papers on the management of a range of Australian
native and introduced animals, including kangaroos, foxes and
camels. He is currently researching ways of improving the
management of commercially harvested kangaroos.
85
1400, Room T3, MCC
1415, Room T3, MCC
Emigrant Australian trees: why are they seldom
invasive?
Similar yet different: ecological similarity and
invasion success in grassy woodlands
Trevor Booth1
Erika Cross1, Peter Green1, John Morgan1
1
CSIRO, ACT
Hundreds of species of Australian trees, particularly
eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas have been evaluated
in overseas trials. There are now more than 20 million
hectares of eucalypt plantations around the world. This
presentation briefly reviews the introduction of
Australian tree species overseas. It focuses particularly on
why many Australian trees pose no serious threat as
invasive species, but also considers the characteristics of
some of the Australian species that are weeds.
Trevor Booth leads the ‘Managing Species and Natural Ecosystems’
Theme in CSIRO’s Climate Adaptation Flagship (CAF). He joined
CSIRO in 1976 and helped to develop and apply new bioclimatic
analysis methods, particularly for forestry applications. He wrote his
first paper on climate change in 1987 and contributed to the early
work (AR2) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He was a member of the CSIRO-Department of Climate Change’s
National Carbon Accounting Team before taking up his role in
CAF. He is a former Honorary Secretary of ESA and helped to
organise the 1982 symposium in Canberra on ‘Mountain Ecology
in the Australian Region’
1
La Trobe University
How the recipient community affects invasion success
has long been debated in ecology. Here, we examine
how well one theory, limiting similarity, explains plant
invasion in grassy woodland ecosystems. Limiting
similarity postulates that there is a limit to the ecological
similarity of coexisting species due to competition for
limiting resources. We examined differences in individual
plant traits and trait amalgamations (Grimes’ CSR
functional types) of native and alien species, and for 10
sites in Western Victoria, categorised these species as
either increasers, decreasers or static based on records of
change in abundance over three decades. Permutation
and multivariate tests were used to determine whether
there is a limit to the functional similarity of resident
species and those immigrating or increasing in
abundance over time. There was a trend for increaser
species to have similar ecological strategies to those
experiencing decreases in abundance, in addition to
those experiencing no changes in abundance. Rather
than limiting similarity, there was more evidence for
limiting dissimilarity, i.e. the environmental and
competitive filters in grassy woodlands lead to a suite of
species with similar traits that enables their coexistence.
Erika Cross completed honours in plant ecology in the Department
of Botany La Trobe in 2009. She is currently employed by the
Department of Sustainability and Environment working on post-fire
weed management in North East Victoria.
86
1430, Room T3, MCC
1445, Room T3, MCC
How do the ecological processes associated with
plant invasions reshape native communities?
When continents collide: biological invasions and
ecosystem theory
Paul Downey1
Herbert Prins1, Iain Gordon
1
Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra
Many of the ecological processes that drive and define
ecological communities encompass the actions, effects
and consequences of biological invasions. For example
in Australia introduced predators like foxes have had
profound effects on native animal populations, and
many introduced plants have transformed or modified
native plant communities through competition and
altering disturbance regimes (e.g. exotic grasses and fire).
Whilst we have an intrinsic understanding of how these
ecological processes drive invasion success, our scientific
understanding of how they lead to native species
declines is patchy and often species specific, and with
respect to reshaping native communities very limited.
Here I explore how some of the ecological processes
associated with plant invasions alter native plant
communities and the likely consequences, based on a
combination of recent published studies and field
observations primarily for three introduced shrubs—
Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), lantana (Lantana
camara) and bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera).
These insights provide the basis of future ecological
investigations into understanding how the ecological
processes associated with biological invasions influence
plant communities and their management in Australia
and globally. Such insights also provide guidance on
how plant invaders succeed (or fail) and how we build
resilience or manage communities to maintain their
integrity.
Paul Downey has a PhD in weed ecology. He worked for NSW
National Parks as a weed ecologist for 8 years and recently took up
an assistant professor position at the University of Canberra.
1
Wageningen University, The Netherlands, 2CSIRO, ACT
Biological invasion is rated as one of the most important
threats to the world as we know it; for example, it is
perceived to threaten the conservation of native plants
and animals and jeopardise the delivery of ecosystem
services through changing ecosystem structure and
composition. The exponential increase of world-wide
flow of goods and people is leading to a global
homogenisation of ecosystem diversity and poses a
major challenge for agriculture or health. The central
issue of this symposium focuses on how invading plants
and animals find their place in native ecosystems, or why
they fail to find a niche for themselves. The participants in
this symposium will present case studies of invasions to
and from the Australian continent; our presentation will
provide a critical appraisal of hypotheses presented in
these case studies. We will conclude by outlining a new
predictive ecosystem theory based upon the invasion
and invadability of species and communities.
Herbert Prins is full professor in Resource Ecology, Wageningen
University, the Netherlands, and is also Chairman of the Graduate
School ‘Production Ecology and Resource Conservation’.
He has represented The Netherlands and the European Union at
meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and has or had
board memberships of the (European) Tropical Biology
Association, Executive Board member of ‘Natuurmonumenten’
(Netherlands Nature Conservancy, 960,000 members), Van
Tienhoven Foundation, Netherlands Committee for International
Nature Conservation, Nature Conservation Foundation (India) and
others.
Herbert is member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission,
Netherlands Committee IUCN, Member IUCN Committee on
Ecosystem Management, IUCN Asian Cattle specialist group, and
the Machakos Wildlife Forum, Kenya. He is Officer in the Order of
the Golden Ark (bestowed by HRH Prince Bernhard) and Officer in
the Order of Oranje Nassau (bestowed by HM the Queen). In
2010 he received the Aldo Leopold Award of the American
Association of Mammalogists.
87
Concurrent session 2b—Savanna and desert
Are Australian arid lands really degraded?
Leaf ‘heat avoidance’ traits in Australian arid plants
Rod Fensham1
Ellen Curtis1, Scott Rayburg, Andrea Leigh1
1
Queensland Herbarium
The dune swales of the northern Simpson Desert
provide an opportunity to examine the early impacts of
livestock grazing in arid Australia because they include
fairly monotonous habitat, have not been affected by
rabbits, and include areas that are rarely grazed. Data on
herbaceous species was collected along transects up to
14 km from artificial water-points between 4 and 33
years old. A cumulative grazing index was constructed
utilising both the spatial occupation patterns of cattle
and the length of exposure. Despite restricting sampling
to a narrow habitat soil floristic patterns were influenced
by the soil. After 20 years of exposure to managed
grazing with domestic stock in Australian dune-swales,
patterns in species richness have not emerged in
response to grazing pressure, the ecosystem has not
been transformed to another degradation ‘state’ and
there is no evidence of grazing relief refuges providing
havens for species highly sensitive to grazing. These
findings will be discussed in the broader context of
grazing pressure in Australian arid lands.
Rod Fensham does research related to the ecology and
conservation of native vegetation at the Queensland Herbarium.
He tries to disseminate his finding not only by publishing but also
through conservation planning, policy and practice.
1
University of Technology Sydney
For plants, temperatures outside the optimum may lead
to a decrease in growth, fecundity and ultimately
survival. For arid species, this means maintaining
temperatures between ~ 35–45°C, in places where
ambient temperatures can exceed this. As the
photosynthetic engine-houses of plants, leaves are
particularly vulnerable. How then do leaves avoid overheating? Numerous leaf traits are accepted as conferring
heat avoidance benefits yet not all arid plants possess all
of these traits. Do certain traits replace others? Do certain
traits group together? Is there an association with plant
habit or growth environment? Understanding how a
plant functions, and if broad-scale patterns for leaf traits
exist, requires that we look at a wide range of traits and
arid species. We measured 11 leaf ‘heat avoidance’ traits,
including: size, leaf mass per area (LMA), relative water
content (%RWC), thickness and spectral reflectance for
95 plant species native to arid New South Wales,
Australia. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses
were used to investigate how leaf traits are associated
with one another, plant habit, life history and habitat.
Results suggest that different groups of arid plants have
evolved distinct suites of leaf traits associated with plant
habit and growth environment.
Ellen Curtis holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology
with Honours from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
Further, she is currently a member of the Centre for Environmental
Sustainability (CEnS) within the Department of Environmental
Sciences at UTS. Ellen is interested in plant ecology, structure and
function, and enjoys fieldwork. Recently, she investigated leaf heat
avoidance traits of Australian arid species and hopes to take this
research further by examining a range of physiological and
anatomical plant/leaf aspects.
88
Using weather-based models of species distribution
to predict refugia in Australia’s tropical savannas
Spatial and temporal pattern in potential refugia for
Australia’s tropical savanna birds
Genevieve C Perkins1, Jeremy VanDerWal2, Alex S Kutt1,
Justin J Perry1
Alex Kutt1, Jeremy VanDerWal2, Genevieve Perkins1, Justin
Perry1
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Tropical and Arid Systems, 2Centre for
Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, School of Marine and
Tropical Biology, James Cook University
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and
Climate Change, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James
Cook University
Species distribution models used to predict species
response to climate change are largely based on longterm averages. This method fails to capture variation in
potential or realised distribution of species over time, as it
oversimplifies spatial and temporal variability in weather
patterns. In Australia’s tropical savanna, intra and inter
annual weather seasonality is one of the primary
determinants of resource availability, and therefore
species distribution and abundance. Detecting weatherdriven resource nadirs could assist to identify potential
climate refugia. To test this idea, maximum entropy
modelling was used to predict the potential distribution
of 254 Australian tropical savanna bird species (and
subspecies) for each month from 1950 to 2009. The
likelihood of a species occurring at a certain location and
time was based on suitability of weather conditions
(minimum and maximum temperature and precipitation
of the preceding 3 6 and 12 month period). Models
were informed by over 6 million bird occurrence records
and corresponding weather records collected
from1950–2009. Refugia were identified as locations of
high probability of occurrence through time. We
investigated temporal and spatial shift in these refugia
and variation in refugia across species and functional
groups. Mapping refugia using this technique is a
significant advance in identifying past refugia and
developing effective targeted conservation plans under
changing climate futures.
Species distribution models are moving beyond the use
of average or static biophysical surfaces to predict
responses to global change. In dynamic systems, such as
the Australian tropical savannas (ATS), distribution and
abundance of species is determined by intra- and interannual resource fluctuations which are in turn largely
driven by weather patterns. Species move, pattern and
change in response to these variations. In an earlier
paper, we demonstrated that the use of weather
patterns provides a novel means to examine the more
subtle spatial and temporal variation in potential
distribution of species. Refugia were identified as
locations of high probability of occurrence through time
using the monthly distribution of 254 ATS bird species
from 1950 to 2009 and the likelihood of occurrence
based on the suitability of weather conditions. We take
this one step further and investigate the application of
this data via spatial statistics (SDMT tools in R, VanDerWal
2010). We examine the size, shape, connectivity and
stability of these refugia, their biophysical and weather
features, and variation between species. We examine
the relationship between current and future refugia, and
coincidence with the conservation reserve network. This
information coupled with knowledge of land use
change is a powerful tool for effective conservation and
adaptation planning.
Gen Perkins works for the CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences Biodiversity
Team in Townsville. Her research investigates the local and
landscape scale determinants of biodiversity pattern in rangelands.
She has a combined BA/BSc(Hons) from Monash University.
1
Alex Kutt is the Research Leader of the CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
Biodiversity Team in Townsville. His research investigates tropical
savanna fauna and flora ecology and pattern, and he has worked
in northern Australia for over 15 years.
89
Using species distribution modelling to examine
spatio-temporal variation in fire pattern
When resources boom: learning from the story of
dingoes in the Tanami Desert
Justin Perry1, Jeremy VanDerWal2, Alex Kutt1, Genevieve
Perkins1
Thomas Newsome1,2,3, Guy Ballard4, Peter Fleming4, Chris
Dickman2
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and
Climate Change, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James
Cook University
Fire is a significant ecological driver in tropical savanna
ecosystems; however it has not been included in species
distribution models when projecting onto future climate
scenarios. The reason for this is a lack of understanding
of the spatial and temporal patterns of fire beyond the
available fire histories. We present a novel approach to
modelling potential fire distribution on a monthly basis
between 1950 and 2010, building on techniques that
are used to identify bird refugia using weather patterns.
Remotely sensed fire histories provide a consistent
temporal data set comprising millions of geocoded
sampling points that can be compared against monthly
weather data using maximum-entropy species
distribution modelling (Maxent). The consistency of the
fire data produced accurate models (AUC >79%) using
minimum and maximum temperature and precipitation
of the preceding three, six and 12 month periods.
Predicted values were projected onto historical climate
data to produce a monthly representation of potential
fire distribution based on these aspects of weather. Our
method accounts for spatiotemporal dynamism of fire
within broader climatic gradients. This means species
distribution models for flora or fauna are no longer
constrained by the available fire histories providing an
opportunity for the inclusion of this important ecological
variable.
Justin Perry works for the CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences Biodiversity
Team in Townsville. His research investigates fire ecology,
biodiversity pattern and Indigenous land management. He has a
B. Nat Res and A Masters of Tropical Environment Management.
90
1
Invasive Animals CRC, 2University of Sydney, 3Low Ecological
Services, 4Industry and Investment NSW
In the Tanami Desert, the provision of supplementary
food and water resources (from mining and pastoral
operations) has resulted in relatively high localised dingo
populations. Managing these dingoes can be
problematic, not only because their presence may be a
human welfare risk but because access to these
supplementary resources could significantly impact upon
their ecology and behaviour. Therefore, understanding
the factors that influence the day-to-day choices of
dingoes is critical when seeking to determine
appropriate management strategies and when
attempting to understand their impacts on native
biodiversity and ecosystem processes. In this paper we
present results from a three year study that support the
need for a shift in how we manage our domestic and
commercial wastes in the arid zone. We show that in
the case of the Tanami Desert, the provision of food and
water resulted in changes in density, body size, diet,
activity, movement and resource selection by dingoes.
This in turn created challenges for stakeholders and we
attempt to provide some insight into how we can
manage this complex predator and reduce negative
interactions between dingoes and humans in the future.
Thomas Newsome is PhD student with the University of Sydney
NSW and Invasive Animal CRC. His supervisors are Chris Dickman
and Peter Fleming and his research is looking at the provision of
artificial resources in the Tanami Desert and the impacts on the
ecology and behaviour of dingoes.
Concurrent session 2c—Symposium: Long-term, trans-scale, integrated monitoring of Australian
landscapes
1330, Room T4, MCC
1345, Room T4, MCC
Twenty years and two transects: spatial and
temporal variation in local patterns of biodiversity
Biodiversity benchmarks in the Australian
rangelands
Michael Bamford1, Wesley Bancroft1, Nick Sibbel2
Jeff Foulkes1, Andrew White2, Andrew Lowe3
1
2
MJ & AR Bamford Consulting Ecologists, Tiwest Pty Ltd
In Western Australia, two transects of pitfall traps were
established in 1990 and have been sampled for frogs,
reptiles and small mammals twice a year in most years
subsequently. The transects are ca. 1.3 km long, are
parallel and 400 m apart and have pitfall traps at 25 m
spacing. They pass across a gently undulating sand plain
supporting banksia low woodland with some variation
in the density of trees and shrubs. Parts of both transects
were burnt in 1994 and 2003. Therefore, the sampling
was continuous across a landscape that varied in
vegetation structure and changed in fire age and
pattern over time. The distribution of captures of frogs,
reptiles and small mammals was compared between
and within transects. Of the 42 species recorded, only 31
were recorded on both transects and 14 species were
represented by <5 specimens. There was a 26%
difference in the fauna assemblage documented by
transects 400 m apart, and one species, the gecko
Diplodactylus alboguttatus, increased in abundance
over the study. Individual species were not evenly
distributed along the transects. These patterns were
often due to subtle differences in landscape and/or
vegetation structure. Fire and time since fire affected the
abundance of only some species.
Mike Bamford is a graduate of Murdoch University in Western
Australia, and he completed his PhD on the impact of fire upon
small vertebrates in Banksia woodland in 1986. Shortly after he
became a freelance scientist, working as a scientific illustrator, an
environmental consultant and a five year stint as a science
columnist with the West Australian newspaper. With his wife
Mandy, he is a regular on ABC radio in WA. The environmental
consulting developed into a business (Bamford Consulting
Ecologists) that specialises in wildlife research associated with
development projects. Studies range from short-term investigations
for environmental impact assessment to long-term monitoring
projects to detect impacts and study fauna during minesite
recolonisation. Consulting provides some surprising opportunities
for pure ecological research. Mike also lectures occasionally at
Murdoch and Curtin Universities in Perth on topics including fauna
sampling techniques, the role of fire in Australian ecosystems and
biogeography.
1
Department of Environment and Heritage, 2RRSN/TERN,
University of Adelaide
3
The Rangelands Reference Site Network (RRSN) has the
goal of establishing a network of reference sites in the
Australian rangelands to initially determine biodiversity
benchmarks and for ongoing research. Historically,
monitoring of condition in rangeland states has been
extensive, but generally inconsistent and restricted to a
limited number of long-term sites. The contribution to
understanding biodiversity in the Australian rangelands
has been limited. Fundamental to the success of
establishing biodiversity benchmarks in the expansive
and variable Australian rangelands is to determine:
where; what; and how to undertake the measurements,
with scale being an ever-present issue and ongoing
involvement of current participants.
A stratification process is proposed to decide the location
of reference sites. RRSN sites will be positioned to
incorporate other proposed or historic monitoring
activities. The sites will represent the ‘best on offer’
condition and be characteristic of larger, significant areas
of both widely distributed and restricted ecosystems. In
deciding site locations, hierarchical levels will include
IBRA bioregions, land type and disturbance regimes.
To benchmark biodiversity in a subset of rangelands
bioregions, 3,000 permanent reference sites are
suggested. Data collection will be plot based, repeatable
and consistent across the rangelands, including
photographic descriptions and point based
measurements of substrate, perennial vegetation species
and vertical structure to describe plant phenology and
cover (to calibrate remote sensing). Soil and leaf samples
from each plant species will be collected for further
analyses, including DNA bar-coding of perennial plants
and soil cryptogams and mid infrared spectrometry of
soils to determine carbon, nutrients and cation
exchange capacity. Fauna may be included on a subset
of sites. To value-add to the permanent sites by
expanding inventories of flora and fauna, monitoring by
other groups will be encouraged.
91
1400, Room T4, MCC
1415, Room T4, MCC
Trophic energy links population community and
ecosystem indicators of ecological stress and
rehabilitation success across multiple scales
Vegetation type modelling and mapping: optimal
application of old data and new techniques
Sandy Gilmore1
1
Bush Heritage Australia
Efficient sampling of biodiversity is illustrated using birds
from a series of biomes over Australia. Samples at species
specific scales, were distributed over gradsects and
enabled population responses to season or
management to be assessed. Population variance versus
mean plots over space and time, help suggest causes of
deviations from theoretical distributions such as ideal
and free. Estimation of energy consumption by
populations enabled the comparison of various
thermodynamic indices between species and guilds or
communities. Guild and community indicators such as
density as a function of body weight plots were more
informative than simple diversity indices and rank
abundance curves. Ecosystem indices including NDVI
and derived rain use efficiency were found to be useful
indices of carrying capacity for higher trophic levels.
Population, community and ecosystem indices can all be
combined to examine patterns of trophic energy flow
within and between species, guilds and habitats, across
reserves and across regions. Using ecologically and
evolutionarily appropriate indicators allows us to link
population changes to fitness constraints, and
consequently derive understanding of inter-specific
compensation and community dynamics in a metacommunity context. This then enables monitoring to
further our understanding not just quantify change.
Sandy Gilmore has had a varied career in government consultancy
academic and NGO positions. His interests include elaborating the
processes that lead to integrated communities and ecosystems
and the development of simulation models to aid applied
conservation.
92
Ian Oliver1, Liz Broese1, Megan McNellie1, Martin Dillon1, Glenn
Manion1, Simon Ferrier2
1
NSW Department Of Environment, Climate Change And Water,
Ecosystem Sciences, CSIRO
2
Vegetation maps are a fundamental resource for natural
resource management and conservation assessment
and planning. Conventional approaches based on aerial
photograph interpretation (API) are notoriously difficult,
slow and expensive, and are constrained to mapping
the contemporary landscape. Vegetation type
distribution modelling has the benefit of recreating preclearing landscapes but has been criticised for poor
accuracy and ‘unfriendly’ products. Here we present
optimised (efficient and effective) approaches for
modelling and mapping vegetation type distributions at
regional scales. The approach draws upon existing plotbased floristic data and an existing vegetation type
classification for NSW. A quantitative assessment of the
floristic goodness-of-fit of objectively identified
dendrogram groups with a priori vegetation types is
efficiently managed using purpose built software.
Generalised dissimilarity modelling is used to construct
probabilistic maps of pre-clearing distributions of a priori
vegetation types based on the locations of the floristic
plots contained within each associated dendrogram
group. New techniques are then used to construct ‘user
friendly flat maps’ of pre-clearing vegetation type
distributions. Importantly, these products look familiar to
end-users, maintain the strengths of probabilistic
distributions, provide pre-clearing distribution maps, can
be produced efficiently, and reach levels of accuracy
which are comparable to more traditional API mapping.
Dr Ian Oliver is Head of the Native Vegetation Monitoring,
Evaluation and Reporting Unit within the Scientific Services Division
of the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and
Water.
1430, Room T4, MCC
Reconstructing historical transformations of
Australia’s vegetated landscapes
Richard Thackway1, Rob Lesslie1
1
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics–
Bureau of Rural Sciences
Over the last decade considerable progress has been
made in describing and mapping Australia’s vegetation
types, extent, condition, use and management.
Australia’s vegetation condition has been mapped at a
national scale relative to a pre-European unmodified
state for each major vegetation type for 2008. As yet little
work has been done nationally on accounting for the
way land management has transformed Australia’s
vegetated landscapes over time. We present a method
for linking historic descriptions of changes in land use
and land management and vegetation condition.
Credible published sources of information describing
where, when and what changes were observed are
critical. Information is translated using agreed national
frameworks for land use, land management practices
and vegetation type, extent and condition. Ratings are
assigned to translate descriptions of historic land
management changes into a database of vegetation
structure, composition and regenerative capacity.
Locality information is used to build maps of these
changes in vegetation condition. Results of selected
transformations of Australia’s vegetated landscapes over
time are illustrated using state and transition models.
Richard Thackway is a landscape ecologist. He has compiled
several national vegetation and landcover datasets, including
native vegetation type, extent and condition, which support
national NRM polices and programs.
93
Concurrent session 2d—Symposium: From genes to ecosystems
Integrating population demography, genetics and
self-incompatibility
Cryptic diversity and rapid evolution in a stream
crustacean
Susan Hoebee1
Jane Hughes1, Ben Cook1
1
Department of Botany, La Trobe University
Self-incompatibility (SI) is a gene system in angiosperms
that directly links genetic diversity with reproduction
through its influence on fertilisation success. Despite the
potential importance of SI allele diversity for
demographical function, there are few direct measures
of S-allele numbers in multiple populations, and fewer
still that simultaneously measure reproductive output,
mate availability and S-allele diversity. I will draw on
empirical and simulation-based examples from my own
research that demonstrate the importance of this system
to plant conservation and management of weeds.
Susan Hoebee has a PhD on conservation genetics of Grevillea
iaspicula (2002, ANU/CSIRO). Post-doc’d in Switzerland for three
years, then moved to The University of Melbourne. Susan is now a
lecturer at La Trobe University.
1
Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University
Recent molecular work on freshwater fauna has
revealed very high levels of cryptic diversity, especially in
insects, molluscs and crustaceans. While it could be
argued that this diversity is only at the molecular level
and therefore of little significance, it is clear that the more
closely new cryptic lineages are examined, the more
often important ecological differences are identified
between them. The reason for these high levels of
cryptic diversity are unknown, although may well reflect
differences in the characters used by taxonomists to
distinguish species and those used by the animals to
identify potential mates.
In this talk, I will examine one particular case of cryptic
diversity. Paratya australiensis is described as a single
widespread and variable species of the family Atyidae.
Molecular analysis reveals that it is probably a complex of
more than nine closely related species, each with slightly
different habitat preferences and different geographic
distributions. In this talk, I use population genetic analysis
and an experimental approach to examine processes
that maintain the distributions of two of these species. I
provide evidence of asymmetrical hybridisation and
rapid changes in reproductive behaviour when the
distributions of the two species overlap. It is hypothesised
that these processes contribute significantly to
maintaining species boundaries.
Jane Hughes is a Professor in the Griffith School of Environment
and a member of the Australian Rivers Institute. She runs the
Molecular Ecology Lab which uses molecular approaches to
answer ecological questions, mainly in birds and animals that live
in freshwater.
94
Landscape models and genetics test the
importance of structural connectivity for nine
woodland birds
Comparing the phylogenetic diversity of ecological
communities: correcting for sampling effort by
rarefaction
Nevil Amos1, Matt White3, Graeme Newell3, James Thomson1,
2
1
1
Jim Radford , Alexandra Pavlova , Ralph Mac Nally , Paul
1
Sunnucks
David Nipperess1
1
Australian Centre for Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences,
Landscape Ecology Research Group, School of Life and
Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3Arthur Rylah Institute,
Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne
2
Structural connectivity is often used as a proxy for
functional connectivity in conservation planning and
assessment, but the relationship between structural and
functional connectivity is typically unknown.
Prior models predicting landscape-scale connectivity,
based on remnant land cover, for nine species of
woodland dependant birds of the Victorian box-ironbark
region were developed. The birds varied in their mobility
and included species that were ‘decliners’—exhibiting
disproportionately large population decreases with
increasing habitat loss or ‘tolerant’—species decreasing in
proportion to habitat loss. Local and regional scale
population and individual based genetic distances were
estimated from microsatellite genotypes of over 3000
individuals from populations at 62 sites. These distances
provide an estimate of recent functional connectivity
(dispersal and gene flow).
Functional connectivity was maintained for some
‘decliners’ even where structural connectivity was
negligible. It was constrained for some other species by
recent declines in structural connectivity.
These findings suggest a range of responses to
fragmentation even among the more mobile fauna in
this fragmented ecosystem. Caution must be exercised in
use of structural models to inform restoration planning
as land management strategies must accommodate
species with varying responses.
1
Phylogenetic diversity (PD) is an increasingly popular
measure of biodiversity that takes into account the
degree of evolutionary divergence between species,
effectively employing genetic information to inform our
understanding of ecological communities and beyond.
Similarly to species richness, PD will however inevitably
increase with greater sampling effort, making direct
comparison of ecological communities problematic. For
species richness, the common approach to this problem
is to use rarefaction to calculate expected biodiversity for
a given amount of sampling effort—whether measured
as number of individuals or number of sites. Exact
analytical solutions are available for calculating expected
species richness but that has not been the case for PD. I
show how existing rarefaction formulae can be
generalised to accommodate PD. Further, the concept
of sampling effort can now be extended to calculate
expected biodiversity for a given number of species, as
well as individuals and sites. Using example data, I show
that: 1) standardisation of PD by rarefaction leads to
different conclusions about biodiversity hotspots; and 2)
rarefaction of PD can be used as the basis of a number
of useful metrics for studies in phylogenetic community
ecology.
David Nipperess is a Lecturer in Biology based at Macquarie
University. His interests are primarily in ecology, biodiversity and
conservation at the scale of ecological communities and beyond.
Nevil Amos has a long standing interest in Conservation, having
spent many years working in conservation policy he has returned
to research work on a project aimed at improving management
outcomes.
95
Chromosomes in the study of biological and
ecological systems
Finding foxes in Tasmania: faecal DNA analysis
reveals the widespread distribution of foxes in
Tasmania
Tariq Ezaz1, Stephen Sarre1, Arthur Georges1
1
A comparison of chromosomes between individuals
over 100 years ago was one of the first studies to
describe genetic variation in natural populations. Given
this auspicious start, it is perhaps surprising that in recent
years, very little emphasis has been given to
understanding chromosomal variation in ecological
studies. For example, heterozygosity in chromosomes
between mating individuals often causes sterility and
there are many examples where unsuccessful breeding
programs can be attributable to the existence of
chromosomal variability between populations, from
plants to mammals. An understanding of chromosomal
variation and its contribution to variation in life history
traits is of significance not only in conservation genetics
but also in understanding the fundamentals of evolution
and speciation as well as species interactions within
ecosystems. In recent years, advances in high-resolution
molecular cytogenetic techniques have enabled us to
pinpoint minute chromosomal rearrangements, affecting
various traits, from behaviour to diseases. Of particular
significance is the role of sex chromosomes in the
process of sex determination and its contribution to
primary sex ratios in natural populations. This is
particularly so in reptiles which can vary substantially in
their mode of sex determination. I will describe how we
have used advanced cytogenetic techniques to study
the variation in sex chromosomes and their implications
on the evolution of vertebrate sex determination.
Stephen Sarre1, Anna MacDonald1, Candida Barclay2, David
3
Ramsey
1
Institute for Applied Ecology and Invasive Animals Cooperative
Research Centre, University of Canberra, 2Tasmanian Department
of Primary Industry, Parks, Water and the Environment, 3Arthur
Rylah Institute
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has wreaked havoc on
mainland Australia’s environment and agricultural
production since its introduction in the 1870s. Over the
same period Tasmania has remained fox-free. Recently,
an unknown number of foxes were deliberately and/or
accidentally introduced to Tasmania. Some of those
animals and possibly their progeny now live in the wild
in Tasmania. Finding foxes in an island the size of
2
Tasmania (~60,000km ) presents special challenges but
is essential to prevent their establishment in this
stronghold for Australian marsupials. We combined
principles of detection probability through systematic
survey and quantification of research effort with the
development of DNA detection approaches specifically
for foxes to provide a rigorous basis for determining the
scope of the problem and identifying strategic solutions.
We have identified a widespread distribution in
Tasmania for foxes, a finding that has precipitated a
broad, precautionary baiting strategy for their
elimination. We report on the efficiency of this approach
and the necessity of marrying ecological and genetic
data to achieve an efficient outcome. We are now
expanding our approach to include other invasive
mammals of interest in Tasmania as well as the
endangered Tasmanian devil and other native
marsupials.
Stephen Sarre has been a Professor in Wildlife Genetics at the
University of Canberra since 2001. His focus is on the application of
genetic approaches to the problems of ecology.
96
Concurrent session 2e—Biodiversity status, trends, national and international targets
1330, Room T5, MCC
1345, Room T5, MCC
Metacommunity ‘putty’: filling gaps in our
knowledge of biodiversity
Forests of east Australia: the 35th global biodiversity
hotspot
Karel Mokany
1
1
CSIRO Entomology
Information on spatial patterns of biodiversity is vital for a
variety of important ecological questions, such as
predicting the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.
Despite the importance of information on biodiversity
patterns, reliable data on community composition is
generally only available for a small number of ecological
survey sites. One common approach to overcoming this
shortfall in our knowledge is to predict the spatial
distribution of individual species over a region, however,
the applicability of this approach is limited to a small
number of well studied taxa. In contrast, communitylevel modelling has the capacity to predict spatial
patterns in biodiversity for highly diverse, poorly studied
taxa. Here I present a new approach to extend the utility
of community-level models of species richness and
compositional dissimilarity (α- and β-diversity). My novel
optimisation approach constructs species lists for each
community in a region, essentially predicting the
presence/absence of all species in all locations. I describe
this novel approach and demonstrate some of its
practical applications, including: predicting gammadiversity for a region; identifying target areas for future
ecological surveys, and; predicting the spatial distribution
of many species simultaneously.
Karel Mokany is currently developing novel ‘community-level’
approaches to predicting the effects of climate change on
biodiversity.
1
1
3
Kristen J Williams , Andrew Ford , Daniel Rosauer , Naamal De
2
2
1
2
Silva , Russell Mittermeier , Caroline Bruce , Frank W Larsen ,
3
4
Chris Margules , Tania Laity
1
CSIRO, 2Conservation International, USA, 3Conservation
International, QLD, 4Australian Government
The newly identified ‘Forests of East Australia’ Global
Biodiversity Hotspot consists of a discontinuous coastal
stretch along the Australian states of Queensland and
New South Wales, extending inland beyond the New
England Tablelands and the Great Dividing Range. Its
boundaries correspond to a combination of two World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) Ecoregions: the Eastern Australian
Temperate Forests and Queensland’s Tropical
Rainforests. The region contains more than 1500
endemic vascular plants, triggering criteria for global
biodiversity significance, and more than 70% of natural
areas have been cleared or degraded. The hotspot,
although covering a large latitudinal range (15.5° to
35.6° South), has a predominantly summer rainfall
pattern with increasing rainfall seasonality northwards
into the tropical areas of north Queensland.
Temperatures are also variable, with annual winter
snowfalls at high elevations in the south and a tropical
climate in the far north. The hotspot covers large tracts
of elevated tablelands and drier inland slopes,
particularly in New South Wales. Varied soils result in a
mosaic pattern of vegetation. Sclerophyllous
communities dominated by Australia’s iconic plant, the
gum-tree (Eucalyptus species), are the most prevalent
vegetation type. Significant areas of rainforest exist
throughout the region, much of which has persisted
continuously since Gondwanan times, providing a rich
living record of evolution over more than 100 million
years. The human population of the hotspot as of 2006
was over 9 million, with a population density of 36
people per square kilometre, mainly concentrated along
the coast supported by extensive inland production
regions. About 18% of the land area is under some form
of formal protection for its natural values. Gaps in the
protected area network include some centres of plant
endemicity and some areas of critical habitat for
threatened species. Here we present an overview of the
data and methods used to define the hotspot and its
characteristics, that will be published in the New Year.
Dr Kristen Williams is a research scientist with CSIRO Sustainable
Ecosystems, specialising in biodiversity analysis and modelling of
climate and land use changes for policy, planning and research.
97
1400, Room T5, MCC
1415, Room T5, MCC
Can subjective historical datasets be used to
monitor vegetation change?
Priority threat management to protect Kimberley
wildlife
Christopher Jones1, Peter Vesk1, David Duncan2
Josie Carwardine1,5, Trudy O’Conner2, Sarah Legge3, Brendan
Mackey4, Hugh Possingham5, Tara Martin1
1
2
The University of Melbourne, Department of Sustainability and
Environment (Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research),
VIC
Vegetation condition survey methods must satisfy the
competing objectives of information richness and cost
effectiveness. To keep time and resource costs down
sensitive monitoring programs are avoided, while
vegetation condition survey protocols that use subjective
and categorical estimation of measured variables are
very common. Such assessments have limited application
for vegetation monitoring. Categorical variables can be
insensitive to change in condition and there is often
large observer-driven variation. However, categorical
assessments’ utility may be increased by evaluating
change using data calibration. Benefits of this approach
include increasing the value of previous investment and
expanding the monitoring time period captured. We
investigated the calibration of categorical surveys for
monitoring vegetation change after repeated surveys.
We resurveyed sites of remnant riparian vegetation in
northern Victoria that had also been surveyed 15 years
earlier. For the resurveys we used the same subjective
categories used in the original surveys and an additional
set of more objective and continuous measures. By
comparing both methods used in the resurveys we
approximated continuous estimates and associated
uncertainties for the original surveys. We examine the
potential to derive data capable of assessing vegetation
change over time using this calibration.
Christopher Jones has completed his Bachelor of Science at the
University of Melbourne doing Honours in plant morphology
before doing his current PhD in plant ecology.
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2The Wilderness Society, 3Australian
Wildlife Conservancy, 4Fenner School of Environment and Society,
Australian National University, 5The Ecology Centre, University of
Queensland
Alarming native wildlife declines are occurring in
northern Australia, including relatively intact regions like
the Kimberley. We demonstrate a quantitative approach
for prioritising threat management actions to protect the
wildlife of the Kimberley. Experts identified key feasible
management actions: (i) combined fire and introduced
herbivore management, (ii) weed management, (iii)
introduced predator (cat) control. Vertebrate wildlife
species (n=637) were allocated to ecological groups
with similar ecosystem preferences and expected
responses to threats and management actions. Experts
estimated costs, benefits to wildlife (improvements in
ecological group persistence), and likelihood of success
of each action for each bioregion and land tenure type.
Predator control was ranked most cost-effective,
followed by management of fire and introduced
herbivores. Without conservation management some 39
species are at risk of extinction, particularly hollow
dependant species, graminivores, and small-medium
sized mammals. It will cost approximately $40 million per
year to ensure the persistence of these species by
implementing key actions. For maximum benefits and
success, implementation should incorporate adaptive
management and monitoring, Indigenous priorities,
carbon abatement and other synergistic initiatives. Our
approach combines expert derived and formal
ecological data to prioritise threat management, and is
applicable to other regions that are similarly data poor
and ecologically invaluable.
Josie Carwardine completed a PhD in 2009 on incorporating
economic information into conservation planning. She now works
as a post doc at CSIRO on decision making for cost-effective
biodiversity outcomes.
98
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1445, Room T5, MCC
The use and utility of targets for conservation policy
Landscape approaches and threatened species:
making sure we don’t miss the targets
Suzi Heaton1, Charlie Zammit1
1
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and
Communities
Clare Hawkins1,2, Richard Schahinger1, Dydee Mann3, Liana
Joseph4, Richard Maloney5, Jodie Davis5, Hugh Possingham4
1
The use of targets in conservation policy is becoming
more popular as policy makers strive to be more
accountable and systematic in their approach. In
Australia, governments are increasingly using targets—for
example, the Australian Government’s Caring for our
Country initiative sets targets for investment in natural
resource management and South Australia’s Nature
Conservation Strategy and Australia’s Strategy for the
National Reserve System both contain targets which set
strategic direction. Internationally, in October, the post2010 targets for biodiversity will be considered at the
tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
In this paper, we examine the use and utility of targets
for conservation policy as well as some of the challenges
faced by policy makers in developing targets. In
particular, we explore how science is used in setting
targets and baselines. Recent experiences of developing
targets are drawn upon to illustrate some of these
challenges.
Suzi Heaton works in the Conservation Policy Section of the
Biodiversity Conservation Branch within the Australian
Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment,
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, 3private consultant,
TAS, 4The Ecology Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University
of Queensland, 5Research and Development, Department of
Conservation, New Zealand
2
Biodiversity conservation is increasingly addressed by a
landscape approach: broad-scale threat management,
often focusing on biodiversity-rich hotspots, threatened
habitats and ecological communities. This approach is
intuitively the most cost-effective, but may not be in
terms of conserving species diversity. To investigate this,
we applied the Project Prioritisation Protocol (Joseph et
al. 2009) to the objective of minimising extinctions in
Tasmania. This approach has been developed to
prioritise conservation projects for New Zealand’s
Department of Conservation. For each of 171
threatened species, a project was designed to maintain
secure populations over 50 years. Projects were
prioritised by their cost-efficiency: (benefit x likelihood of
success)/cost. Each species’ project typically comprised
actions mitigating threats significantly affecting those
populations most cost-efficient to secure. The
significance of each threat varies across the landscape,
and actions required to minimise extinctions were
scattered widely throughout Tasmania. Only 57 species’
projects could share any costs, where more than one
species required the same action in the same place. The
above-described landscape approach may invest in
areas where threat mitigation cannot significantly
improve a species’ long-term viability, or in insufficient
threat mitigation actions to secure it. The targeted,
species-oriented approach was more cost-efficient in
minimising extinctions and surprisingly inexpensive.
Clare Hawkins specialised for the past twenty years in mammalian
carnivore conservation, but has more recently widened her focus
to the needs of Tasmania’s 190 threatened fauna species.
99
Concurrent session 2f—Fire
1330, Room T2, MCC
1345, Room T2, MCC
Fire regime analysis of the semi-arid Mallee region
How important is fire history in determining plant
species richness?
Rebecca Gibson1, Ross Bradstock1
1
Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires,
University of Wollongong
Semi-arid mallee is a fire-prone system that occurs in a
water limited environment, spanning a rainfall gradient
of 200–500mm/annum. The mallee region is transitional
between two contrasting fuel systems. It is hypothesised
that fire regimes towards the north of the rainfall
gradient (arid/semi-arid environments) where fuels are
largely discontinuous, are primarily driven by increased
moisture availability that causes ephemeral fuels to
bridge the gaps; while fire regimes towards the south of
the rainfall gradient (more mesic environments) are
primarily driven by the drying out of perennial fuels
(following drought). Spatial analysis of the probability of
fire occurring at a point in the landscape as a function of
fuel age (PBP) can be used to test how the degree of
influence of alternative fuel systems may change across
mallee communities in response to rainfall. We also use
PBP analysis to determine the influence of the flammable
hummock grass (Triodia scariosa) on fire regimes. Triodia
scariosa density varies in response to rainfall and other
factors within mallee. We develop PBP functions to
examine these influences on fire regimes across a wide
range of landscapes in Mediterranean south-eastern
Australia. This provides a basis for predicting
management and climate change effects on fire
regimes.
Rebecca Gibson studied the mountain pygmy possum for
Honours at ANU in 2007. After taking a graduate ecologist
position at ERM in Canberra, she commenced her PhD at the
University of Wollongong in June 2009.
100
Jennifer E Taylor1, Marilyn D Fox2, Barry J Fox2
1
School of Arts and Sciences, Australian Catholic University, 2School
of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New
South Wales
Many studies have shown that fire history plays an
important part in determining plant species richness at
any given location. However, the question as to which
are the most important components of fire regime are
not easy to answer. When a substantial area of open
forest in Myall Lakes National Park burnt in one fire, it
provided an opportunity to study effects of the
components of fire regime with all sites having the same
time since the last fire, thus removing age since fire as a
variable. Fire history of the area was well known with
sites having had fire frequencies of two to seven fires
over a 20 year period. Areas of the forest with the same
fire frequency had different fire histories with different
intervals between fires over that period.
Multiple regression analyses indicated that geographic
variables related to distance from the sea were the most
significant in explaining plant species richness, with fire
frequency contributing a minor amount to the variance.
The geographic variables reflected the overall fire history
of the area and illustrate quadratic rather than linear
relationships with plant species richness. Similar
relationships were observed when sites were sampled
again two years later.
Jennifer Taylor is undertaking a long-term study of effects of
variation in fire regime on plant community composition, work
initiated by the late Marilyn Fox 30 years ago.
1400, Room T2, MCC
1415, Room T2, MCC
Fire frequency and season influence soil respiration
in tropical savannas
The influence of time-since-fire on Triodia scariosa
succession in the Murray-Mallee, south-eastern
Australia
Anna Richards1, Josefine Dathe2, Garry Cook1
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2Eberswald University
Soil respiration is the major source of CO2 flux to the
atmosphere in terrestrial systems. The predicted increase
in soil respiration with increasing global temperatures in
temperate regions is an important and poorly
understood climate feedback in global carbon models.
However, in tropical ecosystems, the impact of other
factors, such as changes to rainfall patterns and fire
regimes, on soil CO2 fluxes, may be more important than
temperature. In this study we measured soil respiration
in annually burnt and unburnt plots at a long-term fire
experiment established in savanna woodlands of
northern Australia. We separated soil respiration fluxes
into root and microbial components using root exclusion
plots and tested the influence of patch type (grass vs.
litter), soil temperature and moisture on soil respiration
across dry and wet seasons. There was a significant
interaction between season and fire frequency, with
-2 -1
highest fluxes (6.5μmol CO2 m s ) observed in the wet
season on unburnt plots. The 70% increase in fluxes on
unburnt plots in the wet season was due to an equal
increase in both root and microbial respiration. Soil
respiration decreased with increasing soil temperature
on burnt plots only, where large changes in daily soil
temperature were observed (± 10°C) due to the absence
of extensive litter cover. We conclude that changes to
fire regimes in tropical savannas, could have a greater
impact on soil CO2 fluxes, than changes to soil
temperature.
Anna Richards is a post-doctoral fellow based at the CSIRO tropical
ecosystem research centre in Darwin. She specialises in
understanding the impact of fire on carbon and nutrient cycling.
Sally A Kenny1, John W Morgan1, Andrew F Bennett2, Michael
3
F Clarke
1
Department of Botany, La Trobe University, 2School of Life and
Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 3Department of
Zoology, La Trobe University
Triodia scariosa (spinifex) is a key component of the
Murray-Mallee shrub lands of south-eastern Australia.
These shrub lands burn regularly as a result of fuel buildup, ignition sources and seasonal drought. The generally
understood relationship between T. scariosa and timesince-fire is one of a building to mature to degenerate
succession, with a change in growth form in the mature
phase (hummock to ring). Whilst ‘times’ have been
suggested for peak T. scariosa abundance, the point at
which individuals drop out of communities is more
open-ended. The influence of time-since-fire on a
number of T. scariosa characteristics (per cent frequency
and average dimensions) was examined using mixed
models. Time-since-fire was the primary driver of change
in these characteristics, although climatic variables
(rainfall and evaporation) were also of importance. A
clear progression from the building through to the
mature phase was seen; however, the degenerate
phase (sensu Watt 1947) was not as clear, in T. scariosa
across the time-since-fire gradient of the Murray-Mallee.
Understanding this relationship is important in terms of
structural recovery of plant communities after fire, fauna
habitat requirements, and fire management.
Sally Kenny is a PhD student in the Botany Department of La Trobe
University, studying the relative influences of time-since-fire and
environmental variables on mallee vegetation.
101
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Fire and log density: influence on beetle
biodiversity in mountain ash forests of Victoria
Does soil seedbank diversity limit post-fire
regeneration in small remnants of long-unburnt
Mallee vegetation?
Nicole Sweaney1, Don Driscoll1, David Lindenmayer1
1
Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National
University
Richard Davies1, Molly Whalen1, Duncan Mackay1
To date, there has been limited research on the
interactions between fire, large log density and beetle
biodiversity. Evaluating the impacts of these interactions
is essential for the conservation of beetle biodiversity and
development of ecologically sustainable forestry
practices.
The Kangaroo Island Eastern Plains Fire Trial is a project
run by the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources which is investigating regeneration by
burning of Eucalyptus cneorifolia dominated mallee on
Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Thirty-eight small
(<5ha) highly-senescent remnants are being partially
burnt, all of which have not been burnt for 20–80 years.
As part of this project, we sampled soil from each of
these sites prior to burning, for a glasshouse experiment.
Soil from each site was subjected ex situ to both smoke
aerosol and heat treatment to simulate burning. One
hundred and thirteen indigenous plant species
germinated, fifty of which were absent in the
aboveground herbage, including six rare or threatened
species, and three new records for Kangaroo Island.
Twenty-one indigenous species and seven exotic species
germinated in heat/smoke treated soil but not in
untreated control trays also set up for 29 of the sites,
indicating the importance of fire in regenerating these
areas. However, burning was also found to increase the
frequency of a number of weed species indicating that
weed competition is likely to be a problem when
regenerating small remnants. However, results indicated
that this is more likely to be problem in previously grazed
sites. While indigenous soil seedbanks were found to be
significantly more diverse than the aboveground
herbage in never-grazed sites, this was not the case in
previously grazed sites.
Our research in the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans)
forests of south-eastern Australia addressed whether: 1)
beetle abundance and species richness were effected by
recent fire, log density, and their interaction, and 2) if
beetle species traits (wing presence, trophic group and
body length) were related to fire and log density.
Flightless herbivorous beetles were the main colonisers
of severely burnt sites, which is contrary to the general
understanding of dispersal traits of colonisers. Increased
beetle abundance on unburnt, sites with high log
density suggests that large logs that persist through past
disturbance events have an important influence on the
beetle community. Larger beetle species were also
associated with higher log densities regardless of burn
treatment. Total beetle abundance and species richness
declined in the most severely burnt sites in this study.
These findings have implications for the successful
management of forests for biodiversity conservation in
both Australia and other similar forests worldwide.
Nicole Sweaney has recently graduated with First Class Honours
from the Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU. She
plans to commence her phD this September in the field of
conservation biology, which she is most passionate about.
102
1
Flinders University of South Australia
Dr Richard Davies has worked as a consultant botanist for 30 years
specialising in threatened species and communities. He previously
researched arid-zone soil seedbanks while working as a post-doc
with CSIRO, and during his PhD at Flinders University.
Concurrent session 2g—Ecosystem restoration
1330, Room T1, MCC
1345, Room T1, MCC
Moreton Bay Oil Spill Environmental Restoration
Program: environmental recovery and community
engagement
Revegetating agricultural landscapes: is it useful for
reptiles and beetles?
1
1
Samantha Lloyd , Sean Galvin
1
SEQ Catchments
On 11 March 2009, the Pacific Adventurer, caught in
Cyclone Hamish, suffered hull damage and spilt 270
tonnes of oil into Moreton Bay Marine Park, off the coast
of Moreton Island. The resultant oil slick damaged
beaches, rocky reefs and two coastal wetlands on
Moreton Island; and beaches and mangrove wetlands
between Bribie Island and Coolum Beach on the
Sunshine Coast. This oil spill is now considered
Queensland’s worst environmental disaster.
Following the emergency clean up, the Australian
Government allocated $2million to South East
Queensland Catchments (SEQ Catchments), to
implement a community-based environmental
restoration program. SEQ Catchments is the regional
natural resource management body for South East
Queensland and devolved this funding through an
Expression of Interest process. Eight projects with six
partners (local government, Traditional Owners and
community groups) were approved, with in-kind
contributions pushing the total program value to over
$4million.
Successful projects included revegetation, erosion
control, pest management, fauna monitoring and
traditional knowledge recording. Outcomes included
21,570 plants propagated/planted; 145hectares of
vegetation rehabilitation, 2600meters protective dunal
fencing, over 20,000 birds identified and 1430 people
involved. Information from projects will be used to
inform coastal management planning, which will help
provide greater understanding and conservation of
coastal ecosystems.
1
2
Sacha Jellinek , Don Driscoll , Kirsten Parris
1
1
University of Melbourne, School of Botany, AEDA, 2Australian
National University
A large-scale loss of biodiversity is currently occurring
globally, and it has been argued that extensive
restoration of the landscape is necessary to reduce
species extinctions. Our project assessed the benefits of
replanting linear strips and enlarging existing remnant
areas for native animals in agricultural areas of southeastern Australia. The aim of the study was to assess the
abundance and species richness of reptiles and beetles
in two natural experiments that compared: (1) remnant,
cleared and revegetated linear strips; and (2) blocks of
remnant vegetation with connected revegetation.
Reptiles and beetles were surveyed using pitfall traps
from January to March in 2008 and 2009. Overall, reptile
and beetle species richness and abundance showed no
substantial preference for revegetated, cleared or
remnant linear strips or blocks of habitat, however
ground cover attributes such as tussock and litter cover
were found to have an effect on reptile community
composition. The results also show that many reptile
species present prior to intensive agriculture are no
longer found in these landscapes, leaving behind a
more resilient, generalist reptile community, with
specialist reptile species restricted to remnant areas.
Beetle species were mostly made up of herbivores or
omnivores, adapted for dry open habitats and able to
survive in agricultural landscapes.
Sacha Jellinek is a PhD student at the University of Melbourne.
Prior to study he worked in Australia and south-east Asia on
conservation initiatives. He is interested in community involvement
in conservation.
Dr Sam Lloyd graduated from Wollongong University with a PhD
in pollination ecology in 2006. Sam has worked in pest control,
biodiversity and environmental management and is now
coordinator of the SEQ Fire and Biodiversity Consortium.
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Determining species composition for restoration
plantings using climate change scenarios
The effectiveness of mine rehabilitation and impact
of mulch harvesting on a fauna assemblage
Tina Lawson1, Dan Metcalfe1
Natalia YL Huang1, Michael J Bamford1, Wesley J Bancroft1,
Nick Sibbel2
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
1
Habitat restoration can increase landscape resilience
through buffering fragile habitat, protecting ecosystem
services or increasing landscape linkage. However,
restoration implies an attempt to bring back a former
habitat. As temperature and rainfall intensity, duration
and seasonality change, so too will the distribution of
vegetation types. We aimed to quantify the impacts of
climate change by to riparian systems in a lowland
floodplain in Queensland’s Wet Tropics Bioregion. We
assess the differences in target communities if restoration
were aimed at pre-clearance vegetation (c. 1880) or at
the most-likely community in 2080 based on models of
current climatic correlates with extant vegetation.
Lowland rainforest contribution to riparian vegetation
increases in the 2080 scenario. This increase is achieved
by significant declines in almost all other vegetation
types. Targeting restoration activities at pre-clearance
communities would result in planting schemes
representing the major vegetation types present today,
including swamp woodland communities. Climate
change scenarios suggest that by 2080 the warmer,
drier climate is likely to make swamp woodland
unsupportable and lowland rainforest the dominant
community type across the lowlands. Areas in rain
shadows are likely to see a greater preponderance of
woodlands dominated by Acacia spp. and Eucalyptus
spp. Consequently a restoration aimed at pre-clearance
vegetation is likely to target a community unlikely to be
favoured by prevailing climate in much of the catchment
if all currently cleared riparian strips were planted. This
would result in the waste of valuable resources, and fail
to meet key restoration targets. We suggest that similar
scenario planning is undertaken in other regions were
extensive restoration plantings are planned.
Tina Lawson has been a spatial analyst for CSIRO Ecosystem
Sciences since 2007. She works on projects within the Wet Tropics
Region, with projects involving fish, weeds and ferals as well as
predicting species distribution shifts under climate change
scenarios.
104
MJ & AR Bamford Consulting Ecologists, WA, 2Tiwest Pty Ltd, WA
At a mineral sands mine in Western Australia, disturbed
areas are rehabilitated with native vegetation by seeding
and spreading mulch that is harvested from the
understorey of adjacent banksia woodland. The
effectiveness of rehabilitation and the impact of
mulching on the vertebrate fauna assemblage were
examined. Fauna has been sampled in a rehabilitated
site and a mulched site biannually since 2004, and in an
undisturbed control site since 2006. The results
suggested successful recolonisation of frogs, reptiles and
small mammals with the abundance of some species
varying between sites. The ground fauna assemblage
appeared to reflect a progression from the rehabilitation
site to the mulched and control sites. However, birds
were consistently less abundant in both the rehabilitated
and mulched sites than in the control site. Impacts on
some species were clearly based on their biology and
the vegetation structure or diet they require.
Rehabilitated areas may not provide sufficient cover or
food supply for species reliant on the canopy of trees or
ground cover, e.g. Honey Possum, while mulching may
impact species which utilise the understorey, e.g.
Western Thornbill. It may be beneficial to maintain
remnants of undisturbed woodland within harvested
areas to enable sensitive species to persist within the
disturbed areas.
Natalia Huang has been studying Western Australian fauna and
ecology for over 5 years. She has experience in the state
conservation department and now works as an ecologist with
Bamford Consulting Ecologists.
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Saving biological assets from altered hydrology in
the Western Australian agricultural zone
Nutrient cycling in grazed, fenced and ungrazed
salmon gum woodlands in the Western Australian
wheatbelt
Gavan Mullan1
1
WA Department of Environment and Conservation
The Buntine-Marchagee Natural Diversity Recovery
Catchment project is one of six in south west WA.
Project personnel aim to protect, and where possible,
restore representative samples of regionally significant
biodiversity assets, particularly wetlands, that are
threatened by altered hydrology within this agricultural
landscape.
Sub-catchment scale water management works,
including surface water engineering, revegetation, and
remnant vegetation protection has addressed issues of
salt, nutrient, and sediment export from the landscape.
However, monitoring at assets indicates continued
decline from an elevated and saline watertable. In
response to this, conceptual modelling will be used to
guide dewatering intervention at one of the assets. This
will be supported with ‘recovery criteria monitoring’ and
adaptive management.
We face four main challenges: these are a) a lack of
knowledge about the complex interactions between
natural biodiversity assets and the ecosystem processes
that will determine management success; b) assets
declining beyond repair before management
intervention; and c) requirement for commitment, over
decades, to active management.
We seek to meet the challenges with three key
measures. These are: a) ‘multiple partnerships’—with
researchers and others; b) where possible, intervention
based on conceptual models with consensus from
‘expert panels’; and c) ‘values based planning’—to ensure
stakeholders agree with the planning and
implementation approach.
Amy Robinson1, Pauline Grierson1, Suzanne Prober2,
1
Richard Hobbs
1
School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 2CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems, WA
Land use change from native vegetation to agriculture
or with restoration of degraded agricultural landscapes
back to forest or woodland can induce major changes
in the carbon (C), phosphorus (P), and nitrogen (N)
cycles. We examined land use change and its effects on
vegetation composition, as well as the quantity and
quality of C, N, and P in soils, litter, and foliage using
chemical and optical analyses. To test this, soil, litter, and
foliage was collected from remnant salmon gum
woodlands with varying livestock grazing management
(ungrazed, fenced (for at least 5–20 years) and currently
grazed). Prolonged livestock grazing in salmon gum
woodlands has resulted in excess nitrogen and a
decrease in vegetal litter input, and the carbon to
nitrogen ratio has decreased. Mineralisation processes
increase the amount of nitrate in the soil and decrease
the amount of carbon sequestration. Fenced remnants
show restoration of nutrient cycling processes relative to
degraded remnants. We conclude that livestock
management in native woodlands has altered nutrient
cycling, and that fencing and conservation of native
remnant woodlands in agricultural regions should be
encouraged, especially for carbon sequestration in light
of future climate change predictions.
Amy Robinson is an Honours student at the University of Western
Australia majoring in Botany. The ESA10 Conference is a stop on a
two-month round-the-world trip prior to starting in the graduate
program at Rio Tinto Iron Ore as an Environmental Advisor. Amy
loves playing ultimate frisbee.
Gavan Mullan has been working on biodiversity conservation
projects in the Western Australian agricultural zone for the last
10 years, and has a particular interest in achieving conservation
outcomes within an agricultural setting.
105
Concurrent session 2h—Life history strategies
Mate density and sex ratio as determinants of
pollen receipt and neighbourhood size
Saul Cunningham1, Felix Bianchi2
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Brisbane
Mate density and sex ratio are commonly used concepts
in pollination biology, but are not always clearly
distinguished. Mate density should only capture the
number of male-phase flowers in a defined area and
ignore female-phase flowers, whereas sex ratio is the
ratio of male and female-phase flowers in a defined area
and captures female-female competition. We use a
spatially explicit simulation model to quantify the effect of
mate density and sex ratio variation for plant-pollinator
systems characterised by combinations of high or low
rates of pollen deposition and loss, and then assess the
size of pollination neighbourhoods. In efficient systems
with little pollen loss, female-female competition is of
overriding importance and mate density only plays a
minor role. In contrast, in wasteful systems with high
pollen loss rates, mate density becomes the dominant
factor and sex ratio is no longer important. Systems with
low deposition and low pollen loss rates are associated
with large pollination neighbourhoods, which decline
with increasing deposition and pollen loss rates. These
results show important differences between mate
density and sex ratio effects, and highlight the complex
way in which pollen loss interacts with donation.
Saul Cunningham’s research has focused pollination biology, both
as it is relevant to crop pollination, but also in the conservation of
biodiversity.
106
Why does Hakea platysperma (Proteaceae)
produce extraordinarily large seeds and woody
fruit?
Philip Groom1
1
Curtin University of Technology, WA
An endemic to the nutrient-impoverished sandy soils of
mediterranean south-west Australia, Hakea platysperma
has uncharacteristically large seeds and woody fruits for
the genus. Individual fruit are ~8 cm in diameter and
spherical in shape and contain two winged seeds each
weighing ~500 mg. Experiments have shown that the
cotyledons become an exclusive source of nutrients
during the early stages of seedling growth (on nutrientimpoverished soils), enabling seedlings to quickly grow
and establish a root system deep enough to access soil
stored moisture. This is critical for H. platysperma if the
seedlings are to survive the annual dry summers in their
naturally nutrient-impoverished landscape. A downside
of being large-seeded is their seedlings are more prone
to shoot herbivory due to their relatively high leaf
nitrogen content. H. platysperma’s large woody fruit are
designed to provide the mature seeds with ample predispersal protection from the heat of a passing fire and
strong-billed avian granivores (e.g. black cockatoos).
However individual H. platysperma fruit take up to
3 years to mature, making the developing seeds more
prone to granivory. This may explain why the fruits have
evolved to become extraordinarily large.
Philip Groom has spent several years studying the ecology of
south-western Australian Hakeas. Philip’s research has focused on
understanding the ecology significance of leaf morphology,
winged seeds and serotinous woody fruit as it relates to fire,
nutrients and water availability.
Variation in the demography of Banksia ornata
across its range in south-eastern Australia
Hiding in the bushes: the role of mimicry in a
mistletoe community
Emily Willocks1, John Morgan1, Michael McCarthy2
Ray Blick1, Angela Moles2, Kevin Burns3
Department of Botany, La Trobe University, School of Botany,
1
3
Demographic data is routinely used in mathematical
models which describe population dynamics through
time and can be used to guide species management.
Often this data is compiled from a limited spatial area
such that the demographic understanding of a species is
based on one (or few) populations. We explore how the
demography of Banksia ornata (Desert Banksia), a
widely-distributed obligate-seeding species of deep
sands in south-eastern Australia, varies across its range.
Previous single-site demographic study on this species
has been used to model ‘optimal’ fire intervals for
Banksia ornata.
Australian mistletoes are recognised for their
contribution to ecosystem productivity; however their
morphological and distribution patterns remain largely
unresolved. While Australian mistletoes have long been
admired for their similarity to host trees and restricted
host range, their community-level patterns have not
been investigated. We tested if the mistletoes mimic their
hosts in the entire community or just a single species,
therefore maximising herbivore avoidance. To do this we
assessed mistletoe-host interactions and quantified trait
similarities in a semi-arid environment in New South
Wales, Australia. First, we tested whether mistletoe leaf
dimensions and leaf reflectance were similar to their
hosts, and second, we tested whether host resemblance
could predict mistletoe-host interactions. We found
variation in host resemblance of four mistletoe species
providing partial support for the cryptic mimicry
hypothesis. Host resemblance did not predict observed
mistletoe-host interactions; nevertheless, a high degree
of organisation was found for this mistletoe community.
This shows that some mistletoe species were similar in
appearance to each other, but despite their similarity
they were found in different host species. We
hypothesise that similarities found among mistletoes are
due to the ‘ghost of herbivory past’, while mistletoe-host
differences have arisen from more recent host switching
events.
1
2
We extend this previous work to study six populations
which encompass the temperature, rainfall and soil
gradients across the species distribution. In each
population of Banksia ornata, rates of survival and seed
production with time-since-fire were examined. Perhaps
surprisingly, we found little evidence for stark differences
in the vital rates of B. ornata across its range. The minor
differences observed in vital rates of B. ornata had little
effect on the outcome of modelled ‘optimal’ fire interval
for each population. The results of this study suggest for
species like Banksia ornata models created from a small
set of demographic data may be applicable across the
species distribution.
Emily Willocks completed B. Conservation and Ecology with
Honours at La Trobe University 2010.
University of New South Wales, 2University of New South Wales,
Victoria University of Wellington
Ray Blick started his research career at Victoria University of
Wellington studying plant-plant interactions. He is currently
working on plant-climate/plant-animal interactions out of the
University of New South Wales.
107
How do plants and insects shape the spatial
patchiness of pollinator networks?
Unravelling the invasion knot: a spatial investigation
of serotiny and cone production in Pinus radiata
Tony Popic1, Glenda Wardle1, Yvonne Davila2
James Bevan1, Glenda Wardle1, Charles Warren1
1
2
Sydney University, University of Calgary
Networks are becoming widely used in ecological
studies to investigate community assembly, indirect
interactions and the resilience of an ecosystem to species
loss. Pollination ecologists have utilised networks to study
all interactions between co-flowering plants and the
flower-visiting animals they share, which include positive
and negative interactions. Studies suggest that such
networks are dynamic but the level of spatio-temporal
variation is unknown. To determine the pattern of spatial
variation in plant-visitor networks in a spinifex-dominated
arid zone grassland, the network of interactions among
assemblages of plants and visitors was sampled. A
spatially nested sampling design and strict sampling
protocol over three sites were employed, enabling direct
comparisons. Sites were 50km apart, with two sampling
locations 1 km apart at each site, and dune and swale
habitats were sampled at each location. Sites were
sampled consecutively, each for three days with a total
of 144 hours of sampling. We observed over 900 plantvisitor interactions between 35 plant species and around
70 insect visitor species. Species richness and
composition varied among sites, whereas network
structural parameters (high nestedness, low
connectance) remained relatively constant. Spatial
variation of flowering plants on small scales led to
differences in the composition of the floral visitor
network.
Tony Popic is a PhD student, studying plant-pollinator interaction
networks in the Simpson Desert with the Desert Ecology Research
Group based at Sydney University.
108
1
University of Sydney
Pinus radiata has invaded native bushland surrounding
plantations in NSW and throughout Australia. Pine
wildlings can detrimentally alter the ecology of native
bushland. Despite widespread invasion, accurate
predictors of the extent of invasion have proven elusive.
P. radiata is a serotinous species, retaining mature seed
in the canopy for long periods of time. Release of seed
from serotinous species has traditionally been associated
with fire. The timing of P. radiata invasion events has not
been quantified. Attempts to understand P. radiata
invasion have yet to quantify serotiny. This study
quantified cone production and the degree of serotiny
in P. radiata. The invasive potential of P. radiata is partly
determined by the number of cones each tree produces
and the timing of seed release. Cone production was
quantified and serotiny was assessed by their status
(open or closed) in plantation and invaded wildling trees
at three of the most highly invaded sites in NSW. For a
supposedly serotinous species, the proportion of closed
cones in both the plantation and the wildling trees was
low. This indicates that in a NSW invasive context, P.
radiata is partially serotinous, releasing seed in the
absence of fire. Variation in serotiny and cone
production was also spatially complex; thus effective
allocation of management resources is likely to be
difficult. Longer term studies quantifying yearly changes
in serotiny and cone numbers are necessary to inform
long-term invasion management.
James Bevan completed his honours research on the ecology of
Radiata Pine invasion at Sydney University. He currently works as
an Ecologist in Sydney.
Concurrent session 2i—Open forum
1330, Room T6, MCC
1345, Room T6, MCC
Spot the difference! Structural versus visual function
of eggshell maculation
Wide enough? The relationship between riparian
corridor width and ant and plant diversity in
northern Sydney
1
1
Golo Maurer , Steven J Portugal , Phillip Cassey
1
1
Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, University of
Birmingham, UK
Christopher Ives1, Grant Hose1, David Nipperess1, Mark Taylor1
Pigmentation and patterning of eggshells clearly
distinguishes birds from their reptile ancestors with white
shells. Yet surprisingly, it has proven difficult to identify a
single function of eggshell maculation, to explain its
widespread occurrence and diversity across species.
Here, we investigate the divergent expectations for the
make-up of eggshell speckles according to their different
putative functions: a structural but not a visual function
implies that speckled areas of the shell differ in their
calcite matrix composition from neighbouring plain
areas. Using heavily speckled, apparently camouflaged
eggs of black-headed gulls, Larus ridibundus, we show
that the thickness and vapour permeability of shell
regions do not vary with maculation. Likewise, stable
isotope composition is identical for speckled and plain
fragments throughout embryonic development, ruling
out a role of maculation in the embryo’s calcium
metabolism. A comparison of museum eggs of c. 200
European species using scanning electron microscopy
and transmission spectrophotometry suggests instead
two novel, alternative functions of shell pigmentation
and speckling; (1) a filter of UV light harmful to the
embryo, and (2) a screen admitting only light of
wavelengths that speed up embryonic development.
Both of these functions could have large implications for
parental and nestling behaviour.
Riparian corridors are commonly the last remaining areas
of natural habitat within urban landscapes. With
increasing development pressure minimum riparian
widths are commonly legislated, however little empirical
evidence exists as to the efficacy of these policies for
biodiversity conservation. In this study, we investigated
the response of ant and vascular plant assemblages to
riparian corridor width and a range of other landscape
environmental factors. Eighteen corridors were selected
from within the Ku-ring-gai Local Government Area,
Sydney Australia. Ants were sampled using pitfall traps
positioned within rectangular vegetation transects (30 m
x 10 m). Both plant and ant species richness was found
to be unrelated to riparian corridor width, however
significant compositional differences were observed. The
dominance of opportunistic species contributed greatly
to differences in ant assemblages and higher
proportions of invasive plants were observed in narrow
corridors. Our findings suggest that >50 m of bushland
from the top of bank should be retained to mitigate
edge effects. However, the high degree of variability
observed between sites is a cautionary note against
relying on minimum corridor widths for the protection of
urban riparian ecosystems. Maximum ecological
outcomes will only be achieved through implementation
of policies that consider catchment-wide processes and
impacts.
Golo Maurer has just completed a postdoc in the UK on the
ecological adaptations of avian eggshells to their environment.
1
Christopher Ives is a PhD student at Macquarie University. His thesis
assesses biodiversity patterns within urban riparian systems, and
explores interactions between conservation science and urban
planning policy.
109
1400, Room T6, MCC
1415, Room T6, MCC
Seasonal changes in plant–plant interactions affect
tree establishment in grasslands
Individual decision makers drive the diversity of
cultivated plants in gardens
Megan Good1, Jodi Price2, Peter Clarke3, Nick Reid1
Dave Kendal1, Kathryn Williams1, Nicholas Williams1
Ecosystem Management, University of New England,
Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences,
University of Tartu, Estonia, 3Department of Botany, University of
New England
Melbourne School of Land and Environment, University of
Melbourne
1
2
There is widespread support in the literature for the
‘stress gradient hypothesis’ (SGH)—predicting an increase
in the frequency of positive interactions in stressful
environments and a switch to competitive interactions in
more benign environments. This may vary in different
systems, depending on (amongst other things) the
species involved and the stress gradient studied. We
investigated the nature of plant-plant interactions for tree
seedling recruitment in semi-arid grasslands, along a
heat stress gradient. Temperature is a non-resource
based stress, that can fluctuate widely from cool winters
to very hot summers and extremes can reduce
photosynthetic activity and cause cell damage. Using
glasshouse and field experiments, we measured survival
and growth of tree seedlings grown with different
densities of grasses in summer and winter conditions. In
cool conditions, competition reduced seedling growth
but did not affect survival, whereas in hot conditions
facilitation increased survival of seedlings. These results
support the SGH, since positive interactions increase
seedling survival under high heat stress but competition
was more important in cooler conditions. The
implications of these findings for tree-grass dynamics in
semi-arid savannas will be discussed.
Megan Good is in the final year of her PhD candidature. She is
studying the population dynamics of Coolibah woodlands in the
semi-arid floodplains of northern New South Wales.
110
1
Cultivated ornamental vegetation in gardens, parks and
streetscapes dominates urban landscapes, yet have been
largely unexplored in ecology. Ornamental vegetation
contributes greatly to the biological diversity of urban
areas, provides food and habitat for other species and
improves human health and wellbeing. This study
explores patterns of plant diversity across 128 randomly
selected front gardens in Ballarat, using linear
regressions of garden area, housing age and social
variables against taxa richness, plant density and taxa
turnover. Taxa richness within gardens ( =13.9) was
lower than surrounding native vegetation ( =17.0) yet
diversity across gardens was significantly higher due to
the dissimilarity of the gardens (Bray Curtis=0.92 vs 0.46).
Taxa richness was most strongly related to the
proportion of garden beds (R2=0.24) and unrelated to
socioeconomic status, in contrast with findings from the
USA. Plant density was negatively related to garden area
(R2=0.15). While there was some evidence of spatial
autocorrelation, measured physical and social variables
were unable to explain overall patterns of taxa turnover.
Instead, we argue that household level factors such as
gardener personality, gender and age drive peoples’
gardening behaviour, and that the observed patterns of
diversity are the combined result of many individual
decision makers.
Dave Kendal is completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne
exploring the relationship between ecological patterns of diversity
and psychological preferences and decision making in the
cultivated landscapes of Ballarat
1430, Room T6, MCC
1445, Room T6, MCC
Maximising fauna return post bauxite mining—
using science to influence restoration practice
Birds of a feather: using species assemblages to
assess the vulnerability to extinction of native birds
Vicki Stokes1, Mike Craig2, Richard Hobbs3, Giles Hardy2
Dean Paini1, Simon Ferrier1
1
2
3
Alcoa of Australia, Murdoch University, University of Western
Australia
Alcoa of Australia has been mining bauxite in the
northern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of Western
Australia since 1963. Around 600 ha are mined and
restored annually. Science is an important component of
the restoration process for re-establishing a selfsustaining forest ecosystem of conservation value. We
aim to understand the successional return of fauna, how
this corresponds with plant successional processes, and
the habitat requirements of late successional species.
Research has shown that some faunal groups,
particularly reptiles are slow or fail to recolonise,
suggesting that the common premise that fauna will
naturally follow vegetation establishment does not
always hold true. Over-dense stands of eucalypts in
rehabilitation potentially interfere with the capacity of
some reptile species to thermo-regulate. Current
research is focused on the role of forest management
practices such as thinning and burning rehabilitation,
and log return in meeting the habitat requirements and
thus maximising the successful return of these species.
Thinning and burning rehabilitation provides suitable
habitat for mammals such as the western pygmy
possum. Reptiles such as Morethia obscura and Menetia
greyii are encouraged into rehabilitation by thinning and
burning, resulting in reptile communities more similar to
those in unmined forest.
Dr Vicki Stokes is a research scientist with Alcoa of Australia,
researching ecosystem restoration, particularly pertaining to fauna
in a production landscape. Other research interests include
invasive species and threatened species ecology.
1
One of the many challenges to biodiversity researchers is
the question of which species are most vulnerable to
extinction. This is particularly pertinent to policy makers
who must allocate and prioritise scarce resources, and
the question of species vulnerability is one that is often
considered. We present a method to answer this
question using species-assemblage analysis. By assessing
patterns of species association, the strength of affiliation
of a species to the assemblage in which it is found can
be used to rank its vulnerability to extinction. For
example, if species A is found with an assemblage in 20
locations and species B is found with this same
assemblage in only 2 locations, it can be inferred that
species B has a lower strength of affiliation and therefore
more vulnerable to extinction in these two locations. We
present an analysis of bird censusing data for one
degree grids over most of Australia, to rank all species in
all grid-cells by vulnerability to local extinction. These
rankings for each cell can then be combined over a
species’ range to determine its overall vulnerability to
extinction. We also discuss ways in which climate
change can be incorporated to predict future
vulnerabilities.
Dean Paini completed his PhD in 2004 at UWA investigating the
impact of the European honeybee on Australian native bees. He
then moved to the University of Florida where he researched the
ecology of thrips species. In 2007, he returned to Australia to take
up a postdoctoral fellow using machine learning to predict
invasive species. He is currently a research scientist in CSIRO
Ecosystem Sciences, where he researches ecological questions
regarding invasive and native species.
111
Speed talks 1
1530, Room T1, MCC
1535, Room T1, MCC
Key biodiversity area prioritisation in the New
Guinea wilderness
Incorporating invasive species biology into
management
1
2
3
Kristen J Williams , Randal JL Storey , David K Mitchell , Naamal
4
5
De Silva , Daniel P Faith
CSIRO, 2Canberra, 3Conservation International, PNG,
4
Conservation International, USA, 5Australian Museum
1
Ben Hoffmann
1
CSIRO
1
Key biodiversity areas (KBAs) are sites of global
significance for biodiversity conservation. They provide
geographic targets for expanding and strengthening
protected area networks, and other conservation
actions. However, it is not possible to invest in all
significant areas simultaneously. A method for prioritising
KBAs was outlined in Langhammer et al. (2007)—
Identification and Gap Analysis of Key Biodiversity Areas.
Vulnerability, irreplaceability and costs of conservation
action are key considerations in deciding on which areas
to invest in. We applied this prioritisation approach to
128 KBAs in the New Guinea wilderness region, which
provide habitat for 214 species of critical interest. Indices
of species irreplaceability were based on how often a
species was represented within the set of KBAs and the
proportion of the contributing species’ total habitat
captured. Nine measures of site-based vulnerability
reflected land uses that threaten biodiversity. In addition,
an index of conservation cost was developed based on
the premise that increasing complexity among social
and political jurisdictions will increase the overall difficulty
of successfully implementing conservation. We
successfully prioritised the priority areas for maintaining
globally significant species in the New Guinea
wilderness. For example, nineteen KBAs were identified
with ‘extreme’ species-level irreplaceability and
vulnerability and are therefore among the highest
priority for conservation action. Twelve of these occur in
PNG and seven in Indonesia. It is important to note
however that all KBAs are priorities and have been
identified primarily because they support habitat for
species that are vulnerable to extinction over relatively
short time frames. We aimed to classify these areas using
a number of indices, to facilitate selection of areas for
more detailed assessment. While making the best use of
available data, we also identify a number of areas in
which information about species, ecosystems and the
processes that threaten could be improved, or methods
of prioritisation refined.
Ecosystems, specialising in biodiversity analysis and modelling with
climate and land use changes for policy, planning and research.
112
Despite over a century of invasive species management,
eradications remain relatively uncommon, and there are
great differences of management success among taxa.
Ants are particularly noteworthy as invasive species, and
we have a very poor management history attempting to
deal with them. However, recently there have been
numerous successful eradications within Australia, with
the successes predominantly attributed to protocols that
are based on ant biology. Importantly, these successful
projects incorporated an active adaptive approach,
whereby research was embedded within the
management program to resolve issues as well as to
improve knowledge of the target species and invasions
in general. Here I use these projects as case studies to
demonstrate how knowledge of a target species’
biology provides the best basis of project protocols, how
these multi-agency collaborative projects were designed
to provide an adaptive management framework, and
discuss how they overcame (and continue to overcome)
the political pressures actively attempting to prevent
such an adaptive approach.
Ben Hoffmann is an ecologist specialising in ants. He has spent the
past 15 years researching and managing invasive ants. His
adaptive management approach is the basis for his projects
achieving twice as many localised eradications over five times the
area reported in the literature for all invasive ant management
globally combined for the past 100 years.
1540, Room T1, MCC
1545, Room T1, MCC
Breeding diet of grey falcons (Falco hypoleucos) in
Sturt National Park, NSW, Australia
Gaining insight into the impacts of severe tropical
cyclones on vegetation in northern Australia using
time series remote sensing
Immy Janse1, Ulrike Kloecker
1
Van Hall-Larenstein Leeuwarden, University of Applied Science
Little is known about the diet of the rare grey falcon. In
this project the diet of a family of grey falcons was
investigated using pellets collected at the nesting site.
The pellets were dissected and dietary remains identified
using a reference collection (birds), the program Hair ID
(small mammals) and comparison to information on
potential prey species in the literature. Results were then
compared to data from various sources, mainly casual
observations.
Immy Janse is a student at the Van Hall-Laterenstein; University of
Applied Science in the northernly town of Leeuwarden, The
Netherlands. I’m currently doing my bachelor internship for
DECCW National Parks and Wildlife Society during which I
analysed pellets collected at a grey falcon nesting site in 2003.
Leo Lymburner1, Garry Cook2, Peter Tan1, Norman Mueller1,
3
1
1
Richard Thackway , Adam Lewis , Medhavy Thankappan
1
Geoscience Australia, 2CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, 3Australian
Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics-Bureau of Rural
Sciences
Severe tropical cyclones occur frequently across
Australia’s tropical north, and those that make landfall
typically have a catastrophic impact on the vegetation in
the immediate path of the cyclone. Previous studies have
demonstrated a ‘before and after’ characterisation of the
impact, however time series information is required to
fully characterise the longer term response and recovery
trajectories of vegetation communities. This study
illustrates how the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dynamic Land Cover Map
(DLCM) in combination with EVI time series can provide
insight into the impact of three recent severe tropical
cyclones, Monica, Ingrid and Larry on vegetation
communities including tropical rainforest, savannah
woodlands and mangroves. The characteristics of the
impacts are assessed within the context of terrain effects,
storm surges and antecedent (pre-event) vegetation
structure. Vegetation on the windward slope and ridges
show significantly greater impact than those on the lee
slope. The post event time series characteristics are
consistent with an event-disturbance-recovery model,
however the recovery trajectories of different vegetation
types provide valuable insight into their immediate and
short-term resilience. Given the flexibility of the DCLM
data products it can be readily applied to numerous
other resource management issues.
Leo Lymburner has worked in the field of vegetation remote
sensing since 1998 and is keenly interested in how remote sensing
can be used to provide insight into the impact of extreme events.
113
1550, Room T1, MCC
1555, Room T1, MCC
Is goat management enough to ensure ecosystem
recovery of the rangelands?
Splitting vs lumping: the complexities of vegetation
mapping for assessing conservation values
Richard Harris1, Renee Hartley2
Richard Harris1, Hana McDonald1
1
Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University,
School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University
2
Feral goats have a major impact on rangeland
ecosystems through overgrazing and destruction of the
soil biotic crust. Control of feral goats is a complex issue
because while acknowledged as a major environmental
pest, they currently have a relatively high commercial
value. Also impacting the rangeland, and on the
increase in the Midwest and Murchison regions of
Western Australia, is iron ore mining, in particular
targeting banded iron stone formations (BIF). As some
areas of BIF are mined, the protection of unmined areas
from other impacts, such as grazing by goats, is critical.
Mining companies are being encouraged to manage
goats as part of environmental offset packages but a key
question is how responsive the vegetation is to goat
removal, and if they are managed, do other herbivores
(such as kangaroos and rabbits) maintain the rangeland
in its degraded state? A collaborative project has been
initiated to quantify ecosystem recovery within paired
plots (goat exclosure and open) spread across the
Midwest. These include ex-pastoral leases that the
Department of Environment and Conservation has
destocked, and pastoral leases maintaining high grazing
pressure. Initial comparisons of herbivore densities and
vegetation condition are presented.
Richard Harris is a community ecologist with broad research
interests generally focused on the impacts of human induced
disturbances on native ecosystems.
114
1
Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University
Vegetation mapping is common practice for
conservation and mining approvals. Selection of visually
distinct vegetation, with or without quantitative analysis,
is used to produce detailed vegetation maps. Bias and
limitations of techniques are rarely acknowledged and
community groupings justified. Two case studies: a
vegetation survey of a nature reserve and a region to be
mined, highlight the need for greater scientific rigor in
vegetation mapping.
Richard Harris is a community ecologist with broad research
interests generally focused on the impacts of human induced
disturbances on native ecosystems.
1600, Room T1, MCC
1605, Room T1, MCC
Nutritional composition of the forage and seed of
Australian native grasses
Shifting mine rehabilitation to ecological restoration
Jodie Reseigh1, Paul Foster2, Robert (Bob) Myers3
1
2
Andrew Wright1
1
Whitehaven Coal
3
Rural Solutions SA, SA Health, Aussie Roots
Whilst many species of Australian native grasses are
identified, their nutritional composition is mostly
unknown. Aboriginal and animal feeding behaviour
indicates dietary value. This study provides reference
information concerning nutritional and toxicological
composition of selected native perennial C3 and C4 grass
forage and/or seed. Native grasses if consumed, supply
a variety of macro and micronutrients. Native grass and
seed is of immense value to future livestock dietary
planning, native animal conservation and potentially,
human food.
Jodie Reseigh is a senior environmental consultant with Rural
Solutions SA. She has an ongoing interest in Australian native
grasses for both biodiversity and production.
NSW Coal Mining Industry is currently in a transition
phase away from the previous practice of post mining
rehabilitation that had focused only on re-establishing
agricultural land uses. This presentation will discuss the
challenges facing the industry both from internal and
external forces that are driving the increased
expectations of ecological community rehabilitation
within post mining landforms.
The speaker will outline examples of negotiating the fine
line between obtaining mining approvals, undertaking
rehabilitation programs and maintaining business
continuity while attempting to achieve improved
biodiversity outcomes in post mining landscapes. Internal
pressures that need to balanced with ecological
restoration include both management, employee and
community education and awareness; working within
budgets and justifying cost effective programs to obtain
expenditure approval, and challenging ‘old school’
thinking. External pressures include working with
agricultural based communities, government regulatory
hurdle jumping and the continually moving expectations
of government and community stakeholders.
Learning from and adapting other practices from the
broad field of ecological restoration, there are examples
now in the NSW coal and other mining industries that
can demonstrate how quickly ecological restoration
initiatives can be adopted into onsite mining
rehabilitation practices to improve biodiversity outcomes.
Andrew Wright has 10 years experience in the coal mining
industry. However recent years undertaking rehabilitation
programs moved from an occupational hazard to a passionate
pursuit towards ecological restoration.
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Mount Klabat in north Sulawesi, Indonesia: a
proposed reservation site for some Sulawesi
biodiversity of endemic birds and mammals
More to the point—spinifex seed is required to drive
a desert boom
Saroyo Sumarto1, Farha Dapas1, Trina Tallei1
Glenda M Wardle1, Chris R Dickman1, Aaron Greenville1,
Bobby Tamayo1
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Sam Ratulangi
University, Indonesia
1
Desert Ecology Research Group and School of Biological Sciences,
The University of Sydney
Sulawesi is the biggest island in Wallacea region that
represents most of Wallacean biodiversity. Nowadays,
Sulawesi biodiversity is facing some serious threats,
mainly are habitat destruction and hunting for
consumption especially in the North Sulawesi Province.
One way for their conservation efforts is conservation
areas formation even. These, however, still cannot stop
destructive practices. Besides some conservation areas,
North Sulawesi has several sites that can act as a reserve
for some Sulawesi birds and mammals. Mount Klabat
located in the province still carries many island-endemic
species. A survey has been conducted at the site to
determine the bird and mammal abundance and
biodiversity indexes from January to December 2009.
Method used was line transect crossing both primary
and secondary rainforest. For bat survey, mist-netting
with 3–6.6 m height was used. From the survey, we
found 3 Sulawesi mammals, Sulawesi black macaques
(Macaca nigra), spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrum) and
bear cuscus (Ailurops ursinus); and 41 bird species with
24 endemic species, such as Knobbed Hornbill
(Rhyticeros cassidix), Sulawesi Hawk-eagle (Spizaetus
lanceolatus) and Sulawesi Woodpecker (Dendrocopos
temminckii). Mammal’s diversity was low, whereas bird’s
was high. Mount Klabat can be used as reservation site
for Sulawesi endemic birds and mammals.
The 2010 drought-breaking summer rains have
stimulated plant productivity but not the eruptions of
rodents observed in the boom periods following similar
events in 1990, 2000, and 2007. We explore the idea
that this is due to lack of seed production of spinifex,
Triodia basedowii, a hummock grass that dominates the
vegetation in the dune fields of the Simpson Desert.
Why the numerous flowering stalks are produced
without seeds remains a mystery worth pursuing.
1
Dr Saroyo Sumarto is a primatologist. He has been conducting
research on Macaca nigra at Tangkoko-Batuangus Nature Reserve
North Sulawesi for almost 8 years. He is now the head of
Conservation Laboratory at University of Sam Ratulangi Manado.
116
Glenda Wardle of the Desert Ecology Research Group at the
University of Sydney currently works on species interactions in arid
communities in the hummock grasslands of the Simpson Desert.
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Looking for a phylogenetic signal in the climate
niche of European mammals
Adaptation to climate change in SE Australia: an
ecological or a socio-ecological issue?
1
2
3
Bernd Gruber , Carsten Dormann , Marten Winter , Dirk
2
Hermann
Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2Department
for Computational Landscape Ecology, UFZ—Centre for
Environmental Research, Germany, 3Department of Biology,
Ecology and Evolution Unit, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
1
Ian Mansergh
1
Department of Sustainability and Environment, VIC
1
Our ability to predict consequences of climate change is
severely impaired by the lack of knowledge on the ability
of species to adapt to changing environmental
conditions. We used distribution data for 140 mammal
species in Europe, together with data on climate, land
cover and topography, to derive a statistical description
of their realised climate niche. We then compared
climate niche overlap of pairs of species, selected on the
basis of phylogenetic information. In contrast to
expectations, related species were not similar in their
climate niche. Rather, even species pairs that had a
common ancestor less than 1 Ma already display very
high climate niche distances. We interpret our finding as
a strong interspecific competitive constraint on the
realised niche, rather than a rapid evolution of the
fundamental niche. If correct, our results imply a very
limited usefulness of climate niche models for the
prediction of future mammal distributions.
Bernd Gruber started his scientific career working on the feeding
ecology of the Yellow-footed rockwallaby (Diploma thesis),
followed by a study on the population dynamics of an arboreal
gecko commuting between Australia and Germany to finally find a
way to settle permanently in Australia working on Spatial Analysis
and Ecological Modelling of animal populations as an Assistant
Professor at the University of Canberra.
Causes and consequences of global climate change will
produce large-scale, all pervasive biophysical
modifications to landscapes. A warmer, drier, more
extreme weather (e.g. fire) event prone future will
increase the complexity of cascading effects on
ecosystems of se Australia. Natural systems will ‘self
adjust’ to altering environmental conditions within
constraints of genetic plasticity, re-colonisation,
availability of source populations and space) thus
changing the spatial distribution of biota and potential,
consequential ecosystem services. In contrast, major
societal responses to climate change (mitigation of CO2 e
emissions and adaptation) are chosen, purposeful and
affected by, and will affect, landscape trajectories.
Landscapes reflect past and projected human meaning
and populating terra nullius through agriculture,
supported by science (agronomy), transformed se
Australia, however, many of these landscapes are now
transitioning away from ‘traditional’ agriculture
(amenity). The ecological study of natural systems
(patterns, processes, populations and trajectories) has
provided insights into Australia’s unique biota and
processes which will become a key component of reimagining future landscapes and societal choices
involved. The relativities of the societal value of
ecosystem services and risks (biodiversity, amenity, fire)
will be altered by perceptions of future ecosystem
changes and what the community values from
landscapes (e.g. food, carbon sequestration, water). This
paper examines emerging and converging
developments (e.g. land-use policies) in this socioecological ‘space’ of adaptation of landscapes for the
21st century.
Ian Mansergh has worked in ecology and land use management
and policy for 30 years. Early work on climate change and
co-invented bilink concept.
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The vulnerability of natural values on Tasmania’s
Responses of native and invasive exotic grasses to
elevated carbon dioxide and fire
Louise Gilfedder1, Clarissa Murphy1, Felicity Faulkner1, Jill
Pearson2
Ifeanna Tooth1, Michelle Leishman1
1
1
2
NRM South
Sea level rise increasingly presents a major challenge for
both coastal zone management and biodiversity
conservation planning. The vulnerability of natural values
to sea level rise along Tasmania’s coastline has been
investigated using coastal landform sensitivity (Sharples
2006) as the basis of the assessment. A small number of
native vegetation communities have much of their
extent within 500 m distance of the coast. A similar trend
was found with the flora—11 species have 100% of their
populations and range in the zone defined by 5m
elevation. The fauna most at risk was coastal shorebirds
as they are entirely dependent upon the shoreline of
Tasmania (with 12 migratory species covered by
international conventions and 50% of their habitat on
the coast). The potential impact on Ramsar sites (nine
out of the ten that exist in Tasmania are coastal),
wetlands and saltmarshes was also considered.
This project aimed to identify key vulnerabilities to sea
level rise in order to develop adaptive management
approaches. It is a component of the Tasmanian
Government’s Natural Systems Resilient to Climate
Change Project which aims to facilitate the adaptations
that may maintain, enhance and recover the resilience
of natural values.
118
Climate change is expected to result in an increase in the
frequency and intensity of fires in many regions of
Australia and therefore the interaction of fire and
resprouting response of vegetation under elevated CO2
conditions is an important issue. Mesocosms containing
three exotic and three native grass species (both C4 and
C3) were grown as mixtures in natural soil in
glasshouses in elevated (700 ppm) and ambient (385
ppm) CO2, burnt and assessed for resprouting response.
Two out of the three exotic species significantly
increased in biomass whereas only one of the native
species significantly increased in biomass by the end of
the experiment, and in aboveground biomass only. The
total biomass of grass plants grown in elevated
atmospheric CO2 was greater than that of grass plants
grown in ambient atmospheric CO2. The total biomass
of the three native grass species reduced marginally in
elevated CO2 whereas the total biomass of the three
exotic grasses increased marginally in elevated CO2.
Burning reduced the biomass of plants. There was no
interaction between elevated CO2 and burning. Our
results support the hypothesis that invasive plants can
benefit more from elevated CO2 than native plants,
irrespective of whether they are C3 or C4.
Ifeanna Tooth is a Masters (MPhil) student working in the Plant
Invasion and Restoration Lab at Macquarie University. Ifeanna also
works at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.
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Subterranean termites eavesdrop on predatory ants
and other termite species to secure a distant feed
Bat species show vegetation type preferences in
the northern jarrah forest, Western Australia
Glen Bann1, Theo Evans2, Joseph Lai3, John Field1
Wesley Bancroft1, Brenden Metcalf1, Michael Bamford1,
Stephen Vlahos2
1
2
3
Australian National University, CSIRO Entomology, ADFA
(UNSW)
Recent work on drywood termites has identified the fact
that they communicate and eavesdrop using vibrations
(Evans et al. 2005, 2009). However, applications of this
ability and the mechanisms that enable it have not been
fully investigated. This paper describes observations
made in box/gum grassy woodlands of the STNSW and
results from subsequent laboratory experiments. Despite
a negative association found between termites and ants
beneath the discs, subterranean termites were detected
inhabiting the same nest site as aggressive predatory
ants to obtain feed in the form of a log disc placed on
the ground (surrogate habitat/feed). Additionally, two
different termite species were observed inhabiting the
same location, where one species (dominant?) were
feeding on a buried toilet roll and the other on the log
disc at the surface (within 30cm of each other). These
observations demonstrate the ability of subterranean
termites to eavesdrop on other soil dwellers, be they of
the same genus or family, or a formidable predator. It
also confirms the fact that the termites can detect and
assess wood (food) through the soil, without actually
being in contact with the wood. Implications from these
results suggest further work is warranted on these and
other termite species (and from other regions) to
determine whether this ability is widespread.
1
MJ & AR Bamford Consulting Ecologists, 2BHP Billiton Worsley
Alumina Pty Ltd
Bat echolocation calls were recorded passively, using the
Anabat system, at 50 sites (one night per site) in the
northern jarrah forest region of Western Australia. There
was a significant difference in the habitat use (as
categorised by dominant tree species) by bats, with
Sheoak (Allocasuarina) spp. sites yielding the most
recordings, and jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata)—Marri
(Corymbia calophylla) forest the least. Each bat species
showed a different preference for habitat type.
Dr Wesley J Bancroft completed a Bachelor of Science degree at
The University of Western Australia in 1999, with a double major in
Zoology and Microbiology and honours in Zoology (a
neurobiology project run through the Zoology Department). His
PhD on the ecosystem ecology of shearwater colonies on Rottnest
Island, also at UWA, was completed in 2004 and he has worked as
a zoological consultant since that time.
2011.
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Living geodiversity = life rocks! A new and
innovative holistic eco-geo science education
program for schools, universities, tourists and
community groups
Reformation of vegetation information
management in NSW
1
1
NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
2
Glen Bann , John Rowntree
1
Australian National University, 2Hunter Minerals Pty Ltd
Living Geodiversity = Life Rocks! (LG) is a unique,
innovative, holistic and comprehensive science
education program covering Australia’s geodiversity,
ecodiversity and associated sustainability issues. We
construct user-friendly generalised (simplified) regional
geology and geomorphology maps (called geodiversity
maps) with similar overlay generalised fauna and flora
habitat maps (called ecodiversity maps) thence develop
eco-geo-enviro-sustaino tours based on the maps.
Interesting and relevant environmental and sustainability
issues are also addressed. All material will be accessed
through various multimedia, including an interactive
website, Smart Phones, iPod, iPad, Digital television etc.
Google Earth is utilised and forms a platform for the
tours and maps. The tours can thus be taken virtually or
actually, or indeed, simultaneously (doing the actual tour
whilst accessing it electronically). The program material
has been developed in consultation with a number of
experts and head science teachers from a number of
prominent secondary schools. It is envisaged that the
complete template material will be trialled in the partner
schools early next year, before further expansion into
other populated areas nationally, with subsequent
inclusion into the new national science curriculum being
introduced in 2011. Teachers especially can employ LG,
however, other markets include universities and
ecotourism.
2011.
120
Ron Avery1
NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and
Water is undertaking a 5 year program of reforms
designed to improve the quality, interoprability and
accessibility of vegetation information in NSW. Recently
published vegetation standards are now available and
are underpinned by the first phase in the development
of the NSW Vegetation Information System including
development of the following online applications:
•
VIS Map: A catalogue of over 270 NSW vegetation
type maps has been established to support
discovery and access to vegetation maps and
associated technical reports, delivered through
metadata discovery, web map services, browser
map viewer and data download site.
•
VIS Plot (YETI): Researchers and agencies can now
access over 50,000 existing vegetation plots in NSW,
and may submit and manage their own plot
datasets on-line, hence establishing a valuable
repository for systematic site data.
•
VIS Classification (NSWVCA 2.0): An online database
of NSW Plant Community Types, their ecological
characteristics and conservation values is being
implemented. This system and associated
operational standards, are designed promote
progressive alignment with mapping products,
planning and regulation tools, and the National
Vegetation Information System.
For further information regarding access to these
applications, go to:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/research/Vegetati
onInformationSystem.htm
Ron Avery is currently overseeing the development of the NSW
Vegetation Information System.
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Traditional owner knowledge recording on
Moreton Island in response to the Moreton Bay
oil spill
Cost-effective tree-planting to reforest the tropical
landscape
Samantha Lloyd1
1
SEQ Catchments
The South East Queensland Traditional Owners Alliance
manage this project, as part of the Moreton Bay Oil Spill
Environmental Restoration Program, aimed at (1)
engaging Elders and young people from the
Quandamooka cultural group in traditional knowledge
recording on Moreton Island, and (2) providing
ethnobotanical information to Queensland Government
scientists involved in restoration works as a result of the
oil spill (with Elder approval). Elders were taken to
familiar sites (both oil spill affected and reference sites)
and asked to recall earlier environmental conditions and
how they think the oil spill may have impacted the site.
Traditional and historical knowledge, in particular
information on how the Quandamooka people were
driven from Moreton to Stradbroke Island, was also
recorded. The project also supported a group of
Quandamooka trainees in Certificate II—Conservation
and Land Management. The trainees worked with
Queensland Government scientists on the rehabilitation
of Spitfire Creek wetland as part of the Quandamooka
Lands Council project. Key outcomes include the
development of a protocol for the collection and storage
of Traditional Owner knowledge and the protection of
intellectual property rights; traditional knowledge
recording with over 20 Quandamooka Elders at seven
sites and development of a 45 minute DVD from the
recordings.
Samantha Lloyd graduated from Wollongong University with a
PhD in pollination ecology in 2006. Sam has worked in pest
control, biodiversity and natural resource management for six
years and is now coordinator of the SEQ Fire and Biodiversity
Consortium.
Noel Preece1,2,3, Penny van Oosterzee2,4, Margie Mayfield5,
Peter Erskine5
1
Biome5 Pty Ltd, 2Charles Darwin University, 3James Cook
University, 4Biocarbon Pty Ltd, 5University of Queensland
Forest restoration efforts in Australia’s Wet Tropics
establish <100 ha/yr, compared to 20-year average
clearing rates of 1770 ha/yr. Reforestation costs in the
region rise above $25,000/ha for restoration plantings,
whereas timber companies reforest for less than
$8,000/ha. Some of this difference stems from methods
used to plant trees. Augered holes are used commonly
in environmental plantings, whereas planting spades
and pottiputki tube planters are used mostly in forestry
plantings. We present early results from planting
experiments of local rainforest species, comparing these
methods for digging tree seedling holes at Thiaki Creek
on the Atherton Tablelands. Planting techniques were
compared in two experiments, designed to test survival
and growth of seedlings planted in different seedling
holes. We compared seedling growth with and without
fertiliser for those planted with shovels and pottiputki.
Results to date show that survival rates are equivalent. In
a second experiment we tested the survival of seedlings
planted using augered holes versus planting spades.
Speed of planting with a spade is four times quicker than
with an auger. Survival rates in the first year are ~96%
for all plantings with no significant difference between
the two methods (N=10, F=0.097, sig.=0.763). Using
planting spades and omitting fertiliser could reduce the
high costs of restoration.
Noel Preece is an ecologist and environmental consultant with
over 30 years’ experience in five Australian biomes—alpine,
temperate coastal, arid, monsoon tropics and wet tropics.
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Using remote cameras as a survey and landholder
engagement tool in fragmented agricultural
landscapes
Bed size after the flames: post-fire litter
accumulation in a mallee community in southwestern NSW
Michael Davis1, Sophie Moller1
Samantha Travers1, David Eldridge1,2
1
Department of Environment and Conservation
How do you get landowners more interested in
biodiversity conservation on their land? Triggers for
changing landowner attitudes towards conservation
have long been sought by State and Federal
governments alike. This pilot project confirmed that
providing photographic evidence of the presence of
both feral and high value native species creates an
impetus for changes in management practices. Remote
cameras are able to detect and photograph animals in
bushland without the need for licenses, specific skills or
traps. Using remote cameras as a survey tool to
determine conservation values on private land engaged
landowners in a cost-effective way with good
management outcomes. The result of this process was
that several landholders entered into negotiations for
legally binding Conservation Covenants and
implemented conservation management activities on
their land, as part of a Caring for our Country project
aimed at increasing the National Reserve System in
poorly reserved areas of the Western Australian
wheatbelt.
Michael (Mick) Davis is a keen field ecologist who has worked
across WA’s southwest ecoregion for the last 10 years, promoting
practical conservation management to private landholders.
122
1
University of New South Wales, 2NSW Department of
Environment, Climate Change and Water
Fire is an important ecological process in Australia’s arid
and semi-arid woodlands. Fire has significant effects on
ecosystem function and is a crucial consideration for
land managers, particularly in mallee regions. While the
relationships between eucalypt litter fuel loads and fire
intensity have been well researched, basic information
on fuel re-accumulation after fire is lacking. We
examined relationships between litter bed size beneath
mallee trees and tree size across a short spectrum (3, 13
and >30 years) of time since fire. All tree and litter
dimensions increased significantly with time since fire
-3
with the exception of litter mass. Litter mass (kg m ) was
significantly greater 13 years after fire than 30 years after
fire. This is likely due to changes in litter composition with
increasing time since fire. Crown area was the best
predictor of litter bed area (R2=0.73) and volume (R2 =
0.81). Our data confirm that crown area is still the best
predictor of litter bed size irrespective of fire history.
These relationships will be useful for assisting managers
to predict total fuel loads in mallee communities.
Samantha Travers is a PhD candidate investigating the importance
of litter dynamics in semi-arid mallee dune communities.
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The consequences of interactions between scales
of movement and fragmentation for dispersal
success
Major conservation policy issues for biodiversity in
Oceania
Lorenzo Cattarino1, Jonathan Rhodes1, Clive McAlpine1
1
University of Queensland
Understanding the impact of habitat loss and
fragmentation on animal movements is extremely
important for conserving species in fragmented
landscapes. For example, movements play a key role in
shaping the structure and dynamics of wildlife
populations, thus affecting species’ distributions and
persistence. There is empirical evidence that the impact
of fragmentation on movement is influenced by the
distance an individual is able to move in a single step
(i.e., the scale of movement) and by the resolution of
habitat fragmentation (i.e., the scale of fragmentation).
However, there is currently a poor understanding of
how these two processes interact to affect dispersal
success.
We addressed this issue by using a novel spatially explicit
simulation approach in which we were able to control
for the scales of fragmentation and movement in
hierarchical landscapes and to examine the
consequences for dispersal success. We show that
dispersal success depends critically on the scale of
fragmentation relative to the scale of movement.
However, the extent to which this is true also depends
on the level of fragmentation and the amount of habitat
remaining in the landscape. This has important
implications for how we should manage species with
different life-history characteristics in hierarchically
structured landscapes.
After completing a master in Environmental Management at the
University of Queensland, Lorenzo Cattarino started his PhD in
April 2009. His interests include conservation biology, ecological
modelling and spatial analysis.
Richard T Kingsford1,2, James EM Watson3, Carolyn J
Lundquist4, Oscar Venter3, Lesley Hughes5, Emma L Johnston1,
6
7
8
9
James Atherton , Mike Gawel , David A Keith , BG Mackey , C
10
3
2
11
Morley , HP Possingham , B Raynor , HF Recher , KA
Wilson12
1
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University
of New South Wales, 2The Nature Conservancy—Micronesia
Program, Federated States of Micronesia, 3Centre for Applied
Environmental Decision Analysis, The Ecology Centre, The
University of Queensland, 4National Institute of Water and
Atmospheric Research, New Zealand, 5Department of Biological
Sciences, Macquarie University, 6Conservation International Pacific
Islands Program, Samoa, 7Guam Environmental Protection Agency,
Guam, 8Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW,
9
National University, 10Department of Conservation, Kauri Coast
Area Office, New Zealand, 11School of Natural Sciences, Edith
Cowan University, 12School of Integrative Biology, University of
Queensland
Oceania (Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, New Zealand
and Polynesia), with six of the world’s 39 hot spots of
diversity has a poor record for extinctions, particularly for
birds on islands and mammals in Australia. Major causes
include habitat loss and degradation, invasive species
and overexploitation. We identified six major threatening
processes (habitat loss and degradation, invasive species,
climate change, overexploitation, pollution and disease),
on a review of the literature and developed conservation
policies. Many policies reflect the urgent need to deal
with burgeoning human populations on biodiversity.
There is considerable difference in resources for
conservation, including people and available scientific
information, which are heavily biased towards more
developed countries in Oceania. Most scientific
publications analysed for four threats (habitat loss,
invasive species, overexploitation and pollution) are from
developed countries: 88.6% of Web of Science
publications were from Australia (53.7%), New Zealand
(24.3%) and Hawaiian Islands (10.5%). Many island states
have limited resources or expertise. Even countries that
do (e.g. Australia, New Zealand) have ongoing and
emerging significant challenges, particularly with the
interactive effects of climate change. Oceania will require
the implementation of effective policies for conservation
if the region’s poor record on extinctions is not to
continue.
Richard Kingsford is Director of the Australian Wetlands and Rivers
Centre at the University of NSW and has spent too much time in
the plane counting waterbirds.
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Trends in the abundance of hollow-dependent
birds and guilds 1970–2010: what can they tell us
about hollow dynamics?
Sustaining vegetation and bird communities along
roads and hiking trails in semi-arid gorges
Matt White1
1
Isabelle Wolf1, Gerald Hagenloh2, David Croft2
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW,
The University of New South Wales
1
2
A large spatial and temporal analysis is presented of
trends in the abundance of hollow-dependant bird
species in south-eastern Australia. This reveals that the
relative abundance of many species runs counter to
common assumptions concerning the decline of rural
tree cover and availability of hollows. Observed increases
in hollow-dependent native birds, compared with other
birds, may be related to a range of variables including
climate change, forest fragmentation and nest
predation.
Vegetation and bird communities along recreational
tracks may be impacted on by edge-effects accrue from
modified environmental conditions, direct disturbance
by tourists and the increased competition with species
that benefit from disturbance. This study investigated the
effects of roads vs. hiking trails on vegetation and bird
communities in the gorges of the Flinders Ranges, a
popular South Australian tourism destination.
Department of Sustainability and Environment
Matt White is currently an ecologist with the Victorian Department
of Sustainability and Environment based at the Arthur Rylah
Institute for Environmental Research. He has more than 20 years’
experience in field survey, management and research across
south-eastern and central Australia.
High compared to low usage recreational tracks
significantly altered species community composition,
decreased total plant cover, increased non-native plant
cover, increased or decreased plant diversity depending
on the distance to the track and decreased bird
numbers and species richness. Impacts of roads were
greater, and some self-propagated to disjointed sites
with a predisposition to disturbance (neighbouring
creek beds), which increased their spatial extent from 10
up to 50 m. However, vegetation moderated the
impacts of high usage on birds along roads so that they
were entirely mitigated at sites with the best developed
shrub and tree layer.
To protect vegetation and bird communities along
recreational tracks in semi-arid gorges, we recommend
(1) the closure of some gorges or sections for vehicle or
any access and (2) the minimisation of open space
created for tourism usage particularly for wild camping.
Dr Isabelle Wolf is a disturbance ecologist who focuses on the
interface between people and their environment. For her PhD in
Biology from UNSW she researched the effects of tourism activities
and infrastructure.
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Nights, camera, action: partitioning of activity time
by sympatric carnivores
Competition or innovation: what makes Indian
mynahs such successful invaders?
Aaron Greenville1, Chris Dickman1, Bobby Tamayo1, Glenda
Wardle1
Kathryn Haythorpe1, Marie Diquelou1,2, Andrea Griffin1
1
University of Newcastle, 2University of Paris XIII
1
Desert Ecology Research Group, University of Sydney
Dingoes, foxes and cats occur in low densities in arid
Australia, making them difficult to reliably survey. Camera
traps provide a non-invasive means of surveying these
carnivores and allow for detection probabilities to be
calculated for different time periods. Here we present
pilot results from a camera trap study in the Simpson
Desert, suggesting that these sympatric carnivores
partition their activity times and thus reduce competition
or direct predation with one another.
Aaron Greenville has been working in arid environments for the
past 10 years and is currently a Research Assistant for the Desert
Ecology Research Group at the University of Sydney.
Indian mynahs, Acridotheres tristis, were introduced to
Australia in the late XIX century. Today they are present
in the eastern states and are predicted to expand their
range towards the south and west coasts in the next
decade. The aim of this study was to explore what
characteristics of this bird enable it to spread so fast in an
environment to which it is not pre-adapted.
In our first study we explore whether Indian mynahs
succeed by outcompeting native species for food
resources. Our results show that they are not the most
aggressive species and that competition is probably not
the key to their success. We do however find some early
indications of a competitive pattern between Indian
mynahs and noisy miners.
In our second study we compare the ability of Indian
mynahs to solve new problems in order to access food,
with the ability of other common Australian species.
Indian mynahs stand out of the ranking predicted by
their taxonomic position. This is well in line with the
metaecological literature that suggests correlation
between innovation and invasiveness.
Our findings suggest that the success of Indian mynahs
relies more heavily on their ability to exploit new food
sources, than on their exclusion of other species.
Kathryn Haythorpe is a PhD student studying bird behaviour. MC
Diquelou is a Masters student visiting Newcastle from the
University of Paris XIII. Supervisor: Dr Andrea Griffin
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The capacity of Echium plantagineum (Paterson’s
curse) to evolve and respond to predicted drought
conditions
Conquering Brazil: the invasion by the exotic
gekkonid lizard Hemidactylus mabouia in Brazilian
natural environments
Tara Konarzewski1, Robert Godfree2, Brad Murray3
Carlos Frederico D Rocha1, Helena G Bergallo1, Luciano Alves
2
Anjos
1
University of Technology Sydney and CSIRO Plant Industry, 2CSIRO
Division of Plant Industry, 3Plant Functional Biology and Climate
Change Cluster, Department of Environmental Sciences, University
of Technology Sydney
The exotic plant species Echium plantagineum
(Paterson’s curse) is responsible for substantial ecological
and economic damage across Australia. The key
objective of our research project is to quantify
experimentally geographic variation in traits of E.
plantagineum associated with drought tolerance. Our
project seeks to link these data with the evolutionary
potential of E. plantagineum under future climatic
changes. Seed samples were collected from 50 plants at
each of 34 sites spanning six bioregions spread across an
east-west transect from the eastern coast of NSW to its
western border. We first investigated variation in seed
weight, seed size and viability across the climatic
gradients of temperature and rainfall distribution. A large
glasshouse-based growth experiment was conducted
during the 2010 growing season where seedlings were
measured for geographic variation in morphological,
physiological and drought tolerance traits across and
within populations. Future work will focus on both
integrating glasshouse-based trait data with evolutionary
potential under modified climates and determining the
ecological impacts of E. plantagineum on native plant
communities under current and predicted future field
conditions.
1
Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, 2Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade
Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Brazil
In order to assess the present status of the exotic
gekkonid lizard Hemidactylus mabouia as an exotic or
invasive species in Brazil, we surveyed the available
records of its occurrence in natural conditions in Brazil.
We considered existing secondary data obtained from
scientific literature, supplemented with original field
records of the authors. We mapped records by
environments, habitats and microhabitat types for each
Brazilian State. We found a total of 36 records in different
localities registering the occurrence of H. mabouia in
natural habitats along 13 Brazilian States. The States
presenting higher instances of cases were Rio de Janeiro
(seven different areas), Bahia, São Paulo (both with six),
and Espírito Santo (five). The first record of H. mabouia in
natural habitats was 1948. Based on the set of data
obtained, we showed that the invasion of Brazilian
natural habitats by H. mabouia has already taken place
for some decades and nowadays, we have consistent
records of its invasion in nature for nearly half of Brazilian
States. At this point, it is important to start monitoring this
species in order to measure the rate and effectiveness of
the progress of its colonisation of natural habitats in
Brazil and also, its potential negative effects eventually
imposed to sympatric species.
Fred Rocha has a PhD in Ecology and works with herpetology in
Brazil mainly on population and community ecology. Presently, he
coordinates the Graduation Program in Ecology and Evolution of
Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil.
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Edge shapes (convex vs concave) can increase or
decrease animal dispersal
How to make the most of expert judgement
1
Vilis Nams
1
Nova Scotia Agricultural College and James Cook University
Animal movement from one patch to another has a
large effect on metapopulation dynamics. One factor
that affects emigration is permeability of patch edges.
This study looks at the effects of edge shape (convex,
concave and straight) on edge permeability using both
simulations and field experiments. Simulations showed
that effects of edge shapes on animal behaviour can
arise as emergent properties solely due to reactions to
edges in general, without the animals reacting to the
shapes of the edges. When animals were attracted to
edges, then they tended to collect in convexities and
disperse from concavities, and the opposite happened
when animals avoided edges. Field experiments using
meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) tested 4
specific hypotheses about mechanisms of responses to
edge shape. Voles crossed edges at concave treatments
twice as much as compared to convex and straight.
Voles also tended to travel parallel to edges, except at
the base of the concave shape, where they travelled
perpendicularly to the edge. Comparing these results to
the predictions of the simulations showed that voles
recognised and responded to the actual edge shape.
Mark Burgman1, Andrew Speirs-Bridge1, Louisa Flander1,
Marissa McBride1, Fiona Fidler1
1
Expert judgement is pervasive in environmental science,
ecology and conservation biology. Decisions are
imminent and data and understanding are inadequate.
We turn to experts to fill the gaps. Unfortunately, experts
are prey to a host of psychological and contextual biases
that colour the accuracy and reliability of their
judgements about facts. We present a procedure that
anticipates and mitigates against the most common and
influential of these biases. The results indicate that a
simple, structured procedure for eliciting judgements
about facts from experts will substantially improve the
quality of these judgements, for little or no additional
effort.
Mark Burgman is the Adrienne Clarke Chair of Botany at the
University of Melbourne and the Managing Director of the
Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis
Vilis Nams has studied how animals change their movement
patterns in response to spatial scale. He is currently on sabbatical
leave from Canada, at James Cook University.
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What’s actually there? A comparison between
systematic searching and pitfall trapping for reptiles
Ten thousand years of human population increase
in Australia
Amanda R Bamford1, Michael J Bamford1, Nicholas Sibbel2
Chris Johnson1, Barry Brook2
1
2
MJ & AR Bamford Consulting Ecologists, Tiwest Pty Ltd
When sampling for reptiles, it is often assumed that a
simple relationship exists between the absolute
abundance of a species and the index of abundance
obtained by sampling. Previous studies have compared
the effectiveness of different trapping techniques, and
concluded that biases exist with all techniques. Without
information on absolute abundance, however, the bias
in a trapping technique can only be determined relative
to other, biased techniques. To investigate this issue,
measures of the absolute abundance of reptiles were
obtained by intensively searching measured quadrats,
usually 5m by 5m, and comparing the results with those
obtained from pitfall trapping in the same area. It was
found that the results from pitfall trapping were highly
biased towards large, surface active lizards, while the
‘absolute’ reptile assemblage was numerically dominated
by very small, fossorial species. Biases in trapping data
appear to be influenced by the morphology and life
history of reptile species. The results of searching may
provide a baseline for the interpretation of abundance
data from trapping techniques.
Amanda (Mandy) Bamford (BSc Hons, University of Western
Australia 1983) is a partner in Bamford Consulting Ecologists, with
experience in the rehabilitation and management of wetland
ecosystems. Mandy has a keen interest in environmental
education, as a presenter and as a writer of printed and webbased interpretative material.
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1
University of Tasmania, 2University of Adelaide
For the last 10 000 years Australia’s climate has been
quite stable, so it is often assumed that Australian
ecosystems were in equilibrium before the arrival of
Europeans. However, there is archaeological evidence
that the human population had been growing through
the Holocene, especially within the last 4000 years or so.
This suggests increasing human impact on Australian
environments. The evidence for population growth is
controversial, because it is based largely on an increase
in the number of known archaeological sites. This
pattern could be due to population growth, but could
also be caused by poor preservation of older
archaeological sites. We developed a model to test the
effects of both processes on the age-distribution of
known archaeological sites. This shows that preservation
bias alone cannot account for the observed agedistribution of sites, but population growth can. We
conclude that the archaeological record provides strong
evidence for major increase in the human population
through the Holocene.
Chris Johnson is a wildlife ecologist and conservation biologist,
with an interest in the prehistoric background to contemporary
problems in environmental management.
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The interaction of spatial autocorrelation and
positional uncertainty of species occurrences in
environmental niche modelling
Putting the bite back into biodiversity conservation
and rangeland management: what role(s) for
dingoes?
Babak Naimi1,2, Andrew Skidmore1, Thomas Groen1, Nicholas
1
Hamm
Euan Ritchie1,3, Chris Johnson2,3
1
Deakin University, 2University of Tasmania, 3James Cook University
1
Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC),
University of Twente, 2Graduate School of the Environment and
Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran
In this study, the impact of positional uncertainty in
species occurrences on the prediction of seven
commonly used species distribution models (SDMs) has
been investigated. A hypothesis that the negative effects
of positional uncertainty in species occurrence on the
accuracy of species distribution models diminished by
the degree of spatial autocorrelation in environmental
predictors has been tested. A series of artificial datasets
covering 155 scenarios including different combination
of five positional uncertainty scenarios and 31 spatial
autocorrelation scenarios were simulated. Each dataset
included two environmental gradients (predictor
variables) and one species occurrence sample points
(response variable). A probabilistic approach was
employed to model and simulate 5 levels of error in the
species locations. To analyse the propagation of
positional uncertainty, Monte Carlo simulation was
applied to each scenario for each SDM. The models
were evaluated for performance using simulated
independent test data and two statistics of Cohen’s
Kappa and the area under the receiver operating
characteristic curve (AUC). This was summarised in
graphs and tables to compare. The results show that
spatial autocorrelation in environmental variables
decreases the impact of positional errors of species
observations in SDMs. Our analyses suggest that the
potential impact of positional uncertainty in species
occurrences on predictions of SDMs can be understood
by examining the spatial autocorrelation range in
predictor variables.
There is growing recognition worldwide of the
important roles played by predators in regulating
ecosystems and sustaining biodiversity. In Australia, we
have suffered substantial biodiversity and economic
losses through the effects of predators, most notably cats
(Felis cattus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and to a
lesser extent, the dingo (Canis lupus dingo). We argue
that the impacts of the first two species could be
reduced significantly by a new management philosophy
with respect to the dingo. Recent studies show clear and
consistent evidence that the ongoing persecution of the
dingo, Australia’s sole remaining terrestrial top-predator,
is linked with outbreaks of cat and fox populations
(‘mesopredator release’), as well as overabundant
herbivore populations and increased attacks on stock by
dingoes. With reference to these studies, and our own,
we outline the functional role of the dingo and how this
species could be better managed to maximise
biodiversity and economic benefits. With the recent
introduction of the red fox and concurrent decline of the
devil in Tasmania, and evidence for increasing rabbit and
cat populations and declining native mammals in
northern Australia, there is clearly an urgent need to
reassess predator management in Australia.
Dr Euan Ritchie is an ecologist with over 15 years’ experience
working in Australia’s tropical savannas and arid rangelands. He is
passionate about the ecology and conservation of our native
fauna.
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By night and by day: web site selection by orbweaving spiders
The National Conservation Lands Database
Project—capturing conservation agreements on
private land in Australia
Luke Tilly1, Dieter Hochuli1
1
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney
Eleanor Sobey1, Kate Sanford-Readhead1, Charlie Zammit1
1
Web-building spiders face a dilemma when selecting
foraging sites since they cannot predict the outcome of
foraging at a location without first choosing a location.
Spiders might instead use surrogate qualities, such as
habitat complexity and vegetation structure when
determining a location for their intercept traps.
We surveyed the locations chosen by orb-weaving
spiders during the night and the day in north-western
Sydney. Habitat complexity, structure of attachments and
web position were recorded for individual webs.
Different genera of spider were associated with certain
vegetation structures and heights, and some genera
were associated with particular habitat complexities.
Nocturnal genera preferred to position their webs
higher than most diurnal genera, and in vegetation that
offered protection during the day.
We also used ‘sticky’ traps to investigate whether
selections of height or vegetation structure correlated
with the level of prey and debris encountered. We
found that while spider genera do select specific web
locations, these are neither based on expected prey
capture success nor debris at the location. We therefore
postulate that other factors such as predator avoidance
or apparency to mates may provide a better explanation
for selection of web sites.
Luke Tilly is an Honours student from the University of Sydney with
a passion for arachnids.
130
Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Conservation on private land is critical to the
achievement of long-term biodiversity outcomes. A
fundamental component of this is the need for
comprehensive and nationally consistent information on
conservation agreements on private land to inform
policy, planning and investment decisions. The ‘National
Conservation Lands Database Project’ was developed by
the Australian Government in recognition of this need,
and is managed in collaboration with state/territory
governments and non-government conservation
organisations. The project collates and manages data
relating to the spectrum of private land conservation
agreement ‘types’—from the most secure perpetual
conservation covenants through to short-term land
management agreements. Agreements are mapped
spatially in ArcGIS, and are linked to a set of descriptive
fields, including details on agreement type and security,
governance, management, and site significance. Over
the first year of the project, 4900 conservation
agreements covering 3.6 million hectares were mapped.
The presentation will summarise the findings of the first
phase, outline application scenarios for conservation
planning and investment at different scales and
proposed further project development.
Eleanor Sobey has worked in research, planning and program
delivery roles. Her current position involves provision of strategic
analysis and advice on landscape scale biodiversity conservation,
with a focus on protection of private land using MBIs.
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Exploring drivers of change in stand structure from
pre-European to present day woodlands using a
stand simulation model
Restoration of koala habitat in Gunnedah, NSW:
movement of koalas across a patchy rural
landscape
Karen Ross1,2, Ian Lunt1, Ross Bradstock3, Michael Bedward2,
2
Murray Ellis
Mathew Crowther1, Dan Lunney2, John Lemon2, Rob
2
3
Wheeler , George Madani
1
Charles Sturt University, 2NSW Department of Environment,
Climate Change and Water, 3University of Wollongong
1
University of Sydney, 2Department of Environment, Climate
Change and Water, 3private consultant
Attempts to isolate causes of woody plant
encroachment are often hampered by synchronous
changes to multiple disturbance regimes. We use a
process-driven stand simulation model to investigate
causes of widespread encroachment by Callitris
glaucophylla in Eucalyptus-Callitris woodlands in eastern
Australia. We orthogonally manipulated two processes—
historical removal of canopy trees and subsequent
thinning of regrowth—to identify drivers of structural
change over 120-years. Modelling illustrated that both
disturbances independently contributed to historical
shifts from Eucalyptus to Callitris dominance. At
European settlement, stands were not sufficiently dense
to impede regeneration, and dense Callitris (>1000
trees/ha) established under all scenarios. However, only
in the undisturbed scenario did stands remain
Eucalyptus-dominated in terms of basal area (BA).
Eucalyptus density remained low in thinned scenarios
due to direct destruction, while BA remained low in
unthinned scenarios due to competition from dense
Callitris regrowth. Thinning promoted Callitris BA to a
much greater extent than removal of competing presettlement trees, by enhancing growth of retained trees,
whereas strong competition in unthinned scenarios
retarded Callitris BA growth. Modelling results are
consistent with historical and ecological data and
enabled the complementary, long-term impacts of both
disturbances to be isolated in ways not previously
possible.
From the early 1990s, a Landcare project saw thousands
of trees planted to address salinity problems around
Gunnedah in north-western NSW. A by-product of this
land rehabilitation was an increase in koala habitat,
which appears to have translated to an increase in koala
abundance. Hence we studied the movements of 33
koalas using GPS collars to test if the apparently
increasing population was a result of tree-plantings on
farmland, and what type of trees and tree configuration
koalas use. Koalas used the tree-plantings and existing
remnant paddock trees, and moved frequently. The
koalas were mostly restricted to relatively small patches
of trees during each data collection period. This pattern
of movement may present a problem as many treeplantings are concentrated along roads and railway
tracks, areas of koala mortality. The study also found that
koala mortality appears high when there is a sequence
of abnormally hot dry days. The concentration of
movement within these small patches may not allow for
adequate nutrition and water for koalas at all times of
the year. Hence land managers need to carefully
consider tree planting configuration, as well as species,
in order to maintain sustainable koala populations in the
future.
Dr Mathew Crowther is a lecturer in Wildlife Management at the
University of Sydney, with research interests in the ecology,
evolution and management of the Australian terrestrial fauna.
Karen Ross works on disturbance ecology in eucalypt
forests/woodlands, and here looks at how historical disturbances
have shaped woodland structures—an understanding of which
contributes to making informed current management decisions.
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Floristic value—a useful indicator of presence of the
threatened pink-tailed worm lizard?
Broad scale conservation planning in a changing
climate: a koala case study
1
David Wong
1
1
2
Christine Adams-Hosking , Hedley Grantham ,
1,2
1,2
1
Jonathan Rhodes , Clive McAlpine , Patrick Moss
1
The pink-tailed worm lizard (Aprasia parapulchella) is a
listed threatened species in the ACT, NSW, Victoria and
nationally. Much of its geographic range has been
severely restricted due to intensive agricultural activities,
particularly in NSW and Victoria. In the ACT, although
displaying a considerably reduced distribution, the
population has historically been subject to lower levels of
agricultural intensification. Past research has shown a
tendency for the species to be associated with sites
containing kangaroo grass (Themeda australis), an
indicator of low levels of disturbance. Sites containing A.
parapulchella may also contain a diverse suite of reptiles.
The aim of this study was to determine whether
measures of floristic value and disturbance are
associated with the presence and abundance of A.
parapulchella. The results show a significant correlation
between relative abundance of A. parapulchella and the
native floristic value of sites. However, sites with relatively
low floristic value scores may also support the species,
highlighting the importance of considering more than
floristic value in assessing the significance of a site. The
most highly disturbed sites did not contain the species.
Farming landscapes, in good condition, have the
potential to play an important complementary role in
biodiversity and threatened species conservation.
David Wong is a Masters student at the Institute for Applied
Ecology and previously worked with the Research and Planning
unit of ACT Parks Conservation and Lands.
Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of
Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, The
University of Queensland, 2The Ecology Centre, The University of
Queensland
Planning for wildlife conservation and biodiversity
requires a systematic approach to identify optimal
management strategies. The synergistic effects of habitat
loss and climate change threaten many species.
Therefore, assessing how their distributions may shift and
what habitats are suitable in the future is essential for
planning conservation strategies.
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a wide-ranging
specialist arboreal folivore threatened by land clearing
and urbanisation, with a hotter and more variable
climate threatening western Queensland populations.
For koala conservation planning, we aimed to firstly
model their distribution under future climate change,
incorporating climatic and other environmental
variables. Secondly, using zonation, we aimed to
produce a hierarchical prioritisation of koala
conservation habitats based on the biological values of
sites, accounting for complementarity. We identified a
significant eastward contraction in the koala’s western
range limit in Queensland under a projected hotter and
drier climate and priority conservation areas.
Koala conservation planning policies must develop
integrated strategies that help reduce contemporary
land use pressures on extant koala populations and
buffer against future climate change. Priority habitats
such as those identified in this study require protection
from these synergistic threats through management
approaches such as land acquisition, habitat restoration,
assisted colonisation and incentives to private
landholders.
Christine Adams-Hosking’s PhD research involves using a range of
systematic conservation planning tools to model the distribution of
a wide ranging specialist species under future climate change. She
aims to identify ‘climate change priority habitats’, using koalas in
Queensland as a case study species. Christine hopes that this
information will be useful to decision-makers, planners and
landholders to make land-use decisions that incorporate effective
koala protection in a rapidly developing region and a changing
climate.
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Past the point of no return: climate change impacts
on the world’s most exceptional ecoregions
Australia’s forests and climate change: from impact
assessment to adaptation
Linda Beaumont1, Andrew Pitman3, Sarah Perkins3, Niklaus
Zimmerman4, Nigel Yoccoz5, Wilfried Thuiller2
Sarah Boulter1
1
2
Macquarie University, Laboratorie d’Ecologie Alpine, CNRA,
Grenoble, France, 3Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW,
4
Land Use Dynamics, Swiss Federal Research Institute, Switzerland,
5
Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University of Tromsø,
Norway
One of the aims of the Copenhagen Accord was to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that
prevents global warming from exceeding 2°C. However,
non-agreement at Copenhagen and several recent
studies suggest it is likely that this limit will be exceeded
within this century. In our study, we demonstrate that
the world’s most iconic terrestrial and freshwater habitats
(the ‘Global200’) will, over the course of this century,
experience mean monthly climatic conditions that are
‘extreme’ compared with the 1961–1990 baseline
period. These regions have immense value to global
conservation efforts, and comprise areas that are
exceptionally diverse, have high taxonomic or ecological
uniqueness, or are very rare. We define climate as being
‘extreme’ if it lies beyond at least two standard deviations
of the baseline period, making it highly unlikely that the
ecoregions have previously been exposed to these
temperature and precipitation regimes. Furthermore, our
calculations of ‘extreme’ conditions are based on
hundreds of climate model simulations across multiple
emissions scenarios, providing the most comprehensive
coverage of variability across projections of future
climate, of any ecological study to date. We show that
warming of less than 2°C will expose nearly half of these
ecoregions to ‘extreme’ mean monthly temperature,
with some critically endangered ecoregions facing
‘extreme’ conditions with as little as 1°C of warming.
Tropical areas will be exposed to ‘extreme’ conditions
earliest, with many of these found within developing
countries. In contrast, only a few ecoregions within
Boreal Forests and Tundra biomes will experience such
‘extremes’ this century. Precipitation regimes exceeding
2σ of the baseline period are projected for at least one
month a year across sections of 28% of ecoregions by
2070. We conclude that, when combined with other
pressures that affect their resilience, many of these
ecoregions will be severely affected by global change.
1
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Griffith
University
Australia’s forests represent a significant proportion of
Australia’s terrestrial biodiversity with high levels of
endemism and unique species. They are also a
significant source of timber and related products in both
harvested native forests and production plantations and
play an increasingly important role in the capture and
storage of carbon. The capacity of forest management in
Australia to adapt to climate change depends on the
vulnerability (exposure and sensitivity) of the forests and
the adaptive capacity. In a national assessment of the
vulnerability of Australia’s forests to climate change, the
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
with its partner universities determined the impacts of
climate change on biophysical and socio-economic
aspects of Australia’s forests, options for adaptation,
knowledge gaps and future research gaps.
Sarah Boulter is currently a Research Fellow with the National
Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility. She completed a
PhD on the impact of climate change on pollination earlier this
year. Prior to this she worked on biodiversity and plant-animal
interactions with Griffith University and the Rainforest CRC.
Linda Beaumont is an Australian Post-doctoral Fellow. Her primary
area of research is on the biological impacts of climate change.
She has an ARC Discovery Grant to improve methods of projecting
future potential species distributions.
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Evidence for invader competitive release under a
projected drier climate in coastal NSW
A demographic framework for the active adaptive
management of the endangered arid zone tree
species, Acacia peuce
Tanya Mason1, Kristine French1, Ken Russell2
1
School of Biological Sciences, 2Department of Mathematics and
Applied Statistics
Catherine Nano1, Chris Pavey1, S Raghu1
A dual challenge in contemporary ecology is
understanding both the effect of competitively dominant
plant invaders on the structure of invaded communities
and the effects of changing climatic conditions on
competitive structures. We investigated the effect of
drying trends predicted to affect coastal New South
Wales under projected climate change on the
competitive structure of native coastal dune
communities invaded by bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides
monilifera ssp. rotundata). We found that bitou bush
may experience competitive release under droughted
conditions. Native shrub species were better competitors
with bitou bush than grass or herb species, but
competitive effects were generally restricted to non
droughted conditions. Native species positions in
competitive hierarchies were broadly invariant to water
resource availability. Ultimately, bitou bush was a
superior competitor under both droughted and non
droughted conditions, but future drying trends may
result in further weakening of competitive interactions
between bitou bush and native species. This may
improve the capacity of bitou bush to adapt to climate
change in invaded dune communities.
Acacia peuce F.Muell. (Mimosaceae) is a threatened arid
zone tree species that is only known from three
populations (two in Queensland and one in the
Northern Territory) on the edge of the Simpson Desert in
Central Australia. The smallest of these three populations
is in the southern NT, ca. 200 km south-east of Alice
Springs. This population has been negatively impacted
by cattle and fire effects, and has been the focus of
considerable monitoring and conservation efforts. Using
data collected over the past three decades in the NT we
developed a demographic model to investigate the
population dynamics of this species and analyse its
vulnerability to perturbations of its vital rates. Based on
these analyses we prioritised the life-history stages and
transitions that need to be managed to ensure the
conservation of the NT population. We identify
important knowledge gaps that need to be filled by
continued monitoring and experimentation, and outline
how the demographic model we present can be utilised
in the active adaptive management of this species.
Tanya Mason is a research fellow at the University of Wollongong.
Her work focuses on weed and restoration ecology—particularly in
coastal dune communities of New South Wales.
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1
Arid Zone Research Institute, NT Government
S Raghu’s interest is in understanding the processes that influence
the distribution and abundance of plants, and in identifying their
potential roles in management. He investigates these processes by
working on threatened species, and invasive species.
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Using time series remote sensing to understand the
response of vegetation to different drivers
Invasion of alien rodents into Australian coastal
forests and potential of natives to competitively
resist invasion
Leo Lymburner1, Peter Tan1, Richard Thackway2, Norman
Mueller1, Adam Lewis1, Medhavy Thankappan1
1
Geoscience Australia, 2Australian Bureau of Agriculture and
Resource Economics, Bureau of Rural Sciences
Time series remote sensing has the capacity to provide
insight into the changes in land cover, ground cover
and land management practices at a specific location.
When viewed through the context of a land cover map,
time series remotely sensed data can provide valuable
information about the response of vegetation to drivers
at local, regional and landscape scales. The Dynamic
Land Cover Map (DLCM) of Australia was generated
from 250 metre resolution remotely sensed data and has
been extensively validated using field data from over
25,000 sites across Australia. This study illustrates how
the DLCM can be combined with a range of time series
remote sensing data to gain an understanding of the
response of native vegetation to severe tropical cyclones,
severe bushfires, differences in grazing pressure and
drought. Being able to visualise the spatial distribution of
vegetation changes is critical to understanding and
characterising the response of different vegetation types
to a wide range of natural and anthropogenic drivers.
This study also illustrates how the DLCM can be used to
provide new insight into wetlands and alpine areas
where changes in the greenness dynamics are dramatic,
and thereby prompt further investigation to determine
the cause of the change.
Leo Lymburner works in the National Earth Observation Group at
Geoscience Australia and has spent the last 2 years developing a
National Dynamic Land Cover Map
Vicki Stokes1, Peter Banks2, Roger Pech3
1
Research Department, Alcoa of Australia, WA, 2University of NSW,
Landcare Research, New Zealand
3
The black rat, Rattus rattus is well established across
coastal regions of Australia. It is largely considered a
disturbance specialist confined to urban areas and
modified landscapes, but it does successfully colonise
native coastal forests to the detriment of local native
fauna. We experimentally reduced populations of the
invasive rodent with the aim of testing its impact on
populations of the native bush rat, Rattus fuscipes. Their
removal resulted in significant and sustained increases in
populations of the native rodent due to immigration,
juvenile recruitment, and increases in residency of
females. Field and enclosure trials revealed symmetrical
competition between these two species mediated by
residency—so residents had the competitive edge and
outcomes of invasive removal were permanent. Initial
invasion of the forests under study by invasive rodents
was attributed to forest disturbance and human
facilitated colonisation of the invasive species. These
findings have implications for the invasion success of
introduced rodents into native forests, where native
rodents may play an important role in maintaining
invasion resistance and in preventing re-invasion
subsequent to pest control and restoration efforts.
Dr Vicki Stokes is a research scientist with Alcoa of Australia in the
field of restoration ecolgy. This research is part of her PhD research
conducted at CSIRO in Canberra.
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1610, Room T5, MCC
1615, Room T5, MCC
Interactions between encroaching woody plants
and existing canopy trees in a semi-arid woodland
It is about access to and benefit sharing from the
utilisation of plant genetic resources
Janet Cohn1, Ian Lunt1, Ross Bradstock2
Abeba Gebreselassie1
1
2
Charles Sturt University, Wollongong University
Little attention has been given to the influence of
canopy tree competition on the encroachment of
woody species in semi-arid woodlands of SE Australia.
We examined how canopies of Eucalyptus species and
Callitris glaucophylla influenced the survival, growth and
reproduction of C. glaucophylla saplings and how
saplings in turn influenced the survival of the canopy
trees along a rainfall gradient during severe drought
conditions. We sampled saplings under canopies of
Eucalyptus and Callitris and in adjacent gaps in six forests
along a rainfall gradient (400–600 mm). Canopy tree
survival was assessed along two transects in each forest,
one with and one without regeneration. Canopies did
not exclude but rather moderated Callitris sapling
densities. Canopies also reduced growth rates, and the
probability of seeding of Callitris saplings compared with
those in gaps. In turn, Callitris saplings increased
mortality and stress levels of Callitris and Eucalyptus
canopy trees, respectively during drought. Eucalyptus
canopy tree stress levels were higher at lower rainfall. As
drought severity increases under climate change and
ageing Eucalyptus canopy trees die and are not
replaced, the system may shift further away from the
mixed Eucalyptus and Callitris system characteristic of
pre-European management, toward Callitris dominance.
Janet Cohn has researched the population dynamics of plants in
relation to climate and disturbance regimes (fire, grazing) from
temperate to arid zones in SE Australia.
136
1
ASB, Aarhus University
Plant genetic resources were freely accessible without
subject to any access regulation before the coming into
existence of the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD) in 1992 and the Bonn Guidelines in 2002.
Genetic resource rich countries are mainly developing
countries, with the exception to Australia—which is
developed and rich in genetic resources. Benefit sharing
is thus important for poor countries as a source of
finance and incentive to invest in the sustainable
protection of plant genetic resources. In 2002, the World
Summit on Sustainable Development called for the
negotiation of a new regime on access and benefit
sharing. The purpose of this article is to give a general
overview on the purpose of the New International
Regime on Access to and benefit sharing from Genetic
resources (which is expected to be approved in October
2010, Japan) and to point out the difference with the
CBD, Bonn Guidelines and the FAO Treaty as a policy
instrument to foster conservation of biodiversity.
Abeba Gebreselassie has an LLB,LLM in Intellectual Property and
Competition Law, Max Planck Institute, MIPLC, Germany, PhD
Candidate, Aarhus University.
Speed talks 6
1530, Room T6, MCC
1535, Room T6, MCC
Are direct seeded revegetation sites self-sustaining?
An analysis of structure, composition and
regeneration processes
Conservation of temperate grasslands in Tasmania:
acting locally and thinking globally
1,2
Ian Rayner , Chris McElhinny
1
1
Australian National University, 2Greening Australia
We investigated the composition, structure,
regeneration and soil seed store in direct seeded
revegetation sites aged two to 19 years on the Southern
Tablelands of NSW. Our results indicate that species
richness and plant density were extremely variable and
unrelated to site age. Regeneration was only present at
sites ten years and older, with more than 95% of this
attributable to two Acacia species suckering from root
plates. Germination trials indicated very low levels of
germinable seed present under mature Acacia plants
compared with other studies (10.4 germinable
seeds/m2). The quantity of viable soil stored seed did not
increase with site age. We conclude that many of the
species used in direct seeding operations do not
establish or persist, and practitioners should reconsider
the use of these species given time and financial
constraints. Our findings also cast doubt on whether
direct seeded sites are self-sustaining. Acacia species
were the most common genus at the sites, and were
only regenerating through vegetative sprouting. Since
there is little soil seed store, it is unlikely most Acacia
species will persist in the medium term. The
consequences of these future changes will depend on
the goals landholders and ecologists prioritise for direct
seeded revegetation.
Ian Rayner has recently finished his BSc(Resource and
Environmental Management) with first class honours. He works for
Greening Australia as a project officer for an on-ground catchment
revegetation project.
1
2
3
Louise Gilfedder , Fred Duncan , Robert Onfray , Oberon
1
Carter
1
Forest Practices Authority, 3Gunns Limited
2
Temperate grasslands are one of the world’s most
imperilled biomes, and have a high priority for
conservation in Australia. Native temperate grasslands
cover about 30,000 ha in Tasmania and include some of
Australia’s most diverse grasslands. Vegetation surveys in
the 1980s identified Tasmanian grasslands with a high
priority for conservation. Although there has been an
increase in formal reservation since then, some of the
most important grasslands occur outside formal reserves,
including extensive areas of montane grasslands in NW
Tasmania which are managed by forestry companies;
and lowland grasslands in the Tasmanian Midlands,
which occur primarily on private land managed for wool
production. Partnerships between researchers,
government agencies and forest managers and farmers
have greatly improved the conservation of grassland
communities and species in these areas. The paper
describes the development of these partnerships; the
evolution of multi-faceted management practices at local
and landscape scales; and other incentives which have
encouraged conservation-oriented grassland
management—including legislation to protect
threatened species and communities; education
programs; and forest industry and farm certification
programs. The Tasmanian case studies resonate with
current global strategies to conserve temperate
grasslands, and emphasise the importance of mutual
trust and respect to achieve conservation objectives.
Louise Gilfedder has worked on conservation issues (particularly
grasslands and grassy woodlands) in production landscapes at as
a researcher the University of Tasmania and subsequently in policy
and planning in the Tasmania’s nature conservation organisation.
Results take a long time!
137
1540, Room T6, MCC
1545, Room T6, MCC
The mobility of unmanaged insect pollinators
attending a mass flowering crop: implications for
gene flow
Variation in habitat quality influences fine-scale
resource use by a low-density koala population
Romina Rader1, Bradley Howlett2, Saul Cunningham3, David
4
1
Westcott , Will Edwards
1
2
James Cook University, The New Zealand Institute for Plant and
Food Research, 3CSIRO Entomology, 4CSIRO Sustainable
Ecosystems
Determining pollen transport distances is critical in
defining the contribution of insects to landscape-wide
pollen movement and in understanding the
mechanisms by which gene flow occurs in natural and
agricultural systems.
In this study, the contribution of insects to long distance
pollen flow was quantified by examining the distance
pollen-carrying insects travel outside of a model mass
flowering agricultural crop, Brassica rapa. In the
Canterbury region of New Zealand, insects were
captured using flight intercept traps at five distances (0,
100, 200, 300 and 400 m) from the pollen source and
pollen loads and pollen viability were examined. A total
of 5453 insects were collected, 717 individuals from 26
insect taxa overall were positively identified as moving
away from the pollen source over distance. These taxa
consisted of four species from two bee families
(Hymenoptera: Apidae and Halictidae), and eight
species from four fly families (Diptera: Bibiondae,
Stratiomyidae, Syrphidae and Tachinidae). Pollen viability
varied between insect families and declined with
distance from the pollen source. Our results show that a
diverse array of flower visitors can transport viable pollen
from a mass flowering crop to at least 400m. Knowledge
of the dispersal distances of generalist pollinators in
human modified environments is crucial in order to fully
understand the potential extent to which pollen
transport can facilitate gene flow. This will assist in
evaluating the ecosystem services provided by insect
pollinators as well as highlight their potential role in
vectoring pollen between crops and related weeds that
may lead to unwanted hybridisation.
Romina Rader recently completed her PhD on the pollination
services provided by wild unmanaged pollinators in natural and
agricultural systems
138
Eleanor Stalenberg1, Ian Wallis1, Ross Cunningham2, William
Foley1
1
Research School of Biology, Division of Evolution, Ecology and
Genetics, The Australian National University, 2Fenner School of
Environment and Society, The Australian National University
Koalas have declined across mainland eastern Australia.
They now occur largely in scattered, small and lowdensity populations, often located in forests on nutrientpoor soils. Difficulties in surveying and monitoring freeliving koalas, particularly in low density populations, has
resulted in gaps in our knowledge of their dietary and
habitat requirements. Addressing these gaps will help to
effectively manage the conservation of koalas.
At the foundation of this study was a broad-scale
distribution survey of koalas at Bermagui, NSW, a joint
government and community initiative. Using the
presence of koala scats as a proxy for visitation, we
examined how eucalypt leaf chemistry influenced the
koalas’ use of the landscape. Koalas chose between
neighbouring trees strategically and were influenced by
both interspecific and intraspecific variations in foliar
chemistry. They preferred trees that had higher
concentrations of foliar in vitro available nitrogen, higher
in vitro digestible energy and lower concentrations of
the mammalian antifeedant—sideroxylonal, when
compared with the foliage of neighbouring trees of the
same species. Koalas also visited a high diversity of
eucalypt species. This feeding pattern allowed them to
balance their protein intake against the potential costs of
ingesting toxins.
Eleanor Stalenberg completed her honours on koala nutrition at
the Australian National University in May 2010 supervised by Prof
William Foley and Dr Ian Wallis. She is now working as a
researcher for the university.
1550, Room T6, MCC
1555, Room T6, MCC
Automated bioacoustic monitoring for rare, cryptic
fauna: a case study using the eastern ground
parrot
Regeneration dynamics of four semi-arid woodland
tree species
Elizabeth Tasker1
1
Tricia Wevill1
School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
1
NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
Effective management of a threatened species depends
on having a reasonable idea of its abundance and
distribution, and whether component populations are
stable or changing. Despite the simplicity of the idea of
measuring population size, it can be surprisingly difficult
to do, particularly for rare or ‘cryptic’ fauna, i.e. species
that are hard to see or catch, live in remote or
inaccessible areas or require specialist knowledge to
identify. We trialled the use of automated bioacoustic
monitoring for the cryptic and threatened Eastern
Ground Parrot Pezoporus wallicus. We used
commercially available automated digital recorders
(‘Song Meters’) and custom-built voice-recognition
software at a range of sites in coastal NSW. We tested
the performance of both the recorders and voicerecognition software by carrying out simultaneous pointcount listening surveys (the usual survey method for the
species) and found that a standard Song Meter recorded
approx. 70% of calls that we heard. Using a custom-built
microphone considerably improved performance. The
voice-recognition software identified almost all calls
correctly. Recording continuously at sites for many weeks
also showed that daily calling activity varied enormously
for no obvious reason. This has implications for the
standard listening survey method, which typically
involves visiting sites just once or twice.
Liz Tasker is a Research Scientist and Manager of the Fire Ecology
Unit with DECCW NSW in Hurstville, Sydney.
Opportunities for seedling recruitment may be
infrequent in semi-arid regions due to fluctuating
resource availability and highly variable climatic
conditions. This study investigated reproductive
allocation, mode of regeneration after fire, seedling
emergence from broadcast seed and seedling survival of
Eucalyptus largiflorens, E. incrassata, Callitris preissii and
C. verrucosa on semi-arid dune systems in north-western
Victoria. The aim was to determine whether differences
in reproductive traits or regeneration strategy contribute
to observed distribution patterns and how changes in
climatic or disturbance regimes may alter regeneration
dynamics. Callitris species produced more seeds per fruit
than Eucalyptus species, but Eucalyptus species had a
higher seed load per tree and invested significantly more
in seed protective structures. E. incrassata did not recruit
from seed after fire, whereas C.verrucosa seedlings were
recorded, but in lower densities than previous cohorts.
Recruitment from broadcast seed was highest for Callitris
species and higher in soil depression microsites.
Transplanted seedlings of all species did not survive
beyond the first summer. A change in either climatic or
disturbance regime (fire or flood) may favour
recruitment by Callitris compared to Eucalyptus species
because Callitris seedlings germinate under a broader
range of conditions, explaining, in part, their persistence
in a semi-arid landscape.
Tricia Wevill has recently completed her PhD, researching the
distribution and regeneration of four semi-arid tree species in
north-western Victoria.
139
1600, Room T6, MCC
1605, Room T6, MCC
Impacts of landscape complexity and early
predation on the suppression of horticultural pests
Developing priorities for exotic plant species
management in a changing climate: alpine ski
resorts
Alejandro Costamagna1, Nancy Schellhorn1
1
Mellesa Schroder1
1
Landscape complexity has been shown to increase the
ecosystem service of pest suppression, although the
mechanisms responsible remain elusive. Ecological
theory predicts that early predation by a few predators
can result in higher pest suppression than late predation
by many predators. Therefore, we tested the effects of
earliness of predator impacts on the suppression of
Aphis gossypii in 14 horticultural landscapes in the
Lockyer Valley that differed in complexity. Predator
impacts were manipulated using exclusion cages on
sentinel aphid populations in a factorial design: 1) early
predation (only during week 1), 2) late predation (only
during week 2), 3) continuous predation (during both
weeks), and 4) predator exclusion control. Landscape
context was quantified by mapping all habitats in a 2 km
radius from focal fields. The role of habitats around focal
fields as sources for natural enemies was assessed by
sampling with sticky traps and vegetation clippings. We
tested the expectations of lower aphid densities 1) when
exposed to early predation, and 2) in landscapes with
larger sources of predators and higher complexity. Our
results will provide guidelines on landscape features that
maximise pest suppression through early impacts of
predators.
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW
In recent decades the invasion of mountain ecosystems
by exotic plant species on a worldwide scale has
increased as these landscapes become more accessible
through increased human-induced activities and climate
change weakening biotic resistance. As a result of land
use changes in the last century the diversity of exotic
plant species in the Australian alps has increased from six
species in 1954 to 175 in 2005. The infrastructure
associated with ski resort development has removed the
barrier for exotic species to reach higher altitudes and
provided conditions more suitable for their
establishment. There is potential for some species to
expand from current localities into surrounding natural
ecosystems. Future climate change predictions may
provide conditions even more conducive for weed
establishment highlighting the need to have a greater
understanding of their distribution and abundance.
Identifying the location of known environmental weeds
using a geographic information system in ski resorts has
provided baseline information to define priorities and
implement management programs. Using this baseline
information the effectiveness of weed management
programs can be evaluated and changes in exotic
species diversity and/or abundance can be monitored.
Mellessa Schroder has worked on ecological restoration projects
for over 18 years, 15 with the NSW Department of Environment,
Climate Change and Water (formerly NSW National Parks and
Wildlife Service). Thirteen years as a senior ranger (Pest
Management) in the Hunter Region and now as an environmental
management officer in Kosciuszko National Park. Mellessa’s current
work is focused on developing and implementing ecological
monitoring and restoration programs to improve natural area
management in areas of high recreation focus, such as snow
skiing and downhill mountain bike riding. She is also completing a
research Master’s degree through Charles Sturt University
investigating the mechanisms that facilitate exotic plant species
invasions in mountain ecosystems
140
Tuesday 7 December
Concurrent session 3a—Symposium: Sustaining biodiversity in the Australian alps
1100, Room T3, MCC
1115, Room T3, MCC
Later bogong moth arrival despite earlier snowmelt
results in mismatches across three trophic levels
Resource selection of common wombats in the
subalpine zone of the Snowy Mountains
Ken Green1
Alison Matthews1
1
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) are an important food for
vertebrates in the Snowy Mountains. Whereas the date
of snowmelt in the Snowy Mountains has advanced 2.7
days per decade since 1954, the date of arrival of
bogong moths is later. Moths arrived on average 54
days before snowmelt in 1979–1996 but 29 days
through 1997–2009. This gave less time for moth
numbers to build up to an exploitable food source when
this was most needed. Mammals dependent upon this
source of food in spring, at a time of high energy
demand, include red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), bush rats
(Rattus fuscipes), dusky antechinus (Antechinus
swainsonii) and the mountain pygmy-possum (Burramys
parvus). With the late arrival of moths, fox diet in spring
fell from 62% to 20–32% moth over three years. The
shortfall in moths was compensated for by increased
predation on small mammals. Populations of small
mammals that are both prey of foxes and insectivorous
decreased in this period, whereas populations of the
omnivorous R. fuscipes increased. It appears that a
situation of matching phenologies between migrating
moths and insectivorous mammals has been replaced by
a mismatch, that appears to be exacerbated by acting
across three interacting trophic levels: moth-possum-fox.
Ken Green has specialised in cold-climate biology, working in the
Antarctic, the Himalayas and the Snowy Mountains where he is
the alpine ecologist with the national parks service.
1
Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University
The aims of this study were to develop estimates of
habitat selection of individual wombats in the subalpine
zone of the Snowy Mountains, and identify common
selection strategies in order to map selection over the
landscape. Resource selection was examined at the scale
of individual movements, with locations of animals
identified from global positioning system (GPS) tracking
of 11 wombats (5 females, 6 males) during 2008 and
2009. Animal location information was combined with
habitat data to generate predictive models of resource
selection using resource selection functions (RSF). These
analyses found that topographic, vegetation, fire and
distance variables were important predictors of selection
within the home range of individual wombats. A global
model showed that wombats selected locations with
mid-elevations and mid-slopes, closer to water courses
and roads, on drier soils, and with a lower proportion of
grassland. Mapping of this resource selection function
over the landscape showed that the majority of the
alpine area has a low relative probability of use. Thus, it
appears that the alpine area will be unsuitable for
occupation by wombats even if the snow cover declines
as predicted with climate change.
Alison Matthews is a PhD candidate studying the distribution,
movements and resource selection of common wombats in the
Snowy Mountains of Australia.
141
1130, Room T3, MCC
1145, Room T3, MCC
Australian alpine seed germination strategies: a
‘move-along’ investigation of 24 species
The effect of altitude on reproductive and
vegetative characteristics in Australian alpine flora
Adrienne Nicotra1, Gemma Hoyle1, Kathryn Steadman2, Roger
Good3, Emma McIntosh4
Deborah Segal1, Gemma Hoyle1, Adrienne Nicotra1, Roger
Good2
1
Australian National University, 2University of Queensland,
Australian National Botanic Gardens, 4University of Sydney
3
Successful plant reproduction via seed is closely
associated with the seasonal timing of germination,
influenced most significantly by temperature, soil
moisture and light. Timing of germination dictates a
seedling’s seasonal experience and thus has strong
fitness consequences. Physiological dormancy
mechanisms are one way seeds control the timing of
germination, often postponing germination until a time
when the emerging seedling has optimum chances of
survival, despite dispersal into pseudo-favourable
conditions. We investigated the germination strategies of
24 Australian tall alpine herb field species, spanning 11
families. We examined their germination phenology, the
role of dormancy and the importance of light in
germination. Imbibed seeds were moved through a
‘move-along’ experiment designed to mimic the
progression of seasonal temperature regimes alpine
seeds experience in situ, post-dispersal. Here we present
the evident range of germination phenologies
throughout Australian alpine flora, in relation to plant
and seed traits, and the potential consequences of a
warmer, drier future climate on the optimisation of
seedling establishment in the Alps. Determining when
seeds will germinate in the field contributes to our
understanding of fundamental processes of population
establishment, range expansion and geographic spread
in order to estimate the resilience of plant and plant
communities to future climate scenarios.
Adrienne Nicotra is senior lecturer in the Research School of
Biology, Division of Evolution Ecology and Genetics at ANU where
her lab group works on plant ecophysiology with a focus on
reproductive ecology and phenotypic plasticity.
142
1
Australian National University, 2Australian National Botanic
Gardens
Predicted effects of climate change include increased
temperatures that will force species to migrate to cooler,
higher altitudes. Alpine plants are particularly vulnerable
to climate change as they already inhabit high altitudes
in confined areas. I have examined how plant
reproductive and vegetative traits of eight alpine plant
species vary along an altitudinal gradient. These changes
provide insight in to how a warmer climate might affect
alpine plant and seed traits. Species chosen are from the
Apiaceae, Campanulaceae, Droseraceae, Epacridaceae,
Gentianaceae and Ranunculaceae familes. The observed
relationships between vegetative traits, seed production,
germination and seedling establishment characteristics
over an altitudinal gradient may have significant
implications for species’ survival in light of a changing
climate scenario.
Deborah Segal has long had an interest in alpine ecology, and so
has been delighted to have spent 2010 studying Australian alpine
plant species for her Honours year at the ANU.
1200, Room T3, MCC
1215, Room T3, MCC
Does increased environmental stress equate to
decreased seed production and viability in the
snowgum Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila?
Marching up the mountain? Mechanisms of high
altitude woodland expansion into the Australian
alpine zone
Shannon LeBel1, Pete Green1
Susanna Venn1, Ken Green1
1
La Trobe University
Alpine ecosystems are amongst those anticipated to be
under greatest threat from predicted global warming. In
the Australian alps, the treeline species Eucalyptus
pauciflora subsp. niphophila (snowgum) is predicted to
migrate upwards altitudinally under moderate increases
in temperature. Seed recruitment leading to upwards
altitudinal migration is likely to come from individuals at
the treeline. However, increasing environmental stress at
higher altitudes is associated with a gradation in
snowgum morphology, with trees of reduced stature
and smaller fruits occurring at the treeline. Both could
potentially hinder recruitment, as stature is associated
with dispersal distance, and fruit volume associated with
seed abundance. This study aims to assess potential
differences in viability over a 200m altitudinal gradient by
measuring changes in fruit morphology and seed
production, as well as examining potential differences in
seed stratification requirements from three altitudinal
provenances. Although a high degree of variation was
exhibited between sites, the overriding pattern observed
was one of equal reproductive effort by percentage
mass across an altitudinal gradient. Treeline provenance
seed responded best to differing stratification regimes,
and produced the most germinants. Additionally, seed
viability was highest at the treeline. These results support
modelled predictions of upward altitudinal treeline
migration under scenarios of future temperature
increases.
Shannon LeBel is a PhD candidate from the Plant Ecology lab at
La Trobe University. He is an alpine enthusiast on his first visit to
Canberra, and possibly his last.
1
The high altitude treeline is a transition zone between
sub-alpine woodland and alpine tundra and is strongly
temperature dependent. Warmer summers predicted for
the alpine zone in coming decades are expected to
facilitate upslope movement of the treeline, as low
temperature limits on trees are diminished. However, the
treeline species in the Snowy Mountains, Snowgum
(Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila), shows great
tenacity; it cannot spread vegetatively, has limited seed
dispersal mechanisms and very low seedling recruitment
rates, is highly vulnerable to frost, does not readily
germinate from the soil seed bank and there are few
examples of upslope regeneration after fire. Treeline
movement appears limited.
However, recent observations of recruitment processes
operating at linear stripes of trees established above the
contiguous woodland may reveal mechanisms by which
the treeline can ‘move’ uphill. These landscape features
are dominated by trees that are several hundred years
old, but there appears to have been more recent tree
regeneration downwind, which is also downslope of the
stripes of mature trees, essentially backfilling to the
existing treeline. We investigate the mechanisms which
have maintained these features in the past and how
snow, wind and fire may be interacting to facilitate
expansion of the sub-alpine woodland.
Susanna Venn has tackled ecological questions related to the
Australian alps for the last 10 years. More recently she has
concentrated her research to the Snowy Mountains and works on
topics from treeline dymanics to the functional diversity of
snowpatch vegetation.
143
Concurrent session 3b—Symposium: Biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes: is it
really worth the effort?
1100, Room T2, MCC
1130, Room T2, MCC
Forty years in the wilderness—is there a promised
land?
Native pastures may have a limited contribution to
plant species diversity in agricultural landscapes
David Goldney1,2,3
Nicholas Schultz1, Nick Reid1, Greg Lodge2, John Hunter3
1
2
Cenwest Environmental Services, Charles Sturt University,
3
This is the story of European settlement in the Central
West of New South Wales and the ongoing conflict
between the needs of nature conservation and
agricultural production. The Central West is
approximately a quarter of the land area of New South
Wales, and contains Australia’s oldest inland agricultural
lands.
In this address I will briefly describe my observations over
the past forty years about:
•
key biophysical characteristics
•
significant adverse impacts resulting from nearly two
hundred years of agriculture and other land uses
and the current status of biodiversity
•
ecological thresholds that have been exceeded
•
the loss of system resilience
•
the inability of technological agriculture to achieve
sustainable landscapes.
In the ‘Age of Restoration’ landholders, government
agencies, resource scientists and NGOs have a mixed
track record of achievement. The signs of hope that are
emerging are coming from a growing core of
landholders that are embracing ecology-based farming
systems. A sustainable promised land is achievable but
even so, it will likely continue to be a human-dominated
landscape where not all of the key components of the
pre-European landscape can successfully be conserved.
Optimal outcomes are only likely when all landholders
are funded by realistic stewardship payments for agreed
conservation outcomes.
From my perspective the journey is and was worth the
effort.
David Goldney is semi-retired and passionate about better
integration of nature conservation and production agriculture. He
consults across Australia mainly working with mining companies
on a range of biodiversity issues. Together with his family he is
restoring a small degraded grazing bushland property south of
Mudgee.
144
1
School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New
England, 2Department of Industry and Investment, Primary
Industries, 3School of Behavioural, Cognitive and Social Sciences,
University of New England
Effective plant conservation in fragmented landscapes
will require knowledge of the contribution of the
agricultural matrix to landscape diversity—the
contribution of native pastures, in particular, is not well
known. On a typical sheep farm in northern NSW, we
analysed plant diversity of various land-uses (native
pastures, road verges, grazed and ungrazed woodlands,
crops and dry creeks) at four grain sizes (quadrat, patch,
land-use and whole-farm). Whole-farm species richness
was 181 (112 native, 69 introduced). Average withinpatch diversity of native species was highest in
woodlands and native pastures. Pastures had
significantly lower between-patch diversity than
woodlands, and contained only three native species not
found in other land-uses. Woodlands, road verges and
dry creeks comprised only a small proportion of the land
area, but contained 57 native species not found in the
pastures. Native pastures appear to contain only a subset
of native species that occur in surrounding woodlands.
Hence, we concluded that while these pastures
presumably contribute to diversity in landscapes with
few woodland patches, the main focus of conservation
efforts should be on protection, restoration and
regeneration of patches of woodlands in the landscape.
However, the influence of these pastures on
metapopulation viability of native species is unknown.
Nick Schultz is a PhD student at the University of New England,
studying the conservation of plant diversity in agricultural
landscapes in northern New South Wales.
1145, Room T2, MCC
1200, Room T2, MCC
The benefits—and limits—of woody perennial
farming systems for the conservation of native
biodiversity in Australia: a resources perspective
Conservation of fauna in agricultural landscapes:
what does the future hold?
Patrick Smith1, Andrew Fisher2, Stuart Collard3
1
1
Andrew Bennett1
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
2
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, WA, Department of Water, Land
and Biodiversity Conservation SA, 3Rural Solutions SA
Native biodiversity in Australian agricultural landscapes
continues to decline in response to a range of
threatening processes. The historic widespread
clearance of native vegetation for arable agriculture,
directly destroying both flora and fauna, has also
reduced the availability of habitat resources both in
terms of total amount (area and quality of remnant
habitat) and its accessibility (fragmentation of habitat).
Farming systems based on perennial plants are
increasingly being adopted across southern Australia to
improve sustainability. Many of these systems utilise
native woody plants. Substantial areas of cleared
farmland are being replanted to native woody
vegetation, albeit in monocultures or simple polycultures,
which provide resources for native biota. While these
systems would rarely meet all the habitat resource
requirements of a species, they may provide appreciable
quantities of some limiting resources as well as
supplementing existing resources at critical times.
We present an analysis of: a) the resource requirements
of native fauna in agricultural landscapes in southern
Australia, and b) the resources provided by a range of
woody perennial farming systems.
We find that woody perennial farming systems could
significantly improve the persistence of a range of native
fauna species in agricultural landscapes. However our
analysis also indicates that many species will derive little
or no benefit from these farming systems. Although not
a substitute for ecosystem restoration, if adopted widely
and strategically, woody perennial farming systems
could play a limited but nonetheless significant role in
conserving native biodiversity in Australian agricultural
landscapes.
The future of biodiversity conservation in Australia, and
globally, depends increasingly on the capacity for
species to persist in human-dominated landscapes,
particularly those used for agriculture. In Australia, faunal
surveys in agricultural regions often record substantial
numbers of species, but typically: 1) there is
disproportionate loss of particular components of the
fauna, and 2) only a minor subset of the original fauna
lives in purely production components (e.g. pasture,
crops). Faunal diversity fundamentally depends on (semi)
natural habitats within, among, and complementary to,
farms. The amount and composition of such habitats at
the landscape scale are critical influences on the present
fauna, and a likely predictor of the extinction debt yet to
be realised in many landscapes. More attention is
urgently required for temporal aspects of fauna
conservation, particularly trends and future trajectories of
different taxa in relation to land-uses. Likewise, ecological
processes that link species’ persistence (or decline) to
landscape patterns and land use are an important issue.
Planning for fauna conservation in agricultural
landscapes must better integrate and balance coarsescale (regional) measures with fine scale (within
property) measures. Effective wildlife conservation in
agricultural environments is an imperative—with
aesthetic, social and cultural benefits for Australians.
Andrew Bennett has broad interests in wildlife ecology, nature
conservation and landscape ecology, and is based at Deakin
University. Finding solutions for wildlife conservation in agricultural
environments has been a long-standing theme of his work.
Dr Patrick Smith is an agricultural landscape ecologist with a focus
on finding opportunities to integrate conservation of native
biodiversity into production landscapes. His research interests
centre on the conservation of native flora and fauna in the
agricultural landscapes of southern Australia, with particular
interests in the conservation value of revegetation and perennial
farming systems, and the social dimensions of land management
and land-use change.
145
1215, Room T2, MCC
Arthropod assemblages in agricultural landscapes:
patterns, process and conservation in the matrix
Simon Attwood1, Martine Maron2, Alan House3,
Charlie Zammit1
1
Communities, 2University of Queensland, 3CSIRO Sustainable
Ecosystems
The case for increased conservation research, policy and
practice in agricultural systems is compelling—the area of
agricultural land globally is increasing, with
management in many regions intensifying, there is
increasing understanding of the ecological influence of
the agricultural matrix, and high spatial coincidence
between habitats and species of conservation concern
and productive land. Consequently, there is mounting
realisation that agricultural land presents a major
opportunity for biodiversity conservation.
My research examined various aspects of biodiversity
conservation in agricultural landscapes, focusing on an
important functional group, arthropods. I found that at
both global and local scales arthropod richness declined
along an agricultural intensification gradient. At global
scales, predators and decomposers declined with
increased intensification. At local scales, ant assemblage
composition differed among different land uses and
more small beetles and spiders occurred in highly
disturbed land uses. Finally, predation rates were found
to be greater at crop edges than in crop interiors, with
adjacent habitat type influencing assemblage
composition, but not predation rates. The findings are
discussed in the context of regional land-use history,
ecosystem services and the need for increased emphasis
on conservation research and policy responses in
agricultural systems, and more explicit integration of
conservation and sustainable agriculture.
Simon Attwood has a colourful history of developing and applying
biodiversity conservation approaches in production landscapes in
UK and Australia. Presently helping to develop and deliver the
Environmental Stewardship Program for DEWHA.
146
Concurrent session 3c—Symposium: Combining Indigenous and western ecological knowledge
for future land management
1100, Room T4, MCC
1115, Room T4, MCC
Success factors for two way land management in
the Tanami
Bradshaw land and resource company … working
on our land our way
Karissa Preuss1, Madeline Dixon1
Daniel Jones1
1
Central Land Council
Warlpiri people, from the Tanami Desert in Central
Australia, are ‘looking after’ country based on a
combination of western and Indigenous ecological
knowledge systems. Through the proposed Southern
Tanami Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), yapa (Warlpiri
people) are working with kardiya (non-Aboriginal
people) for natural and cultural resource management
on approximately 12 million hectares of desert country,
including areas of national and international biodiversity
significance. This presentation is a case study of two-way
land management in the southern Tanami, provided by
the senior Warlpiri ranger and IPA Development Officer.
We share experiences of using both western and
Warlpiri knowledge in looking after bilbies and other
threatened species, fire management and participatory
planning for country. Critical success factors for effective
management of Aboriginal lands are drawn from our
experiences in the southern Tanami.
Karissa Preuss has been working with Warlpiri people for nine
years in a number of capacities focused on livelihood and land
management issues. She is currently employed as an Indigenous
Protected Area Development Officer, with Central Land Council.
Karissa is also undertaking part-time postgraduate research
through the Australian National University, examining critical
success factors for Aboriginal land management to promote both
livelihoods and environmental outcomes in the Warlpiri region.
1
Bradshaw land and resource co
Bradshaw land and resource company (BLRC) was
established to act as a resource tool between the
defence forces of Australia and traditional owners of the
bradshaw area to ensure minimum changes would
occur in the transition from a cattle station to defence
facility. This meant managing 8000 sqkm without the
traditional cattle numbers, which when eliminated
would keep the facility ecologically sustainable whilst
being used for entirely different purposes. The main
outcome would be that without cattle numbers, the
flora would become a fire hazard if not controlled.
Burning has to be carried out in sequences that fit with
climate and seasons, as Indigenous burning has been
carried out in the past. Work has to be conducted in
accordance with defence needs and also with workable
land management principles. BLRC has ha to train staff
to industry standards, carry out work to acceptable
standard, yet maintain the country to be of a reasonable
ecological standard. This presentation presents an
Aboriginal perspective of the traditional owners and the
application of this to suit defence force needs and good
land management principles.
Madeline Dixon is a respected Warlpiri woman, who grew up in
Yuendumu and surrounding outstations, in the Tanami desert. She
is a fluent Warlpiri speaker and has worked in numerous roles,
such as teacher, linguist and research assistant. Madeline is
currently employed by Central Land Council as the Senior Warlpiri
Ranger and is completing Certificate III in conservation and land
management. In addition to her work, Madeline represents
Warlpiri interests on a variety of local committees, including the
local advisory board for Central Desert Shire.
147
1130, Room T4, MCC
1145, Room T4, MCC
Managing country combining Indigenous and
western ecological knowledge—Dhimurru’s
experience in north-east Arnhem Land
Djelk Rangers working on, and caring for, country
in the Djelk IPA, Arnhem Land
Daryl Lacey1, Balupalu Yunupingu2, Benjamin Hoffmann3,
4
5
Samantha Muller , Phil Wise
1
1
Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, 2Gumatj elder, 3CSIRO,
Flinders University, 5Department of Primary Industries, Parks,
Water and Environment
4
Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, one of Australia’s
premier Indigenous land management organisations,
has had a long and successful history of engaging
western scientists and pioneering the two-ways
approach to environmental management. These
partnerships have largely been highly successful and
resulted in some world-class and national award
winning environmental outcomes, including the
eradication of exotic invasive ants and sea turtle
management. Dhimurru’s success at such engagements
has even been the focus of a PhD investigating the
social, institutional and political challenges of
undertaking such an approach. Here we detail the
experience of Dhimurru and key partner organisations in
combining Indigenous and western ecological
knowledge within projects, particularly focusing on
lessons learnt on both sides about how best to create
these successful partnerships.
Daryl Lacey is a Senior Ranger working for the Dhimurru
Aboriginal Corporation in North East Arnhemland. He is a Yolngu
Indigenous leader and supervises Dhimurru’s Yellow Crazy Ant
Program. The program won the NAIDOC Caring for Country
Award this year.
Ben Hoffmann is an ecologist specialising in ants. Much of his work
over the past decade has investigated the use of ants as indicators
of sustainable land use.
148
Feline Campion1, Selma Campion1, Jodie Kelly1
Djelk Rangers
The Djelk Rangers care for country in the Djelk IPA,
which covers more than 673,200 hectares of land and
sea country, from the central Arnhem Land plateau to
the Arafura Sea. The area is all Aboriginal-owned land
and includes about 100 clans, the central town of
Maningrida, and 32 outstations. The rangers do lots of
different work like going out on country burning, weed
spraying, buffalo shooting and also research on
mammals, reptiles, plants and billabongs. We also do
fee-for-service work for AQIS, collecting fruit flies,
mosquitos, weed samples, and ant trapping. On sea
country we do crab research, collect marine debris and
fisheries patrols. We have also recently started recording
cultural sites. To do our work we use both Aboriginal
knowledge and ways of doing things and balanda (nonAboriginal) ways like Cybertracker, mammal tracks and
photographing.
1200, Room T4, MCC
1215, Room T4, MCC
The Warru Reintroduction Project
Saltwater people addressing the problem of ghost
nets and marine debris in northern Australia
Eric Abbott1
1
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara
The black-footed rock wallaby (Petrogale lateralis), or
‘warru’, used to live all over the rocky hills of the Anangu
Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands in north-west South
Australia but now there are only about 100 left. Since
2007, twenty-two ‘iti-warru’ (warru-joeys) were taken to
Monarto Zoo as part of the Warru Reintroduction
Program. These ‘zoo-warru’ are now old enough to
breed at the zoo and will help increase the number of
warru living in South Australia. The Warru
Reintroduction Program combines modern science and
the traditional ecological knowledge of Anangu, the
Indigenous people of the Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara
Lands. The recent construction of a predator-proof fence
on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands will
allow the ‘zoo-warru’ to be brought back and adjust to
the environment and to learn the survival skills of their
ancestors before they are released in the bush.
Grace Heathcote1
1
Ghost Nets Australia
GhostNets Australia (formerly the Carpentaria Ghost
Nets Programme) is an alliance of Indigenous
communities stretching across northern Australia from
the Torres Strait and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the
Kimberleys. These communities are working to address
the widespread problems of marine debris and
abandoned and lost fishing nets, known as ‘ghost nets.’
Ghost nets drift with the currents and tides for many
years, continuing to catch and kill turtles, dolphins,
dugong, sharks, fish and other marine wildlife. Since
being established in 2004, the project has achieved the
removal of almost 7,000 ghost nets of varying sizes from
approximately 1500 km of coastline. This has resulted in
the recovery of a proportion of the trapped wildlife,
particularly marine turtles, and the prevention of the
ghost nets from returning to the sea.
This presentation will allow the work that the rangers are
conducting to be highlighted, including the coordinated
co-use of traditional and ‘western’ knowledge. Research
being undertaken in conjunction with CSIRO to study
ocean circulation patterns and find the source of the
nets will also be discussed. Finally, the aims GNA has for
the future and some of the problems the program is
facing will be outlined.
Grace Heathcote is the NT and Kimberley Project Officer for
GhostNets Australia and is based in Darwin.
149
Concurrent session 3d—Balancing biodiversity and resource consumption
1100, Room T5, MCC
1115, Room T5, MCC
Biodiversity conservation in the ultimate consumer
landscape: protecting species in urban ecosystems
Riparian woodland dysfunction is driven by
groundwater decline in a northern Murray–Darling
intensive production landscape
1
1
Gary Luck , Lisa Smallbone
1
Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University
Kate Reardon-Smith1, Andy Le Brocque1, Alan House2
1
From 2010 to 2050, the proportion of people living in
urban areas will increase from 50% to 70%. Urbanisation
is one of the most pervasive land-use trends of this
century. Conserving biodiversity as landscapes are
consumed by urban development is an important
challenge for the next 50 years. We conducted a 3-year
study examining the relationships between urban
development, vegetation cover and the diversity of bird,
bat and amphibian species in 72 neighbourhoods
across 18 towns and cities. Neighbourhood vegetation
cover was strongly related to the socio-economic profile
of residential neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods with
wealthier, tertiary-educated residents had greater total
vegetation cover and more native plant species. These
neighbourhoods supported more birds, bats and
amphibians. Bird species richness was positively related
to site-specific characteristics such as the density of
nectar-producing plants. Conversely, amphibian species
richness was related more to broader-scale factors;
decreasing with increasing isolation among wetland
habitats and lower vegetation cover within 1000 m of
survey sites. Native bird density and bat activity levels
increased with increasing native tree density, while the
density of exotic birds declined. Our study suggests that
neighbourhood socio-economics, urban design, sitespecific characteristics (e.g. household gardens) and
broader-scale factors interact in complex ways to
influence urban biodiversity.
Gary Luck is a Research Fellow in the Institute for Land, Water and
Society at Charles Sturt University with interests in biodiversity
conservation in human-dominated landscapes and the protection
and management of ecosystem services.
150
University of Southern Queensland, 2CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
Altered hydrological regimes are significant drivers of
ecosystem change in riverine, riparian and floodplain
ecosystems. This study has found that declining
condition in Eucalyptus camaldulensis/E. tereticornis
riparian woodlands of the highly-modified Upper
Condamine floodplain, southern Queensland, is
predominantly linked to falling groundwater levels
associated with extraction for irrigation. Evidence of
dieback in this species complex increases with
groundwater depth falling below 13–16m, and
community composition (functional group diversity) is
strongly associated with both groundwater depth and
tree condition. These findings contrast with studies in
Murray River floodplain woodlands where poor tree
health is associated with soil salinisation associated with
rising water tables and/or altered flood regimes.
Results from this study are summarised in a semiquantitative resilience-based State-and-Transition model,
identifying critical thresholds for the persistence of this
essentially groundwater-dependent ecosystem. Such
systems, currently existing close to ecological thresholds,
contribute significantly to our understanding of how
ecological systems respond to change, and of how
major disturbances such as climate change may play out
across landscapes.
Kate Reardon-Smith is currently completing her PhD on ecological
responses in riparian woodland vegetation to altered land and
water use in the highly-modified production landscape of the
Darling Downs, southern Queensland. She is a member of the
Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments, a trans-disciplinary
research centre at Toowoomba campus of the University of
Southern Queensland.
1130, Room T5, MCC
1145, Room T5, MCC
Different landscape factors explain establishment
and persistence of river red gum (Eucalyptus
camaldulensis) in agricultural landscapes of southeast Queensland
Balancing biodiversity and agriculture in
Coleambally District—a success story
1
1
2
3
Jarrod Kath , Andy Le Brocque , Craig Miller , Ilona Leyer , Eva
4
Mosner
1
Faculty of Sciences/Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments,
University of Southern Queensland, 2CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences,
3
Phillips-University of Marburg, Faculty of Biology, Conservation
Biology, Germany, 4Federal Institute of Hydrology, Department of
Ecological Interactions, Germany
Riparian and floodplain ecosystems in production
landscapes are considerably degraded and under
continued pressure from surrounding land use.
However, little is known about how remnant ecosystems
respond to land use and hydrological factors in small
non-riverine wetlands. River red gum (Eucalyptus
camaldulensis) is a dominant tree species within these
scattered remnants, which provides critical ecological
functions for the remaining biodiversity. In this study, we
investigated how different life stages of E. camaldulensis
responded to land use and hydrological variables in the
Condamine catchment of south east Queensland. We
used logistic regression to develop models for different
life stages of E. camaldulensis in two regions with
differing land use intensity histories. Broad regional
differences and land use practices at smaller scales best
explained differences in E. camaldulensis occurrence for
younger life stages, while hydrology (groundwater and
connectivity to rivers) and land use practices (dryland
agriculture and grazing) best explained differences in
older life stages. The results indicate that different factors
are important in determining the establishment and
persistence of E. camaldulensis and that land use
practices at the regional scale are key factors in
determining the establishment and potential future
persistence of E. camaldulensis in floodplain wetlands.
Jarrod Kath is a PhD candidate at the University of Southern
Queensland examining the function and resilience of wetland
systems throughout the upper Murray–Darling. He has also
previously been working as a Research Officer for the Australian
Centre for Sustainable Catchments, University of Southern
Queensland under A./Prof Armando Apan on projects examining
the potential of remote sensing technology use for fine scale
habitat mapping of threatened reptiles in the Brigalow Belt
Bioregion using remote sensing and for use in assessing the health
of remnant vegetation throughout the Condamine catchment,
SEQ. Previous too this, during his honours candidature, he was
conducting research on determinants of bird distribution
throughout the Crows Nest Shire, SEQ.
Arun Tiwari1, Mark Robb1
1
Coleambally Irrigation Cooperative Limited
The Coleambally community developed Land and Water
Management Plan aimed to ensure the sustainability of
the area. The plan addressed three major environmental
issues namely groundwater/high water table, water
quality of drainage water and biodiversity within the
district. The Plan aimed to maintain and wherever
possible enhance the biodiversity.
Over the last 10 years Coleambally Irrigation, as
implementing authority of the Plan, pursued a strategy
which resulted in conserving over 2,000ha of land
within the district. This included setting up of a Reserve
for managing 1,600ha of land for environmental
conservation purposes and providing financial incentives
to the shareholders of the Cooperative to enter into a 10
year conservation agreement on their own property
(Property Vegetation Plan).
In 1998 Coleambally Irrigation became the first Irrigation
Corporation to map its entire vegetation and develop a
benchmark for flora, fauna and invertebrate species
within the district with the Australian Museum. Since
then the Australian Museum has repeated these surveys
in 2004 and 2009. The surveys are conducted during
autumn and spring at 37 sites for flora and invertebrate
fauna, 8 for vertebrate fauna, 11 for birds and 2 sites for
Southern Bellfrog. One of the major findings of these
surveys was the recording of ‘Southern Bellfrog’, a
threatened species in significant numbers and the most
easterly recording of ‘Planigale’ (a small marsupial). Also
the Surveys recorded significantly larger populations
than previously known of other threatened species like
Superb Parrot and Painted Honeyeater.
Over the last 10 years CICL developed and presented
several educational modules and field days to the local
growers, town residents and agency staff raising the
awareness of biodiversity issues within the district. In the
future CICL is looking to further consolidate the gains of
biodiversity achieved in the last 10 years through
developing vegetation/wildlife corridors within the area
and continuing to help both land owners and the
Government agencies in implementing biodiversity
related policies within the district.
So ‘Biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes: is
it really worth the effort?’ The Coleambally community
says YES.
Arun Tiwari is working as manager of Natural Resources and
Environment for Coleambally Irrigation Cooperative Limited (CICL)
for the last 12 years. He has postgraduate qualifications in
Management and Soil and Water Conservation.
151
1200, Room T5, MCC
1215, Room T5, MCC
Ecosystem service provision by native vegetation
and trade-offs with grazing
Four years of sheep exclusion shows no changes in
understorey composition in grazed woodlands of
southern Queensland
Rhiannon Smith1,2, Nick Reid1,2
1
University of New England, 2Cotton Catchment Communities CRC
Andy Le Brocque1, Charlie Zammit2
1
Little quantitative information is available on ecosystem
service provision by native vegetation or trade-offs with
land uses such as grazing. Carbon storage, erosion
mitigation and biodiversity conservation services were
measured in five vegetation types on the lower Namoi
floodplain (7100 km2) in northern NSW. Mean C storage
ranged from 40.0 t C ha–1 in grasslands to 216 t C ha–1
in river red gum sites and was driven by woody biomass
abundance. Erosion mitigation value was determined by
soil macroaggregate stability and groundcover.
Macroaggregate stability was greatest in soils with a
high C:N ratio, which was related to litter abundance.
Conservation value was measured for plants and birds
based on species richness and rarity. Sites valuable for
plant conservation were not necessarily valuable for bird
conservation. No vegetation type was significantly better
than others for bird or plant conservation. All services
were positively correlated with each other, except bird
and plant conservation where no significant relationship
was found. Grazing reduced provision of all services,
particularly plant and bird conservation, and C storage
through removal of rare, grazing-sensitive species and
biomass. Few studies have compared multiple
ecosystem service provision by multiple vegetation types
across such a large region.
Rhiannon Smith has recently completed her PhD titled ‘Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services Associated with Remnant Vegetation in an
Agricultural Landscape’.
University of Southern Queensland, 2Biodiversity Conservation
Branch, Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Retaining trees in low-input, low-productivity grazing
systems in southern Queensland can provide biodiversity
benefits without adversely impacting upon production.
Although previous research conducted during period of
extended drought, may have failed to determine the
overall biodiversity potential in relation to management
practices. We describe a grazing exclusion trial designed
to monitor biodiversity changes following the removal of
grazing in the Traprock wool producing region of
southern Queensland. Eighteen sites across 10
properties were sampled across two vegetation types
(grassy box woodland and ironbark/gum woodland),
three overstorey tree densities (<6 trees/ha; 6–20
trees/ha; >20 trees/ha), and three exclosure types (full
exclosure; partial exclosure and control (open).
Exclosures were established in 2005 and sampled over a
four year period for understorey composition and
above-ground biomass. No differences were apparent in
composition between exclosure treatments (ANOSIM, p
> 0.05), although patterns were observed in overstorey
tree density treatments within vegetation types. There
were no differences (p > 0.05) in biomass between
exclosures, although significantly higher plant biomass
was observed in low density treatments. Exclusion of
grazing has not significantly altered composition after 4
years. However, above-ground biomass has responded
to the removal of grazing in open paddock areas. A
longer period of exclusion may be necessary to detect
changes (if any) in plant species composition.
Andy Le Brocque has taught ecology and sustainability at the
University of Southern Queensland for over 14 years and has been
researching biodiversity in the agriculturally productive region of
the Darling Downs.
152
Concurrent session 3e—Migration and dispersal
Lasting effects of maternal behaviour on the
distribution of an allegedly quintessential disperser
Assisted migration of a threatened tortoise—
integrating ecoenergetics with hydrology to select
future habitats
1,3
2
Jill Lancaster , Barbara Downes , Amanda Arnold
1
2
3
3
Monash University, University of Melbourne, University of
Edinburgh
Dispersal of long-lived aquatic species by water
movement is considered paramount to understanding
the population dynamics of these species. Rivers are
model advective systems, and the larvae of baetid
mayflies are considered the quintessential long-distance
disperser. Egg-laying occurs exclusively on emergent
rocks, resulting in a patchy distribution of eggs along
channels. After egg hatch, larvae are assumed to move
easily between riffles, thereby obscuring patterns created
by maternal behaviours. Tests using field surveys of larval
benthic densities and drift rates, however, revealed a
different picture. Patchy distribution patterns established
at oviposition persisted, with neonate and mid-stage
larvae remaining close to the natal riffle. Many larvae
drifted and riffles were net exporters of neonate and
mid-stage larvae, but drift rates were unrelated to
benthic densities and few larvae drifted as far as the next
riffle. In contrast, riffles were sinks for large larvae,
suggesting an ontogenetic shift in habitat use, i.e. they
moved into between-riffle areas to grow and re-entered
riffles before emergence. The persistence of maternal
effects on distribution patterns well into the juvenile
stage is exciting and suggests that existing models of
how dispersal influences the population dynamics of
allegedly iconic dispersers may warrant re-evaluation.
Nicola Mitchell1, Mathew Hipsey1, Michael Kearney2, Sophie
1
1
3
3
Arnall , Hasnien bin Tareque , Gerald Kuchling , Ryan Vogwill ,
4
Helen Robertson
1
The University of Western Australia, 2The University of Melbourne,
The Western Australian Department of Environment and
Conservation, 4The Perth Zoo
3
Assisted migration (the deliberate movement of species
to climatically suitable regions) is an emerging
management tool that aims to prevent the extinction of
populations that are unable to migrate in response to
climate change. If this strategy is deemed acceptable,
how should suitable translocation sites be selected?
Correlative climate-envelope models, which are based
on occurrence data, are of limited use for species that
have restricted distributions. In this project we are
integrating ecoenergetic and hydrological models to
identify future habitats for Australia’s most endangered
reptile, the Western Swamp Tortoise (Psuedemydura
umbrina)—a species currently restricted to a single
breeding population in marginal habitat. We are
collecting physiological data from a captive population
to build an ecoenergetic model, which is then
integrated with independent simulations of the wetland
habitat, and validated by hind casting against fifty years
of historical data. The models can be run under a range
of future climates and should be a powerful tool for
identifying new habitats where tortoises could persist in
south-western Australia. Here we present preliminary
findings and demonstrate our mechanistic approach
that could serve as a template for guiding the assisted
migration of other threatened wetland species.
Nicki Mitchell is an ecophysiologist from the University of Western
Australia working on the impacts of environmental change on
amphibians and reptiles. She also lectures in Conservation Biology.
153
Species sorting or patch dynamics? A test of two
models using stream invertebrate communities
Do dragons fly: ecological and evolutionary
movement patterns of Komodo dragons within
and among islands
Barbara Downes1, Jill Lancaster2, Alena Glaister1, William Bovill1
1
University of Melbourne, 2Monash University
Tim Jessop1
1
We tested the applicability of two general,
metacommunity paradigms to stream invertebrate
communities. Stream assemblages typically differ
between upland and lowland areas, because of
differences in abiotic factors, resource availability, etc
along channels. Under Species Sorting, we expect strong
differences between communities with little dispersal
between these extremes. Under Patch Dynamics, we
expect weaker differences between communities, with
strong dispersal along channels and marked differences
in species-specific dispersal ability. We conducted surveys
of benthic densities of invertebrates at eight sites along
the upland–lowland gradient of two creeks. We also
measured drift and trapped adults at upland and
lowland sites. Few species were confined to headwaters
or lowland areas. Dispersal ability varied between
species, with some species trapped far from locations
where they were common in the benthos. Our results
suggest that dispersal and patch dynamics play a
stronger role in stream community dynamics than
traditional views suggest, and this has general
implications for other ecosystems. Our findings also have
important implications for predicting the rates and
identities of taxa recolonising restored sections of
lowland streams.
Barbara Downes, Department of Resource Management and
Geography, University of Melbourne
Movement of individuals and their genes across
archipelagos represents a complex interplay between
ecological and evolutionary processes. The Komodo
dragon, the world’s largest lizard persists on 5 closely
adjacent islands in Eastern Indonesia. Intuitively, a large
body size and predatory nature might necessitate large
spatial requirements and hence frequent movement of
individuals or their genes within and among islands.
Alternatively, like many island taxa, strong selection
against dispersal might induce strong site fidelity causing
limited demographic and genetic connectivity within or
among island populations. We used three sources of
data to assess the movement capacity for Komodo
dragons to move within and among islands over both
ecological and evolutionary time including: GPS
telemetry to detail movement patterns of adult male
komodo dragons; multistrata capture recapture models
incorporating putative dispersal covariates to estimate
demographic movement and site fidelity parameters
from 991 marked dragons (with 1772 recaptures)
captured at 10 sites on four islands between 2002–
2009, and genetic based isolation by distance patterns
to infer the influence of terrain and geographic proximity
on patterns of population genetic subdivision among
and within islands.
Our results indicate that in ecological time that Komodo
dragons exhibit extraordinary site fidelity which persists
through evolutionary time to leads to demographic and
genetic closure among populations.
Tim Jessop is an integrative ecologist who use different methods to
measure response of animal to ecological and evolutionary
processes.
154
Responding to climate change: flight capacity and
behavioural buffering of the common brown
butterfly (Heteronympha merope)
Do amphibians preferentially use streamlines as
terrestrial habitat?
Madeleine Barton1, Melanie Norgate2, Paul Sunnucks2, Michael
1
Kearney
1
1
The University of Melbourne, 2Monash University
Studies have shown that climate change is impacting on
many ecosystems throughout the world, however the
extent to which species will be able to track
environmental stress remains largely unknown.
Understanding the mechanisms through which climate
constrains the survival of an organism will allow us to
predict how it is likely to respond to future changes in
climate. Flight capacity in butterflies is an important
fitness component as it’s required for feeding, mating
and oviposition. Flight, however, is only possible within a
specific thermal range, and may consequently be directly
affected by changes in climate. Butterflies may be able to
behaviourally buffer the impacts of thermal stress to
optimise flight capacity by altering basking posture or by
selecting specific locations within their habitat. This study
focuses on the adult phase of the common brown
butterfly (Heteronympha merope). Measurements of its
themal limits for flight, and data showing how
behavioural thermoregulation affects core body
temperature, and flight capacity, will be presented.
Incorporating these measurements with spatially explicit
data-sets of climate and terrain into process-based
models will enable us to predict the available time for
flight, and general fitness of the common brown under
current and future climate scenarios.
Madeleine Barton gained a bachelor of Science degree at The
University of Melbourne in 2006, majoring in Genetics and
Zoology She then completed Honours at CESAR with Ary
Hoffmann in which she measured the flight capacity of Drosophila
melanogaster with respect to body size traits and candidate loci.
She is now in the third year of a PhD under the supervision of
Michael Kearney. As part of a multi-university project, she is
focusing on the ecophysiology of the common brown butterfly.
Martin Westgate1, Don Driscoll1, David Lindenmayer1
Many amphibians require both aquatic and terrestrial
habitats at different times during their life cycles, and
terrestrial buffer zones around breeding sites are a
simple means of providing both. However, buffers which
protect a fixed area around ponds (measured by
distance to water) are based on the unrealistic
assumption that amphibian dispersal is directionally
random. We hypothesised that streamlines would be
preferentially selected terrestrial habitat for amphibians,
since they provide lower slopes and more favourable
microclimates than the majority of habitat surrounding
breeding ponds. If topography was shown to influence
the terrestrial distribution of amphibians, contour-based
buffers could be designed which would make more
efficient use of space than distance-based equivalents.
We tested our hypothesis using a replicated trapping
design, and found that adults of three amphibian
species were more abundant in transects which
followed streamlines than in high-slope transects.
Streamlines were also used continuously throughout the
breeding season, by individuals moving both towards
and away from water, suggesting that streamlines are
used during diurnal movements as well as during
seasonal migrations. Our results suggest that accounting
for slope or elevation in buffer design may result in more
efficient use of space than distance-based buffer zones.
Martin Westgate is currently writing his PhD on amphibian
conservation, following fieldwork in Jervis Bay, NSW. His research
focuses on optimal monitoring, fire management and terrestrial
habitat use.
155
Concurrent session 3f—Symposium: Conservation and the ecology of wildlife parasites and
diseases
1100, Room T6, MCC
1115, Room T6, MCC
Trypanosomes and woylie declines—is there a link?
Who’s biting the woylie and what are they
transmitting?
1
1,2
1
Andrew Thompson , Andrew Smith , Alan Lymbery , Adrian
2
2
Wayne , Keith Morris
1
2
Murdoch University, Department of Environment and
Conservation, Western Australia
Woylie or brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia pencillata)
populations are undergoing a major decline in southwest Western Australia. Through collaboration with the
Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) it
has been possible to examine the parasite fauna of the
declining population since the decline commenced in
2006. Only two potential pathogens have been
identified, Trypanosoma and Toxoplasma, which, when
compared with healthy woylie populations, are
associated with the decline. Although it appears unlikely
that the parasites are solely responsible for the decline in
woylie population size, they may predispose woylies to
increased mortality. Molecular characterisation has
revealed how little we know about the phylogenetic
relationships and ecology of both Trypanosoma and
Toxoplasma in Australian native wildlife raising questions
about transmission and control. The parasitological
investigation of woylies has demonstrated the value of
undertaking longitudinal surveillance in natural systems
using non-invasive sampling and molecular tools to
characterise infectious agents in terms of wildlife health,
parasite biodiversity and ecology.
Andrew Thompson is Professor of Parasitology in the School of
Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Murdoch University and in
collaboration with DEC, have a comprehensive research program
looking at the impact of parasitic infections on native wildlife.
Craig Thompson1, Andrew Smith1, Adrian Wayne2, Andrew
Thompson1
1
Murdoch University, 2Science Division, Department of
Environment and Conservation
Prior to European settlement, the Woylie (or brush-tailed
bettong) Bettongia penicillata, had a distribution over
much of Australia. Over the next 180 years, the woylie
distribution was reduced and became restricted to three
principal areas in south-west Australia, namely Upper
Warren, Tatanning and Dryandra. As part of the
recovery plan, fox control and woylie relocations were
initiated and by 1996 the woylie became the first
Australian mammal to have its conservation status
downgraded. However, since 2001 the number of
woylies has declined rapidly, with capture rates
indicating a 70–80% reduction in population sizes over a
5 year period. During the investigation into the recent
decline, a distinct species of Trypanosoma was identified
at high prevalence and studies have shown a correlation
between parasite prevalence, high parasitaemia and
woylie decline. In efforts to further understand this
vector-borne parasite, sampling of haematophagic
arthropods has focused on Tabanids, Sandflies, Fleas,
Ticks and Midges in the Upper Warren and Karakamia
regions. It is hoped that this understanding of the vector
and its distribution will provide baseline data for future
woylie relocation programs, safe-guarding against the
inadvertent introduction of disease into naive
populations or naive animals into infected populations,
thus increasing the chances for success.
Craig Thompson is in his first year of his PhD at Murdoch
University, WA and is concentrating on the transmission of
Trypanosomes between woylies in the wild and within enclosures.
156
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1145, Room T6, MCC
Toxoplasma gondii: a threat to Australian wildlife?
Moving mammals and their hangers-on: the
ecology of translocated animals and parasites
Shuting Pan1, Andrew Thompson1, Andrew Smith1,2, Michael
3
1
Grigg , Alan Lymbery
1
2
Murdoch University, Department of Environment and
Conservation, Western Australia, 3National Institutes of Allergy and
infectious Diseases, USA
Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite of
vertebrates. Infection can lead to a wide spectrum of
disease states, ranging from altered behaviour to severe,
often fatal illness. Virulence depends, in part, upon the
genetotype of the parasite. Although T. gondii has been
identified in Australian marsupials, there have been few
studies of the prevalence of the parasite or its genetic
characteristics in natural populations. We obtained tissue
samples from five different organs of 16 adult kangaroos
from arid rangeland in Western Australia. Samples were
screened for T. gondii by DNA extraction and direct
sequencing. There were three very surprising results.
First, all 16 kangaroos were infected, which indicates
either heavy environmental contamination or substantial
verical transmission of the parasite. Second, multiple
infections with different genotypes of T. gondii were
found in all of the kangaroos, which suggests that sexual
reproduction occurs regularly in the life cycle of the
parasite in Australia. Finally, 88% of the genotypes of T.
gondii that were detected were different to the three
common strains found in domestic transmission cycles in
other parts of the world, which suggests that T. gondii in
Australian wildlife may exhibit a wide range of virulence
states.
Shuting Pan is a PhD student in the School of Veterinary and
Biomedical sciences, Murdoch University, whose program of
research is concerned with the molecular and phylogenetic
characterisation of Toxoplasma in Australian native mammals
Andrew Thompson is Professor of Parasitology in the School of
Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Murdoch University and in
collaboration with DEC, have a comprehensive research program
looking at the impact of parasitic infections on native wildlife.
Judy Dunlop1,2, Keith Morris2, Andrew Smith1,2, Andrew
Thompson1
1
Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch
University, WA, 2Department of Environment and Conservation,
WA
One of the largest mammal translocations in Australia
took place earlier this year, providing a unique
opportunity for an in depth investigation into the
population ecology, parasitology and survival of
relocated animals. 183 golden bandicoots (Isoodon
auratus) from Barrow Island and 144 boodies (Bettongia
lesueur) were translocated from 2 different source
populations (Barrow Island and Dryandra captive
breeding centre) and released in central Western
Australia, at Lorna Glen. This study aims to assess
important factors in determining the translocation
success at an individual and population level, and
understand the population ecology of parasites and
stressed hosts. The animals were closely monitored for
parasitological, reproductive and condition status before
and after the relocation at six-week intervals. Half of the
population were treated with a topical antiparasitic
treatment in order to experimentally manipulate the
transmission of blood parasites and reduce overall
parasite load. We expect to see an effect on survival,
fecundity and condition of the animals according to
their treatment groups and population origin. This
project addresses the need for more quantitative science
and experimentation in translocations in order to
promote greater successes.
Judy Dunlop works for DEC in fauna research, primarily
translocations, and is currently working through a PhD at
Murdoch.
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1200, Room T6, MCC
1215, Room T6, MCC
Succession of small mammal species and their
helminth parasites following wildfire
Exchange of gastro-intestinal helminth species
among species of kangaroos and wallabies in the
Grampians area of western Victoria
Dave Spratt1
1
Small mammal species and their helminth parasites were
monitored for 3 years pre-and 11 years post-wildfire in
six habitats in south-eastern coastal New South Wales.
Population fluctuations were assessed in two species of
antechinus, two native rat species and the house mouse.
The four habitats devastated by wildfire had the largest
and most persistent populations of house mice, the two
habitats least affected by fire had the smallest
populations, reflecting the proximity of unburnt refuges
nearby and facilitating re-colonisation by native species.
There was a succession of small mammal species postwildfire and an associated time frame for each species,
and similarly for their helminths. Succession of helminths
and their associated time frames were dictated by
helminth life histories, direct life history species first,
species with a single aerial intermediate host second,
those with a single terrestrial intermediate host third and
species requiring two intermediate hosts were last.
Succcessional differences occurred even among similar
helminth types e.g. nematode lungworms, trematodes,
implying both dietary differences between congeneric
host species and/or differences in the speed of recolonisation of gastropod intermediate hosts.
Dave Spratt has been involved in studies of taxonomy, life history,
pathology and ecology of parasites of Australian wildlife for 43
years.
Manon Aussavy1, Elise Bernardin1, Jasmin Hufschmid2,
3
2
A Corrigan , Ian Beveridge
1
Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, France, 2Veterinary Clinical Centre,
University of Melbourne, 3Parks Victoria
Exchange of gastrointestinal parasites among grey
kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus and M. giganteus),
red-necked wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) and
swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) was examined in an
area of western Victoria, Australia, in which the four
species are sympatric. Fifty-two macropods were
examined, comprising 18 M.giganteus, 10 M. fuliginosus,
14 M. rufogriseus and 10 W. bicolor. Five species of
anoplocephalid cestodes, 56 species of strongylid
nematodes and two species of oxyurid nematodes were
recovered. Of the 25 species found in grey kangaroos,
22 (88%) were shared between the two species. By
comparison, of the 22 species found in red-necked
wallabies, only 3 (14%) were shared and these were
with swamp wallabies. Likewise, of the 20 species found
in swamp wallabies, 3 (15%) were shared with rednecked wallabies. Of the commonly shared species, only
one, Globocephaloides trifidospicularis, has been
identified as a primary pathogen. The results are
discussed against the current reintroduction of the
brush-tailed rock wallaby, Petrogale penicillata, to the
area and the possibilities of transmission of parasites to a
newly re-introduced host.
Ian Beveridge has a primary interest in the parasites of marsupials,
particularly those of macropods and has been involved in studies
of their taxonomy, ecology, life-history and relationship to disease.
158
Concurrent session 3g—Novel systems and novel ecological philosophy
The rise and fall of Leptospermum laevigatum:
plant community change associated with the
invasion and senescence of a range-expanding
species
Novel acoustic monitoring to examine animal
communication: koala bellows and impacts on
spatial dynamics
1
1
1
Luke Geddes , Peter Green , John Morgan
1
La Trobe University
Many studies of shrub invasion show evidence of
negative impacts on groundlayer vegetation, but do
affected communities recover to their former state when
invading species decline? This chronosequence study
documented changes in plant species richness and
composition associated with invasion and senescence of
Leptospermum laevigatum, a native coastal species with
an expanding range in south-eastern Australia. This
serotinous species forms dense, even aged stands
following fire, but in the long absence of fire, individuals
senesce and form treefall gaps. Invasion by
Leptopsermum in grassy dunes at Wilsons Promontory
was associated with decreased light, soil nitrate and
moisture which surprisingly, did not result in declines in
species richness regardless of the spatial scale of
sampling. However, there was a significant shift in
composition way from the uninvaded state. The creation
of treefall gaps resulted in a return of light and soil
properties to levels more similar to the uninvaded state.
Species composition within young gaps was highly
varied but significantly dissimilar to that immediately prior
to gap creation, but in older gaps became less varied
and more similar to the uninvaded state. Therefore,
community composition was positively influenced by
tree-fall gaps in an otherwise uniform landscape.
Luke Geddes has completed a B. Conservation Biology and Eology
(Hons) and has since worked in varied field research assistant
positions including the ITEX experiement on the Bogong High
Plans, Rainforest work on the Atherton Tablelands and Shrub
regeneration in central Victoria.
William Ellis1, Sean FitzGibbon2, Robbie Wilson2, Alastair
3
1
Melzer , Fred Bercovich
1
Centre for Research on Endangered Species, 2Biological Sciences,
University of Queensland, 3Central Queensland Koala Research
Group
Acoustic communication mediates sociality in a variety of
animals. One of the more ubiquitous vocal signals to
have evolved is the sexual advertisement call of males.
Males koalas emit a sonorous bellow during the
breeding season, but detailed studies of calling context
are absent. We used a novel acoustic sound network to
monitor koala bellowing, whilst simultaneously collecting
koala behavioural data using GPS collars. Our approach
enabled us to examine fine scale temporal variation in
vocalisation and spatial movements of free-ranging
koalas without behavioural observations. Bellow
occurrence was susceptible to environmental conditions,
with fewer calls occurring when temperatures were low
and wind speed was high. The number of bellow
vocalisations recorded during an annual period mirrored
breeding activity, with nearly all male bellows recorded
during peak mating season. The distance travelled by
koalas and the occurrence of koala bellows both peaked
around midnight, but only female travel distance during
the breeding season was temporally correlated with
bellow occurrence. We conclude that environmental
factors might trigger male bellowing to launch the
breeding season, and that these male vocal signals
function to attract females, rather than repel males.
Female mate selection could be an important
component of male reproductive success in koalas.
159
Functional redundancy in biotic assemblages: how
do ecosystem states translate to ecological
processes in practice?
Symbiosis as an incomplete solution to the
nutritional problems of phloem sap feeding aphids
Peter Fairweather1, Rebecca Lester1
1
School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University
Ecological response models are a useful tool for
predicting future ecological condition and objectively
assessing competing options for managers in aquatic
ecosystems, particularly at large scales. However, it can
often be difficult to determine how biotic assemblages
described in these models relate to ecological functions
and behaviour observed in the field. That is, what does
the model actually describe in practice? We address this
question for an ecological response model built for the
Coorong, the estuary of the Murray–Darling Basin,
Australia. Our ecosystem states approach, as it is known,
is a state-and-transition model that identified cooccurring assemblages of macrophytes,
macroinvertebrates, birds and fish in the Coorong. Here,
we explore each assemblage and identify the degree of
structural redundancy within each. We assess each
assemblage based on the known food-web interactions
among the species present and interpret changes in
assemblage based on the ecological functions that are
likely to occur within each. Then, we formulate testable
hypotheses for what our model actually represents, in an
effort to better link predictive modelling to basic
ecological knowledge of the Coorong, and to identify
areas where either need to be strengthened for this case
in particular but also more generally between these
approaches.
Peter Fairweather is an aquatic ecologist with 30 years’ experience
studying ecological processes, diverse assemblages and human
impacts across marine, estuarine and freshwater systems.
160
Nigel Andrew1, Angela Douglas2
1
Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Zoology,
University of New England, 2Sarkaria Institute of Insect Physiology
and Toxicology, Department of Entomology, Cornell University,
USA
Various insects bear symbiotic microorganisms that
provide nutrients, enabling them to subsist on otherwise
nutritionally-inadequate diets. Notably, aphids derive
essential amino acids from their bacterial symbiont
Buchnera, supplementing the short supply of these
nutrients in their diet of plant phloem sap. In some aphid
genotypes, however, the Buchnera-derived supply of
one or more essential amino acids is inadequate to meet
total aphid demand. Here, we quantify the shortfall in
the essential amino acid methionine from Buchnera, and
the impact of methionine-free diet on the nutrition of the
aphid and symbiosis function. We also address the
ecological significance of the intraspecific variation in
nutritional requirements of aphids as a result of variation
in function of the symbiosis.
Nigel Andrew is an insect ecologist with an interest in how climate
change will impact the ecology, physiology, behaviour and
nutrition of insect communities. He is treasurer of Ecological
Society of Australia.
Can rapid assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem
function in urban remnants reveal ecological
integrity in novel ecosystems?
Dieter Hochuli1, Robert Blackburn1
1
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney
Strong links between biodiversity and ecosystem
function offer insights into the quality of remnant
vegetation in urban landscapes, novel ecosystems that
often support depauperate assemblages dominated by
disturbance specialists. We showed how simple field
surveys of ants using baited traps could be coupled with
measures of seeds removal to offer insights on the state
of remnant vegetation and into the effectiveness of
restoration efforts. These results offer significant
opportunities for community engagement through
citizen scientists applying our techniques to enhance
their understanding of these ecosystems.
Dr Dieter Hochuli is a senior lecturer in ecology at the School of
Biological Sciences at the University of Sydney. Work in his
research group focuses on terrestrial invertebrates and their
ecology, particularly with respect to insect-plant interactions.
161
Concurrent session 3h—Symposium: Conserving biodiversity in a changing climate: a forum for
scientists, managers and policy makers
1100, Room T1, MCC
1115, Room T1, MCC
Managing ecosystems in a rapidly changing world
requires new ways of thinking
Future ready biodiversity values: a critical
foundation for biodiversity conservation and
research
Richard Hobbs1
1
University of Western Australia
Changes in climate and other environmental conditions
are combining with changes in species distributions and
combinations to create entirely new environmental
domains and ecological communities. Hence we are
increasingly experiencing climatic and disturbance
events outwith the historic range and observing
increasing evidence of novel biotic assemblages and
interactions which behave in unpredictable ways. We
are only just becoming aware of the implications of this
for ecosystem management and policy. I discuss these
phenomena, drawing on examples from Australia and
elsewhere, and explore the need for radically different
approaches to management and policy in the future.
Richard Hobbs is currently Australian Laureate Fellow in the School
of Plant Biology at UWA, with research interests in restoration
ecology and conservation biology.
Michael Dunlop1, Simon Ferrier1, Kristen Williams1, Mark
1
Howden
1
CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship
As we strive to adapt existing conservation programs
and develop new strategies for managing biodiversity
we are confronted with some harsh realities about the
future. Primarily: climate change will lead to many
different types of changes to species and ecosystems;
and there is considerable uncertainty about these
changes and how they will combine to affect net
biodiversity outcomes. Furthermore, our assessment of
rational responses to these changes highlights significant
weaknesses in current approaches to conservation that
will be amplified by climate change. One of the most
significant of these is our great difficulty in consistently
and clearly articulating the values associated with
biodiversity that we should focus on through guidelines,
programs, strategies and legislation, and of course in
research. Without such clarity, valuations, targets,
indicators, ‘optimal’ solutions, vulnerable species, priority
regions, refugia and other contemporary constructs may
contribute little to effective biodiversity outcomes. This
presentation will discuss the importance of articulating
the aspects of biodiversity that society wishes to
conserve, and propose some examples of ‘future ready’
biodiversity values, to help stimulate debate on the topic.
We suggest this is a decade-long mission that must
involve conversations between scientists, the general
community, conservation practitioners, land managers
and policy makers.
Michael Dunlop has had along running interest in helping
Government and NGO biodiversity managers understand and
respond to climate change.
162
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1145, Room T1, MCC
When, what, where, why and how should we
assist migration as climate changes?
Improving research uptake: experiences from the
natural ecosystems theme
Stephen Garnett1, Nicki Mitchell2
Trevor Booth1
1
2
Charles Darwin University, University of Western Australia
One of the last resorts in the face of climate change will
be moving biodiversity as a response to climate change.
We know this will almost certainly be necessary but
there are some critical questions we must answer before
we do. For instance should we move species,
ecosystems or services? How do we decide which
taxa/ecosystems are indisputably in need of
translocation and will not persist without this extreme,
risky and expensive intervention? When should we act?
In what sequence? Are there actions we can take now?
Where should we move entities and how far into the
future should we try to predict the climatic suitability of
their new home? How do we do it—what are the
mechanics of assisted migration? What about the cost?
How do we maximise the efficiency of our decision
making? Finally the most difficult question of all: can it be
justified at all? On what moral basis do we risk the lives
of those individuals we choose to move? These and
related questions are being considered by leading
ecologists, philosophers, economists and some of the
policy makers who will need to develop translocation
policies for governments around the country at a
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
workshop on Western Australia in November. This talk
will present the results of those deliberations.
Stephen Garnett is a conservation biologist who has spent much
of his working life in tropical Australia. He has a particular interest
in threatened birds. Nicki Mitchell is a conservation biologist from
south-western Australia specialising in the developmental ecology
of reptiles, including where to move them in the face of cliamte
change
1
CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship
The aim of the ‘Managing Species and Natural
Ecosystems’ theme in CSIRO’s Climate Adaptation
Flagship is to deliver adaptation options to protect
Australia’s marine and terrestrial species, ecosystems and
the services they provide, from the impacts of climate
change. In its first two and a half years of operation the
theme has carried out some large and many small
studies of climate change impacts in both terrestrial and
marine ecosystems and identified appropriate
adaptation options. For example, a major study of the
National Reserve System involved analyses of terrestrial
ecosystems across the country. A Marine Climate
Change Report Card was developed with input from 70
researchers from more than 35 universities and
organisations identifying ‘what is happening’, ‘what is
likely to happen this century’, ‘knowledge gaps’ and
adaptation options across Australia’s whole marine
environment. The theme has also provided information
to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. This
presentation will concentrate on describing the
challenges and successes of the theme in delivering to
managers and policy-makers, as well as identifying
obstacles and suggesting possible improvements.
Trevor Booth presented his first paper on climate change in 1987
and led the Natural Ecosystems theme in CSIRO’s Climate
Adaptation Flagship for its first two and a half years.
163
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1215, Room T1, MCC
Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in a
climate-challenged Australia: can we redefine
national ‘success’?
Projecting future, ecologically scaled environmental
change and novel environments for all of Australia
Edwina Barton1
1
David Hilbert1, Cameron Fletcher1
CSIRO Ecosystem Science
1
Communities
The 2009 report, Australia’s Biodiversity and Climate
Change identifies significant challenges for scientists,
policy-makers and the wider community in responding
to the threat to biodiversity from climate change.
Meeting these challenges will include more effectively
addressing the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and
mainstreaming biodiversity across all sectors of Australian
society. But how ready is Australia to do that?
In the two decades following WWII, William J Lines’
home state cleared seven million hectares of bushland.
In False Economy, he sets out to chronicle and
understand the destruction—why, and with what goals
in mind, have Australians systematically transformed the
continent? As Lines’ research demonstrates, Australia has
in the past defined its ‘success’ as a nation in a way that
largely devalues our continent’s biodiversity and instead
values its replacement or conversion. These attitudes are
changing, but are they changing fast enough? Informed
by both publications, I explore whether and how we
can bring the national psyche to a point where
mainstreaming biodiversity—and a biodiversity-centric
sustainability paradigm—can succeed.
Edwina Barton works in the Conservation Policy Section of the
Biodiversity Conservation Branch within the Australian
Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water,
164
Climate change projections for Australia, especially if
there is little mitigation, indicate very large changes that
will challenge the country’s ability to conserve its unique
biodiversity. A general scientific challenge is how to
translate maps of projected climate change into maps of
ecological impacts that are useful for conservation
managers and planners. We present an approach that
transforms climate change into a biotically scaled index
of stress that identifies where ecosystems will be most
and least in disequilibrium with the environments that
favour them. This is done through nonlinear
classification of environments (using artificial neural
networks) based on maps of pre-European vegetation
classes and many fine grained maps of soil, terrain and
today’s climate and then applying climate change
scenarios. The results are fine-grained (4 km2 pixels)
maps of ecological stress for all of Australia. The results
identify the vegetation classes and regions that are likely
to be most affected in the medium-term (decades)
without any major changes in the extent or distribution
of vegetation classes. This is the information that is
needed critically now to guide conservationists and land
managers who need to monitor change and develop
strategies to cope with rapid modification of climate.
David Hilbert has been a researcher with CSIRO for the past 15
years. He previously worked as a professor and researcher in
universities in Canada and the United States.
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Baldur Byles: a forester above the tree line
Climate change, fire and conservation
management in the Victorian Alps
Deirdre Slattery1
1
La Trobe University
The paper reviews the neglected role of scientific
understanding in debates over natural resource
management. It does this through exploring the
changing views of forester Byles (1904–75), an
important but little known protagonist in nature
conservation in NSW. Byles was active in both the
science and the administration of the snow country from
1932 to 1967. He began by believing that the purpose
of a forest is to produce saleable timber, and supported
grazing in the mountains; and ended supporting an
explicitly conservation ethic. His years of service to
Kosciusko State Park changed his consciousness about
nature conservation and resources use. He even argued
for part of the mountains above the tree line to be
‘sacred places’ that could exclude all human activity and
allow ecological processes to proceed unimpeded.
This paper looks at the formation and growth of Byles’
understanding and attitudes to ecology and at how this
forceful person made others pay attention to his
developing concerns.
Deirdre Slattery has written and taught extensively about the
Australian alps over the last twenty years. She is currently working
in a research role at La Trobe University Bendigo. The paper she is
presenting here is an outcome of a 2008 Fellowship to Manning
Clark House, Canberra, where she researched aspects of the
Primitive Area Dispute in KNP in the 1950s.
1
2
3
Richard Williams , Ary Hoffmann , James Camac , Carl-Henrik
4
4
5
6
Wahren , Warwick Papst , John Morgan , Ian Mansergh ,
7
Keith McDougall
1
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Darwin, 2Centre for Environmental
Stress and Adaptation Research, University of Melbourne, 3School
of Botany, University of Melbourne, 4Research Centre for Applied
Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, 5Department of Botany, La
Trobe University, 6Department of Sustainability and Environment,
VIC, 7Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW
Global warming threatens alpine ecosystems worldwide.
Australia’s alpine landscapes face the twin stressors of a
warming and drying climate and altered fire regimes.
Most of Australia’s alpine landscapes are within
protected areas, and here we draw on long-term
monitoring and a fire x warming experiment on the
Bogong High Plains to explore what climate change
might mean for the conservation management of
Victoria’s alpine vegetation. Warming interacts with fire
in complex ways, with many species-specific effects on
phenology, growth and adaptive potential. Common
native plant species in grasslands and open heathlands
have shown genetically-based and/or plastic responses
to warming, and may show compensatory responses to
warming to different extents. These findings indicate a
significant, but varied, capacity of alpine plants to adapt
to climate change. This potential resilience to warming
suggests that the diversity of the flora may not decline
rapidly in the face of warming. However, alpine
vegetation may be sensitive to a shortening of inter-fire
intervals, one consequence of climate change in SE
Australia. Monitoring of long-term trends in vegetation
structure and composition in relation to disturbance
regime is therefore a critical component of the
management of alpine biodiversity in the face of
unpredictable change.
Dick Williams is a plant ecologist who works on climate change,
fire and vegetation dynamics in the tropical savannas of northern
Australia, and the alpine landscapes of Victoria.
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Remote sensing of Australia’s alpine bioregions: the
spatial and temporal dynamics of snow and
vegetation
The effect of de-icing salts on alpine bogs and
associated fens in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Jeff Thompson1
1
University of New South Wales @ ADFA
Although Australia’s alpine bioregions represent a
relatively small portion of the broader landscape, their
scientific significance has long been established.
Globally, high altitude and alpine regions are believed to
be amongst the most sensitive to climate change and
increasingly, time-series data obtained through remote
sensing are seen as a valuable tool for monitoring these
impacts. Surprisingly, few studies have explored the
spatial and temporal dynamics of either snow or
vegetation cover within these Bioregions using such
data. This presentation seeks to help fill this gap. It
highlights a research program that is investigating these
dynamics using a decade of observations obtained by
NASA’s MODderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer
(MODIS). When compared with products from older
satellite platforms, MODIS provides a significantly
improved ability to monitor temporal dynamics of the
landscape at a higher spatial resolution. The
characteristics of MODIS products are briefly discussed
within the context of a case study focusing on the
landscape phenological characteristics of the alpine
bioregions. A time-series of standard MODIS vegetation
indices (VI) are used to highlight vegetation dynamics.
The confounding influences of snow cover are also
explored and possible methods for overcoming
difficulties are discussed.
Jeff Thompson is a PhD candidate at UNSW@ADFA with an
interest in remote sensing and GIS. His project involves using
remotely sensed, time series data to understand the dynamics of
vegetation and snow with Australia’s Alpine Bioregions.
Richard Hocking1, Cath Hughes2, Richard Greene1, Stuart
Johnston3, Samantha Grover4, John Field1, Melissa Schroder5
1
Fenner School of the Environment and Society, ANU, 2Isotope
Tracing and Hydrology, Institute for Environmental Research,
ANSTO, 3Transgrid, 4School of Environmental and Life Sciences,
Charles Darwin University, 5Resorts Division, Kosciuszko National
Park, National Parks and Wildlife Service
Several roads in Kosciuszko National Park (KNP), NSW,
are kept open each winter with snow ploughs and deicing salts (NaCl and CaCl2) to allow passage across the
Australian alps and access to ski resorts. Alpine bogs and
fens (endangered ecological communities) adjacent to
the road receive saline run–off from de-iced roads in
KNP.
The overseas literature demonstrates the negative
impact of chloride salts which damage roadside
vegetation by increasing soil water osmotic potential
and through toxicity effects arising from the sodium and
chloride ions. However, the potential impact of de-icing
salts on vegetation has only received limited study in
Australia.
This study is investigating the impacts of de-icing salts on
alpine bogs by monitoring soil water electrical
conductivity throughout the winter with a network of 88
Piezometers; this will allow us to determine maximum
salinity and salt residence time. Also, a treatment of deicing salts and a tritum (H-3) tracer are being applied to
establish how a known amount of salt affects bog
hydrology. In addition a pot trial will be carried out using
Sphagnum cristatum to determine the effect of different
salt concentrations on plant growth and vigour.
Preliminary results are consistent with Grover’s (2006)
model of bog hydrology and have indicated a peak
salinity of 1500 μS/cm in areas which receive de-icing
salt run-off.
Grover, SPP 2006. ‘Carbon and water dynamics of peat soils in
the Australian Alps’ Unpublished PhD thesis. La Trobe
University, Bundoora.
Richard Hocking is primary research interests are pedology and
landscape processes. He has completed two previous unpublished
studies on the impact of de-icing salts in Kosciuszko National Park.
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The status and condition of the Australian alps
catchments in the context of predicted climate
change
Climate change and the Australian alpine
environment—adapting to the 21st century
challenge: land use and management and socioecological research
Graeme Worboys1, Roger Good2, Andy Spate3
1
Jagumba Consulting Pty Ltd, 2Good Environmental Systems,
Optimal Karst Management
3
The catchments of the Australian alps are a reliable
source of water and deliver about 10,000 gigalitres (GL)
to the Murray–Darling Basin. This is about 40% of the
Basin’s 23,400 GL average annual flow. The water
supports the Murray–Darling Basin irrigation industry
worth an estimated $3.5 billion annually; directly
contributes to a $350 million Hydro-electricity industry,
an Alps tourism industry of approximately $300 million,
regional tourism of $200 million, and a potable water
supply for thousands of people in down-river towns and
cities such as Canberra, Albury, Wagga, Echuca, Mildura
and Adelaide.
The Alps catchments are actively managed to maintain
their natural condition and integrity but many significant
threats are still currently, impacting these high mountain
areas; their magnitude exceeding the available resources
to effectively respond to their impacts.
An assessment of the Alps catchment within the Alps
national parks was recently completed. The overall status
and condition of the catchments, the trend in condition,
the nature and location of key threats, (including
predicted climate change impacts) and the
management responses needed to ensure stability
under these threats, were assessed and identified.
Six priority actions are identified in the report that will
invest in the maintenance of the natural condition of the
catchments and the precautionary adaptation responses
to climate change.
Graeme Worboys is a Research Associate at the Australian
National Botanic Gardens/Australian National University. He
retired in 2004 from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Ian Mansergh1, Brian Doolan2
1
Department of Sustainability and Environment, 2Parks Victoria
Cold climate environments (polar, tundra and alpine) are
globally vulnerable under a warming climate and the
Australian alps, low altitude ‘soil’ mountains are
recognised, continentally, as a highly vulnerable
ecosystem. They are significant as major catchments for
the Murray–Darling Basin (supporting Australia’s food
bowl), central to the Bassian bio-climatic zone of
mainland Australia and support large national parks. A
drier, warmer future punctuated with increased
frequency of extreme weather events (drought, fire) will
affect alpine landscapes and ‘natural’ patterns, processes
and populations. Distributions and abundances of
endemic, rare and restricted species and communities
are expected to decline, as will snow availability at
resorts. Ecological research has the capacity to provide
empirical evidence as to the potential bio-physical
changes and their inter-dependencies (e.g. climate, soil,
biota, fire). This complex mix will have altered capacity to
produce ecosystem services which themselves will be
‘valued’ differently by society.
Alpine ecology, land-uses and management are evolved
from a colonial past (e.g. grazing), to including
production (hydro electric) and more at-site
consumptive pursuits (e.g. ski resort). Within this
landscape legacy climate change will alter bio-physical
conditions and societal valuation of ecosystem services
(and risks) provided by the alps and surrounding
landscape (e.g. carbon, water,). The later may modify the
primary drivers of landscape management. Changing
trajectories of climate, biota/landscape (internal–
external), value of ecosystem services and neighbouring
land-use will affect the socio-ecology of Australian alps
and basic research questions over the next decades.
Ecological research that illuminates the interconnections
of landscape elements will be of critical importance in
the societal debate. Whole-of-landscape adjustment is
essential to cope with the climate challenge. This will
inevitably bring ecological research into closer contact
with the social and economic values and management
of the private landscape as well as the socio-economic
values. This contribution examines the ‘re-dreaming’ of
the alpine region in the context of the myriad of these
emerging environmental and societal trajectories that
adaptation to altered climates may initiate.
Dr Ian Mnasergh has a long history of biological research,
particulalry in the alps (mountain pygmy-possum). More recently
he has been developing science policy for climate change
response (e.g. biolinks)
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Leopard cats and rats in Borneo: forest fragments
and biodiversity conservation in an agricultural
landscape
Brigalow regrowth: a conservation bargain
Rajanathan Rajaratnam1, Karl Vernes2, Marc Ancrenaz3
1
2
Geography and Planning, University of New England, Ecosystem
Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science,
University of New England, 3Kinabatangan Orang Utan
Conservation Project, Malaysia
Extensive commercial oil palm plantations in eastern
Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, have caused the loss of
biodiversity in wildlife-rich lowland rainforest. An
ecological study on leopard cats (Prionailurus
bengalensis borneoensis) in an agricultural landscape in
Sabah revealed that leopard cats significantly preferred
oil palm over other forest types. Leopard cats preyed
exclusively on Whitehead’s rat (Maxomys whiteheadi),
the dominant rodent species in oil palm. A diverse array
of avian, reptilian and mammalian predators were also
observed foraging in oil palm. Overall rodent
abundance was much lower in oil palm than in adjacent
forest, possibly due to high natural predation pressure.
Although least selected, secondary forest fragments in oil
palm were crucial to leopard cats as resting sites.
Retaining forest fragments in land-use planning for oil
palm cultivation could benefit both the oil palm industry
and biodiversity conservation through natural control of
rodent crop pests without the need for expensive and
toxic rodenticides, and provision of forested habitat as
refuging sites for small vertebrate carnivores. Forest
retention strategies can utilise steep terrain, marginal
agricultural land and the sharing of fragments on
common boundaries. This pragmatic approach
promotes private biodiversity conservation in
controversial oil palm plantations that are now a
prominent landscape in Borneo.
Rajanathan Rajaratnam, formerly a wildlife ecologist for WWF
Malaysia, is a biogeographer at the University of New England
with research experience on primates and small carnivores in
Borneo.
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1,2
1
1
Clive McAlpine , Martine Maron , Michiala Bowen ,
3
Geoffrey Smith
1
Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of
Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, The
University of Queensland, 2The Ecology Centre, The University of
Queensland, 3Queensland Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Sciences
In southern Australia, the restoration of habitat in highly
modified agricultural landscapes typically requires
replanting, which can be labour-intensive and
expensive. But in fragmented Brigalow landscapes,
woody vegetation will simply regrow on cleared land if it
is not constantly cultivated. Although this woody
regrowth is the bane of many farmers’ existence, it also
represents an important opportunity for passive
landscape restoration.
Although the floristic diversity of regrowth vegetation is
less than that of remnant, and the structure is often
denser, over time the habitat value of regrowth for birds
and reptile converges with that of remnant vegetation.
The older and taller the regrowth, the better it is for
woodland birds and reptiles. Regrowth is particularly
important where the area of remnant habitat may be
insufficient to support viable populations without some
form of restoration. The amount of remnant and old (>
30 years) regrowth in these landscapes has an important
positive influence on the number of reptile and bird
species and species’ abundance, suggesting that
regrowth is making an important contribution to
biodiversity recovery. In Brigalow landscapes with low
levels of vegetation cover, all vegetation even small linear
patches, is disproportionately important and its retention
is critical.
A/Prof Clive McAlpine is an internationally recognised researcher in
the field of biodiversity conservation, landscape ecology and global
change. He is the leader of the Landscape Ecology and
Conservation Group within the School of Geography, Planning
and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland.
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The influence of agricultural land use on
susceptibility of fragmented ecosystems to invasion
by exotic pastures
Chalk ‘n’ cheese or something in-between:
Brigalow regrowth is not the same as remnant in
production landscapes of southern Queensland
Sarah Butler1, Clive McAline1, RodFensham2,1, Alan House3
Peter Wagner1, Andrew Le Brocque1
1
The University of Queensland, 2Queensland Herbarium, 3CSIRO
Agricultural land use continues to threaten biodiversity,
and yet impacts on the susceptibility of remaining
fragmented ecosystems to invasion are unknown and
the potential interactive effects of climate change are less
clear. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by
quantifying the multi-scale effects of agricultural land use
on the susceptibility of Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) to
exotic pasture invasion along regional climate gradients
in the Southern Brigalow Bioregion in Queensland.
Patches along roadsides across the region (140 sites)
and within 3 agricultural properties (approx 15 by 15
km) in a sub set of the region (30 sites/landscape) were
surveyed for exotic grass cover, with sites stratified by
current adjacent land use (crops/pasture). Explanatory
attributes included adjacent land clearance history, years
of grazing and current use, and area of landscape
converted to exotic pasture, patch canopy closure, tree
density, soil condition, patch size and shape, and mean
annual maximum and minimum temperature and
rainfall at a landscape scale. Mixed effect modelling and
model averaging were used to quantify these effects on
exotic grass invasions.
We found higher invasions when adjacent to exotic
pastures and within landscapes primarily converted to
exotic pasture, although canopy condition had the most
important effects. The climate effects show that a
projected hotter regional climate may also increase
invasibility, although rainfall will differentiate invasion risk
by the major invasive pasture grasses. These models will
assist with prioritising management actions to conserve
the remaining biodiversity within agricultural landscapes
under projected changes in climate.
1
University of Southern Queensland
Endangered Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) dominated
ecosystems have been extensively cleared and modified
for agricultural production throughout the Brigalow Belt
Bioregion. Intensification of agricultural land uses in the
region has resulted in significant fragmentation and
disturbance of remnants. Rehabilitating regrowth is an
important conservation alternative to preservation that
can effectively ensure the persistence of Brigalow
communities throughout highly modified landscapes.
While legislation is now in place to restrict clearing of
remnant and Brigalow regrowth, little is known on the
resilience of the range of regrowth types. This research
investigates patterns in floristic composition, stand
structure and condition of Brigalow remnants and a
range of regrowth communities in relation to
surrounding land-use factors and past disturbance
practices. Thirty-eight sites in the Darling Downs region,
southern Queensland, were sampled encompassing
both remnant and different aged regrowth (< 20y; 20–
30y; 30–40y; > 40y). Multivariate analysis of composition
data showed a broad gradient from recent regrowth
through older stages of regrowth to remnant.
Compositionally remnant sites were significantly different
to regrowth; while within regrowth communities, recent
regrowth (< 20y) was different to older stages
(ANOSIM). The later stages of regrowth may represent
an alternate stable state in these landscapes. The
implications for broader landscape management are
discussed.
Peter Wagner is a Master of Science student at USQ, hoping to
graduate in early 2011.
Sarah Butler is from the Tweed Valley and is interested in the
capacity of fragmented landscapes to sustain biodiversity and the
impact of historic and current land use on ecosystem resilience.
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Efficient delivery of conservation: making payments
in the right places
Where should we start? Identifying priorities for
conservation in the agricultural landscapes of South
Australia
Kristen Williams1, Andrew Reeson1, Michael Drielsma2, Jamie
Love2
1
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, 2NSW Department of
Market-based instruments are increasingly being used by
administrators to deliver conservation service payments
on private lands where habitat fragmentation is high.
Landscape goals such as increased connectivity are
often mentioned as objectives of conservation
stewardship programs, but are difficult to deliver. An
ecological metric that assesses landscape values such as
connectivity requires a whole of system approach to
evaluation. When alternate ways to connect the
landscape are considered, a multitude of configurations
must be analysed to determine which tender
combinations offer the best solution within a budget
making the evaluation process computationally
challenging. Furthermore, solutions need to consider the
dynamics of vegetation state changes to account for the
relative value (incorporating natural variation in
dynamics) and marginal gains (i.e. growth in temporal
benefits) achieved by different conservation actions
including, for example, replanting with native species,
managing areas of natural regrowth and protection of
existing good condition habitat. We investigated
practical aspects of metric design to achieve the desired
spatial configurations for cassowary habitat and tested
our approach in a simulated auction using property
boundaries near Mission Beach, Australia. The simulated
auction setting involved members of the local
community sketching hypothetical management
proposals into their farm plans and submitted bids that
we evaluated spatially to determine the best overall
package after 10 years of appropriate management.
Computation short-cuts which limited the combinations
of proposals to be considered, and specialised heuristics
such as simulated annealing were able to solve the
problem within a reasonable time.
Ecosystems, specialising in biodiversity analysis and modelling of
climate and land use changes for policy and planning.
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Daniel Rogers1, Allen McIlwee1, Jody Gates1, Nigel
1
Willoughby
1
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, South
Australian Government
Landscape conservation requires targets and activities
that are directly linked to explicit, clearly articulated goals.
These goals, in turn, must reflect the conservation
requirements of the particular landscape context for
which they are being defined. Many coarse-filter
approaches for identifying conservation priorities rely on
a presumption that surrogate measures of biodiversity
(e.g. species richness, area, per cent cover) will provide
for the conservation requirements of the components of
biodiversity that are most at risk within a landscape.
Alternatively, if we could identify those components that
are most at risk, we could design our conservation goals,
targets and activities to meet the requirements of these
directly. Here we describe a process—‘Landscape
Assessment’—for identifying priority landscape
components for conservation, that combines analyses of
species’ ecological requirements, with analyses of historic
trajectories of species and land-use patterns, to identify
those components that are both functional, but at risk of
deleterious, irreversible change.
Dr Daniel Rogers’ research focuses on understanding ecosystems
for improved decision making. He has a particular interest in bird
conservation. He currently works in the Conservation Planning
Team of DENR.
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Return to homelands: after more than 80 years’
absence, the Wuthathi people prepare to return to
their traditional homelands on the north-east coast
of Cape York Peninsula by planning cultural and
natural resource management strategies
Kuku Nyungkal working on country in the Wet
Tropics World Heritage Area
Andrew Picone1, Ray Wallis2
1
2
Australian Conservation Foundation, Wuthathi Land Trust
The Wuthathi peoples from the Shelburne Bay area on
the north east coast of Cape York Peninsula have been
displaced from their traditional homelands since the late
1930s. Through both Native Title and the Queensland
Government’s land tenure reform process, much of the
Wuthathi homelands will be returned to them as either
Aboriginal freehold land or as Aboriginal owned
national park. Currently part of Wuthathi’s Sea Estates
which includes 10 Island’s off Cape Grenville have been
handed back to Wuthathi as Aboriginal Freehold.
Resolution of land tenure and ownership is fundamental
before any management of cultural and natural values
can take place. This will allow management to return to
a landscape from which it has been absent for nearly
100 years. In preparation for their return to country the
Wuthathi developed an integrated culture and
conservation program that reflects cultural traditional
knowledge and addresses traditional and contemporary
conservation imperatives. The conceptual framework of
their land and sea management framework was
developed eight years ago. Wuthathi are now moving
into the implementation phase and will be well placed
to engage government and private organisations in
partnerships that strengthen capacity and capability in
developing a culturally and ecologically appropriate
economy for their homelands.
Bruce White1, Marilyn Wallace1, Peter Wallace1
1
Nyungkal Ranger Service
The Kuku Nyungkal are an Aboriginal Australian group
of more than 900 people who all share in common a
rich biocultural heritage that stretches back well before
the 4000 years since world heritage listed rainforests first
expanded into their lands (the Upper Annan valley). This
paper is a report by one of the few full speakers of the
now critically endangered Kuku Nyungkal language
telling of her own considerable efforts, and the efforts of
the Nyungkal Ranger Service she now manages, to
recruit and engage Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service, local government, CSIRO, and a range of others
in more genuinely restoring Aboriginal lore to country.
Marilyn Wallace is a Kuku Nyungkal woman, grand-daughter of a
key Kuku Nyungkal boss or king, fully educated in Kuku Nyungkal
lore for Kuku Nyungkal country, with extensive work experience in
community health, community justice, native title, and cross
cultural education. She is currently the manager of a newly
established Nyungkal Ranger Service consisting of nine Certificate
IV ‘rangers’ working on country.
Andrew Picone has over 15 years’ experience in the
environmental field which includes advocacy, natural resource
management, ecological research and environmental planning.
He has tertiary qualifications in social science, research and
ecology. He is currently ACF’s Northern Australia Program Officer.
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Use-and-occupancy mapping in the Murray–
Darling Basin: articulating contemporary
connection to country
Managing waru (fire): traditional and
contemporary burning of country for ecological
and cultural outcomes
Neil Ward1, Jane Roots3, Terry Tobias2
Joe Stelmann1, Gail Carnes2
1
Murray–Darling Basin Authority, 2Tobias and Assoicates, Canada,
3
Charles Sturt University
1
Alinytjara Wilurara Natural Resources Management Board,
Kellogg Brown & Root
2
For Indigneous people to effectively participate in the
current land and water decision making processes, their
leaders require communication tools that capture
Indigenous knowledge in a scientifically credible and
compelling way. One such a tool is ‘use-and-occupancy
mapping’, currently being introduced in the Murray–
Darling Basin by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority in
partnership with the Murray Lower Darling Rivers
Indigenous Nations and the Northern Murray–Darling
Basin Aboriginal Nations. Use-and-occupancy mapping
is a social science survey methodology that records the
tangible and contemporary interactions between
Indigenous people and the land and water resources of
their traditional country. The survey data, collected from
individuals, enables the spatial representation of
Indigenous knowledge, creating the much-needed
scientifically-based dialogue between Indigenous people
and natural resource managers. This presentation will
describe use-and-occupancy mapping as an Indigenous
engagement approach for natural resource
management planning processes in the Murray–Darling
Basin, outline the progress made so far and the lessons
learned.
The Alinytjara Wilurara Natural Resource Management
Board’s region covers 250,000 square kilometres in the
west and north-west of South Australia. The Board has
made burning a high priority in its Australian
Government funded ‘Caring for our Country’
community and science programs. It has identified that
supporting traditional fire management blended with
contemporary fire science is a fundamental process
required to improve the biodiversity and decrease the
ecological damage caused by the cessation of traditional
burning since European contact.
Fire is one major influencing environmental factor over
which some control can be exercised. The regions
biodiversity is influenced by the frequency, timing and
intensity of fires providing the potential to manage the
maintenance of ecological diversity at a landscape scale
(Good 1981). Currently, there is limited scientific
knowledge or appropriate land management regimes in
place, however, significant unrecorded and
undocumented traditional ecological fire knowledge
that informs the practices of many senior Anangu from
the region still exists.
Neil Ward has over twenty-five years’ experience working in land
management agencies in south-eastern Australia and the
Northern Territory. His current role with the MDBA is to help
improve the dialogue between professional land managers and
Indigenous people.
This program seeks to combine traditional ecological
knowledge with contemporary information and
technology to determine appropriate fire regimes aimed
at conserving biodiversity whilst respecting and
achieving Anangu land management aspirations and
cultural needs.
Gail Carnes has more than 25 years’ experience as an
environmental scientist and is currently a principal environmental
consultant with Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd in Adelaide, South
Australia where she is responsible for environmental management,
planning and approvals on government, infrastructure and mining
projects.
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Looking back to move forward: two-way land
management in Arnhem Land
Black hands on the steering wheel
1
Emilie-Jane Ens
1
Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, ANU
Prior to the European colonisation of Australia,
Indigenous Australians managed country to promote
ease of travel and food procurement to enable their
hunting and gathering lifestyles. Fire was the primary
‘management’ tool which had evolutionary effects on
the landscape and its components. Following European
colonisation of Australia a slow but dramatic wave of
change to Indigenous lifestyles and activities swept
across the country which resulted in altered large scale
fire regimes and reduced Indigenous harvest of native
flora and fauna. Furthermore, the European colonialists
brought with them a host of exotic flora, fauna and
microbes which have also had lasting and in some cases
cumulative effects on the environment coupled with
intentional landscape alterations fundamental to
agriculture, urbanisation, modernisation and
globalisation. It is obvious that the Australian landscape is
now dramatically different to pre-European colonisation.
In 2010 with increasing political, economic and social
pressure to protect the environment it appears we are
fighting a losing battle as the ‘new’ threats to country—
which include changed fire regimes, pollution, altered
water flows, feral animals, invasive plants and microbes
and climate change, are increasingly changing
landscapes and threatening the health of the
ecosystems on which the survival of all living things
depend. We need to look at new solutions to land
management for our vast and variable country of which
currently 20% is legally recognised as Aboriginal Land.
Or perhaps we should look to a blend of new and old
solutions which include and value past land
management approaches as well as new ideas and
technologies. This is the approach that many growing
Indigenous land and sea management corporations are
taking. By combining Indigenous and Western ways of
knowing and managing country they are hoping to
tackle environmental issues as well as offering cultural
preservation and socio-economic development
opportunities for Indigenous Australians—many of
whom live in poverty in both remote and urban settings.
This paper will outline some of the projects several
Indigenous Land and Sea Management groups in
Arnhem Land are employing using a ‘two-way’
approach to land management.
Wayne Barbour1, Christine Schlesinger1
1
Charles Darwin University
Indigenous people have always studied the natural
world. That’s why we have survived for so long.
Research and science may not be as foreign to
Indigenous land owners or managers of country as
many people think.
The issue is ‘we feel like spectators’ rather than
participants. People often say ‘what do you know about
that?’ Then they leave with their papers not to be seen
again. Indigenous country sits next to our history, ideas
and identity but these elements are often left out by the
science. For us to participate we need to know the value
of the research for us. Before true collaborative research
can occur important cultural components need to be
considered. For example a hill or water hole may have
high biodiversity value but that place may also be where
our dreaming or totems are. If we exclude this we have
just become spectators and are disempowered.
The challenge is to build clearer lines of communication,
by valuing holistic knowledge of country, and how
people are connected to it. The science will then find a
place to sit with us and work alongside us. The ecology
can never sit on its own, as it is our family and identity.
Wayne Barbour is of eastern Arranda descent. He has over 20yrs
experience working with Indigenous people in the NT in
conservation and land management.
Much of Emilie-Jane Ens’s earlier research focused on invasive
plants but more recently she has included feral animals and
Indigenous knowledge into her work. Over the last 2 years she has
been working in Arnhem Land with 5 Aboriginal Ranger groups.
She has established many collaborative research projects with the
Rangers to facilitate greater understanding of the ecological and
cultural assets and threats in Arnhem Land.
173
Concurrent session 4d—Marine
Larval release and supply of meroplankton in
response to environmental cycles in temperate
saltmarsh and mangrove habitats
Identifying coral species in underwater images for
quantitative assessment of reef health and
biodiversity
Gerard Ricardo1, Todd Minchinton1, Andrew Davis1,
2
Nathan Knott
Jacques-Andre Landry1, Jonathan Bouchard1, Lael Parrott2
1
1
University of Quebec (ETS), 2University of Montreal
2
School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Jervis
Bay Marine Park, NSW Marine Park Authority
Larval densities in estuarine intertidal habitats were
determined to find if environmental cycles (light/dark,
tidal amplitude, tidal or lunar) influence the larval
processes of meroplankton. A small plankton net was
towed through temperate Australian saltmarsh and
mangrove habitats during diurnal, nocturnal, flood, ebb,
new moon and full moon tides that were greater than
1.7 mAHD. Nocturnal ebb tides yielded the highest
densities of meroplankton larvae in the water column,
mostly comprised of first-stage crab zoeae. Nocturnal
flood tides were a suitable time for supply of crab
megalopae and stomatopod larvae. Diurnal tides had
low densities of larvae on both the flood and ebb tides.
Tidal amplitude during spring tides and lunar cycles
appeared to have not influenced larval densities in the
water column. The light/dark cycle is a dominant cue for
most crustacean larvae while the tidal cycle appears to
be important during the nocturnal phase of this cycle. By
understanding when larval release and supply occur,
the likely times for larvae as potential prey for estuarine
fish or for recruitment into adult populations can be
ascertained.
Gerard Ricardo has been blessed to grow up on the beautiful
south coast of NSW where his research was conducted.
174
Our research aims at providing automated artificial vision
tools to classify large datasets of images of natural
systems, more specifically images of coral reefs, to assist
in the identification of species and other indicators for
monitoring ecosystem health and integrity. Our
approach is twofold: first we developed a hybrid method
for the unsupervised segmentation of homogenous
clusters in the image based on texture using
evolutionary algorithms; and secondly we evolved
various traditional and evolutionary classifiers to identify
these clusters based on knowledge acquired through
training using classified samples. Several thousand
underwater images have been organised into a
database of more than 200 species of corals from the
Sulu Sea (Philippines) and the Coral Sea (Australia) which
was used for training, testing and validation. The
performance on a portion of this dataset, composed of
images each containing a single species, is promising (R2
> 0.8) and we are now applying this method to a large
dataset of more complex coral reef images (several
species) to asses its applicability to obtain, from large
spatiotemporal datasets of field images, information such
as: area occupied by each coral species, presence of
other entities, concurrent species, and potentially
quantify temporal variations.
Dr Jacques-Andre Landry conducts research on applications of the
artificial intelligence paradigm to agro-environmental systems, with
current projects on; artificial vision applied to biological/irregular
objects, data mining and evolutionary algorithms, and modelling
of ecosystems.
Biological surrogates in benthic tropical marine
systems—a community analysis based approach
Can one species of seagrass act as a surrogate for
providing habitat for other taxa?
Patricia Sutcliffe1, C Roland Pitcher2, M Julian Caley3, Hugh
Possingham1
Ben Hamilton1, Peter Fairweather1,2, Bryan McDonald2
1
2
University of Queensland, Australian Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organisation, 3Australian Institute of
Marine Science
The limited availability of comprehensive datasets results
in dependence upon the use of biological surrogates.
The ability of one taxon to adequately represent another
has not previously been thoroughly tested in tropical
seabed systems. To adequately conserve and manage
marine systems, knowledge of the extent to which this
representation is effective is imperative. Here, we
compare the similarity of community patterns between
taxa from 11 phyla spanning 1189 sites across the Great
Barrier Reef seabed, to identify the effectiveness of
biological surrogates. We find that (1) Grouping taxa at
a class level or finer is necessary to avoid compounding
classes of the same phylum with differing patterns; (2)
The removal of rare species from the analysis reflects an
agreement of where common species are absent.
Community patterns between taxa remain dissimilar; (3)
An increase in spatial scale increases similarity between
community patterns of taxa but there was no scale at
which effectiveness dramatically improved; (4) No
effective surrogates were identified at small spatial scales;
(5) Large scale community patterns were similar
between urchins (Echinoidea), gastropods (Gastropoda),
bryozoans (Bryozoa) and sea stars (Asteroidea). Our
results demonstrate the utility of biological surrogates to
predict large-scale patterns in this system, however, more
comprehensive datasets would be required for effective
representation at finer scales.
Patricia Sutcliffe is a student from the University of Queensland
who specialises in tropical marine systems. She has a broad interest
in community ecology and is currently investigating the use of
surrogates in marine systems.
1
School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, 2Coast and
Marine Conservation Branch, Department of Environment and
Natural Resources
Organisms living as epibiota upon seagrasses provide an
important source of primary and secondary production
in seagrass habitats. In marine park planning, the use of
surrogates, such as broad-scale habitats, has been
proposed as effective for selecting marine park
boundaries and zones. To test an assumption of
surrogacy that in effect treats all seagrass species as
equal, the epibiotic assemblages found upon pairs of
seagrass species, including the regionally rare Posidonia
coriacea, were sampled from homogeneous or mixed
patches at three separate locations. The three seagrass
species, each with distinct morphological characteristics,
had distinguishable epifaunal assemblages. Free-living
epifauna showed clear habitat selection with movement
likely over small scales within mixed patches but no
observed preference when seagrass species pairs were
separated rather than intermingled. Sessile epiphytic
species showed less well-defined specificity between
seagrass species pairs but there were significant
differences in epiphytic species richness. Thus, if marine
parks are to adequately represent the biodiversity
associated with seagrass beds, planning should treat
seagrass habitat on a species-by-species basis, and
consider how species are arranged within localised
patches, to include more of the biodiversity within
zoning plans.
Ben Hamilton completed his Honours in 2009 and has since
worked as a Research Assistant in the Marine Ecology lab at
Flinders University.
175
Quantifying seasonal variability in the response of
macrofaunal assemblages to beach
morphodynamic types
Forecasting responses of estuarine benthic fauna to
changes in the delivery of detrital subsidies
Rebecca Langley1, Robyn Morcom2, Peter Fairweather1,2
1
1
2
School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Coast and
Marine Conservation Branch, Department of Environment and
Natural Resources
Macrofaunal assemblages on sandy beaches are largely
controlled by the physical environment of those
beaches. Numerous studies have investigated
assemblage structure in relation to abiotic factors such as
sediment particle size, wave climate and tidal regime,
and interactions between these variables define a
continuum of morphodynamic types. Subsequent
theoretical predictions of beach biodiversity have been
based on a global model of how species diversity,
abundance or biomass vary across this morphodynamic
continuum. However, studies to test these predictions
have often been based on a snapshot of assemblage
structure, with only a single visit used to represent a
beach. Here, we investigate seasonal variability in
macroinvertebrate assemblage composition on beaches
within the Encounter Marine Park in South Australia.
Environmental and biological variables were measured
at 12 beaches with different morphodynamic types
around Encounter Bay and the Fleurieu Peninsula across
three seasons during 2006 and 2007. The study was
thus a local test of the global model for sandy-beach
patterns but also aimed to determine whether temporal
variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages was
important. The predictability of responses by
macrofaunal assemblage to beach types has implications
for the management and conservation of biodiversity on
sandy beaches, particularly when planning and
monitoring marine parks.
Rebecca Langley completed her Honours in 2006 and has since
been working as a Research Assistant in the Marine Ecology lab at
176
Mirella Verhoeven1
Sediment productivity in estuarine ecosystems is largely
fuelled by detritus. Delivery of detrital resources often
occurs in pulses from neighbouring habitats, driven by
the production of donor species and local transport
processes. Coastal development and climate change are
altering the timing, frequency and composition of
detrital pulses arriving on estuarine mudflats. These
changes to the arrival of cross-boundary subsidies may
shift soft sediment communities and their important
ecological functions which include provision of food to
higher trophic levels, bioturbation of the sediment and
nutrient cycling. Sampling in Brisbane Water determined
the primary drivers of spatial and temporal variation in
the delivery of detritus to the intertidal soft sediment
community. A field experiment assessed the response of
the benthic infauna community to manipulation of the
frequency, volume and order of detrital inputs to the
intertidal zone. Cumulatively these two components will
be used to forecast future impacts of altered detrital
subsidies on coastal productivity.
Mirella Verhoeven worked as a consultant aquatic ecologist for
three years before starting her PhD in coastal ecology in October
2009. Her interest lies in spatial subsidies in the aquatic
environment.
Concurrent session 4e—Migration and dispersal
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Trans-equatorial migration of short-tailed
shearwaters—testing old theories with new
technology
Effects of landscape compositions and habitat
arrangements on two mirid species in Japanese
rice paddies
Mark Carey1, Richard Phillips2, Janet Silk2
Mika Yasuda1, Takayuki Mitsunaga1, Ai Takeda2, Ken Tabuchi1,
1
1
1
Keiko Oku , Tetsuya Yasuda , Tomonari Watanabe
1
Department of Environmental Management and Ecology, La
Trobe University, 2British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment
Research Council, United Kingdom
Although short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris)
have been studied extensively during their breeding
season, our understanding of their movements outside
this period remains largely unknown. Early results from
banding studies and museum collections implied a
broad ‘figure-of-eight’ movement across the Pacific
Ocean. Recent oceanic transects suggested birds
migrated in broad fronts in the western and central
Pacific. Here, we present the first tracks of the transequatorial migration of Short-tailed Shearwaters from a
colony on Great Dog Island, Tasmania, Australia. Data
were obtained from global location sensors (GLS
loggers), which enable the estimation of bird location
twice per day based on ambient light levels. We
deployed 27 GLS devices in 2007 and retrieved 20 in
December 2008. Tracks revealed that after breeding,
shearwaters fly south to the Antarctic convergence for a
brief period before flying rapidly north through the
western Pacific to the coastal waters off Japan. Shorttailed shearwaters spent the bulk of the winter either in
this region or further north in the Bering Sea, before
returning south through the central Pacific to their
breeding grounds in Australia. Birds used local waters
around the colony before the commencement of egg
laying. For the first time, our results show the complete
migration of this long-lived seabird and reveal individual
variation in their wintering distribution. Our results, in
part, confirm previous assumptions as well as present
new knowledge of their movements in the Pacific
Ocean.
1
National Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and
Food Research Organisation, Japan, 2Chiba Prefectural Agriculture
and Forestry Research Center, Japan
Two rice bug species, Stenotus rubrovittatus and
Trigonotylus caelestialium (Hemiptera: Miridae) are major
pests of rice in Japan. The population of these insects are
maintained by widely distributed host plants, poaceous
weeds, and the high mobility of adults. The effects of
surrounding landscape and weed infested field
boundary on the abundance of the two rice bug species
in rice paddies were compared. Field abundances of the
two species were sampled by sweeping technique. The
number of weed infested field boundaries was also
counted within a 100 m radius around 36 study paddies
in three regions of Japan. Effect of surrounding land-use
was the best predicted at a spatial scale radius of 300 m
for S. rubrovittatus, and 200–300 m for T. caelestialium.
The abundances of the both species were positively
related with the area of weed infested area and
reclaimed land. The size and physical arrangement of
the habitat patches on the landscape also effect the two
rice bug species. The results emphasise that adequate
weeding of field boundaries can reduce the risk of
getting high abundance in the fields even with an
extensive weed infested area exists in a region.
Mika Yasuda is a Post-doc at the National Agricultural Research
Center in Japan. Her task is to apply landscape ecology theory to
rice pests management.
Mark Carey is at the end of his PhD research where he was
working on Short-tailed Shearwater in the Furneaux Group,
Tasmania.
177
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Long-term variations in the abundance of
Helicoverpa spp. (Noctuidae). What’s driving them?
Plant height is more important than seed mass for
seed dispersal distance
Geoff Baker1, Colin Tann1
Fiona Thomson1, Angela Moles1, Tony Auld2, Richard
Kingsford1
1
1
The noctuid moths, Helicoverpa armigera and
H. punctigera are major pests of several agricultural
crops in eastern Australia, in particular cotton. The
seasonal dynamics of H. armigera and H. punctigera are
thought to be well understood. In spring, the
abundance of both species increases in the cropping
regions. In particular, H. punctigera is believed to migrate
there following autumn-winter rains in source areas in
central Australia. In contrast, spring populations of
H. armigera are believed to be derived more from local
emergence. In 1996, transgenic, single gene Bt cotton
(Ingard®) was introduced in Australia to control these
pests. Two gene Bt cotton (Bollgard II®) followed in
2004. Most cotton now grown in Australia is transgenic.
The advent of Bt cotton drove a significant reduction in
insecticide use in cotton production systems. We have
operated a grid of pheromone traps for Helicoverpa spp.
in the heart of the cotton industry (near Narrabri) since
the early 1990s. We have also operated light traps for
much of this time too. We will present data from these
long-term monitoring programs and question if: 1) the
dynamics of H. armigera and H. punctigera have
changed during the deployment of Bt cotton, and 2)
some of our accepted understandings of the seasonal
movements of the moths and their environmental
drivers need closer scrutiny.
Geoff Baker is a Program Leader for Functional Ecology and
Systematics in CSIRO. Geoff’s research includes the ecology and
management of invertebrate pests in cropping systems and
ecosystem services provided by soil fauna.
178
University of New South Wales, 2Department of Environment,
Climate Change and Water
There is a perception that small-seeded species should
disperse further than large-seeded species, and taller
species should disperse further than shorter species.
However as there are few large compilations of dispersal
distances across species, the global relationships
between dispersal distances and plant traits are poorly
known. We provide the first large-scale quantification of
the cross-species relationship between seed mass, plant
height and dispersal distance across and within seed
dispersal syndromes. Seed mass was positively related to
mean dispersal distance. However plant height had
substantially stronger explanatory power than did seed
mass, with tall plant species having greater mean
dispersal distances than did short plant species. Once
plant height was accounted for, we found that smallseeded species disperse further than large-seeded
species. Within dispersal syndromes, once we controlled
for plant height, seed mass had no influence on
dispersal distances, except for maximum dispersal
distance for ballistic and wind-dispersed species. Our
findings indicate that plant height is more important for
species’ seed dispersal distances than seed mass, both
across and within dispersal syndromes. Plant traits play
an important role in understanding how far species can
disperse.
Fiona Thomson’s career in ecology started in NZ with
decomposing leaves, weka and vegetation surveys. She then
‘crossed the ditch’ to chase seeds in NSW (PhD in plant dispersal).
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Dispersal differences facilitate reef fish coexistence
Seedling regeneration depends on seed availability
and ecological filters
Michael Bode1, Lance Bode2, Paul Armsworth3
1
AEDA Group, University of Melbourne, 2Sohar University, Oman,
University of Tennessee
3
The coexistence of multiple species on a smaller number
of limiting resources is an enduring ecological paradox.
The mechanisms that maintain biodiversity are of central
importance to both ecology and conservation. We
describe a novel yet intuitive mechanism for coexistence:
species that differ only in their dispersal abilities can
coexist if habitat patches are heterogeneously
distributed. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is noted for its
diversity of reef fish species, and its complex
arrangement of reef habitat. We demonstrate that this
coexistence mechanism can enable numerous fish
species to persist in the same region, despite a lack of
competitive differences. Further, coexisting species on
the GBR have been observed to dominate different
geographic subregions, defined primarily by cross-shelf
position. Using a high-resolution model of biophysical
reef fish dispersal, we show that the GBR’s complex and
time-varying ocean currents can interact with species’
dispersal differences to generate similar coexistence
patterns. Ecosystems that are characterised by patchy
habitat distributions often contain coexisting species with
different dispersal abilities. This coexistence mechanism is
therefore likely to have ecological relevance beyond
coral reef fish.
Michael Bode is an ARC Research Fellow at the AEDA Group in
Melbourne. He works on marine community ecology.
Kadri Koorem1, Jodi Price1, Mari Moora1
1
University of Tartu, Estonia
It is widely accepted that both propagule availability and
local environmental conditions affect seedling
establishment. The relative importance of dispersal and
abiotic and biotic filters on community assembly has
been disputed. We tested this by examining the effects
of seed addition on seedling establishment under
different ecological conditions (i.e. the presence of
arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and resource
availability) in a boreonemoral forest ecosystem in
Estonia, North-East Europe. We asked—(i) are these
communities seed limited? and, (ii) do ecological
conditions influence this relationship between seed
availability and seedling establishment? We found that
addition of seed significantly increased seedling
emergence. This relationship did not change along a
manipulated fertility gradient. Seed addition also
increased the number of seedlings in microsites with
natural AMF activity but not when AMF was suppressed.
Our results support the general principle that
communities are seed limited. However, not only the
lack of propagules but also the local environmental
conditions determine germination success by seeds in
natural communities. This finding has important
implications for understanding community assembly,
invasion ecology and community restoration.
Kadri Koorem is a PhD candidate at the University of Tartu, Estonia.
Her thesis focuses on regeneration success of herbaceous plants in
heterogeneous environment.
179
diseases
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Remote monitoring of artificial nesting box use by
microbats
In-nest video monitoring of parasite impacts
1
2
1
Lisa Evans , Stephen Griffiths , Ian Beverage , Graeme
Coulson2, Lindy Lumsden3, Graeme Pendock4
1
The Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne,
Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, 3Arthur
Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of
Sustainability and the Environment, VIC, 4Department of Electrical
and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne
2
For many native Australian species, including microbats,
tree hollows provide shelter, protection from predators
and a stable microclimate for rearing young. We are
investigating the roosting habits of forest-dwelling
microbats using nest boxes, which will move between
multiple roosting sites as frequently as everyday. Why
roost-shifting behaviour occurs is unknown, but it is
possible that reduced roost availability could influence
social structure, parasitism and reproductive success. Our
lack of understanding is largely due to the difficulty of
simultaneously monitoring many bats in more than one
roost without excessive disturbance of roosting sites. To
overcome this problem we are using implantable Passive
Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags and a network of tag
readers to remotely monitor the movement of individual
bats using nest boxes. Using this technology we have
been able to continuously monitor roosting behaviour in
a population of approximately 350 Gould’s wattled bats
(Chalinolobus gouldii) over the past 18 months. From
this data we have found evidence of a female-centred
social structure and some evidence for resourceguarding by males during the breeding season. We are
currently investigating the influence of roost box
microclimate on microbat energetics, water turnover
and patterns of torpor, the implications of which are
likely to inform the use of artificial nesting boxes as
management tools.
Stephen Griffiths completed Honours in environmental biology
and entomology at the University of Adelaide. He is currently a
PhD candidate in the Department of Zoology, the University of
Melbourne.
180
1
1
1
Jody O’Connor , Jeremy Robertson , Sonia Kleindorfer
1
Flinders University
The introduction of a new parasite places enormous
selection pressures on its naïve hosts, which prompts the
development of physiological and behavioural
responses to reduce the impact. We used miniature
surveillance cameras in nests to examine the costs of an
introduced fly larva parasite, Philornis downsi, on
Darwin’s finches in the Galápagos Islands. This enabled
us to test whether high parasite loads in finch nests are
associated with smaller nestlings, increased sibling
competition for parental care, increased mortality and
altered feeding rates. Cameras were placed in nests that
were either naturally infested with 22–46 fly larvae, or
pyrethrin-treated to virtually eliminate the parasites.
Nestling weight and growth rates were greatest under
conditions of low/non-existent parasite loads and high
parental care. In infested nests, larger nestlings with
fewer signs of parasitism exhibited stronger begging
behaviour and survived a few days longer in the nest
than smaller, badly affected siblings. All parasitised
nestlings ultimately died within 6 days, whereas in
treated nests all the nestlings survived to fledging.
Parents with parasitised nests did not provide more food
to nestlings to compensate for the effects of parasitism.
Our results show that Darwin’s finches currently lack
sufficient behavioural defences to counteract the
negative effects of an introduced fly larva parasite which
consequently continues to cause high nestling mortality
in its new host.
Jody O’Connor worked on conservation issues for Darwin’s
finches in the Galapagos Archipelago. Her PhD covers studies of
avian behaviour, population genetics, and monitoring the effects
of invasive parasites/predators on island birds.
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Quantifying the effects of parasites: a medication
experiment in crested terns (Thalasseus bergii)
Host specificity and reservoirs of infection: the
epidemiological characteristics of an emerging
pathogen
Maggie Watson1
1
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University
David Gordon1
1
Parasites are often assumed to be detrimental to their
hosts, but by definition, their effects must be sub-lethal.
Efforts to quantify the effects of parasites have resulted in
several medication experiments; only an experimental
manipulation of natural parasite loads uncovers the
effects of the parasites on the hosts. Most medication
experiments have been performed on passerines.
Seabirds are often heavily parasitised with ectoparasites
such as fleas, ticks and lice due to their coloniality. In this
field experiment, the numbers of parasites on crested
tern (Thalasseus bergii) chicks were reduced through
medication, and the sub-lethal but detrimental effects of
natural levels of parasites were demonstrated on
growth, condition and metabolic function. These
detrimental effects indicate the costs incurred by the
chicks. Medicated individuals may be able to devote
more energy to growth and maintenance, but might
not be more successful than their non-parasitised
counterparts due to their immune system not being
primed while a chick. This work adds support to
theoretical work relating to the costs and benefits of
parasitism and may assist in conservation efforts on
related species.
Maggie Watson is an American ex-pat living in Australia. BA
University of Missouri; MSc University of Massachusetts Boston.
Long time ethologist working with tern, moving into experimental
work now with PhD.
Few diseases are restricted to a single host species. Most
human and livestock pathogens infect multiple hosts.
Identifying the host species or host community
responsible for maintaining an infection (i.e. the
reservoir) may be crucial if effective control measures are
to be undertaken, and an incomplete understanding of
such reservoirs has previously hampered the control of
many diseases. Not only is it critical to understand the
structure and composition of the reservoir ‘population’,
but it is essential to understand how the pathogen
population is structured and the interactions occurring
between pathogen and reservoir. It has been recently
shown that the emerging diarrheal pathogen of
humans, Escherichia albertii, has not only caused the
death of captive birds and poultry, but has been the
cause of mass mortality events in native bird populations
in the northern hemisphere. This pathogen occurs in
Australian birds and is prevalent in some species.
However, the primary reservoirs for this pathogen are
unknown, as is the extent to which different strains of
the species might exhibit different host specificities. Our
current understanding of the reservoirs for E. albertii and
the extent to which the species is structured will be
presented.
David Gordon has worked on a variety of host parasite systems in
his career. Prior to and during his BSc studies at King’s College
London David worked largely with parasitic helminths. His PhD
studies at McGill University concerned the population dynamics of
insect parasites and their hosts. Since then his research has largely
concerned host associated bacteria.
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A novel emerging wildlife disease in a transition
zone: epidemiology, impact and immunological
responses of Tasmanian devils to facial tumour
disease
Network models and management of wildlife
disease, with applications to Tasmanian devil facial
tumour disease
1
1
1
Rodrigo Hamede , Hamish McCallum , Menna Jones
1
University of Tasmania
The global increase in emerging infectious diseases of
wildlife during the last decade has resulted in the study
of wildlife diseases being integrated into mainstream
conservation biology. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus
harrisii) are currently affected by Devil Facial Tumour
Disease (DFTD), an emerging infectious cancer that is
causing ongoing, severe population declines with
extinction of the species as a possible endpoint. The
major effects of DFTD short after disease arrival are
characterised by a rapid increase in prevalence in
sexually mature devils, declines in population growth
rate and abundance, changes in age structure shifted
towards young individuals and severe declines in adult
survival rates. In addition, devils usually succumb 6–8
months after detection of early clinical symptoms of
DTFD.
Here we present the results of a 4 years longitudinal
study in a disease population at the transition zone
between two sub genetic provenances. Disease
prevalence in all age classes is significantly lower than
other diseased populations for which similar data is
available. Population growth rate and abundance have
not being affected by DFTD and all age classes are
present in the same ratio of a healthy population.
Preliminary results based on field observations suggest
that some individuals are having immunological
responses to DFTD. This range from devils surviving for
12–16 months after detection of clinical signs, regression
of tumours.
Menna Jones graduated from the School of Zoology of UTas and
is currently doing a PhD on disease ecology.
182
Hamish McCallum1, Rodrigo Hamede2, Menna Jones2, Jim
2
Bashford
1
Griffith University, 2University of Tasmania
Network theory is currently receiving a great deal of
attention, both from a mathematical viewpoint and from
its potential applications in ecology. Networks consist of
nodes connected by edges, and disease transmission
can only occur when a contact connects an infected
and a susceptible individual. Most models of wildlife
disease do not explicitly include network structure and
assume that contacts are random, in which case the
mean contact rate is sufficient to understand the system.
This is important for management: eliminating disease
requires driving the basic reproductive number R0 to
below one. Network structure can cause R0 to be very
different from predictions based on mean contact rates.
Specifically, very aggregated network structure can
cause large increases in R0, and closed triangles or loops
can reduce R0. We used proximity-sensing radio collars
to describe contact networks in a wild Tasmanian devil
population. The contact networks were significantly
different from random networks. Models simulating
progression of Tasmanian Devil facial tumour disease
across these networks suggest that extinction of the devil
population occurs more rapidly and R0 is higher than
would be predicted for a randomly connected network.
Both these conclusions suggest that controlling the
disease will be more difficult than is predicted by
conventional wildlife disease models.
Hamish McCallum has been Head of the School of Environment at
Griffith University for one year. Prior th this, he spent three years as
Professor of Wildlife Research at the University of Tasmania and
Senior Scientist of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. He has a
long-standing interest in the ecology of wildlife diseases.
Concurrent session 4g—Threatened species: mammals
New insights into the ecology of the threatened
dusky hopping mouse (Notomys fuscus)
Monitoring flying-foxes—how stressful can it get?
1,2
1
Ulrike Kloecker , David Croft
1
University of New South Wales, 2DECCW, Parks and Wildlife
Group
A detailed knowledge of a species` ecology provides a
framework for its conservation. Without this we cannot
confidently determine its conservation status, make a
threat assessment and develop appropriate conservation
actions. Such is the case for the dusky hopping mouse, a
charismatic native Australian rodent which has been
little studied and whose ecology remains poorly known
from few sites. Like most Australian desert rodents, its
populations fluctuate greatly with environmental
conditions, making long-term scientific study difficult.
Thus I took advantage of a peak in the hopping mouse
population following good rainfall over much of the
range of the species, and investigated aspects of the
behaviour and ecology of the species in Sturt National
Park in far western NSW.
Key results were an extension of the range of the species
and the identification of the seeds of the sandhill wattle
(Acacia ligulata) as a major food resource. The availability
of this resource significantly influenced the movements,
habitat use, distribution and density of the mice. This
new information provides a more accurate assessment
of threats, the identification of critical habitat and refuge
areas, and ultimately a better framework for
conservation of this species.
Ulrike Kloecker is a recent PhD graduate from the University of
New South Wales; employed with DECCW-Parks and Wildlife
Group in Sturt National Park; presenting results from PhD research.
Kerryn Parry-Jones1, Koa Webster2, Anja Divljan1,
Mandi Griffith3, Glenda Wardle1
1
Institute of Wildlife Research, School of Biological Sciences,
University of Sydney, 2Marsupial Research Group, Department of
Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 3Sydney Metropolitan
Wildlife Carers
The grey-headed flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus is
listed as vulnerable under state and Commonwealth
legislation and its conservation is important both for the
continuing survival of the species and for the
continuance of its ecological roles of seed dispersal and
pollination within the forest ecosystem. This study
investigates glucocorticoid (GC) metabolites in the faeces
of flying-foxes with the aim of providing a method of
monitoring the animals’ stress levels without the need to
catch and handle them. Faecal samples were collected
from both captive and wild flying-foxes under varying
conditions of stress while the samples from wild flyingfoxes were collected from under the colony, and during
the catching and handling of that colony’s flying-foxes.
Very high levels of GC were found in stressed animals
compared with unstressed animals while faecal samples
collected from under the colony showed a similar range
of values to those produced when the flying-foxes were
handled and caught. The faecal level of GC was an
accurate reflection of the animal’s physical condition,
supporting the contention that faecal stress hormone
levels are indicative of the overall stress level of the
animal. Hence faecal GC analysis can remotely assess the
level of stress suffered by groups of wild-living flyingfoxes.
Kerryn Parry-Jones has worked on flying-foxes for 25 years. Over
the last few years her interest has been focused on their
population biology and problems in managing the vulnerable
grey-headed flying-fox.
183
Lessons learned: pre-relocation monitoring project
on grey-headed flying-foxes at the Royal Botanic
Gardens, Sydney
The effect of habitat clearing on the spectacled
flying-fox
Anja Divljan1, Kerryn Parry-Jones1
1
Adam McKeown1
CSIRO
1
Institute of Wildlife Research, The University of Sydney
The grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus,
GHFF) is a large, nomadic Australian bat capable of
long-distance movements largely controlled by the
ephemeral availability of food resources. Increasingly
flying-foxes are moving into urban environments with
all-year-round food supply where they form camps with
altered, permanent occupancy. Here we present the
results of a flying-fox monitoring project at the Royal
Botanic Gardens Sydney in winter 2010 prior to that
colony’s proposed relocation. During a three-week
period we captured 643 flying-foxes. The majority of the
flying-foxes caught (80%) were GHFFs. Others were
Black Flying-foxes (P. alecto), a species first recorded here
in 2006. Recapture rates were low (1.4%) and we
discuss the patterns and success of high intensity
trapping in six close locations. Juveniles made up 17% of
the captured sample, and the sex ratio was heavily
skewed towards males (66%). We processed 566 bats of
which 533 individuals were banded and 51 individuals
were additionally fitted with radio collars. GHFFs were in
poor condition with low weight to forearm ratios, and
the proposed relocation was postponed. Considering
the vulnerable status of this species further studies
should investigate the long term effects of food scarcity
on the population.
Anja Divljan has completed her PhD at the University of Sydney in
2008 (population ecology of the grey-headed flying-foxes).
Currently she works in the Australian Museum.
Kerryn Parry-Jones has worked on flying-foxes for 25 years. Over
the last few years her interest has been focused on their
population biology and problems in managing the vulnerable
grey-headed flying-fox.
184
The spectacled flying-fox, Pteropus conspicillatus, is a
large Pteropodid associated with tropical rainforest in the
Wet tropics of Australia. It is listed as vulnerable and is
thought to be under pressure from clearing of foraging
habitat for agriculture and urbanisation. While
observational and dietary studies have been conducted
previously, there is little information on the species’
patterns of habitat use and the influence on these of
anthropogenic modification of habitats. We used radio
tracking, satellite PTTs and GPS units to document both
foraging and inter-camp movements of the species.
Individuals foraged up to 50km from their roost camp
and most moved between different camps on a regular
basis. Pteropus conspicillatus foraged in a wide range of
natural habitats but also fed extensively in urban and
agricultural parts of the landscape. Our results suggest
that P. conspicillatus is a habitat generalist and that its
habitat requirements are broader than previously
thought, a fact that is not recognised in conservation
planning for the species.
Adam McKeown has been working for CSIRO in Atherton on
rainforest ecology for the past 8 years. As well as flying-foxes he is
also involved in work looking at the basic ecology of Cassowaries,
modelling seed and weed dispersal in the rainforest assessing the
impact of avian malaria.
Understanding refuge use of Australia’s desert
rodents: an extreme conservation challenge
Chris Pavey1, Catherine Nano1, Jeff Cole1, Peter McDonald1
1
Biodiversity Conservation Division, NT Government
Australia’s desert rodents are well known for their
irruptive population dynamics in response to pulses of
primary productivity. In the face of ongoing population
declines and increased prevalence of threats, continued
persistence of several species will require effective
management of populations and habitat during the
non-outbreak phase of population cycles. Here we deal
with the dual challenges of a) locating populations
during non-outbreak periods and b) delimiting refuge
areas. Our data on Pseudomys australis in gibber and
cracking clay environments in the western Simpson
Desert demonstrate that the location of refuge areas
changes within non-outbreak periods. The proportion of
sites occupied and the estimated density at each site
varied dramatically over a 3 year sampling period.
Because population density remains relatively high in
refuge areas and these occupy a small part of the
landscape, refuge areas are particularly vulnerable to
predation by the house cat (Felis catus) and red fox
(Vulpes vulpes). Cattle grazing, especially where stock
congregate in resource-rich areas, is also a threat. In the
MacDonnell Ranges, refuge areas of Zyzomys
pedunculatus are threatened not by predation or cattle
but by uncontrolled wildfires. Our findings show that
conservation management of threatened boom-bust
desert rodents is extremely challenging.
Chris Pavey is an ecologist who currently works on the ecology
and conservation of desert wildlife and ecosystems in central
Australia. He is a former Treasurer of the ESA.
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A process-based concept of refugia for identifying
and understanding safe havens from climate
change
Biodiversity and climate change: prioritising
adaptation and conservation
1
1
Gunnar Keppel , Grant Wardell-Johnson , Kimberly P Van
2
1
3
3
Niel , Ladislav Mucina , Margaret Byrne , Colin J Yates ,
1
AG Tom Schut
1
Institute for Biodiversity and Climate, Curtin University, 2School of
Earth and Geographical Sciences, The University of Western
Australia, 3Science Division, Department of Environment and
Conservation, WA
Refugia can provide environmental stability under
adverse climatic conditions. Therefore, under projected
climate change, the identification and protection of
refugia is amongst the most pressing of conservation
priorities. However, current knowledge of refugia is
largely based on phylogenetic studies on plants and
mammals in North America and Europe, resulting in
profound gaps of understanding. We therefore develop
a globally applicable concept of refugia based on
ecological and evolutionary processes. This framework
facilitates the description of refugia by defining habitat
along spatial and temporal dimensions. We illustrate
how different types of refugia are accommodated within
this framework.
Based on an extensive literature review since 1991,
species distribution modelling, increasingly broad
multidisciplinarity, and the identification of likely future
refugia under projected anthropogenic climate change
are identified as emerging fields of research. We
evaluate and propose methods for identifying refugia.
Various disciplines provide important contributions but
each is limited in scope; urging a more unified approach
to define, delineate and conserve refugia. We
demonstrate the requirement for multidisciplinary
approaches to enable integrated conservation
approaches to identify refugia, and lead to a more
focused prioritisation of management actions, offering
the best chance for refugia to continue to act as safe
havens for biota.
Gunnar Keppel is a research fellow at the Curtin Institute for
Climate and Biodiversity, working on ARC funded project titled
Protecting the safe havens: will granite outcrop environments
serve as refuges for flora threatened by anthropogenic climate
change?
186
Stephen E Williams1, Jeremy VanDerWal1, Luke Shoo1, Brooke
Bateman1, Scott Parsons1, Yvette Williams1
1
Anthropogenic climate change poses an
unprecedented threat to global biodiversity and the
continued healthy functioning of the Earths ecosystems.
Understanding, and predicting, the future impacts of
climate change is a vitally important part of responding,
adapting, mitigating and minimising impacts. Assessing
vulnerability and predicting impacts requires an
understanding of the degree of exposure to
environmental changes, the sensitivity and resilience of
an organism, habitat or process and the capacity to
adapt via existing ecological plasticity or evolution. Here
we present a comprehensive assessment of relative
vulnerability utilising the latest ensemble spatio-temporal
modelling techniques of the potential impacts of global
climate change across an entire bioregional fauna. We
present a quantitative assessment of vulnerability that for
the first time considers all of the factors mentioned
above including: detailed analysis of exposure to future
climatic change with associated levels of uncertainty
based on multiple GCMs and scenarios, buffering from
extreme weather by both landscape and microhabitat
refugia, resilience based on species ecological
characteristics such as life history characteristics and
ecological specialisation, historical persistence,
evolutionary potential and the interactions with other
species and ecosystem processes such as primary
productivity and nutrient cycling.
Professor Stephen Williams completed his PhD in rainforest
ecology at James Cook University in 1998 and has continued his
work on the tropical rainforests of the region to this day. He
completed post-doctoral fellowships with the Rainforest-CRC and
ARC. He has maintained a significant involvement in collaborative
research in the region over the years within both the RainforestCRC and the Marine & Terrestrial Science Research Centre. In 2006,
he accepted a Queensland Government Senior Research
Fellowship and created the Centre for Tropical Biodiversity &
Climate Change research (CTBCC).
1400, Room T1, MCC
1415, Room T1, MCC
Conservation planning in a complex, dynamic
world incorporating multiple objectives, multiple
criteria and dynamic data
Understanding species interactions with
microclimate: can it improve estimates of a species
vulnerability to threat?
Jeremy VanDerWal1, Luke Shoo1, Bob Pressey2,
1
Stephen Williams
Collin Storlie1, Stephen Williams1, Luke Shoo1,
1
1
Jeremy VanDerWal , Andres Merino-Viteri
1
Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook
University, 2Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for
Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
Application of systematic conservation planning
exercises are growing; the analytical tools that guide
efficient use of resources are yielding some great
successes in conservation biology. However, increasingly
complex problems (e.g., incorporating multi-criteria,
multi-objective assessments, allowing transparent
assessments of trade-offs associated with optimising for
multiple objectives, or incorporating
stochastic/temporally dynamic data) continue to drive
demand for improvements to existing tools or
development of novel approaches. Here we overview
the application of a new open-source conservation
planning tool to a well studied regional system. The tool,
ConsPlan, is an R package that implements a flexible,
multi-criteria, multi-objective simulated annealing
optimisation algorithm with additional functionality for
assessing trade-offs associated with optimising for
multiple objectives. Using ConsPlan, we developed a
conservation plan for the wet tropics region in
Queensland incorporating a range of multiple objectives
(e.g., protection of current species diversity, future
species diversity, and climate change refugia, and
landscape connectivity and fragmentation) given
different management options (eg., spatial priorities for
land acquisition or conservation covenants). The
tradeoffs between different objectives and management
options varied but tended to present a consistent suite of
priority planning units. The greatest variability was
associated with temporally dynamic data and
assessments of uncertainty (e.g., uncertainty in climate
change and future patterns of species diversity).
Jeremy VanDerWal is a spatial ecologist examining the impacts of
past, present and future climate change on spatial patterns of
species distribution and abundance.
1
University
Species distribution modelling (SDM) is a powerful tool
for ecological analyses which is based on statistical
relationships between a species’ distribution in space
and a set of predictor variables. Commonly, these
predictor variables are macroclimatic spatial surfaces of
broad climate variables such as mean annual
temperature or mean annual precipitation. Species
interactions with macroclimate are mediated by multiple
factors (canopy coverage, cloud cover, aspect, etc…) that
ensure these macroenvironmental surfaces rarely reflect
conditions experienced by species in-situ. The
implementation of spatial surfaces of microclimate as
predictor variables in SDM has the potential to increase
their accuracy and usefulness in ecological analyses.
A surface of ambient (under rainforest canopy)
temperature and under log temperature have been
created using temperature data from an array of ~25
data loggers deployed throughout the rainforests of the
Wet Tropics. These layers are used to demonstrate that
microclimate buffering is heterogeneous in space,
depends upon a number of habitat factors, and that
prevailing microclimate can be markedly different from
predicted macroclimate. Patterns of regional diversity,
species distribution, and species abundance will be
examined with respect to the microclimate buffering
surface. Standard measures of model accuracy (AUC,
AIC, maxKappa) will be used to compare outputs from
microclimate based SDMs to macroclimate based SDMs.
By gaining a better understanding of how species
interact with climate, we position ourselves to better
estimate their vulnerability to processes such as climate
change and habitat loss. Ultimately, this analysis will
highlight areas of the Wet Tropics, which are most likely
to preserve rainforest skink diversity under present and
future climate scenarios.
Collin Storlie is a PhD candidate, investigating the ecological
assocations of skinks with microclimate in the rainforests of the
Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
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Conserving biodiversity in a changing climate:
creating workable solutions at the junction of
politics, science and practice
Future conservation of Tasmanian saltmarshes and
associated biodiversity in view of climate change
and sea level rise.
David Parkes1, James Todd1, Graeme Newell2, Matt White2,
1
Adrian Moorrees
Vishnu Prahalad1
1
2
Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria, Arthur
Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, DSE
Biodiversity conservation, like all complex issues in our
society, exists at the junction of:
•
political processes that organise beliefs and opinions
in order to set directions;
•
technical disciplines that provide ideas, information
and tools to inform views and decisions; and,
•
practices and behaviours that determine actions.
The challenge for biodiversity conservation policies and
programs is both to actively engage each of these
contributions, and to create solutions that are workable.
Key characteristics of workable solutions are: genuine
connection to broadly-shared aspirations; a robust mix of
core strength and flexibility; a sound balance of
effectiveness and efficiency; and, sustainable delivery.
We are actively improving the likelihood of workable
solutions by:
•
•
building the capacity for adaptive spatial planning,
where models of species or habitat distribution and
landscape-scale factors (e.g. connectivity, risks to
ecological function, socio-economic constraints)
drive optimisation analyses of conservation needs.
This dynamic arrangement will facilitate use of
increasingly sophisticated techniques, allow for
progressive refinement of inputs and analyses over
time, but will also deliver accessible and reasonably
stable products for regulatory and investment
purposes.
expanding the use of conceptual models of system
function (Bayesian networks) for estimating the type
and amount of changes likely from management
interventions. This approach will facilitate
opportunities for adaptive management and is also
being structured to contribute to performance
reporting.
David Parkes is a Principal Policy Analyst with DSE Victoria, with a
particular interest in native vegetation and strategic decision
making for biodiversity. He played a key role in the development of
Victoria’s Native Vegetation policy and the new tools and
approaches that were required. This has included vegetation
assessment (Ecological Vegetation Classes, Habitat Hectares),
market-based incentives (BushTender) and reporting (Net Gain
Accounting).
188
1
School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of
Tasmania
Tasmanian saltmarshes and the associated intertidal
wetlands form a crucial ‘link’ between terrestrial and
marine systems providing critical ecological functions
that support a range of biodiversity values. A large
portion of this important coastal ecosystem has already
been lost to human development and mismanagement.
Recently, climate change and sea level rise have
emerged as major threats to the extent and function of
the remaining saltmarshes as they mostly occupy shores
within 1 m of high water. Loss of saltmarshes would
have detrimental effects on the larger coastal complex
they are a part of and these effects will reduce the
biodiversity values they support. While it is clear that
saltmarshes need ‘accommodation space’ to move
inland as they respond to climate change and sea level
rise, not all saltmarshes can move inland due to
numerous practical constraints. Hence, coastal managers
need to be advised about ideal locations to direct their
management actions to be able to get the best
biodiversity conservation outcome. This talk will identify a
process for developing ‘planning overlays’ identifying
areas of ‘high conservation value’ for saltmarsh refugia in
Tasmania so that saltmarsh function and biodiversity is
maintained or improved locally, regionally and across
the State.
Vishnu Prahalad has a HRA at the School of Geography and
Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania and has been
working on projects related to Tasmanian saltmarsh ecology and
management for the past two years.
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Long-distance human dispersal of weed seed in the
Australian alps
Using structured decision making to develop a
strategy for managing willow invasion in alpine
Victoria
Catherine Pickering
1
1
International Centre for Ecotourism, Griffith University
In the Australian alps and many other alpine areas
European plants have been deliberately or accidentally
introduced into gardens, ski slopes and for rehabilitating
sites. Weed seed has also been dispersed accidentally on
vehicles and tourist’s footwear and clothing.
Experimental research indicates that what people wear,
where and when they go all influence the number and
diversity of seeds they unintentionally disperse. Tourists
can transport large amounts of seed over long distances
(>5km) when undertaking walks within the Australian
alps, but do not appear to introduce many new weeds
into the region. The rate of attachment and the distance
dispersed varies dramatically among weeds indicating
that it is a highly selective mechanism that will
profoundly affect invasive process. Based on seed
attachment and dispersal rates and the numbers and
activities of tourists, the total amount of seed that may be
introduced to main alpine area around Mt Kosciuszko by
tourists has been modelled. Projected climatic changes
including reduced snow cover, and warmer and dryer
summers will benefit many of these invasive species, as
will associated changes in tourism as ski resorts diversify
into year round destination.
Catherine Pickering has undertaking ecological research in the
Australian alps for over 20 years in plant and animal ecology,
reproductive ecology, recreation ecology, invasive process and the
impacts of climate change.
Joslin Moore1, Michael Runge2
1
Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, 2Patuxent Wildlife
Research Center, United States Geological Survey
One of the major threats to the alpine bogs and fens on
the Bogong High Plains (BHP) is invasion of grey sallow
willow (Salix cinerea). While the main mitigation strategy
is to control willow it is unclear whether current levels of
control are sufficient and how control effort should be
directed. We have used structured decision making to
assist managers identify an effective management
strategy. We convened a workshop with representatives
from key management agencies where participants
identified the objectives of management, performance
measures and possible management actions. We then
developed a model that predicts the long-term
performance of management on willows on the BHP for
different scenarios. We used value of information
analysis to examine how uncertainty about the system
affected the optimal management strategy. We find that
for current budget levels the optimal management
strategy is to focus all control effort in bogs on the BHP.
This strategy is unaffected by uncertainty regarding how
willows grow or respond to management unless the
budget is large (at least four times more than current
investment). In contrast, the effectiveness of this strategy
is difficult to predict reflecting our uncertainty about fire
frequency, post-fire bog recovery rates and seed
dispersal distances.
Joslin Moore is a senior ecologist at the Australian Research Centre
for Urban Ecology. Her research is focused on using decision
theory and other quantitative tools to assist in the management of
invasive species.
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Wild horse population growth in the Australian
alps
Disturbance and dynamics: 25 years of feral pig
research in the Australian alps
Michelle Dawson1
Jim Hone1
1
School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong
Wild horses are a feral animal that have inhabited the
Australian alps for over 150 years. They are now more
widespread and numerous than ever before in history.
The population in the Australian alps national parks has
been monitored using helicopter aerial survey in 2001,
2003 and most recently in 2009 using standardised
methods to enable comparison of populations over time.
The method involves counting horses along east-west
transects 2 kilometres apart across the known
distribution of horses and analysing the data using line
transect techniques. The estimated size of the population
from the 2009 survey is 7679 horses(coefficient of
variation 25.4%). This represents an annual increase of
21.65% per annum since the previous estimate in 2003,
which is close to the maximum intrinsic rate of increase
for horses. In ecological terms, it is possible to keep wild
horse numbers contained because they are are slow to
reproduce, long-lived and conspicuous, however
human perceptions are an important consideration for
the management of this species.
Michelle Dawson’s research interests are in the population ecology
of native an invasive animals. She has been studying wild horses
since 1999.
190
1
Feral pigs occur in Namadgi National Park, ACT in the
Australian alps. Poisoning has been used for decades to
try to reduce pig density and potential effects on
biodiversity. Over more than 20 years there was no longterm trend in pig density (r = 0.07 per year +/- 0.08 SE)
and no trend (R2 = 0.03, df =22) in frequency of ground
rooting by pigs. The ecological processes generating
observed patterns have been derived and evaluated for
(i) damage/density relationship, (ii) trends in pigs alive
after start of poisoning, (iii) short-term effect of ground
rooting by feral pigs on plant species richness, (iv) effects
on density of natural (non-toxic) and toxic (poison) food
eaten, and (v) effects of poisoning on non-target species
(birds). The derivations of the ecological processes will
be described and compared to observed data. The
management implications are described.
Jim Hone has conducted wildlife research, including on feral pigs
in the Alps, for many years focusing on key ecological relationships
relating to wildlife management.
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Snow change: Podocarpus lawrencei tree rings
reveal the impact of declining snow cover
Research on predicted climate change impacts and
the restoration of alpine bogs and fens
Matthew Brookhouse1
Roger Good1, Jennie Whinam2, Geoff Hope3, Genevieve
Wright4
1
1
Tree rings are an important source of spatially-replicated,
long-term environmental data. Such data is critical in
climate change studies. Although long-lived, Podocarpus
lawrencei—the Australian mainland’s only alpine
conifer—has been overlooked as a source of
dendrochronological data. This history owes to species
stem eccentricities that prevent accurate dating of
increment cores. However, an opportunity to using stem
cross-sections from fire-killed plants arose after wildfire
swept through the Australian alps in 2003. These cross
sections offer the first opportunity to examine the climate
sensitivity of P. lawrencei. A 115-year (1888–2003)
chronology was developed using sample material from
locations on the Kosciuszko plateau. Correlation analyses
reveal that growing season temperature positively affects
growth. However, this response appears to be
moderated by snow cover. A shift from a spring- to
summer/autumn-dominated sensitivity to maximum
temperature, for example, coincides with a loss of
sensitivity to snow cover during spring. These variations
in sensitivity to spring conditions follow a decline in
seasonally-integrated snow cover. Development of a
network of P. lawrencei chronologies is under way
throughout the Australian alps to further examination of
the species as well as explore its potential for establishing
a regional fire chronology and multi-centennial
temperature reconstruction for south-east Australia.
Dr Matthew Brookhouse completed a PhD in 2008 in
dendroclimatology. Current research focuses on using tree rings to
develop reconstructions of river flow and temperature in the
Australian alps.
Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2Department of Primary
Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, TAS, 3Australian National
University, 4Department of Environment, Climate Change and
Water, NSW
The wetland mires (bogs and fens) of the Australian alps
were listed in 2009 as a nationally threatened ecological
community (Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated
Fens) under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999.
The bogs and fens occur across the Alps with the
majority of them being within the Alps National Parks.
Within the parks the area of bog and fen has declined
from approximately 8500 ha pre-European settlement, to
currently about 5000 ha. Many bogs and fens in the
parks had slowly recovered over 30 to 50 years,
following the removal of grazing, but the high intensity
wildfires of 2003 and 2009 were a significant adverse
impact on these communities. Some 70 significant bog
and fen areas required restoration works after the 2003
wildfires to ensure they recovered to a stable, resilient
and functional ecosystems.
Climate change is now the greatest threat to the survival
of the bogs and fens. Already experiencing changes in
precipitation regimes, increased summer temperatures,
lower total cloud cover and elevated ultraviolet light
levels, the Alps ecosystems have been identified in the
National Climate Change Adaptation Framework
(COAG 2006) as being critically vulnerable to the
detrimental impacts of climate change.
Restoration techniques have been developed and
implemented over the past decade, which now provide
a capacity (resilience) for the mire ecosystems to adapt to
and survive the predicted impacts of climate change.
Roger Good is a botanist World Heritage Area
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Using species’ historical distributions to prioritise
ecological restoration
How to engage stakeholders in multidisciplinary
research projects in agricultural landscapes
Richard Fuller1,2, Jessica Sushinsky1, James Watson1, Robert
Taylor3, Lucy Robinson1, Hugh Possingham1
Kerry Bridle1, Ted Lefroy2
1
The Ecology Centre, University of Queensland, CSIRO Climate
Adaptation Flagship and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems,
3
Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW
Landscapes are becoming increasingly cleared and
fragmented, most notably by conversion for agriculture.
Many nations are beginning to turn to restoration as a
means of stemming biodiversity loss from heavily
exploited agricultural landscapes, but there is little
guidance on how to prioritise ecological restoration
efforts. We develop a novel approach to this problem
that allocates restoration effort across a landscape to (i)
restore vegetation most likely to form suitable habitat for
a suite of species of conservation concern, and (ii)
ensure the spatial arrangement of the restoration activity
maximises landscape structural connectivity. As a case
study we apply our approach to the heavily fragmented
sheep-wheat belt of northern New South Wales,
Australia. In this landscape, 92% of original vegetation
has been cleared, predominantly for agriculture. We
used models of the distributions of vegetation types in
1750, prior to European colonisation, to estimate the
pre-clearance historical distributions of 40 woodlanddependent vertebrate species of conservation concern.
Using an optimisation procedure, we discover that a
relatively modest network of revegetation sites across the
landscape could increase current areas of occupancy of
species of conservation concern by an average of 40%
by restoring only 15% of the landscape, and significantly
enhancing landscape connectivity. We conclude that
prioritising restoration activity according to species’
historical distributions represents an efficient way to
allocate conservation funds in heavily cleared
landscapes.
Richard Fuller holds a joint lectureship at the University of
Queensland and CSIRO. He works on pure and applied questions
in biodiversity and conservation, with an emphasis on humandominated landscapes.
192
1
TIAR/CSE UTAS, 2Centre for Environment UTAS
2
Traditionally biodiversity conservation has focused on
‘top-down’ approaches with an emphasis on creating
protected areas on public land. While some individuals
have focused on enhancing biodiversity outcomes on
private land for many years, it was not until the 1990s
that private land conservation really began to feature in
the national programs. Large scale research programs
provided an opportunity for industry and government
funders, researchers and land managers to work
together to identify ‘win-win’ solutions for conservation
in agricultural landscapes. These programs attempted to
achieve multiple outcomes to satisfy their different
stakeholders, were multidisciplinary in nature, featured
‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches, and not
surprisingly experienced varying degrees of success. The
challenge has been to develop a meaningful research
and development program that can satisfactorily identify,
deliver and evaluate conservation goals shared by all
stakeholders. This talk reflects on several of these large
RD&E programs in Australia and identifies two potential
characteristics of success; 1) investment in social
processes that enable early engagement of all parties in
goal setting, and 2) the degree to which disturbance
regimes characteristic of the production systems can be
manipulated towards ones which support the diversity
and abundance of the target endemic species and
communities.
Kerry Bridle is a plant ecologist based in Tasmania. She was the
national biodiversity coordinator for the Grain and Graze program,
which won a national Banskia award in 2008.
1600, Room T2, MCC
1615, Room T2, MCC
Yaraguia: a Balardong Nyungar family-based
association preserving biodiversity in the Avon
Valley, Western Australia
Interdisciplinary devotion: revisiting Lubchenko’s
call for social contracts for science: lessons from
sustainable farms research in southern New South
Wales
Virginie Bernard1
1
School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and Centre for
Research and Documentation on Oceania
Richard Price1,2, Joern Fischer2
The Avon Valley, situated east of Perth is part of the
Wheat Belt, the main agricultural region of Western
Australia, and as such has been extensively cleared and
farmed. Within the framework of my PhD thesis, I am
working with Yaraguia Enterprises Incorporated, a
Balardong Nyungar family based association, who is
developing a property (Avondale Park) in the Avon
Valley. Yaraguia acquired the property in 2006 under
the environmental stream of the Land Acquisition
Program of ILC (Indigenous Land Corporation). In
partnership with Greening Australia Western Australia
and the Avon Catchment Council, Yaraguia is focusing
on ‘healing the country’ by developing a fully structured
re-vegetation and conservation program as a process of
regenerating the property back to its more natural state
and restoring part of its original biodiversity. Yaraguia
combines contemporary and culturally appropriate
processes to fight against salinity and soil erosion and to
contribute to the reduction of the greenhouse effects.
Yaraguia incorporates European traditional farming
practices such as crop growing and grazing sheep, as
part of its lease-back agreements, and farm forestry while
developing ‘non-traditional’ farming options such as
native rehabilitation and revegetation with the aims of
producing bush foods, bush medicines and carbon
sequestration as key outcomes for securing
environmentally, culturally and economically sustainable
land management practices.
In her Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting of the
American Association of the Advancement of Science,
15 February 1997, Jane Lubchenko suggested ‘urgent
and unprecedented environmental and social changes
challenge scientists to define a new social contract to
devote their energies and talents to the most pressing
problems of the day’. This call is reminiscent of Socrates,
who nearly 2,500 years earlier maintained that public
discussion of the great issues of life and virtue is a
necessary part of any valuable human life. ‘The
unexamined life is not worth living’, says Socrates
through Plato. The question should not be whether
biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes is
really worth the effort or not, but whether we define our
work in agricultural landscapes as devotion to fulfilling
any form of social contract, and if we do then whether
we think the terms of the contract are being met. In
other words, have we even made an effort? As the
question can only be made objectively from a personal
perspective (there’s a twist!), the author examines the
nature of social contracts from his experience in a multidisciplinary project investigating the plight of paddock
trees in the context of sustainable farms research in
southern New South Wales.
1
Kiri-Ganai Research, 2Australian National University
Richard Price is Managing Director of Kiri-ganai Research, Adjunct
Professor at University of Southern Queensland and a Fellow of
the ANU Fenner School. At Fenner he participates in Sustainable
Farms research.
Virginie Bernard has been studying for a PhD at the EHESS and
CREDO, France, since September 2007, the thesis project being:
‘From Savage to Farmer? Aboriginal attitudes to agriculture in the
Avon Valley, Western Australia’. From August 2008 to February
2009 Virginie undertook PhD field work in the south-west of
Western Australia.
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1630, Room T2, MCC
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30 years’ experience of ecological restoration:
10 principles for success
Symposium summary and synthesis
1,2
2
2
David Carr , David Freudenberger , Jim Robinson
1
Denis Saunders1
1
retired
2
Stringybark Ecological, Greening Australia
Restoration must consider multiple spatial and temporal
scales and processes, but at the end of the day,
restoration activities take place at the scale of metres and
hectares. Greening Australia has been in this space of
patch scale restoration of native vegetation in
agricultural landscapes for nearly 30 years. Our
experience can be distilled to 10 revegetation principles:
1.
Build soil moisture before planting
2.
Eliminate weed competition for at least two years
after planting
3.
Only use high quality seed if natural regeneration is
insufficient
4.
Select the right plant species and provenance
5.
Plant in the correct season to minimise heat stress
and water deficit
6.
When necessary, use healthy seedlings that meet
clear specifications
7.
Do not plant if ground preparation is inadequate
8.
Protect seedlings from browsing and grazing until
they are tall enough to resist damage
9.
Deplete soil nutrients, particularly nitrogen and
phosphorous, before planting to resist re-invasion by
exotic weeds
This presentation will provide a summary and synthesis
of the symposium presentations; Forty years in the
wilderness—is there a promised land?; Native pastures
may have a limited contribution to plant species diversity
in agricultural landscapes; The benefits—and limits—of
woody perennial farming systems for the conservation of
native biodiversity in Australia: a resources perspective;
Conservation of fauna in agricultural landscapes: what
does the future hold?; Arthropod assemblages in
agricultural landscapes: Patterns, process and
conservation in the matrix; Leopard cats and rats in
Borneo: forest fragments and biodiversity conservation in
an agricultural landscape; Brigalow regrowth: a
conservation bargain; The influence of agricultural land
use on susceptibility of fragmented ecosystems to
invasion by exotic pastures; Chalk ‘n cheese or
something in-between: Brigalow regrowth is not the
same as remnant in production landscapes of southern
Queensland; Efficient delivery of conservation: making
payments in the right places; Where should we start?
Identifying priorities for conservation in the agricultural
landscapes of South Australia; Using species’ historical
distributions to prioritise ecological restoration; How to
engage all stakeholders in multidisciplinary research
projects in agricultural landscapes; Yaraguia: a Balardong
Nyungar family-based association preserving biodiversity
in the Avon Valley, Western Australia; Interdisciplinary
devotion: revisiting Lubchenko’s call for social contracts
for science: lessons from sustainable farms research in
southern New South Wales; From 30 years experience
of ecological restoration, Greening Australia distills the
10 key principles for success.
10. Integrate ongoing site monitoring within an
adaptive management framework.
But the rigorous application of these principles is no
guarantee of successful restoration of a diversity of plant
functions, structures and species. There is much more to
be learned about the ‘agronomy’ of quality restoration.
David Carr has worked for 20 years on wilderness conservation,
farm forestry, rural extension, restoration ecology, direct seeding
and incorporating art and environment. After 15 years with
Greening Australia, he now runs a consultancy and works for
Landcare in Armidale, NSW
194
Dr Denis A Saunders AM is President of WWF-Australia and a
Research Fellow of CSIRO. He is a former Chief Research Scientist
of CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology.
1530, Room T4, MCC
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Incorporating Aboriginal perceptions of introduced
animals in resource management: insights from the
feral camel project
Working together for country: a new partnership in
western Arnhem Land
1
2
Alys Stevens1, Djelk Rangers, Warddeken Rangers
1
Desert Knowledge CRC, Biodiversity Conservation, Department of
Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport
Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts And
Sport, Northern Territory Government, 2Djelk Indigenous Protected
Area, 3Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area
Recently, increased appreciation of the profound
knowledge that Indigenous people have developed of
their environment over millennia has led to the growing
recognition worldwide of the need to incorporate
Indigenous approaches in natural resource
management. What then is the situation regarding
recently introduced species and Aboriginal people? Is it
the case, as sometimes reported, that the latter do not
distinguish between indigenous and non-indigenous
plants and animals and do not have a concept of feral?
What are the implications for conservation strategies
given that Aboriginal-owned land constitutes 20 per
cent of Australia and is home to many feral animals? This
paper argues that it is important to take account of
Aboriginal understandings of inter-species and
environmental relationships as well as approaches based
on traditional ecological knowledge if a more
participatory and sustainable approach to natural
resource management is to occur across Australia. The
paper uses a case study involving research conducted
for the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre
on Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perceptions of feral
camels in central Australia. It discusses the need to
incorporate both Aboriginal and western
understandings concerning feral animals in developing
strategies to manage the negative impacts of the
animals.
Management of Australian country has been
undertaken in a scientific manner by Indigenous peoples
for millennia and the removal of such processes
continues to reverberate across the continent. There is a
growing recognition that for contemporary land
management to achieve social, cultural and
environmental outcomes a strong and complimentary
partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous
ecological knowledge systems is required. In western
Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory the Indigenous
Rangers of the Djelk and Warddeken Indigenous
Protected Areas (IPAs) are established land managers.
Building on the success of other programs of integrated
research the IPAs have partnered with the Northern
Territory Government (NTG) who has provided an
ecologist to be embedded within the IPA management
structures, working closely with the Rangers. Together,
with a two-toolbox approach this partnership aims to
devise an appropriate system to support and inform IPA
management in regard to ecological outcomes. Activities
to date have been preparatory and team building,
focusing on using and finessing standard fauna survey
methods for birds, reptiles and small mammals. This is a
unique and exciting project, and although in its infancy,
if successful could provide a transferable framework for
the marrying of Indigenous and western science for the
management of other contemporary landscapes.
Petronella Vaarzon-Morel , Glenn Edwards
1
2
Petronella Vaarzon-Morel is an anthropologist who has worked
extensively with Aboriginal people in central Australia. Her
publications include monographs and journal articles on
contemporary Indigenous land, livelihood and environmental
issues.
Alys Stevens is a new import to the Northern Territory, having
worked there for just 9 months now as an ecologist living at
Maningrida embedded with two Indigenous Ranger groups in
Arnhem Land. Her passion for people, science and big sky
propelled her from Adelaide to the Top End. Educated at Adelaide
University, Alys then worked in the non-government sector for a
number of years as a project officer of a recovery program for a
nationally listed species and ecological community, learning
valuable skills of innovation and negotiation (!) She was lucky
enough to stow away on a good friends’ forays to the deserts of
South Australia working on ecological projects, which in time
solidified her desire to work with community in remote situations.
Alys hopes to be a useful and integral component in Australia
moving towards a land management regime that is diversely
beneficial (via intersection with other key components of our
society such as health, education and employment), culturally
balanced and ecologically sound.
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Inventorying the animals and plants of the Great
Victoria Desert, WA
Working together to manage a threatened
ecological community in the Kimberley: Dampier
Peninsula monsoon vine thickets, Western Australia
Karl Brennan1, Neville Hague1
1
Louise Beames1, Jason Roe1, Judith Fisher2
1
The Great Victoria Desert (GVD) contains some of
Western Australia’s largest conservation reserves with
many threatened species. While the plants and animals
inhabiting the GVD are well known to traditional
owners, within the scientific literature there is a lack of
hard data on the occurrences of individual taxa. That is,
which species are present in individual reserves and
other areas where there is an interest in developing
more intensive on-ground conservation actions. Since
2008, the Western Australian Department of
Environment and Conservation, in partnership with the
Spinifex People (Pila Nguru) and other agencies, has
been undertaking systematic surveys to better document
the spatial patterning of animals and plants within the
GVD. It has allowed the collection of ethno-zoological
and botanical information. For fauna, survey methods
have included day and night observations, remote
cameras, trapping (pitfalls, funnels and Elliotts), searching
for tracks, hair analysis from scats of dingos, foxes and
cats, plus trenching for the backfilled tunnels of
marsupial moles. Plant collections have been made via
quadrat-based surveys. Survey highlights have included
threatened species such as marsupial moles, brushtailed
mulgaras, Margaret’s blind-snake, malleefowl, and
striated grasswren, and the first record of an adult desert
taipan.
These cooperative surveys have led to more intensive
on-ground management actions.
Karl Brennan has been Regional Ecologist for the Goldfields Region
with the Dept Environment and Conservation since 2006.
196
Environs Kimberley, 2University of Western Australia/Fisher
Research
Dampier Peninsula monsoon vine thickets are an older,
dryer rainforest-type ecosystem found in scattered
patches behind coastal dunes, often near groundwater.
Vine thickets are culturally significant containing
traditional sites, food and medicine plants. Ecologically,
patches remain connected by mobile frugivores.
The West Kimberley Nature Project, managed by
Environs Kimberley and funded through Rangelands
NRM WA, works with Indigenous Ranger groups—Bardi
Jawi, Djarindjin Bardi Oorany, Nyul Nyul, Wuungurr and
Karajarri Rangers—to manage wildfires and weeds
threatening monsoon vine thickets and wetlands,
control WoNS and other weeds in the Dampierland
bioregion. The project has partnerships with the
Kimberley Land Council, which facilitates ranger groups,
Kimberley TAFE, SKIPA, Shires, pastoralists, Departments
and communities.
The WKNP is collaborating with Fisher Research, with
support from Kings Park, UWA and DEC, to identify
biological indicators and design monitoring protocols to
assess vine thicket health. The protocols are simple to
use, allow cost-effective statistical analysis, and produce
data to inform management planning. They will be
useful to groups managing vine thickets beyond the
WKNP. This project component is funded by the WA
State NRM office and includes research into the impacts
of fire on monsoon vine thickets on the Dampier
Peninsula.
1630, Room T4, MCC
Implications of the governments’ ad hoc approach
to Indigenous cultural and intellectual property
rights and benefit sharing in natural resource
management.
Sarah Holcombe1
1
National Centre for Indigenous Studies, Australian National
University
The Australian Government’s 2009 endorsement of the
‘Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ brings
a renewed recognition and focus on Indigenous
knowledge ownership in the area of cultural and
intellectual property. However, embedding this rights
discourse into the action and language of natural
resource management (NRM) has not been taken up by
the Australian government, as yet. Indeed, Australia’s
federal system, under the Environmental Protection and
Biological Resources Act 1999 Cwth (EPBC Act) is ad-hoc
with several states and territories creating their own
biological resources acts and regional groups their own
management processes. A recent Inquiry into the EPBC
Act found that ‘each jurisdiction has different rules and
requirements for accessing biological resources’ and that
the ‘Nationally Consistent Approach’ policy developed in
2000 ‘should be reinvigorated’ (Hawke Inquiry
2009:236). This paper will explore the implications of this
ad hoc approach for working with Aboriginal
knowledge in NRM across remote Australia. A range of
local and regional initiatives that have been and are
being developed, to ethically and equitably manage
Aboriginal knowledge in NRM, will be canvassed to
situate a rights based approach. Consideration will also
turn to the Convention on Biological Diversity Act 1992,
which led to the development of the EPBC Act, and the
developing international regime for access and benefit
sharing.
Sarah Holcombe is a social anthropologist with more than
20 years’ experience.
197
Concurrent session 5d—Aquatic
Subtropical tadpoles: complex trophic guilds in
freshwater food webs
Carbon flow through the food web of a
neotropical stream involves non-trophic pathways
(bioturbation) and indirect effects (trophic
cascades) and is based primarily on microalgae
1
1
Jennifer Francis , Dale Roberts
1
School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia
Tadpoles are important components of freshwater food
webs as they are seasonally abundant, consume large
quantities of food, transfer energy from aquatic to
terrestrial environments and are important resources for
many predators. However, little is known about tadpole
diets. Most discussions of tadpole diet are speculative
and based on indirect inference. For instance, a long gut
indicates herbivory, or, they do not distinguish between
ingested and assimilated material. We documented
anuran habitat use and resulting tadpole assemblages in
the East Kimberley region of Northern Australia where
freshwater habitats are under threat from invasion by
toxic cane toads and alteration from agricultural
expansion. Using natural isotope abundance studies and
gut-content analysis of tadpoles (nine Hylids and three
Myobatrachids) from six temporary wetlands, we tested
the null hypotheses: i) tadpoles are strict herbivores; ii)
they are non-selective consumers and therefore feed
across different carbon food chains (phytoplankton,
algae, detritus) and iii) they are non-selective consumers
and therefore show no feeding niche differentiation.
Tadpoles displayed selective assimilation and speciesspecific feeding niche differentiation, consuming at
multiple trophic levels: herbivory, omnivory and
predatory. These results revealed complex trophic guilds
in subtropical tadpoles and reinforce the need to
evaluate their ecological roles.
Jennifer Francis conducted her Bachelor of Science at La Trobe
University, Victoria. After working for a few years in conservation
she began her PhD in ecology at The University of Western
Australia.
198
Tim Moulton1
1
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Stream ecological research tends to be done at small
scale with intensive experiments that seek to explain
specific phenomena. Scaling up this information to the
level of stream ecosystem and integration of the different
parts is a great challenge. In 2–3 order streams in
Atlantic forest south-eastern Brazil a series of exclusion
experiments show fauna deplete periphyton—atyid
shrimps (Potimirim) are active under certain conditions
and baetid mayflies graze in shallower exposed sites.
Strong trophic cascades act at different sites—
Macrobrachium shrimps interact strongly with baetids
and characine fish act on atyids. Although classic
macroinvertebrate shredders are present (caddisflies
Triplectides and Phylloicus) they appear not to process
substantial quantities of leaf litter, whereas
macroconsumers (shrimps, fish and tadpoles) do. Stable
isotope analysis using delta13C and delta15N indicates
that the food web derives predominantly from
microalgae. This implies that fauna ‘process’ litter and
non-algal parts of the periphyton without assimilating
the carbon. We measured ‘non-trophic loss’ by atyid
shrimps and baetid mayflies as approximately 90% of the
material that they process. We are assembling this
evidence into models of carbon flow in the stream
ecosystem.
Tim Moulton has been researching and teaching in Brazil since
1986, primarily in ecosystem functioning of rainforest streams,
including questions of conservation and restoration.
Does the river continuum concept apply in the
Onkaparinga River, South Australia?
Application of stable isotope analysis for the
effective management of aquatic ecosystems
Courtney Cummings1, Rebecca Lester1, Peter Fairweather1
Debashish Mazumder1, Neil Saintilan2, Jordan Iles2, Tsuyoshi
Kobayash2, Matthew Johansen1
1
1
The River Continuum Concept (RCC) is a global
ecological theory which predicts that the physical
variables, energy inputs and biota reflect particular
longitudinal patterns down a river. Its applicability
worldwide is still widely debated. This concept has rarely
been tested on an entire river system nor in semi-arid
settings. This study tested the applicability of the RCC to
the Onkaparinga River in South Australia, by assessing
physical variables, environmental conditions, energy
inputs and biotic assemblages found along its length for
concordance with the RCC predictions. The RCC was
generally not supported in this study. Most of the
physical variables conformed to the RCC hypotheses but
both the environmental variables and energy inputs did
not. For the biota, few macroinvertebrate functional
feeding groups (FFGs) conformed to the patterns
predicted by the RCC, with the exception of the predator
FFG. Furthermore, the proportion of FFGs did not reflect
the patterns observed in their main energy sources
along the river. Small-scale spatial variability among sites
was strongly evident for every variable measured in this
study, highlighting the importance of the various
microhabitats present at the within-site scale and the
need to differentiate site-to-site variation from reach
variation to adequately assess such patterns.
Courtney Cummings completed her Honours in 2010 and has
since worked as a Research Assistant in the Marine Ecology lab at
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2NSW
Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
Natural systems are complex and thereby present a
range of challenges for their effective management. We
present two case studies where stable isotope analysis
has been used to guide environmental management in
aquatic ecosystems. (i) In the semi-arid Lowbidgee
wetlands we compared isotopic values of consumer
species and their diet sources following a managed
environmental flow, with values measured some months
later under lower water levels. The study indicated that a
contraction in the trophic position of a native fish
(Hypseleotris spp.) occurred that possibly induced
greater competition, particularly between endemic
Hypseleotris spp. and exotic Cyprinus carpio. This has
important implications for the conservation of native fish
species in Murray–Darling Basin wetlands. (ii) Isotopic
analyses of food webs in coastal saline wetlands
identified that saltmarsh grazers (crabs and snail) feed on
locally available autotrophic material and their larvae
provide an important source of nutrition to higher order
consumers which visit the saltmarsh. This demonstrates
an important energy link between the intertidal
wetlands and the adjacent estuarine ecosystem.
Outcomes of this research are currently being
incorporated into ecological response models and
decision support systems under development for
ecosystem managers.
Debashish Mazumder is a research scientist in the Institute for
Environmental Research, ANSTO, and conducting research on
nutrient and energy flow pathways in food webs applying isotopic
techniques to better understand function of ecosystems.
199
Regime creation challenges for policy modelling on
freshwater wetlands in Bangladesh
Md Nazrul Islam1,2, Daisuke Kitazawa3
1
Department of Systems Innovation, Institute of Industrial Sciences,
Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan,
2
Department of Geography and Environment, Jahangirnagar
University, Bangladesh, 3Institute of Industrial Sciences, The
University of Tokyo, Japan
The study integrates environmental system analysis (ESA)
tools, image interpretation and DPSIR model to seek the
regime creation challenges of multi-stakeholder policy
(MSP) modelling for a better appreciation of freshwater
wetlands in Bangladesh. The spatial boundary was
considered to be the Chalan Beel and the time horizon
for 40 years (1973–2013) and 10 years time steps are a
part of this study. In this paper three ESA tools
comprising the stakeholder, function and scenarios
analyses were employed. A comprehensive functional
analysis illustrates different functions fulfilled by the Beel
and their ecosystems services. Based on the interests of
the stakeholders and their priorities, two alternatives
resulting in four scenarios are identified and ranked
against four selected criteria and predicted several
challenges and uncertainties. The result shows that
aquatic plants, fish, flora and fauna are lost and
endangered. The local and national policy has failed to
raise an effectiveness regime creation to conserve the
wetlands ecosystem in Bangladesh. In the scope of this
paper, multi-stakeholder policy (MSP) model is to
determine which of various alternative policies would be
most achieving a given set of goals in light of the
relations between the policies and the goals of wetlands
ecosystem conservation in Bangladesh.
Note: Beel (Bengali word) is the lowest part of the
floodplain landscape, usually saucer shaped wetland.
Chalan Beel is the best known freshwater wetland in
Bangladesh. It is an inland depression, marshy in
character, with rich flora and fauna.
Nazrul Islam is an Assistant Professor, Department of Geography
and Environment, Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh, doing
PhD study in Marine Ecosystem Engineering Lab, The University of
Tokyo, Japan. Research interest is numerical simulation on lake
ecosystem and policy modeling.
200
Concurrent session 5e—Rainforest
1530, Room T5, MCC
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A broad approach to abrupt boundaries: soil
attributes within and across tropical vegetation
types
Improving estimates of above-ground biomass in
tropical forest using modified transect methods for
better returns
Laura Warman1, Angela Moles1, Matt Bradford2
Noel Preece1,2,3, Penny van Oosterzee1,2
1
Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, The University of New
South Wales, 2CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
1
Much of the research on abrupt vegetation boundaries
emphasises the contrasts and similarities between
conditions on either side of a boundary, but does not
compare boundary to non-boundary vegetation. While
valuable, this approach may overlook underlying aspects
of landscape variability at a regional scale and
underestimate the effects that the vegetation itself has
on the soil. We compared soil parameters in rainforest,
open forest, across rainforest-open forest boundaries
and in wet sclerophyll forests with increasing degrees of
rainforest invasion. Our results show high variability in
soils across all vegetation types and that patterns and
values for soil parameters across boundaries do not
necessarily reflect those found either in rainforest or
open forest. Furthermore, we found that as rainforest
invades wet sclerophyll forest, the soil beneath the latter
becomes increasingly similar to the former. Considering
soil-vegetation feedbacks and the differences between
soil at boundaries and in non boundary sites may hold
clues to some of the processes that occur in both
vegetation types and during the transitions between
them.
Biodiversity conservation on private lands can benefit
from carbon trading, through selling credits for the
carbon held in private forests. The Australian
Department of Climate Change has developed the
National Carbon Accounting Toolbox (NCAT), which is
likely to form the basis for calculating carbon in stands of
forest across Australia. The precision of the modelling
which drives NCAT is relatively coarse, and at the scale of
single hectares is imprecise and frequently inaccurate.
We have established a number of plots in small private
forests in the Wet Tropics, using a modified transect
method. The results demonstrate the differences
between the modelled and measured carbon estimates,
and with more data can inform the NCAT model. The
transect method overcomes some of the inherent
problems in measuring rainforest trees, including sources
of error such as incorrect estimation of plot area; trees
missed; trees measured twice; accounting for multistemmed trees; and excluding trees of less than 10 cm in
diameter—the latter alone can add up to a significant
proportion (mean=0.17; n=55; s.e.=0.14) of aboveground biomass, resulting in potential lost revenue to
the forest owners, and reducing the attractiveness of the
sale of carbon credits as an alternative land use.
Laura Warman got lost in a Costa Rican rainforest when she was
12. She has been keen on them ever since and has improved her
orienteering skills too.
Biome5 Pty Ltd, QLD, 2Charles Darwin University, 3James Cook
University
Noel Preece is an ecologist and environmental scientist who has
worked in northern Australia for over 25 years. He is a partner in
Degree Celsius which is aggregating carbon across the landscape.
201
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Ecology of the smallest world’s tetrapod, the fleafrog Brachycephalus didactylus in the Brazilian
Atlantic rainforest
Modelling climate change impacts on endemic
montane carabids with limited dispersal within the
Wet Tropics
Marlon Almeida dos Santos1, Carla da Costa Siqueira1,
1
1
Monique Van Sluys , Carlos Frederico D Rocha
Kyran Staunton1
1
1
Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil
In some remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest lives
the smallest tetrapod in the world, the flea-frog
Brachycephalus didactylus, endemic to evergreen forests
at Rio de Janeiro State. We present the first data on body
size and mass, sexual dimorphism, diet, and reproductive
aspects for two populations (in Reserva Ecológica Rio
das Pedras-RERP and Parque Estadual Três Picos-PETP),
also including population density and biomass data.
Frogs from both populations did not differ in mean size
(RERP:8.4±1.6mm; PETP:8.8±1.1mm; F1,36=1.1,P=0.30)
nor in mass (RERP: 0.05±0.02g; PETP:0.07±0.02g;
F1,36=0.5,P=0.50). However, females from PETP were
significantly larger than males (F1,23=53.15;P<0.001). Diet
was composed by small arthropods, the most
representative by number being Acari (RERP:61.1%;
PETP:43.6%) and by volume Collembola (RERP:27.0%;
PETP:23.3%). Mean volume of the largest prey
consumed differed between areas (PETP:0.24±0.05;
N=25; RERP: 0.08±0.02; N=11; F1,34=6.38;R²=0.40;P<0.05).
Oocytes mean diameter did not differ between
populations
(PETP=1.6±0.5mm;RERP=1.4±0.5mm;F1,13=2.94;P=0.17).
Larger females produced larger oocytes
(F1,10=8.13;R=0.67;P<0.05), which may be of survival
value for developing froglets. Population density was of
4.0ind/100m² forest-floor at PETP and of 1.2ind/100m²
at RERP, whereas biomass was of 0.250g/100m² at PETP
and of 0.093g/100m² at RERP. These differences
reflected structural differences in the leaf-litter and food
resources in each area.
Fred Rocha, PhD in Ecology, works with herpetology in Brazil
mainly on population and community ecology. Presently, he
coordinates the Graduation Program in Ecology and Evolution of
Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil.
202
The impacts of climate change within the Wet Tropics
World Heritage Area are predicted to result in
extinctions of up to 58% of vertebrate species this
century. Approximately 74% of birds are thought to be
threatened by 2100. Most of the research and modelling
concerning biodiversity within the Wet Tropics has
focused on vertebrates. Only recently have the
distributions of insects been considered within the Wet
Tropics with the only study thus far, concerning
schizophoran flies, predicting extinctions of 40–50% with
a 5°C increase. However, the organisms considered most
vulnerable are those endemics which belong to
fragmented populations, have low vagility and display
specific ecological requirements such as being restricted
to high elevation rainforest habitats. Pterostichines
dominate the ground beetle fauna of the Wet Tropics.
They are generally restricted to high elevations
(>600m.a.s.l), often display species distributions limited to
single mountain ranges and are flightless. Maxent was
used to design current and predict future distributions of
ground beetles based on the latest BIOCLIM data and
point localities obtained from the CTBCC, Queensland
Museum and ANIC. These distributions were further
compared with abundance and ecophysiology data.
Kyran Staunton completed first class honours at Griffith University
under the supervision of Roger Kitching as part of the IBISCA
project and now is a PhD candidate at the CTBCC.
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Nomad trees in rainforests: do solar elevation
angles restrict them to low latitudes?
Influence of tree ferns on forest biodiversity and
dynamics in New Zealand
Chris Lusk1, Kerrie Sendall1, Robert Kooyman1
Bruce Burns1
1
Do tropical rainforest assemblages comprise more niches
than other forest biomes? Mid-latitude rainforests lack
one tree functional type that is common in the
tropics/subtropics: tall light-demanding trees with fast
foliage turnover and growth. Although commonly
called ‘pioneers’, these might be better described as
‘nomads’, as they are not confined to early succession,
also recruiting directly to the canopy in old-growth
stands by fast growth in tree-fall gaps. We explored the
influence of latitude on gap light environments as a
possible constraint on the geographic distribution of this
functional type, using YPLANT to simulate light
interception and potential carbon gain by the nomad
tree Polyscias murrayi beneath idealised gaps at tropical,
subtropical and temperate latitudes. Simulated light
interception and carbon gain were strongly influenced
by latitude, and by its interaction with position within an
idealised 100m2 gap. Net daily carbon gain of P. murrayi
was strongly positive beneath gap centres at latitude 17,
and beneath poleward gap margins at latitude 29, but
negative beneath both gap centres and margins at
latitude 42. Simulations thus supported the hypothesis
that sun angles could prevent nomads from invading
old-growth temperate rainforests. Geographic variation
in forest light environments therefore probably
influences the range of viable functional types at
different latitudes.
1
School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland
Tree ferns are a characteristic feature of northern New
Zealand forests in which they are abundant in
subcanopies and understoreys, yet their ecological roles
are poorly understood. As well as being a substantial
component of developed forest and casting deep shade,
they often establish in tree fall gaps and after disturbance
events, so are important in succession. Tree fern trunks
are formed from woody rhizomes encased by a thick
layer of adventitious rootlets, making them suitable as
surfaces for establishment of woody seedlings and other
epiphytes. This potential habitat can offer an additional
6–20% surface area per ha of forest area for such
establishment and some species use tree fern boles as
preferred habitat. Large dead tree fern fronds are an
important component of forest floor litter covering up to
1/3 of the forest floor on average, and their distribution
and abundance influence the composition of woody
seedlings. Tree ferns therefore have the potential to
markedly influence the biodiversity of northern forests
and the trajectory and rate of forest development. I
present recent research examining the mechanisms
whereby different species of tree fern inhibit or facilitate
the success of different plant species in northern New
Zealand.
Bruce Burns is a forest ecologist based at the University of
Auckland.
Chris Lusk is interested in how the processes structuring forest tree
assemblages vary across environmental gradients.
203
diseases
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Parasite infection patterns in a network of
endangered lizards: a role for dispersers?
Networks and parasite transmission in the sleepy
lizard, Tiliqua rugosa: the importance of
transmission mode
Aaron Fenner1, Stephanie Godfrey1, Michael Bull1
1
Stephanie Godfrey1, Caroline Wohlfeil1, Mike Bull1
1
Parasites are a potential threat for many endangered
species, so understanding how they are transmitted
through a population is important for conservation
management. Early models of parasite dynamics
assumed homogeneous host populations with all
individuals equally likely to become infected. More recent
studies suggest individual variation in susceptibility, plus
behaviour and social structuring within the host
population, can influence parasite transmission. We
constructed transmission networks from adjacent home
ranges in a solitary scincid, the pygmy bluetongue lizard,
and examined the associated infection patterns of two
indirectly transmitted parasites (a tick and a nematode).
We explored the role of these networks for the
movement of each parasite around the lizard
population. For ticks, we found infected individuals were
significantly more strongly connected in the network
than non-infected lizards. For nematodes, we found no
significant difference in network connectivity between
infected and uninfected individuals. However, infected
lizards were more strongly connected to drifters than
were uninfected lizards, suggesting a strong role for
non-established individuals moving through the
population, in nematode transmission.
Aaron Fenner completed his PhD in 2009 on the social
organisation of pygmy bluetongue lizards. Since then, he have
been working as a researcher for Prof Mike Bull, investigating
parasite transmission in lizards through social networks and,
understanding how the social organisation of endangered species
can be of benefit to conservation ecologists.
Flinders University
Understanding how different parasites are transmitted
through wildlife populations is essential to conservation
management. Contact networks have been used to
understand how host behaviour influences the
transmission of contagious pathogens. However, the
role of networks in the transmission of indirectly
transmitted parasites is less understood. We explored the
role of networks in predicting infection patterns in a
number of indirectly transmitted parasites in the sleepy
lizard, Tiliqua rugosa. We attached Global Positioning
System (GPS) loggers to 60 lizards during their activity
season (September–December) in 2008 and 2009, in
the mid-north of South Australia. The loggers
continuously recorded the activity and location of lizards.
From the GPS locations, we constructed networks to
model the transmission of each of the parasites through
the population, and compared the derived networks
with empirical measures of parasite load. More strongly
positioned individuals in a refuge-sharing network had
higher tick burdens. Similarly, in a space-sharing network,
individuals infected with a cestode (Oochoristica sp.)
were more strongly positioned in the network than
uninfected individuals. However, we found the opposite
relationship for nematode infection (Thelandros sp.). Our
findings suggest that networks are useful in
understanding parasite transmission for parasites in
wildlife populations, depending on their transmission
mode.
Stephanie Godfrey is a recently completed PhD student, whose
interest is in understanding the transmission of parasites in wildlife
populations; particularly in context of host social behaviour.
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Zombie snails: the ecology of Velacumantus
australis and their guild of parasitic trematodes
Resource tracking in marine parasites: going with
the flow?
Emily R Williams1
Ross Thompson1
1
Up until quite recently, the role of parasites within
ecosystems has been severely underestimated and quite
often ignored. We are, however, beginning to
understand that, far from being an oddity on the
sideline, parasites are potentially the single most
important factor shaping the evolution of animal species.
Despite our new-found appreciation of the central role
of parasites, many key host-parasite relationships remain
unclear, especially their influence on the ecology of their
hosts. The marine snails Velacumantus australis are
incredibly common in estuaries and lagoons in NSW—
their presence is vital to these habitats. The snails are also
host to several different species of parasitic trematode,
which castrate and use the snails as first intermediate
hosts before completing their lifecycles in various
crustaceans, fishes, and eventually birds. It appears that
there are size-classes of snails within the same habitats,
which are parasitised by different species of trematodes
depending on size. Here I discuss the prevalence of
larval trematodes in these snails, including previously
unreported species, and the relationship between
infection and a variety of host characteristics. By
understanding how the larval stages of trematodes are
distributed, we can focus on how this influences the
fitness of intermediate and final hosts.
Emily Williams (BSc (Marine Science, Hons I), University of Sydney,
2008) is currently enrolled in a full-time PhD at the University of
Sydney. Her supervisors at the university are Ross Coleman, Fleur
Ponton, and Ashley Ward. Emily’s research is focused on the
effects of marine parasitic trematodes on their snail hosts. These
include morphological changes, such as differences in shell-size,
and how storage of energetic reserves changes with infection
status. Emily is originally from Chicago and has been living in
Sydney for almost six years.
1
Australian Centre for Biodiversity, Monash University
Understanding how ecological patterns (such as
diversity) influence ecological processes (such as
productivity) is of broad ecological interest. Most studies
to date have investigated patterns within trophic levels,
reflecting a lack of food webs which include information
on energy flow. We added parasites to a published
marine energy-flow food web, to explore whether
parasite diversity tracks energy flow to host taxa. Parasite
diversity was high with 36 parasite taxa affecting 40 of
the 51 animal taxa. Adding parasites increased number
of trophic links per species, trophic link strength,
connectance, and food chain lengths. There was
evidence of an asymptotic relationship between parasite
diversity and energy flowing through a food chain,
although there were clear outliers. High parasite diversity
was associated with taxa which were highly connected
within the food web. It is likely that flows of energy do
have a role in promoting parasite diversity, although a
wealth of other processes are also likely to come into
play.
Ross Thompson is a community and ecosystem ecologist working
on a range of systems, from terrestrial to marine, although the
majority of his work is in freshwaters. Currently the Deputy Director
of the Australian Centre for Biodiversity at Monash University,
Ross’s work concerns the forces that determine patterns of
biodiversity, with a strong emphasis on the ways in which human
activities impact the drivers of diversity at scales from patches to
landscapes.
205
Concurrent session 5g—Threatened species: mammals
Truffles and swamp wallaby mycophagy in
eucalypt forests: patterns in diversity and
composition
Factors influencing the persistence of the New
Holland mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) at
the landscape scale
Melissa Danks1, Karl Vernes1, Nigel Andrew2, Teresa Lebel3
Jason Mumbulla1
1
2
Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Zoology,
University of New England, 3National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal
Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Truffle-like fungi are critical components of forested
landscapes; their below-ground sporocarps are an
important food resource for mycophagous (funguseating) mammals, which are, in turn, important spore
dispersers. We sampled truffle-like sporocarps and
swamp wallaby faecal pellets in three eucalyptdominated vegetation types over summer and winter to
test whether swamp wallabies consumed sporocarps in
relation to their availability in the soil. Grassy woodland
and wet forest sites were more species rich than dry
forest sites. Richness was greater in winter than in
summer. At landscape-scale, fewer species were
detected in the swamp wallaby diet than the sporocarp
community, but at a local scale, diet richness did not
differ significantly from community richness. Diet and
community composition were significantly different at
landscape-scale, while at local-scale this varied by
vegetation type and season. Swamp wallabies
consumed only ~30% of the taxa detected in sporocarp
surveys but half of their diet consisted of taxa not
detected in surveys. Our results suggest that diet data
from a generalist mycophagist can complement
sporocarp surveys in assessing truffle sporocarp diversity.
Better understanding of truffle diversity and mammalfungal interactions will inform management of forest
biodiversity and ecological processes.
Melissa Danks is nearing completion of her PhD research on truffle
diversity and the fungus-feeding habit of the swamp wallaby, one
of Australia’s common yet poorly understood mammals.
206
1
UNSW Honours student
Twenty-seven mammal species have become extinct in
Australia since European colonisation, including nine
species of rodent from the Pseudomys Group of old
endemic rodents. Many Pseudomys rodent species have
experienced distributional reductions over the last 220
years and now occur as disjunct populations. One
method of conservation is the reintroduction of species
into formally occupied areas, for which identification of
sites most likely to support successful reintroduction is
critical. For species with a formerly large geographic
range, extensive onsite assessment may be cost
prohibitive or logistically impossible. In this study, a
species distribution model using presence-only data and
the Maxent algorithm was constructed to assess the
persistence of the New Holland mouse (Pseudomys
novaehollandiae) throughout its former range in south
east Australia for the period 1995–2006. Two temporally
dynamic and five static ecologically derived landscape
level predictors were used to make a fast and costeffective assessment from which more detailed surveys
can be developed. Tested variables included climate, fire
history, vegetation type and productivity, soil type and
geographical characteristics.
Jason Mumbulla is completing a Bachelor of Science with Honours
at the University of NSW. He is also undertaking a cadetship in
ecology with CSIRO.
Ecology and conservation of threatened species
red panda in the kingdom of Bhutan
Comparing koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
detection methods: implications for the
conservation of low-density populations
Sangay Dorji1,2, Rajanathan Rajaratnam3, Karl Vernes2
1
Jigme Dorji National Park, Department of Forests and Park
Services, Bhutan, 2Ecosystem Management, University of New
England, 3Geography and Planning, University of New England
Bhutan is a global biodiversity hotspot located at the
juncture of two biogeographical realms (Palearctic and
Indo-Malayan) in the Eastern Himalayas. It is home to the
nocturnal red panda (Ailurus fulgens), a poorly known
flagship species found in subtropical and temperate
forest at altitudes between 1500–4800 m asl. Red panda
habitat plots (n=132) were established and seasonally
monitored in the temperate forest zone of Jigme Dorji
and Thrumshingla National Parks, Bhutan. Based on
pellets and sightings, we documented 61 records of red
pandas at altitudes between 2000–4200 m asl, with the
majority of records (n=49) occurring at altitudes
between 2200–3700 m asl. Red pandas preferred fir
(Abies densa) forest and were significantly associated
with bamboo cover, water sources and canopy cover.
However, seasonal, foraging movements were subject
to the availability of fruiting trees, young bamboo shoots
and flowering bamboo. Primary threats to red pandas
were anthropogenic activities namely road construction,
livestock grazing, subsistence agriculture, and collection
of timber, firewood and bamboo. Due to their
specialised habitat requirements and cryptic nature, we
advocate the monitoring of key habitat variables in
temperate forest as a strategy towards conserving red
pandas living in sympatry with humans in the kingdom
of Bhutan.
Sangay Dorji is a Masters student in University of New England
and works for the Department of Forests and Park Services in
Bhutan. He has done the study on Distribution and Conservation
of the Red Panda in Bhutan as part of his Master in Resource
Science.
Alexa Mossaz1, James Guy Castley1,2, Jean-Marc Hero1
1
Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith School of Environment,
International Centre for Ecotourism Research, Griffith School of
Environment
2
The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a cryptic species,
difficult to detect through direct census methods based
on visual observations. However, current population
assessments rely primarily on direct methods such as
distance sampling, thereby biasing the detection of
koala, particularly in low density populations. Indirect
methods relying on presence-absence of faecal pellets
can improve the detection of koala activity. This project
compared direct and indirect koala survey methods
within an urban Queensland remnant, where a lowdensity koala population was expected. Fieldwork was
conducted by applying distance sampling, spotlighting
and presence-absence of scats on 33 permanent plots
using a systematic approach (PPBio LTER plots). Results
demonstrated that the presence-absence SAT technique
was more efficient than direct observations in detecting
the presence of koala. Scats were found on more than
60% of plots providing a measure of the relative koala
activity across the landscape. Furthermore, the
systematic scat sampling allowed the analysis of the
spatial distribution and tree species preferences of koala
within the remnant. However, only two koalas were
detected during distance sampling surveys. This survey
confirms the inaccuracy of visual observation methods in
detecting koala, and highlights the implications this has
for the conservation of small isolated koala populations.
Alexa Mossaz has recently completed her Honours at Griffith
University where she investigated survey methods for koala in
urban landscapes. She has in interest in terrestrial ecology and
applied conservation biology.
207
Home range dynamics and habitat selection of
Macaca nigra at Tangkoko Batuangus Nature
Reserve, Indonesia
Trina Tallei1, Saroyo Sumarto1
1
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Sam Ratulangi
University
Macaca nigra (Desmarest, 1822), a crested black
macaque, is a critically endangered species inhabiting
rainforest of Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve. There
is a group called Rambo with its population estimated to
be 97 individuals with the home range of 406 km2 in
1994. There have been other groups also with smaller
size in number. Ten years later, this Rambo group was
divided into two smaller groups (Rambo I and Rambo II)
with roughly 50 to 60 individuals per group. Home
range of Rambo I was 119 km2 while Rambo II was 232
km2. The size of individuals in both groups were stable
until 2008 (and presumably in 2010), but their home
range has become wider. This is caused by habitat
fragmentation as well as biodiversity loss in this area.
There are relationships amongst habitat quality and the
width of home range, the length of day range, and the
proportion of their daily activities. Habitat fragmentation
and biodiversity loss are shown to affect home range
dynamics and habitat selection.
Trina Tallei is a molecular geneticists, involved actively in
biodiversity and wildlife conservation in North Sulawesi, presented
papers in international conference including Unesco Word
Conference in Education for Sustainable Development in Bonn
2009.
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Habitat heterogeneity increases the resilience of
plant populations to extreme drought and climate
change
Investigating current and future climatic hotspots
for Australia’s weeds of national significance
1
2
3
4
Robert Godfree , Brendan Lepschi , April Reside , Terry Bolger ,
1
1
5
Bruce Robertson , David Marshall , Malcolm Carnegie
1
2
Jessica O’Donnell1, Peter Wilson1, Michelle Leishman1, Lesley
Hughes1, Paul Downey1, Rachael Gallagher1
1
3
CSIRO Plant Industry, Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO
Climate Adaptation Flagship, 4EcoLao Consultants, 5The Lake
Cowal Foundation
It has been hypothesised that the inclusion of large-scale
topographic variability within conservation reserves may
be an effective strategy for protecting plant biodiversity
under climate change. However, the spatial scale
required to capture sufficient variation in the resilience of
plant populations to extreme climatic events remains
largely unknown for most species. Here we report the
results of a three year investigation into the response of
the dominant temperate grass species Austrostipa
aristiglumis to an exceptionally severe drought in central
NSW. Analysis of habitat-specific matrix-based population
models show that as little as 0.2 to 3 m of topographic
variation generates significant variation in the resilience
and resistance of A. aristiglumis populations to drought,
with intrinsic population growth rates being highest in
mesic low-lying drought refugia. Continental-scale
predictive species distribution models show that similar
riverine habitats significantly extend the realised niche of
A. aristiglumis in drier parts of its range. Our data suggest
that while the distribution and abundance of semi-arid
plant species in Australia could rapidly shift under climate
change, the protection of mesic refugia could be a
useful strategy for enhancing the spatial resilience of atrisk plant populations at both small and large spatial
scales.
Robert Godfree is a Senior Research Scientist as CSIRO whose main
areas of research include plant population dynamics, invasion
ecology and the role of extreme climatic events
Assessments of weed risk are based on numerous traits
including current and potential distribution, however
potential distribution under climate change is not yet
officially incorporated into weed risk management
systems. We used the bioclimatic model Maxent to
determine climatic suitability across Australia for each of
the 71 Australian Weeds of National Significance
(WoNS), based on their global distribution. The resulting
climate envelopes were projected onto predicted climate
surfaces for 2020 and 2050. We combined all 71 climate
suitability maps to construct maps of overall climate
suitability for the WoNS species for each time period.
Currently regions within south east Australia from
Rockhampton to Adelaide have the highest overall
climatic suitability (climate hotspots). By 2050 however
these hotspots are primarily restricted to Victoria and
Tasmania. The majority of WoNS are distributed in
southern regions exposed to greater levels of climate
warming, and showed the greatest overall projected
reductions in both bioclimatic range and intensity by
2050. In contrast, the few northern distributed WoNS
increased or maintained both their projected bioclimatic
range and intensity. Our results suggest that exotic
plants adapted to tropical climates are likely to be
favoured, or at least unhindered by climate change, and
this information should be factored into assessments of
future weed threat.
Jessica O’Donnell is currently working at Macquarie University in
collaboration with NSW DECCW, investigating the effects of
climate change on invasive plants, as part of an ARC linkage grant.
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Maximising representation of faunal assemblages
under climate change
Ecologically relevant information is required to
improve climate change forecasts for small
mammals
Gilad Bino1, Daniel Ramp1, Richard Kingsford1
1
Australian Wetlands and Rivers Centre, School of Biological, Earth
and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales
Climate change is predicted to produce both expansion
and contraction of species ranges. Problematically,
predicted changes typically focus on single species,
disregarding biotic interactions and community
associations. To overcome this, incorporation of multispecies fauna information in environmental decision
making is crucial for robust regional-scale conservation.
We quantified mammal clusters from predicted
distributions and examined the effectiveness of the NSW
reserve system in representing those clusters. To do this,
we modelled the distribution of 60 terrestrial mammal
species across NSW. We then grouped species using an
unsupervised clustering procedure and depicted
mammal-oriented ecological regions within NSW,
examining their agreement with existing bioregions.
Several mammal clusters were poorly represented,
mainly in mid-west NSW. We then examined the
resilience of the clusters to anticipated climatic changes.
Using IPCC projections we identified stable and unstable
clusters residing within the NSW reserve system.
Significant reductions in representation were observed in
the north-west and north-east of NSW. Our technique
provides a valuable basis for devising strategies for
increasing mammal representation within reserve
systems. More importantly, we provide a method for
identifying climate resilient communities, enabling the
prioritisation of management efforts in favour of stable
areas.
Gilad Bino completed his BSc and MSc at the Hebrew university of
Jerusalem. Currently is a PhD candidate at the Australian Wetlands
and Rivers Centre in the University of New South Wales.
Nerissa Haby1, Steven Delean1, Jeff Foulkes2, Barry Brook1
1
The Environment Institute and School of Earth and Environmental
Sciences, University of Adelaide, 2Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, SA
Climate change impacts on species’ range extent and
distribution are often predicted at coarse scales that
simplify the configuration of important environmental
features across the landscape, and rarely include
population dynamics. As a consequence, speculated
range shifts, contractions or expansions may be left
unrealised. The conservation of some vertebrate species
is already threatened by local extinctions and the
subsequent failure to recolonise remnant habitat. This
suggests the founding of new populations in more
suitable climatic areas via landscape-scale dispersal may
be naturally impossible, leaving populations to persist,
decline or disappear across a species’ range.
To more accurately identify populations whose
persistence is potentially at increased risk in a changing
climate, we predicted the future range and distribution
of four small mammals using multiple scale
environmental data. Species distribution models were
generated at contrasting scales, and combined with
population demographic models in RAMAS GIS to
predict species metapopulation structure. The potential
influence of climate change on species range extent and
distribution, was then assessed using three climate
change scenarios, from 2000 to 2040.
Incorporating ecologically relevant environmental and
demographic information into climate change impact
models, may improve our capacity to make informed
decisions regarding the conservation of Australia’s small
ground-dwelling mammals.
With 8 years experience in threatened species monitoring and
survey projects, Nerissa Haby returned to the University of
Adelaide to work on the potential impacts of climate change on
small mammals.
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Exploring thermal constraints in the germination
niche
When, if ever, to move species in the face of
climate change
Anne Cochrane1, Matthew Daws2, Fiona Hay3
Tara Martin1, Eve McDonald-Madden1,3, Mike Runge2, Hugh
Possingham3
1
Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation,
WA, 2Royal Botanic Gardens, UK and Energy Resources of
Australia, NT, 3TT Chang Genetic Resources Center, International
Rice Research Institute, Philippines
Niche characteristics can be powerful indicators of
species sensitivities to climate change. By measuring one
dimension of the niche (for example, germination) and
studying the rate of change in that feature over time (vis.
a vis. projected climate scenarios) we can gain insight
into the effects of a warming climate on plant species
persistence.
In obligate seeding species, the germination niche is
influenced by demographic processes such as seedling
recruitment and seed bank dynamics, crucial for
colonisation and population survival. Seeds germinate
over a range of temperatures within which there is an
optimum temperature, with thresholds above and
below which no germination occurs. Germination is a
high risk phase in a plant’s life-cycle, and is directly
regulated by temperature. We suggest that abrupt
changes in temperature associated with a warming
climate may cause a disconnect between temperatures
seeds experience and temperatures over which
germination is able to occur. Such a mis-match in the
germination niche of obligate seeding species could
render them vulnerable to decline and extinction. Using
a temperature gradient system we have identified
thermal constraints on the germination niche for a
number of endemic species from southern Western
Australia.
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research
Center, 3The Ecology Centre, University of Queensland
Predicted impacts of climate change on our natural
world are leading many to consider drastic
management interventions. One controversial option is
assisted migration, the movement of species to new
areas that may be more suitable as the climate changes.
While discussion continues about the wisdom of assisted
migration, no one has asked when we should move a
species if we decide assisted migration is warranted. By
placing assisted migration into a clear decision-making
framework we show that several key factors influence
when or if species should be moved in the face of
climate change. We demonstrate that active learning, to
reduce critical uncertainty about climate change
impacts, strongly affects the optimal timing of assisted
migration. Our framework not only enables decisions
about assisted migration but also provides a platform for
advancing decision-making given uncertainties
associated with climate change.
Tara Martin is a research scientist with CSIRO and adjunct Professor
with University of British Columbia and University of Queensland.
She is a pioneer in the field of optimal conservation resource
allocation, using decision theory to develop frameworks for
making more efficient and effective decisions in face of global
change
Anne Cochrane is a seed scientist, manages the WA State
seedbank and has recently commenced a PhD at ANU
investigating population variation in seed/seedling traits along a
climate gradient.
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Thursday 9 December
Concurrent session 6a—Climate change
1100, Room T3, MCC
1115, Room T3, MCC
Testing the accuracy of species distribution models:
range shifts of Australian butterflies
Effects of climate change and fire regimes on the
structure and viability of three Banksia
metapopulations
Katherine McClellan1, Lesley Hughes1
1
David Keith1, John Morgan2, Colin Yates3, Jane Elith4
1
Species distribution models (SDMs) are popular tools for
projecting potential distributions of species in the future.
The accuracy of these projections have rarely been
validated with field data. In this study, butterflies were
used to test the accuracy and utility of an SDM. Two
experiments were conducted. In the first, the model was
parameterised using past climatic data and projected
onto the current climate. In the second, the model was
parameterised using the current climate and projected
on to the past. The current climate models were
validated with field surveys to determine if butterflies
were present at (i) locations identified as suitable habitat
but where they had not been detected before and (ii)
locations where the butterflies had previously been
collected but were now identified as unsuitable. We
found that the accuracy of models (i.e. how well models
represented known butterfly locations) depended on: (1)
time-period from which the combination of ‘best’
variables were selected; (2) whether the model was
original or projected; and (3) the combination of
variables selected. This research provides a method to
test and quantify the level of confidence that we can
place on future projections of species distributions.
Katherine McClellan is a PhD student studying the impacts of
climate change on Australian butterflies and how realistic
projections of species distribution models are.
NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water,
La Trobe University, 3WA Department of Environment and
Conservation, 4Melbourne University
2
Responses of biodiversity to climate change are difficult
to predict. Various mechanisms have been proposed for
responses at the individual and population level,
including metabolic and thermo-regulatory responses,
changes in vital rates and habitat carrying capacity,
increased frequencies of drought and fire, changes to
phenology, etc. Despite, the accumulation of some
empirical data on these mechanisms, predictions about
the fates of species are still largely correlative, with an
emphasis on bioclimatic modelling approaches. On their
own, these approaches cannot account for processes
related to life-history, demography, dispersal, landscape
dynamics and disturbance regimes, any of which could
produce qualitatively different responses to those
predicted by shifts in bioclimatic habitat alone. To
examine these effects, we applied a new approach that
couples metapopulation models with bioclimatic habitat
models to three Banksia species from different bioregions
of southern Australia. The species have structurally similar
life histories and all occur in fire-prone sclerophyllous
habitats, but differ in demographic parameters as well as
distribution. A comparative wealth of demographic
studies and survey data provide a strong basis for
development of detailed models of habitat suitability and
metapopulation dynamics. We use the models to
explore the effects of different scenarios of climate
change and fire management on the viability and
structure of the metapopulations.
David Keith’s interests include empirical and modelling studies of
plant populations and communities, and their application to
biodiversity conservation.
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1130, Room T3, MCC
1145, Room T3, MCC
Functional diversity and climate change
Adaptive management for climate change
adaptation: when the law comes in handy
Rachael Gallagher1, Lesley Hughes1, Michelle Leishman1
1
Alexander Gold1
1
Will community reassembly as a result of climate change
lead to changes in functional diversity? Although species
are expected to shift their ranges to track optimal
conditions as climate changes we know little about how
their differing responses may affect the structure of
communities. In particular, we lack an understanding of
how community reassembly may affect the distribution
of functional traits that underpin ecosystem processes.
The need to ‘scale-up’ from species to community level
responses and predict the loss or gain of function is an
essential step for planning adaptation and restoration
approaches in coming decades. To address this question
we combined the output of ecological niche models
under future climate scenarios for 160 climbing plants
with data on their functional traits and illustrate how
projected changes in species diversity in an endangered
ecological community—littoral rainforests—may affect the
functional composition of these communities in 2020,
2050 and 2080. Using data on seed mass, leaf mass per
area, leaf size and dispersal mode we demonstrate a
new approach for understanding the threat posed by
climate change at the community level.
Rachael Gallagher is a PhD candidate until June next year. She is
widely interested in vegetation responses to global change.
Institute of Environmental Studies, UNSW
Designing strategies to allow for successful adaptation of
natural resources and landscapes to the impacts of
climate change is of high importance to decision-makers.
At the same time, the predicted impacts of climate
change at local and regional scales relevant to decisionmakers are often accompanied with uncertainty.
Research suggests that decisions of high socio-ecological
importance plagued with high levels of uncertainty
deserve an adaptive management approach. However,
global attempts to apply adaptive management have
met with limited success.
In collaboration with Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment
Management Authority (HNCMA) in New South Wales,
adaptive management was used as a framework for
HNCMA climate change adaptation strategy. NSW
CMAs are legally required to apply the Standard for
Quality Natural Resource Management, which promotes
the achievement of catchment goals through adaptive
management. Inflexible laws and regulations are often
cited as barriers to adaptive approaches. However, the
Standard’s mandate for adaptive management has
fostered awareness within HNCMA of the importance of
collective knowledge generation, explicit recognition of
uncertainty, and flexible planning for climate change.
Importantly, adaptive management is seen as an
overarching framework for the entirety of climate
change adaptation strategy rather than as an
afterthought to business-as-usual approaches.
Alexander Gold is a PhD candidate at UNSW. After Honours and
Master’s research in the biological sciences, Alexander is now
interested in how science is applied to environmental decisionmaking.
213
1200, Room T3, MCC
1215, Room T3, MCC
The relative impacts of climate change versus
management on ecological condition: which is
bigger?
Observed responses of Australasian species and
communities to recent climate trends
Rebecca Lester1, Peter Fairweather1
1
Lesley Hughes1
1
Recent public debate on the future of aquatic
ecosystems in Australia assumes that climate change will
pose the biggest single challenge to ecological
condition. However, the relative magnitude of effects of
climate change has not been compared to those
associated with current management practices in many
instances. Furthermore, any interaction between the
two or effects of changes in management are often
poorly understood. Here, we present a case study
decoupling the effects of climate change and
management actions on the ecological condition of the
Coorong, the estuary for the Murray–Darling Basin. We
use a series of coupled models, including the outputs of
hydrologic, hydrodynamic and ecological response
models, to predict the biotic assemblages of the
Coorong under a range of scenarios. By assessing this
series of scenarios, we are able to untangle the effects of
climate change from those due to management and
can illustrate that the relativities of current and future
management are at least as large as climate change in
determining likely future ecological condition in the
Coorong. This information is critical for the formulation
of management responses to climate change for the
Murray–Darling Basin and lessons drawn from this case
study are relevant for aquatic systems worldwide.
Rebecca Lester is an aquatic ecologist. Her research includes largescale ecological processes, finding methods to better combine
human use with better ecological outcomes and ecological
response modelling.
214
There is now clear evidence that changes in
temperature, rainfall, and extreme events over the past
century have already had significant impacts on the
abundance, distribution, phenology and physiology of a
wide range of species. A number of reviews published
over the past decade have documented trends such as
shifts in species distributions toward the poles or upward
in elevation, and progressively earlier life cycle events
such as flowering, reproduction and migration. The vast
majority of examples included in these reviews are from
the Northern Hemisphere, reflecting both the greater
availability of long-term datasets in North America and
Europe, and the number of scientists. This talk presents a
recently compiled synthesis of published trends in
natural systems, both terrestrial and marine, from the
Australasian region. The magnitude and direction of
these trends are compared to those found globally.
Those species and communities displaying the most
sensitivity to recent climate trends are identified with a
view to identifying priorities for conservation and risk
management.
Lesley Hughes is lead author on the IPCC 4th Assessment Report,
co-convenor of the NCCARF Terrestrial Biodiversity Adaptation
Research Network, interested in climate change impacts on species
for about 20 years.
Concurrent session 6b—Symposium: Monitoring for a purpose: optimal monitoring and
management of cryptic or declining populations
1100, Room T4, MCC
1115, Room T4, MCC
Rules of thumb for managing or surveying
networks of pests, diseases and endangered
species
Monitoring for surprise: is it a legitimate purpose for
monitoring?
1
1
2
Brendan Wintle1, Mike Runge2, Sarah Bekessy3
3
Iadine Chades , Tara Martin , Sam Nicol , Mark Burgman ,
2
1,2
Hugh Possingham , Yvonne Buckley
1
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 2The University of Queensland, 3The
We present general solutions for the management of
connected sub-populations of pests, diseases and
endangered species arranged in a network. The efficient
management of diseases, pests or endangered species is
important in a world constrained by limited resources
where agencies are expected to do more with less. The
challenge of managing new incursions is even greater
when the species or diseases are cryptic and impossible
to detect perfectly. We ask how long and where we
should manage or survey in priority? We discovered
simple and robust rules of thumb for managing network
motifs that hold when motifs are combined in larger
formations. The same solutions hold for both the
eradication of pests and the conservation of endangered
species; the best location to manage or survey for a pest
or a disease on a network is also the best location to
protect or survey for an endangered species. Our results
provide a practical basis to manage networks, relevant to
many significant environmental, biosecurity and human
health issues.
Iadine Chades initially trained as a researcher in artificial
intelligence and optimisation, and then turned towards ecology to
solve complex conservation problems. In particular Dr Chades is
interested in providing management guidance over time and
space when species are difficult to detect and spatially connected.
1
School of Botany, University of Melbourne, 2USGS Patuxent
Research Center, 3School of Global Studies, Social Science and
Planning, RMIT
There is a growing view that to make efficient use of
resources, ecological monitoring should be hypothesisdriven and targeted to address specific management
questions. ‘Targeted’ monitoring has been contrasted
with other approaches in which a range of quantities
are monitored in case they exhibit an alarming trend or
provide ad hoc ecological insights. The second form of
monitoring, described as surveillance, has been criticised
because it doesn’t usually aim to discern between
competing hypotheses, and its benefits are harder to
identify a priori. The alternative view is that the existence
of surveillance data may enable rapid corroboration of
emerging hypotheses or help to detect important
‘unknown unknowns’ that, if undetected, could lead to
catastrophic outcomes or missed opportunities. We
derive a model to evaluate and compare the efficiency
of investments in surveillance and targeted monitoring.
We find that a decision to invest in surveillance
monitoring may be defensible if (i) the surveillance
design is more likely to discover or corroborate
previously unknown phenomena than a targeted
design, AND (ii) the expected benefits (or avoided costs)
arising from discovery are substantially higher than the
those arising from a well-planned targeted design. Our
examination highlights the importance of being explicit
about the objectives, costs and expected benefits of
monitoring in a decision analytic framework.
Brendan Wintle is a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne,
theme leader in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental
Decisions, and Deputy Director of DEWHA’s Applied
Environmental Decision Analysis Research Hub.
215
1130, Room T4, MCC
1145, Room T4, MCC
Optimal monitoring of indicators: why sensibly
incorporating costs will help managers select the
right species
Monitoring a cryptic invasive species: fallow deer
on Kangaroo Island
Ayesha Tulloch1, Hugh Possingham1, Kerrie Wilson1
1
Pip Masters1, Richard Southgate2
Kangaroo Island NRM Board, 2Envisage Environmental Services
1
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland
Objective approaches are needed to select species for
monitoring management effectiveness and to justify
conservation investments. Prioritisation methods that
incorporate uncertainty and likelihood of success are
crucial to avoid costly mistakes. We developed and
applied two approaches for selecting the most costeffective and informative indicator species with a case
study of monitoring investments in invasive predator
control in south-western Australia. We compared species
selected by a qualitative approach involving experts
scoring 17 criteria for 12 potential indicators, to a
quantitative metric based on empirical data for a subset
of criteria. Both approaches accounted for the
monitoring cost, leverage, data uncertainty and the risk
of choosing an un-representative or un-informative
indicator, albeit in different ways. The indicator species
selected by the quantitative metric was the western
brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula. When costs
were explicitly considered in the scoring approach, the
top-ranked species was again T. vulpecula, whereas
when costs were not sensibly incorporated, indicator
rankings changed considerably. Despite being based on
qualitative information, a scoring approach that
accounts for monitoring costs has the potential to
prioritise the same species as a quantitative metric based
on empirical data. However, the quantitative metric was
more robust than the qualitative approach, and allowed
evaluation of data uncertainty in a transparent way,
presenting a more objective approach that enables
explicit selection of the most informative indicator for
monitoring management actions.
Ayesha Tulloch undertook management-focused ecological
research in national parks of NSW then managed environmental
restoration projects for a non-government organisation before
beginning a PhD evaluating investments in conservation with the
Spatial Ecology Lab at the University of Qld.
216
The Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management
Board embarked on an eradication program for fallow
deer in 2005 following an escape from a deer farm in
1999. The number of escapees is unknown but by the
start of the program there were in excess of 250 deer
distributed over an area of around 920 km2. Fallow deer
are a cryptic species making them hard to detect at low
densities and therefore the assessment of the success (or
failure) of management is difficult. This talk will focus on
three methods which have been used to identify the
success of management techniques:
•
annual monitoring of changes in distribution and
occupancy by searching for signs on dams
•
hunting effort, or the number shot per hour of
hunting
•
population characteristics of culled deer.
Pip Masters has worked on feral animal control on Kangaroo Island
for over 12 years. Prior to this Pip worked in arid Australia on fire
ecology and an endangered mammal species called the mulgara.
1200, Room T4, MCC
1215, Room T4, MCC
Western Shield fauna recovery program—a
learning experience in monitoring and evaluation
of fauna populations
Optimising fauna surveys for predicting species
distributions for bioregional assessment
Juanita Renwick1, Peter Orell1, Nisha Powell1, John Asher1
1
1
The Western Australian Department of Environment and
Conservation (DEC) launched the Western Shield
program in 1996 to bring native fauna species back
from the brink of extinction by controlling foxes and cats
with 1080 poison. The program operates over more
than 3.9million hectares of conservation reserves and
State forest and has 35 monitoring sites spread across
DECs South West, Wheatbelt, Goldfields and Midwest
management regions.
An important part of the Western Shield program has
been monitoring the response of native fauna to broadscale predator control. Given early successes in
facilitating fauna recovery, monitoring was only
designed to measure relative changes in populations to
show recovery. When declines and collapses in various
fauna populations occurred in the early 2000s it became
clear that the monitoring was inadequate to provide
evidence of possible causes to facilitate an adaptive
management approach to conserving fauna and
promoting recovery.
So how can the monitoring program be improved to
provide the necessary information to support adaptive
management and reflect the objectives of Western
Shield? A recent review investigated the critical
information gaps between what is desired from a
Western Shield monitoring program and what is
currently being achieved. The outcomes of the review
are presented here.
Gilad Bino1, Daniel Ramp1, Richard Kingsford1
and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales
Monitoring is often conducted at local scales, driven by
specific targets, available logistics, and funding. In
contrast, conservation planning is mostly driven by
regional patterns in biodiversity. Improving the utility of
monitoring databases for decision making requires
regionally-appropriate monitoring strategies. A key facet
is those survey methods employed. Methods used to
detect species vary greatly: hence there is considerable
benefit in optimising survey strategies to provide better
species coverage at regional scales. Here we quantified
the contribution of species’ location points collected
from different survey methods to species distributions of
53 mammal species across NSW. We quantified spatiallyoptimised survey combinations across NSW and within
18 bioregions. Survey methods varied in their utility in
contributing to multi-species inventories at regional
scales. We identified the minimum set of survey methods
capable of efficiently predicting the distribution of all
mammals across NSW and for each bioregion. Not all
fauna survey methods conducted at local scales are
useful for regional biodiversity assessment. We
demonstrate how to identify spatially-optimised
combinations of survey methods for predicting multiple
species distributions. Given survey costs and limited
budgets, our framework can be used to guide managers
in allocating scarce resources by identifying effective
combinations of survey methods.
Gilad Bino completed his BSc and MSc at the Hebrew university of
Jerusalem. Currently is a PhD candidate at the Australian Wetlands
and Rivers Centre in the University of New South Wales.
Juanita Renwick works for the Department of Environment and
Conservation in Western Australia. Her current role is Zoologist for
the Western Shield program involved with monitoring critical
weight range mammals.
217
Concurrent session 6c—Symposium: Dissecting Australian diversity: the key to understanding
global biodiversity
1100, Room T5, MCC
1115, Room T5, MCC
Correlations among plants, animals, and people in
Australia: causes and/or effects
Three ways that theory fails conservation biologists
and what we can do about it
Michael Huston1
Don Driscoll1, David Lindenmayer1
1
Texas State University
The patterns of the natural world, from subatomic
particles through biomes to galaxies, are the input that
drives scientific creativity, as well as the data against
which all hypotheses must be tested. The search for
general laws or explanations seems to have made much
more progress at the atomic and galactic scales than at
the intermediate scales of biology, ecology, and
evolution. Fortuitously, the environmental conditions
found across the lands and seas of Australia represent
much of the range of environmental conditions on
Earth, and so may provide most of the information we
need to understand the ecology of the entire planet.
Recent continental-scale analyses of Australian plant
diversity and endemism reveal striking patterns that are
correlated with environmental conditions and animal
responses in a manner that contradicts major ecological
and evolutionary hypotheses about the regulation of
biodiversity. Globally, biodiversity is thought to increase
with productivity to a maximum in highly productive
tropical rain forests. Australia has high diversity
rainforests, but also very high plant diversity in arid shrub
lands on nutrient-poor soils. The ecological properties of
animals, including humans and marine organisms, reveal
strong patterns that may help clarify the processes that
regulate biodiversity. A careful examination of ecological
patterns across Australia may provide the key to major
questions that have remained unanswered since the
time of Darwin and Wallace.
Professor Michael Huston’s work is focused on understanding the
causes of observed patterns in ecological properties at special
scales ranging from a field or forest to the entire globe. Although
his research has been primarily on spatial patterns and temporal
dynamics of plant communities, he is extending his theories and
analysis to explore patterns related to animals in the oceans and
on land, including humans. His work over the past 35 years has
involved elements of hydrology, geology, soil science, plant
physiology, and forest dynamics, as well as ecological theory and
modelling. Most recently he has been exploring the common
factors that influence both natural ecosystems and human
societies, particularly human health, wealth, and poverty. Over the
past several years he has been increasingly active in efforts to apply
ecological principles to issues of land management and
sustainable development.
218
1
Fenner School of Environment and Society
The sub-discipline of conservation biology has a strong
theoretical pedigree and commonly encompasses
theories of island biogeography, demography,
metapopulations and fragmentation. These ecological
theories should form a strong platform for prediction
and application, research planning and communication.
That’s in theory. In practice, ecological theory usually fails
to meet these expectations, through their naive
application, ad-hoc development and continuing
pressure to publish new and novel ideas. In this talk we
will present evidence showing that theory fails to have
useful predictive value, that the heuristic value of theory
is over-stated and easily replaced, and that, rather than
supporting communication, current use of theory can
undermine effective communication among
conservation biologists. Nevertheless, theoretical
concepts continue to be applied, so there is substantial
urgency for ecologists to develop and use theory in a
more effective manner. We present a (new and novel)
framework aimed at resolving the major limitations of
current applications of theory. We think such an
approach has the potential to accelerate the capacity of
ecologists to solve problems in conservation biology.
Don Driscoll is a Fellow in the Fenner School of Environment and
Society at the Australian National University. His research interests
include the role of dispersal in conservation and fire ecology.
1130, Room T5, MCC
1145, Room T5, MCC
The effect of species range estimation methods on
richness and phylogenetic diversity estimates
Biodiverse—a tool for the spatial dissection of
diversity
Mayra Amboni1, Shawn Laffan1
Shawn Laffan1, Dan Rosauer1,2, Eugene Lubarsky2
1
University of New South Wales
Biodiversity assessments has been shown to be an useful
tool for conservation planning and for biogeographical
or macroecological analyses. Nevertheless, the method
used to define species ranges will affect the resulting
species distributions. To assess this effect, we estimated
richness and phylogenetic diversity (PD) across Australia
using species distributions derived from four range
estimation methods. (1) ‘Range-wide occurrences’ (RW)
are related to museum records, with the geographic
records representing presence points; (2) ‘Marginal
occurrences’ (MO) are generally expert drawn
distributional maps; (3) ‘Statistical modelling’ (SDM)
combines geographic records and environmental data
to predict species occurrence; and (4) a ‘combined’ (Co)
approach that combines both SDM and MO by
constraining the SDM predictions by the MO ranges.
The RW approach underestimated the presence of
species, and therefore had low richness and PD scores.
Conversely, the SDM overestimated it. The MO and Co
approaches had intermediate richness and PD scores.
Co showed a finer level of detail than MO, and making it
potentially useful for regional and smaller scale studies.
MO should be considered when data is not available, for
example when research is done at continental or global
scales.
1
School of BEES, UNSW, 2Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research,
CSIRO Plant Industry
Analysis tools are essential for biodiversity research.
Biodiverse is a tool that has been developed for the
spatial analysis of diversity. It provides a visualisation
environment through which users can visualise the
spatial distribution of species, from micro- to macroscales, linking dynamically with additional data such as
from phylogenies and matrices of genetic dissimilarity. It
provides a platform for both moving window and cluster
analyses, with more than 200 indices currently
implemented to enable researchers to address questions
related to diversity of species, taxonomies, phylogenies,
environment and temporal variations. Finally, it provides
a randomisation framework to enable hypothesis testing
of the analysis results. Results can be exported to
spreadsheet and GIS compatible formats for further
analysis and combination. Biodiverse is free and open
source software. It can be downloaded from
http://www.purl.org/biodiverse.
Shawn Laffan is a senior lecturer in GIS at UNSW. His research
interests are in Geographic Information Systems and spatial data
analysis.
Mayra Amboni studied diet and food availability for maned-wolf
during her masters. She commenced a PhD in 2008, under
supervision of Shawn Laffan, working on spatial analysis of
Australian marsupials diversity.
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1200, Room T5, MCC
1215, Room T5, MCC
Effects of climate on wildlife population dynamics
Patterns of arthropod diversity in a shrubencroached landscape: the effect of shrub species
and resource concentration
Maria Boyle1, Jim Hone1
1
The population dynamics of wildlife species can be
associated with large-scale climate indices such as the
North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the El NinoSouthern Oscillation (SOI). Here we report on the effects
of climate on population dynamics, as annual r, of the
grey heron (Ardea cinerea) and barn owl (Tyto alba) in
Britain, and the western grey kangaroo (Macropus
fuliginosus) and red kangaroo (M. rufus) in South
Australia. Linear, non-linear, additive, and interactive
relationships between population dynamics, climate,
density, and food were developed and analysed using
multiple working hypotheses. For herons, NAO and
density were most influential on r. For owls, density and
food, not the NAO were most influential. For western
grey kangaroos, SOI and harvesting or rainfall and
density were most influential, and for red kangaroos the
SOI had most influence. Best models varied in their ability
to predict annual r. The NAO had the strongest effects
on herons, intermediate (positive and negative) effects
on kangaroos, and the weakest effect on owls. In
conclusion climate had a variable effect on wildlife
population dynamics.
Maria Boyle completed Honours at the University of Canberra in
2009, and is now studying for a PhD. The paper is from her
Honours project.
Alan Kwok1, David Eldridge2
1
Though shrub-encroached landscapes are viewed by
some as ‘ecological deserts’, we know little about the
biodiversity that they support. Shrublands vary markedly
in both species composition and plant density. At the
patch scale over a few tens of metres, plants can be
found either growing as isolated individuals or a few
individuals (low density), or in dense patches of shrubs
(high density). Using two shrub species, we investigated
how this variation in resource concentration affects the
shrub-resident arthropod community in a turpentine
(Eremophila sturtii)-silver cassia (Senna artemisioides)
shrubland in semi-arid eastern Australia. Eremophila
supported six-times more arthropods (Hemiptera,
Psocoptera and Collembola) than Senna, and a distinct
species assemblage of Hemipterans. The effect of
resource concentration varied, with only Hemiptera
showing clear trends. We found a greater number and
species richness of Hemipterans on shrubs growing in
low density, and this was consistent for Eremophila and
Senna. Furthermore, for Senna this translated into
greater species diversity on low density shrubs. Our
study illustrates that shrub-encroached landscapes
support healthy and diverse arthropod communities,
and that multiple shrub species will maintain higher
levels of biodiversity. The work also demonstrates that
arthropod composition is driven by shrub species
composition as well as resource concentration across
multiple spatial scales.
Alan Kwok is currently attempting to complete his PhD in how
resource concentration structures the distribution of arthropod
communities in semi-arid landscapes
220
Concurrent session 6d—Invasive species
Australia’s susceptibility to establishment by nonindigenous reptile species: a predictive modelling
approach
Finding simple rules of thumb for the optimal
containment of invasive species with complex lifecycles
Dustin Welbourne1
Jean-Baptiste Pichancourt1, Iadine Chades1, Rieks van Klinken1,
1
Tara Martin
1
UNSW
1
Invasive species pose significant social, economic, and
environmental impacts; and as global anthropic ubiquity
increases non-indigenous flora and fauna are reaching
lands that hitherto were geographically isolated. Recent
research into invasive species and climate change
relationships has emphasised this concern and stressed
the urgency to pre-emptively recognise species that
have a higher potentiality of establishment. Although
legislation prohibits the keeping of non-indigenous
reptile species (NIRS) in Australia, many NIRS are
confiscated yearly from private collectors and thus pose
a significant establishment threat. Despite this, little
research has been conducted to assess Australia’s
susceptibility to establishment by NIRS. Such predictive
modelling is crucial to achieve maximum resource
efficacy when combating invading organisms. This study
is applying predictive spatial modelling techniques to ten
NIRS to produce suitability maps based on climate,
vegetation, and regolith. An additional predictive map is
being produced for each species based on climate
change scenarios to account for future habitat suitability.
This study will ascertain Australia’s suitability to ten NIRS
under current conditions and future climate. A final
objective is to identify the most likely areas of initial
establishment, which will be critical information for
implementing future management procedures.
Dustin Welbourne is the Director of the Canberra Reptile
Sanctuary in the Gold Creek Village, promoting science education,
biodiversity, and conservation; and is currently conducting a study
with UNSW@ADFA.
Optimal containment of invasive species poses significant
challenges for decision-makers when they have complex
life-cycles. One important consideration is how to cope
with conflicting strategies of control, especially related to
their intensity and frequency, when species have
different life-stages that contribute differently to the
overall invasion process.
We solve this problem for a population of mesquite
Prosopis glandulosa. To do so, we first used matrix
population models to integrate the complexity of the lifecycle and to project the population dynamic between
successive control decisions. We then used a bioeconomic framework to integrate the population
dynamic, the costs of the different control actions and
the financial penalties for the contamination. Finally we
used stochastic dynamic programming to estimate the
optimal control strategy for every life-stage (saplings,
juveniles, and adult trees) to contain the contamination
at a local scale (below 1% canopy cover) and at a
regional scale (due to seed source pressure).
We show that simple rules of thumb can be drawn,
such that managers do not need to know the
demography at every life-stage or the exact level of
source pressure to predict which control action to use.
The modelling framework is applicable to any type of
species to control.
Jean-Baptiste Pichancourt undertook a PhD in mathematical
ecology (Uni. Rennes & Lyon, France: with Dr Francoise Burel & Pr
Pierre Auger) from 2004–2007; Post-Doc CSIRO Ento. (Dr Rieks van
Klinken) 2007–2010; Post-Doc CSIRO Eco. Sc. (Dr Tara Martin),
2010–2012.
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Habitat utilisation of lantana-invaded vegetation by
small mammals in an urban bushland
Responses to environmental adversity in range
edge and central population of an invasive species
Noni Dowsett1
Jennah Bakker1, Stephen Bonser1
1
University of Technology, Sydney
Biological invasions are currently one of the most
pressing environmental issues. The introduction of a
non-native species into a new environment has the
potential to affect the resident biota, both native and
other introduced species. These effects can range from
the level of an individual organism, through to the entire
ecosystem. The aim of this research was to examine the
abundance and distribution of native and introduced
mammals, focusing on small ground dwelling mammals,
in relation to the invasive plant lantana, Lantana camara
L., within an urban bushland. Mammal surveys were
done using live-capture Elliott traps within vegetation
invaded by lantana and vegetation where lantana was
absent. Trapping was done over three trapping sessions,
with each trapping session consisting of three
consecutive nights. Observational data of larger and
arboreal mammals were also collected via scat and
spotlight surveys at each of the sites. Seven species of
mammal were observed in total by trapping, scat and
spotlight survey. Differences in the mammals surveyed
were observed between native vegetation and the
lantana invaded vegetation. One native species,
Antechinus stuartii, showed stronger differences in
abundance and size between native and lantana
invaded vegetation, particularly in the trapping session
closest to the breeding season.
Noni Dowsett is an environmental science student at UTS. Her
research interests include vertebrate ecology, habitat management
and ecosystem services, in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
Research being presented comes from her honours research
project.
222
1
Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Many invasive species have rapidly expanding ranges.
Populations at the edge of a species range experience
new environments with novel environmental stresses,
limited genetic variability and an influx of maladapted
individuals from the centre of its range. We examine
whether range edge populations of the invasive species
Senecio madagascariensis (fireweed) have a reduced
capacity to respond to multiple environmental stresses
than central populations. S. madagascariensis invaded
the Central Coast of NSW about 100 years ago and has
rapidly expanded south to the Victoria boarder and
north into Queensland. We collected seeds from range
edge and central populations. Plants from these
populations were grown in a glasshouse experiment
under high and low light and nutrient treatments in a
full factorial experiment. Plants from range edge
populations, particularly the southern range edge, were
generally larger and had higher fruit production than
those from central populations. Plants from range edge
populations also expressed higher adaptive plasticity to
environmental stresses than those from central
populations. Our results show that adaptation to
environmental stresses increases at the range edge.
Increased adaptation to environmental stress could
facilitate further expansion of this species. Our results
could assist in predicting the future distribution of
fireweed in Australia.
Jennah Bakker a student at The University of New South Wales will
be presenting the finding of her honours project, about Senecio
madagascariensis (Fireweed).
Is there evidence for shifts in growth, reproduction
and fitness between the native and novel ranges of
introduced Acacias?
Carla Harris1, Michelle Leishman1
1
The successful establishment of plants in a novel range
may be due to freedom from enemies and resultant
shifts in allocation to growth and reproduction. To
explore this hypothesis, we examined seed predation,
reproductive output, germination success and growth
for five closely-related Fabaceae species in their native
and introduced ranges in Australia. Data were collected
for species native to the east coast of Australia (Acacia
longifolia, Acacia melanoxylon) that have become
naturalised on the west coast, and species native to the
west coast (Acacia cyclops, Acacia saligna,
Paraserianthes lophantha) that have become naturalised
on the east. A range of species-specific responses were
found. Reduced seed predation was identified in the
introduced range for only one species (P. lophantha),
while P. lophantha and A. longifolia both had increased
reproductive output in introduced ranges. Per cent
germination was significantly higher in introduced
ranges for three species. Acacia saligna, although
invasive in its introduced range, showed no differences
between native and introduced ranges for any of the
measured traits. Reduced seed predation and/or
increased growth and reproductive output likely
contributes to invasion success in some of these
introduced Acacia species, however the results were not
consistent in this multi-species comparison.
Carla Harris is dedicated to solving the question—why do some
introduced plants become invasive while others do not, by
conducting large scale, comparative studies across Australia.
223
Concurrent session 6e—Impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation
Influence of the yellow-throated miner (Manorina
flavigula) on bird communities and tree health in a
fragmented Mallee landscape
Ecology of southern scrub-robins (Drymodes
brunneopygia) in the north Murray Mallee, South
Thea Shell1, Michael F Clarke1
Andrew Barker1, David Paton1, Nigel Willoughby2
1
Department of Zoology, LaTrobe University
The yellow-throated miner (Manorina flavigula) is a
large, aggressive, native honeyeater that is common and
widespread across Australia. Close relatives of the yellowthroated miner, the bell miner (M. melanophrys) and
noisy miner (M. melanocephala) have been shown to
negatively affect bird communities and increase
phytophagous insect (psyllid) abundances through
interspecific aggressive behaviour. This study was
undertaken to determine if yellow-throated miners
demonstrated similar effects in the fragmented
landscape of the Victorian Mallee.
Linear road verges surrounded by the agricultural matrix
north of Walpeup, Victoria were studied. Sites
containing colonies of yellow-throated miners were
compared with areas without miners. Sites with miners
displayed significantly lower bird species richness and
abundance and held a significantly different composition
of species, than sites without miners. In particular, yellowthroated miners had a greater effect on bird species
smaller than the miners.
Poorer tree health and higher psyllid abundances were
found in sites occupied by miners compared to sites that
lacked miners. Furthermore, small, psyllid gleaning,
insectivorous birds were less abundant in sites with
miners. This study suggests that yellow-throated miners
exclude other bird species from sites, in particular small
insectivorous birds, leading to higher psyllid abundance
and poorer tree health.
Thea Shell completed a degree in Conservation Biology and
Ecology with Honours at LaTrobe University. Thea been working
as a research assistant and biology demonstrator since her studies
finished.
224
Australia
1
University of Adelaide, 2Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, SA
The southern scrub-robin (Drymodes brunneopygia) is
declining across the North Murray Mallee region of
South Australia. This has been attributed to wide scale
habitat loss and fragmentation. In a region of 650,000
hectares, about 10% of which was likely to support
suitable habitat, only 80 individuals persist on one
property 2000 ha in size. These birds were mist-netted,
colour-banded and tracked to determine habitat
selection, home range size, productivity, survival and
dispersal. Scrub-robins principally occupied open
Eucalyptus spp. woodland with either Leptospermum
coriaceum (old growth habitat) or Acacia sclerophylla
(35 year old regrowth) understoreys. More birds
occupied the A. sclerophylla habitat, remained longer on
home ranges, occurred more frequently in pairs (in
contrast to home ranges with lone birds), and produced
more offspring that successfully dispersed to other home
ranges. Birds using L. coriaceum had more fragmented
distributions at the home range, patch and landscape
scales. Increasing the extent and density of key
understorey vegetation in and around existing occupied
habitat could lessen further declines of the southern
scrub-robin in the North Murray Mallee.
Andrew Barker completed BSc(Hons) at the University of Adelaide
in 2007. He is currently completing his PhD thesis at the same
institution entitled: ‘Ecology and management of Southern Scrubrobins in the North Murray Mallee’.
Responses of floral visitor networks of a tropical
rainforest tree, Acronychia acidula, to habitat
fragmentation
Investigating avian response to landscape change
using informative Bayesian prior estimates of
dispersal distance
Tobias Smith1, Margie Mayfield1
Georgia Garrard1, Michael McCarthy1, Peter Vesk1, James
2
3
Radford , Andrew Bennett
1
School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland
1
Habitat fragmentation threatens terrestrial ecosystems
across the planet, with negative implications for
populations and communities, and for ecosystem
processes. The breakdown of mutualism-based
ecological processes such as seed dispersal and
pollination in fragmented landscapes can greatly
contribute to the degradation of human-altered
ecosystems. Biotic pollination is a key ecological process,
yet little is known about pollinator communities, or the
effects of habitat fragmentation on them, particularly in
Australia’s tropics. In this study I ask how habitat
fragmentation impacts on the bee and fly visitation
networks associated with Acronychia acidula, Rutaceae,
a common rainforest tree in parts of the Australian wet
tropics, north Queensland. To answer this question I
sampled bee and fly floral visitors to A. acidula individuals
growing along edges of both small and large remnant
rainforest fragments in a highly fragmented landscape
on the Atherton Tablelands. Here I report findings on
how bee and fly assemblages visiting flowers of
A. acidula change depending on the size of the
rainforest fragment in which these trees are found.
Results suggest that bee visitor abundances are lower in
small forest fragments than in large fragments, and that
differences in bee species composition between the two
sizes may be associated with bee life history traits.
Tobias Smith is currently a PhD student in the School of Biological
Sciences, University of Queensland, studying pollinator
communities and plant-pollinator interactions in the Australian wet
tropics.
University of Melbourne, 2Bush Heritage Australia, 3Deakin
University
Informative Bayesian priors may be used to improve the
precision of estimates in ecological studies or to develop
a priori estimates of parameters for which existing
information is unavailable. However, while Bayesian
analyses are becoming more popular in ecology, the use
of strongly informative priors remains rare—perhaps
because examples of informative priors are not common
in the published literature. Avian dispersal distance is an
important ecological parameter for understanding
impacts of landscape change, but it is difficult to
measure and estimates are not readily available. General
models that provide informative prior estimates of
dispersal distance will therefore be valuable. In this study,
we develop a simple predictive model of avian median
natal dispersal distance from a world-wide dataset. We
use this model to determine a priori estimates of
dispersal distance for 57 woodland bird species in northeastern Victoria, and investigate the relationship
between the dispersal ability of these species and their
vulnerability to landscape-scale changes in habitat cover
and fragmentation. There is some evidence to suggest
that tree-dependent bird species with poor predicted
dispersal ability are more vulnerable to loss and
fragmentation of habitat than those species with longer
predicted dispersal distances.
Georgia Garrard works in the School of Botany at Melbourne
University, investigating the role of Bayesian priors in ecology. She
is also interested in issues of detectability and urban biodiversity
planning.
225
Response of fauna and flora to habitat loss and
fragmentation in tropical savanna agricultural
landscapes
Understanding the drivers of connectivity in
human-modified landscapes
Alistair Stewart1, Tony Griffiths1
1
Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and
Sport
Compared to most other Australian jurisdictions, the
landscapes of Northern Territory are largely intact and
retain a rich fauna and flora. Knowledge of the impact of
land clearing on biodiversity is limited yet there is a
pressing need to develop evidence-based policy to
ensure the conservation of the natural resources while
allowing the continued development of industries that
depend on clearing native vegetation. To investigate the
relationship between fragmentation, habitat loss and
terrestrial biodiversity we conducted extensive surveys in
the Douglas Daly region of the Top End of the Northern
Territory, a region that has been the focus of agricultural
development. We sampled terrestrial biodiversity at
replicate landscapes along a gradient of habitat loss,
sampling each landscape as a ‘mosaic’ of different
landscape elements. A range of a priori statistical models
were compared to determine the effect of habitat extent,
configuration and environmental variables on species
richness and occupancy. This study shows that the
impacts of land clearing to biodiversity are substantial at
the scale of individual properties (represented as
‘landscapes’ in this study), even if they retain some areas
of native vegetation.
Alistair Stewart is a birdo and a frogger, with interests in landscape
ecology, technology and sound recording. He has been working
for the NT Department of NRETAS since 2008.
226
Kristen Lee1, Jessica Worthington Wilmer2, Frank Carrick1,
Clive McAlpine1, Jonathan Rhodes1
1
The University of Queensland, 2Queensland Museum
Human-modification of landscapes, through processes
such as urbanisation and agricultural expansion, is a
primary driver of the loss of biodiversity. One reason for
this is that these processes reduce connectivity, both
through habitat fragmentation (i.e., the breaking apart of
habitat) and through the construction of barriers, such
as roads. Therefore, to develop effective conservation
strategies to improve connectivity we need to know the
relative impacts of habitat fragmentation versus barriers
on connectivity. We addressed this issue by quantifying
the key drivers of genetic differentiation for a koala
(Phascolarctos cinereus) population in South East
Queensland, Australia; an area that has been highly
modified by humans. We genotyped 1031 koalas at 6
microsatellite loci and used a regression approach to
quantify the drivers of genetic differentiation in the
population (and by inference gene flow/connectivity).
We show that barriers, such as roads and rivers, are
more important drivers of genetic differentiation than
habitat fragmentation and the distance between habitat
patches. This has important implications for developing
conservation strategies to improve connectivity. For a
mobile species such as the koala, a focus on reducing
the impact of barriers may be more important than
reducing habitat fragmentation if we want to enhance
connectivity.
Concurrent session 6f—Symposium: Taking action together: the role of ecology in conservation
partnerships
1100, Room T6, MCC
1115, Room T6, MCC
Creating ecology-community-policy partnerships
Caring for country together: Indigenous and nonIndigenous conservation in north Australia
1
Judy Lambert
1
Community Solutions
Joe Morrison1
1
Increasingly, government and other funding bodies
expect that conservation initiatives will be undertaken by
multi-stakeholder teams. Partnerships are at the core of
successful support for much that is done in ecology in
Australia.
However, successful partnerships, whether for
conservation outcomes, or in business, political or
personal lives, rarely form and endure without mutual
understanding and respect, shared commitment and
trust. Frequently the development of these
underpinnings to successful partnership require different
ways of working from those traditionally expected by
scientists, government agency staff or community
members.
Respect for different ways of knowing, shared
understanding of the needs of the ecologists and of
each of the other key players within the conservation
partnership and shared commitment to what might well
be differing, but potentially complementary goals, must
have time and opportunity to develop.
Using experiences from projects as diverse as threatened
ecological community conservation on production
farms, large-scale landscape restoration projects, weed
management at the landscape scale and urban
biodiversity conservation, this paper will examine ways in
which the role of the ecologist, as a critical contributor to
conservation partnerships, can be enhanced.
Judy Lambert’s training in medical, social and environmental
sciences and in business, her experience in research, government
and the community sector and as a consultant, equip her well to
bring together partnerships for ecology.
North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance
Indigenous Australians have been present in Australia
for many thousands of years. Through this long
association, a society based on close connections
between the environment and people remains in most
parts, intact. In recent times, the colonisation of Australia
has left Indigenous people marginalised and often
subject to entrenched poverty. The impacts that this
colonial process has had on people are well known, but
what is lesser known is the impact on the environment
and ecology of Australia. Across north Australia, a vast
area of over 2 million square kilometres, people have
gained some of their country back and are now the
majority resident population, although still subject to
exist largely on welfare handouts and other benefits.
Important for the future management and development
of an important region of relatively intact ecology, is the
creation and operation of conservation partnerships.
The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea
Management Alliance views the management and
development of north Australia through the lens of a
‘culture-based economy’. This approach is focused on
reinvigorating Indigenous people as primary managers
of the north, but in partnership. The role of common
interest in managing ecology is examined in detail in this
paper.
Joe Morrison is the Chief Executive Officer of NAILSMA. Over the
last 15 years, Joe has worked with Indigenous communities across
north Australia supporting Indigenous people through local action
to care for country. He holds a BA in Natural Resource
Management from the University of Sydney.
227
1130, Room T6, MCC
1145, Room T6, MCC
Partnerships and pragmatism pave the road to
conservation
Partnerships in practice: adapting conservation
planning to an Indigenous context
Nicola Markus1
Emma Ignjic1, Heather Moorcroft2
1
The scale of environmental challenges across Australia’s
landscapes makes effective collaborations between
conservation organisations and landholders essential.
Ecological communities and species in need of careful
management occur across all land tenures; people with
the skills, resources, impetus, ecological knowledge and
social capacity to protect them are often widely
dispersed.
Achieving Bush Heritage Australia’s vision of protecting
1% of Australia (7m ha) relies to a large extent on
bringing these factors together. Ecological knowledge is
needed to determine which species and ecosystems to
focus on, select appropriate management actions, and
to monitor and demonstrate progress over time. All
other factors are necessary to ensure that this
knowledge translates into appropriate action.
Bush Heritage’s on-ground partnerships concentrate on
three types of partners: traditional owner groups
(‘Indigenous Partnerships’), large commercial
landholders (‘Pastoral Partnerships’), and other, similar
interest groups collectively focused on protecting a
particular geographic region (‘Landscape Partnerships’).
Sound ecological knowledge underpins the practical
guidance Bush Heritage provides in all cases, but the
value of the outcome depends on a pragmatic tailoring
of activities, expectations and timeframes to reflect the
capacity and needs of the partners.
Nicola Markus has been a passionate naturalist since childhood,
Nicola’s early career and science degree took her from zookeeping and research positions to roles in community-based
conservation, environmental consulting and advocacy. Following
the completion of a PhD in Zoology in 2000, her focus grew to a
concern for environmental decline more broadly and she was
appointed as a senior program manager by WWF-Australia. In
2006, collaboration with internationally renowned nature
photographer Theo Allofs led to the publication of her first book,
Wild Australia, a celebration of Australia’s environmental diversity
and uniqueness. Her current book, On our Watch: the Race to
save Australia’s Environment (Melbourne University Press, 2009),
provides a perspective on the inadvertent impacts of our daily lives
on Australia’s species and landscapes and reveals the cultural,
economic and political impediments that continue to hamper their
protection. Nicola currently works as Chief Conservation Officer for
Bush Heritage Australia in Melbourne.
228
1
Bush Heritage Australia, 2University of Wollongong
The Australian continent is a complex of cultural land
and seascapes overlain by a mosaic of different tenures.
The conservation estate, comprising over 10% of the
Australian land mass, is growing with additions from
both the state and the non-government conservation
sector. The Indigenous estate equates to approximately
20% of Australia, and includes areas widely recognised
as having high conservation value. It is in some of these
areas that Indigenous Australians and environmental
non-government organisations (NGOs) are
collaborating on Country. A new ‘conservation space’
has emerged in Australia where robust partnerships are
developing through on the ground action. In this paper
we introduce a collaborative partnership between the
Wunambal and Gaambera peoples of the north-west
Kimberley and an environmental NGO, Bush Heritage
Australia. We discuss the use of an ecological based
planning process (Conservation Action Planning) in this
cross cultural collaboration and explore some of the
issues that the process presented. We examine the
approaches adopted to address these issues and how
the amended process resulted in supporting Indigenous
peoples’ responsibilities and aspirations of Caring for
Country, and encompassing both Indigenous traditional
knowledge and Western ecological science. Finally we
consider the challenges that the partners face in this
new conservation space as they move into the next
phase of their partnership and the role that ecology will
play.
In her current role as Bush Heritage Australia’s Indigenous
Programs Officer (North Australia) Emma Ignjic supports and
facilitates partnerships between Indigenous people and
conservation NGOs. She also has experience working to support
Indigenous governance and participation in conservation
management with community-based resource management
programs (Aurukun Land and Sea Management program), peak
regional Indigenous organisations (Balkanu and NAILSMA), and
the tertiary education sector (James Cook University).
Heather Moorcroft is currently undertaking postgraduate studies at
the University of Wollongong, exploring engagements between
Indigenous Australians and environmental NGOs. Heather has
over twenty years professional experience in conservation
management and has worked in the jointly managed parks of
Kakadu, Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Booderee, with indigenous
communities and with the non-government sector. She was
recently the planning manager for the Wunambal Gaambera
Healthy Country Project in the Kimberley. Heather is a member of
the World Commission on Protected Areas.
1200, Room T6, MCC
1215, Room T6, MCC
Making sure partnerships produce better
conservation outcomes
The costs and benefits of organisational
partnerships in biodiversity conservation
Sarah Legge1, Atticus Fleming1
James O’Connor1, Samantha Vine1
1
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Partnerships potentially offer a variety of positive
synergies for conservation. However, partnerships also
present potential risks, mainly associated with the loss of
clear purpose and decision-making, loss of flexibility,
reduced effectiveness, and higher transaction costs. The
formation of partnerships should not be seen as an end
in itself; partnerships are only of value if they contribute
to better outcomes. In order to achieve better outcomes,
partnerships need to be carefully structured, with a clear
focus on effectiveness and efficiency, and on ecological
objectives.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy is a non-profit
conservation organisation dedicated to the protection of
Australia’s wildlife and their habitats. It owns and
manages 21 properties across Australia, covering over
2.6 million hectares, on which it delivers active programs
of applied conservation science and management. AWC
works with a large number of partners, including
government and non-government agencies, universities,
Indigenous communities, pastoralists and other
neighbours. In each case, we aim to develop genuine
collaborations that produce more effective and efficient
conservation outcomes. We will illustrate this approach
with examples covering a range of initiatives.
Sarah Legge oversees the conservation and science program of
the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Australia’s largest private
conservation organisation, with 21 properties across the continent,
covering over 2.6 million hectares.
1
Birds Australia
Decision making based on robust research and analysis
is critical for the success and credibility of conservation
projects. Research, including ecological monitoring, can
suffer from lower priority, for example when the
demands of managing complex institutional
relationships consume project resources, or when
institutional structures impose restrictions on operations.
Communications issues especially may arise where
institutions have very different corporate cultures.
However, when partnerships evolve through mutual
interests and concerns, and identification of
opportunities through complementary skills and
strengths, partnerships have a good starting point for
success, and may generate new opportunities for
collaboration.
Here we present two case studies which illustrate some
of the complex issues involved in partnership
conservation work at the interface of science,
community and the institutional and regulatory
environment. The Woodland Birds for Biodiversity
project involves a partnership between Birds Australia (a
NGCO) and statutory and semi-statutory bodies across
several jurisdictions, including Trust for Nature, the
Tasmanian Land Conservancy and the NSW Nature
Conservation Trust. The Beach-nesting Birds Project is
run by Birds Australia and interests with a diverse group
of stakeholders including friends and community groups,
Parks Victoria, Local Councils, Catchment Management
Authorities and state departments.
Samantha Vine has a wealth of experience building partnerships in
the conservation sector, having led development and delivery of
many joint projects between Indigenous groups, private business,
land managers, community groups, governments and nongovernment organisations. In her current role as conservation
manager for Birds Australia, Samantha advocates the use of birds
as flagships for biodiversity conservation.
229
Concurrent session 6g—Symposium: Biodiversity indicators for measuring and monitoring
ecosystem condition and climate change adaptation
1100, Room T2, MCC
1115, Room T2, MCC
Biodiversity under climate change: monitoring for
structure and function
Confirmation of globally consistent responses of ant
communities to grazing impacts
Roger Kitching1, Chris Burwell1,2, Melinda Laidlaw3, Sarah
Maunsell1, Louise Ashton1, Sarah Boulter1, David Putland1
Ben Hoffmann1
1
2
Griffith University, Queensland Museum, Queensland
Herbarium
As climate change bites so the composition and,
potentially, the functioning of whole assemblages of
organisms will change. To measure and, where possible,
respond to this the changes need to be monitored. The
construction of monitoring tools needs a baseline and a
set of sensitivity analyses to determining which subset
(the ‘predictor set’) can act as a reasonable surrogate for
the entire biological community. Identifying such a
subset for subtropical rainforest has been the task of the
IBISCA Queensland Project over the last four years. Forty
scientists from 17 countries with legions of volunteers
and students came together to compare the fauna and
flora of 20 permanent sites at five adjacent altitudes.
Clear discrimination across altitudes (that is: adjacent
climates) was obtained for more or less every taxon
examined. We present the results on plants, ants, moths
and Collembola by way of examples. Selecting a
‘predictor set’ then becomes a matter of pragmatics in
which ease of sampling, trophic role and identification
are paramount. We will discuss the spatial generality of
our results and the ways in which one intensive study
can be expanded to be of more universal use.
Professor Roger Kitching holds the Chair of Ecology at Griffith
University. He studies rainforest biodiversity, particularly insects.
230
1
CSIRO
3
The application of ants as a bioindicator group has been
particularly widespread in Australia, and a recent
comprehensive review of their responses to
environmental disturbance identified a range of
consistent and predictable patterns. Here I review the
responses of ants to grazing globally, and specifically test
whether the four key patterns identified in the review of
ant responses to disturbance in Australia apply globally.
The answer was yes, ants globally consistently respond
to grazing following four predictable patterns. This is the
first such formulation of global patterns for any terrestrial
invertebrate group for their use in bioindication, and
provides valuable support to the use of ants as indicators
of ecological disturbance. The challenge now is to
provide a predictive understanding of the context
dependency (variation) seen in many responses, as well
as to improve the precision of the predictive responses.
The confirmation of global patterns to grazing presented
here represents a first step in developing the valuable
contribution that ants can provide to rangeland
monitoring systems.
Ben Hoffmann is an ecologist specialising in ants. Much of his work
over the past decade has investigated the use of ants as indicators
of sustainable land use.
1130, Room T2, MCC
1145, Room T2, MCC
Monitoring the impacts of extreme weather events:
climate change and the lemuroid ringtail possum
The relative merits of indicators and surrogates
versus direct measures
Stephen Williams1, Jeremy VanDerWal1, Luke Shoo1,
Andrew Krockenberger1, Martin Cohen1
David B Lindenmayer1, Gene E Likens2
1
One of the greatest unknowns in climate change
science is how changes in extreme events will impact on
the natural world. Emerging evidence strongly suggests
that changes in the frequency, duration and intensity of
climatic extremes (e.g., heat waves, droughts, fire) will be
even more important than gradual increases in climatic
means in driving ecological responses to climatic
change. Here we will describe the impacts of a
changing climate on the regionally-endemic lemuroid
ringtail possum (Hemibelideus lemuroides) with
particular emphasis on the interactions between
physiology, thermal refugia and extreme weather
events. Ongoing monitoring over the last 20 years has
observed severe declines in the northern population and
upslope shifts in population in the south. We will present
both spatial and statistical models predicting future
impacts and evaluate the options for managing refugia
and maximising the chances of persistence for this iconic
rainforest species.
Professor Stephen Williams completed his PhD in rainforest
ecology at James Cook University in 1998 and has continued his
work on the tropical rainforests of the region to this day. He
completed post-doctoral fellowships with the Rainforest-CRC and
ARC. He has maintained a significant involvement in collaborative
research in the region over the years within both the RainforestCRC and the Marine & Terrestrial Science Research Centre. In 2006,
he accepted a Queensland Government Senior Research
Fellowship and created the Centre for Tropical Biodiversity &
Climate Change research (CTBCC).
1
Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian
National University, 2Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, USA
Environmental degradation and biodiversity loss are major
global problems, but tackling them is difficult because of the
impossibility of knowing how to protect every environment
and every species in those environments. The enormity and
complexity of these problems have led to the development of
surrogate or indicator approaches to track changes in
environments and/or in biodiversity rather than to measure
them directly. In this talk we present a broad philosophical
discussion of the relative merits for enhanced environmental
management and biodiversity conservation of a surrogate or
indicator approach compared to a direct measurement
approach where the focus is on a single entity or a highly
targeted subset of entities in a given ecosystem. A goal of a
direct measurement approach is to demonstrate causality
between the entities selected for measurement and system
targeted for management. The key steps in the approach are
based on the fundamental scientific principles of question
setting and associated direct measurement that drive research
activities, management activities and monitoring programs. It is
based on the critical assumptions that the ‘right’ entities to
measure have been selected, the entities are well known, there
is sufficient understanding about key ecological processes, and
that the entities selected can be accurately measured.
However, the direct measurement approach is reductionist
and many elements of the biota, many biotic processes and
environmental factors must, by the necessity of practicality, be
ignored.
The sequence of steps in applying the surrogate or indicator
approach is broadly similar to the direct measurement
approach, except for one important additional step—
quantifying surrogacy relationships. This entails both: (1)
establishing the underlying causal relationships between an
indicator and the entities or relationships for which is it
purported to be indicative, and, (2) determining the taxonomic,
spatial and temporal bounds for which a surrogacy
relationship does and does not hold. Very few studies have
rigorously addressed these tasks, despite the extremely
widespread use of surrogates and indicators in virtually all fields
of environmental, resource and conservation management.
We argue that this deficiency in establishing these surrogancy
relationships has led to potentially significant, inter-related
problems such as a failure to establish causal (as opposed to
correlative) surrogacy relationships and a lack of transferability
of a given surrogate such as an indicator species to other
groups, between landscapes, ecosystems, environmental
circumstances, or over time in the same location. Hence,
indicator applications have typically been highly idiosyncratic—
organism-, landscape- or ecosystem-specific.
David Lindenmayer is a Professor of Ecology and Conservation
Biology at The Australian National University. He runs six largescale, long-term landscape programs that focus on the response of
biodiversity to such key drivers as fire, logging, plantation
establishment, and agriculture and grazing.
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1200, Room T2, MCC
1215, Room T2, MCC
Biodiversity indicators for measuring and
monitoring ecosystem condition and climate
change adaptation in Brazil
Moths as indicators of climate change—
investigating species with restricted altitudinal
distributions
William Magnusson1, Jean-Marc Hero2, Flavia Costa1
Louise Ashton1, Roger Kitching1, Sarah Maunsell1, Chris
2
Burwell
1
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, 2Environmental
Futures Centre, Griffith University
The only thing that is constant is change! Therefore,
monitoring only to detect change is not useful for
management. Planning and mitigation require that we
know the scale and probable causes of change. Climate
change will undoubtedly result in the redistribution of
organisms within the landscape as happened in the
past, and as continues to happen today. However, costly
interventions are only justifiable if such processes are
likely to lead to extinction of species, or if essential
ecosystem processes are compromised. Frequently, it is
more economical to evaluate ecosystem processes
directly than to use biological surrogates. However, in
some cases, changes in biological communities, the
population dynamics of individual species, or individual
condition can indicate potential problems long before
the magnitude of the ecosystem change is recognised
as critical to the biological systems of which we are part.
The RAPELD system used by the PPBio and CENBAM
programs in Brazil has proved useful to provide
integrated data on ecosystem change and biodiversity
indicators that are more sensitive, and more economical
to obtain, than direct measurements of physical-chemical
processes, and these data are obtained on scales that
are of interest to a wide range of stakeholders.
William Magnusson has been a research scientist with the National
Institute for Amazonian Research since 1979. He is the coordinator
of the Brazilian Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio) for
western Amazonia.
1
Griffith University, 2Queensland Museum
Moth assemblages have been widely used to examine
patterns of beta-diversity in forest ecosystems. This study
aims to expand and test the generality of results
obtained in a previous project, which examined patterns
of diversity of moths along an altitudinal gradient in
subtropical rainforest. These results showed a number of
altitudinally restricted moths in Lamington National Park,
which have been proposed as part of an indicator set for
monitoring altitudinal shifts in that area. In order to
expand on these results, a network of analogous
altitudinal transects have been established at different
latitudes. Predictive relationships between biodiversity
and climate within Australasian rainforests can now be
underpinned by an understanding of the ecosystemlevel mechanisms involved in producing patterns of
moth assemblages across altitudes.
The preliminary results presented here are from
sampling moth assemblages along altitudinal gradients
at Mt Lewis National Park, QLD, and Border Ranges
National Park, NSW. The moth assemblage turnover at
different taxonomic resolutions across altitude is
investigated. Species are identified which are most
sensitive to altitude and which may be useful as indicator
species for climate change monitoring. The Australiawide distributions of these individual species are also
investigated using museum records, in order to identity
those species which are most at risk of local extinctions.
Louise Ashton is half way through a PhD candidature and areas of
interest include rainforest biodiversity and species loss and insect
community ecology.
232
Concurrent session 6h—Symposium: Grassy woodlands: managing processes to restore
ecosystem function
1100, Room T1, MCC
1115, Room T1, MCC
The Mulligans Flat – Goorooyarroo Woodland
Experiment—integrating research and restoration
Prospects for restoring function and diversity in
grassy woodlands
Adrian Manning1
Sue McIntyre1
1
1
CSIRO
The Mulligans Flat – Goorooyarroo Woodland
Experiment is a research partnership between the ACT
Government, The Australian National University and
CSIRO. The aim of the project is to find ways of
improving critically-endangered box-gum grassy
woodlands for biodiversity through manipulating
ecological processes. Treatments include the addition of
2000 tonnes of coarse woody debris, prescribed
burning, and exclusion of kangaroos. Response variables
include: plants, fungi, birds, small mammals, reptiles and
invertebrates. In addition, a newly constructed feral
animal-proof fence surrounding half the experiment, will
allow reintroduction of locally-extinct species, including
ecosystem engineers, and will provide additional
opportunities to research the woodland restoration
process. The experiment provides a strong inferential
framework for tracking the effects of restoration
treatments on woodland biodiversity over coming years.
This will inform adaptive management of similar
woodlands in the region. It also provides a research
framework for a range of collaborators working towards
a ‘whole-ecosystem’ understanding of these grassy
woodlands. The broader aim is for the experiment to
become a long-term ecological research site and
‘outdoor laboratory’ for ecological restoration research,
and community and student learning.
While the self-restoring nature of vegetation can be
generally relied on in conservation reserves, Mulligan’s
Flat and Goorooyaroo Reserves demonstrate some
obstacles that are typical for temperate grassy
woodlands with a pastoral history. They will require
active management, at least initially, to open up
pathways to restoration. 1) Ongoing intense grazing
pressure due to the absence of predators can inhibit the
restoration of plant/soil/water processes by limiting
biomass, improvements in soil conditions and potential
productivity. 2) Prolific tree regeneration can result in
dense forest, rather than woodland structure. 3) Selfperpetuation of exotic annual weeds through annual
release of nitrates inhibits the recovery of native
perennial species. 4) Loss of grazing-sensitive and
nutrient-intolerant species over large scales can prevent
recovery of plant diversity either permanently, or over
very long time-frames. Obstacles to recovery of
vegetation function and structure (1 and 2) are likely to
affect habitat quality as well, so it is important that
vegetation and faunal recovery be managed in concert.
Restoration will require actions such as management of
fauna populations, tree thinning and assisted
colonisation, which are not conventionally used in
conservation reserves and require a new dimension of
ecological awareness and acceptance.
Adrian Manning is a Fellow at the Fenner School of Environment
and Society at The Australian National University. His research
interests are in conservation biology, landscape ecology and
restoration ecology. He is currently undertaking a large research
project investigating ways of improving grassy eucalypt
woodlands for biodiversity.
Sue McIntyre is a Senior Principle Research Scientist at CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems in Canberra, she has worked on the
ecology and conservation of grassy woodlands for most of two
decades, and over much of eastern Australia.
233
1130, Room T1, MCC
1145, Room T1, MCC
Managing vertebrate grazing can benefit insect
diversity at site and microhabitat scales
Debris or not debris: microclimatic benefits of large
woody debris
Philip Barton1,2, Adrian Manning1, Heloise Gibb3, Jeff Wood1,4,
David Lindenmayer1, Saul Cunningham2
Sarah Raphael Goldin1, Michael Hutchinson1
1
1
National University, 2CSIRO Entomology, 3Department of Zoology,
La Trobe University, 4Statistical Consulting Unit, The Australian
National University
The overabundance of vertebrate herbivores can be a
significant barrier to ecological restoration due to their
impact on grass structure and biomass. Management of
vertebrate herbivores is often achieved by exclusion
fences, but few studies have examined the potential of
small-scale structural refugia to mitigate grazing impacts.
We examined the beetle assemblage response over a
period of 18 months in an experiment that manipulated
kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) grazing levels using
exclosure fences and addition of coarse woody debris.
We detected significant negative effects of grazing and
positive effects of coarse woody debris volume on beetle
abundance and species richness at the site scale. At the
microhabitat scale, beetles sampled adjacent to the
experimental logs had a positive change in abundance
and species richness, whereas beetles from open
ground had a decline in abundance and species
richness in the high grazing treatment. Management of
kangaroo grazing levels can be achieved through the
combined use of exclosure fences and coarse woody
debris. For ecological restoration, exclosure fences and
coarse woody debris can be used to manage the
impacts of overabundant vertebrate herbivores at both
site and microhabitat scales, with benefits for insect
diversity.
Philip Barton is a PhD student at the Fenner School of
Environment and Society at ANU. His doctoral studies have
focused on the ecology of beetle assemblages in grassy
woodlands.
234
Direct deposition of woody debris is gaining momentum
as a restoration treatment. Of particular interest is its use
as a restoration treatment in temperate woodlands of
south-eastern Australia. Woodland vegetation and large
woody debris (LWD) have been removed from these
ecosystems to make way for agriculture. While the
capacity of woody debris to create structural complexity
is well recognised, little is known about its effects on the
soil microclimate. In landscapes where vegetation and
woody debris has been removed, debris could improve
microclimatic conditions, thus allowing organisms to
persist in otherwise unsuitable environments.
In this study, soil temperature and moisture surrounding
LWD were sampled in remnant eucalypt woodland in
the Australian Capital Territory. Diurnal temperatures
were logged during winter and summer, and
gravimetric soil moisture was sampled for several days
after a significant rain event (>100mm).
Results indicate that LWD may reduce thermal stress and
desiccation in the surrounding soils. Soil closest to LWD
remained significantly (P<0.001) cooler during summer
peak heat, while in the winter, temperatures were
significantly (P<0.001) warmer near LWD. During the
sampling period, soil moisture was significantly
(P=0.0004) higher near LWD than the control. These
results support the use of woody debris in creating
microclimatic refugia within temperate woodlands.
Sarah Raphael Goldin is in the final stages of her PhD on the
ecological benefits of large woody debris. Previous experiences
include a masters degree (UNSW) and related working experience
in the private and public sector.
1200, Room T1, MCC
1215, Room T1, MCC
The impact of kangaroo grazing on fauna within
grassy woodlands
Ecological function and woodland trees: size
matters
Brett Howland1
Chris McElhinny1, Paul Killey1, Daniela Carnovale1,
Bart Schneemann1, Ian Rayner1, Charles Lowson1,
1
1
Carlos Pachon , Jeff Woods
1
National University
1
Large herbivores can have a major influence on the
structure and composition of vegetation communities.
While some level of herbivory is required to maintain
diverse vegetation communities, high levels can lead to
declines in vegetation condition, and subsequent
declines in faunal diversity.
With reduction in predation (dingo and man), and
increased water availability, kangaroo (Macropus
giganteus) numbers have increased in recent years,
leading to changes in vegetation condition. Currently
little is known about what impact these changes are
having on faunal diversity, and what level of herbivory is
optimal for biodiversity conservation. An investigation
into the impact of kangaroo grazing on fauna is being
undertaken at 21 grassy woodlands, spanning areas
with high through to low levels of grazing. Three fauna
groups, spiders, birds, reptiles, were chosen as response
variables. As part of this research, optimal methods for
accurately quantifying kangaroo grazing pressure, and
the development of a native pasture growth model are
also being undertaken. Initial results indicate a strong
influence of kangaroo grazing on the presence of
Menetia greyii, with individuals only present in sites with
greater than 250kg.DM/ha. Results from this study will
offer insights into optimal management of kangaroo
grazing for fauna conservation within grassy woodlands
ecosystems.
University
In a coordinated set of undergraduate research projects
we quantified nutrient enrichment and litter and coarse
woody debris inputs associated with trees in a
Eucalyptus melliodora—E. blakelyi woodland Long Term
Ecological Research Site (LTER). Our results indicate that
large trees have a disproportionate and positive
contribution to these functions compared with smaller
trees and supports the keystone role mature trees
provide in woodland ecosystems. Our research has
important management implications, including the need
to use mature trees as restoration foci, the ecological
thinning of regrowth patches to facilitate the growth of
replacement large trees, the setting of benchmark levels
for coarse woody debris, and the addition of coarse
woody debris to augment depleted stocks. To conclude
we discuss the important opportunity LTER sites provide
for engaging bright young minds in cutting edge
research.
Chris McElhinny is a full-time lecturer at the Fenner School of
Environment and Society, ANU. His research concerns the role of
vegetation structure in ecosystem function and the development
and application of stand and landscape scale biometrics to
improve the management of native vegetation. His teaching
mirrors my research interests, and he convenes and contributes to
undergraduate and postgraduate courses concerned with forest
and woodland ecology, restoration and sustainable management.
Brett Howland graduated from the Australia National University in
2007. He completed his honours the following year, with his
research focused on methods to estimate kangaroo numbers. His
honours work landed him a position with Environment ACT,
where he was employed to design and implement a kangaroo
monitoring program. Brett has a keen interest in the role grazing
has in ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation.
235
Concurrent session 7a—Symposium: Ecological restoration science and practice: current and
future directions
1330, Room T3, MCC
1345, Room T3, MCC
EcoFire—restoring biodiversity values of the
Kimberley
Biodiversity conservation, vegetation condition and
management intervention
Sarah Legge1, Steve Murphy1, Richard Kingswood1,
Daniel Swan1, Butch Maher1
David Lindenmayer1, Damian Michael1, Mason Crane1,
Rebecca Montague-Drake1, Jeff Wood1, Chris MacGregor1,
1
2
Geoff Kay , Emmo Willinck
1
1
Mismanaged fire threatens the conservation values of
northern Australia. The contemporary regime of regular,
extensive and intense mid-to-late dry season fires
homogenises woodland structure and floristics,
damages riparian vegetation and other refugial habitats,
and is contributing to widespread and potentially
catastrophic declines of key faunal guilds such as seedeating birds, riparian specialists, and small-to-medium
sized mammals. In an effort to reverse this landscapescale degradation, pastoralists, Indigenous communities,
government and non-government agencies have
collaborated on a regional fire management program
called EcoFire, funded by Rangelands NRM through
Caring For Our Country, and managed by Australian
Wildlife Conservancy.
Since 2007, EcoFire has coordinated a prescribed
burning program across 5 million hectares of mixed
tenure in the central-north Kimberley. The project has
markedly changed fire patterns (revealed by remote
sensing and ground-truthing) towards a regime of less
extensive and intense fires, with an increase in the
availability of unburnt habitat and pasture. A monitoring
program of appropriate indicators (eg. riparian
specialists, grass-dependent birds and mammals, and
ground cover characteristics) at focal sites suggests a
positive biodiversity response. By integrating science with
practical delivery, and maintaining a clear focus on
outcomes, EcoFire has encouraged the support of a
diverse regional community.
Sarah Legge runs the conservation and science program for the
Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Australia’s largest nongovernment conservation organisation, which owns 21 properties
across Australia, covering over 2.6 million hectares.
236
National University, 2Murray Catchment Management Authority,
NSW
Are there relationships between biodiversity
conservation, vegetation condition, and management
intervention? We sought to answer this critically
important question as part of a major large-scale study
encompassing many sites on a range of farms in the
western Murray Catchment of New South Wales. Our
monitoring program spanned four major types of
temperate woodland in four intervention classes: (1)
travelling stock reserves, (2) agricultural production sites,
(3) recent (< 3 year) biodiversity conversion sites*, and,
(4) long-term (7–10+) biodiversity conversion sites*. We
outline the findings of extensive analyses of vegetation
condition in relation to intervention, bird and reptile
responses to vegetation condition, and bird and reptile
responses to intervention category. Some of our key
findings have substantial implications for how
intervention practices might be best managed under
incentive schemes designed to promote biodiversity
conservation in agricultural areas and they are touched
on in this presentation.
*Biodiversity conversion sites: remnant native vegetation
fenced, with or without enhancement planting/direct seeding.
1400, Room T3, MCC
1430, Room T3, MCC
Transformative restoration: the challenges of
working at multiple scales
Intervention ecology: managing altered ecosystems
to sustain and restore function
David Freudenberger1
Mike Perring1, Rachel Standish1, Richard Hobbs1, Lori Lach1, Kris
1
Hulvey
1
Greening Australia
1
Greening Australia is involved in a number of ‘mega’
conservation corridor initiatives (biolinks) including
Gondwana Link and Habitat 1410. We are involved in
the planning, marketing, implementation and evaluation
components of these audacious initiatives. Conservation
and restoration across such vast distances (100s km)
requires us to integrate issues and processes at multiple
scales. We work within a global context of climate
change, emerging carbon markets, and biodiversity
hotspots. At the regional scale we and our partners have
differentiated mega-corridors into functional landscape
zones. Within zones, we develop conservation action
plans based on a collective understanding of key
conservation assets, their viability and their threats that
provide the basis for setting quantitative objectives and
cost-effective strategies. However, restoration occurs at
the operational scale of paddocks, creeklines and shelter
belts. Effective restoration requires agronomic
understanding of soil constraints to plant establishment
and growth. Ecologically resilient and diverse restoration
requires knowledge of plant genetics, floristic community
structure, and soil and seed biology. The challenge is to
embed adaptive management research and researchers
into our operational scale restoration works in order to
continuously improve floristic diversity and structure, at
the same time reduce the cost of our restoration
activities through innovative technologies and
agronomic practices.
Dr David Freudenberger is Greening Australia’s Chief Scientist who
assists the organisation in planning, implementing and evaluating
landscape scale restoration projects based on the best available
science and within an adaptive management framework.
School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia
Our paper presents initial work surrounding the future
direction we see restoration ecology moving towards:
intervention ecology. We aim to provoke discussion and
debate, and would appreciate comment on the
rationale and thrust of our research.
Restoration ecology, over the last 50 years, has moved
from a nascent discipline to one that informs ecological
theory and practice. However, we live in an era of
multiple and rapid environmental changes, many
induced by unprecedented human activity. Restoration
ecology needs to take account of these ongoing and
future changes in order to sustain and restore ecosystem
functions. We present experimental and observational
approaches being conducted by our group at broad
scales—common garden experiments, multi-factor
experiments, trait-based work—that will increase our
knowledge of ecosystem responses to environmental
change. We highlight a recently established experiment
designed to investigate ecosystem multi-functionality as a
function of plant functional groups and restoration
effort. Assessing multiple functions, such as resilience to
disturbance, pollination provision, and carbon storage, is
an under-researched but fruitful direction for restoration
ecology in the 21st Century. Understanding responses
will allow us to intervene in and manage ecosystems to
ensure their capacity for ongoing function and service
provision in the Anthropocene.
Mike Perring is an ecosystem ecologist who has previously
modelled environmental change impacts upon pasture processes.
He wants to apply this knowledge to practical restoration
questions.
237
1445, Room T3, MCC
Restoring forests for biodiversity and carbon
John Kanowski1, Carla P Catterall2
1
Australian Wildlife Conservancy, 2School of Environment, Griffith
University
To what extent does the restoration of forest ecosystems
help sequester greenhouse gases? We examine
potential synergies and conflicts between these
objectives for three types of restoration project in
northern Australia.
Rainforest plantings in north-east Queensland. In a
detailed study, we found that diverse restoration
plantings can provide habitat for rainforest fauna and
accumulate large amounts of carbon per ha. However,
the potential for sequestration in rainforest plantings is
limited, because plantings only cover a few thousand
hectares. The unit cost of sequestration is very high.
Savanna burning. Projects such as ‘Ecofire’ which seek to
re-establish patchy, early dry season fire regimes address
a major threat to biodiversity in northern Australia and
have the potential to sequester carbon. Sequestration is
low per unit area, but the vast scale of these projects
(millions of hectares) means that the overall amount of
sequestration can be very high. The unit cost of
sequestration is low.
Restoration of wet sclerophyll forests invaded by
rainforest plants. Restoration of these forests and their
fauna requires destruction of the rainforest understorey,
with large per unit area reductions in carbon stocks. In
this case, restoration and sequestration are in conflict.
Does it matter?
Since 2008, John Kanowski has worked as Regional Ecologist with
Australian Wildlife Conservancy in north-east Australia. Previously,
John worked with Carla Catterall on the biodiversity values of
rainforest plantations.
238
Concurrent session 7b—Symposium: Monitoring for a purpose: optimal monitoring and
management of cryptic or declining populations
1330, Room T4, MCC
1345, Room T4, MCC
The influence of abundance on detectability
Estimating biodiversity metrics in cleared areas,
accounting for varied detectability between species
Michael McCarthy
1
1
The University of Melbourne
The rate of detection of plants and animals during
ecological survey is important for environmental impact
assessment, surveillance of invasive species, and
modelling the distribution of species. Abundance is likely
to have a large influence on the rate of detection.
Finding invasive or threatened species can be difficult
when they are rare, but there is little information for how
the probability of detection is likely to vary with
abundance. We develop a novel model of detectability
in which the rate of detection is predicted to be
proportional to a power function of abundance in
which the scaling exponent is between 0 and 1. We
estimated the parameters of this model using data from
two case studies: an experimental study of surveys for
chenopod shrubs and placed objects; and frog surveys
at multiple sites in sub-tropical forest of eastern Australia.
Analyses based on models of failure time suggest that
the rate of detection tends to increase with abundance
as predicted by the model.
Michael McCarthy has a PhD in stochastic population ecology,
conduct research in the area of quantitative ecology, with an
emphasis on applied aspects and environmental decision theory.
Michelle (Miki) Ensbey1,2, Anthony Griffiths1, Mick McCarthy2,
Brendan Wintle2
1
NRETAS, 2University of Melbourne
Monitoring and demonstrating the success of actions to
sustain biodiversity are difficult. One of the simplest and
most intuitive biodiversity metrics on which conservation
performance can be gauged is changes to species
richness where investments are made. However, one of
the biggest hurdles for accurately monitoring and
describing species richness is lower detection rates of
cryptic species. Accounting for variation in detectability
in communities reduces the chance of false inference,
and therefore inefficient conservation decisions. We
developed a Bayesian model based on Royle’s N-mixture
model to estimate species richness from standard
biodiversity surveys in permitted clearing areas in the
Daly region, NT. This model accounts for variation in
detectability across species by assuming it’s drawn from
the beta-binomial distribution. This is important when all
species are not expected to be detected equally, which is
likely. This is a novel model and may be used in a large
range of studies where marking species is difficult or
detrimental. We find that the ‘true’ number of species is
overestimated if we do not explicitly model variation in
detectability. We demonstrate extensions to the model
with categorical and linear covariates. This example
shows how relevant this work is to managing and
sustaining biodiversity.
Miki Ensbey studied ecology at the university of Queensland and
University of Melbourne. Miki specialises in detectability models to
assist decision making. She is currently working for Biodiversity,
NRETAS, NT monitoring biodiversity around vegetation clearing in
the Daly Region for Adaptive Management, policy and guidelines.
239
1400, Room T4, MCC
1415, Room T4, MCC
Monitoring impacts of bauxite mining on
threatened species using species specific
monitoring programs
Endangered species reintroduction success in
protected areas: monitoring for conservation
Vicki Stokes1
1
Kerryn Herman1, Matt Hayward1, Sarah Legge1
1
Research Department, Alcoa of Australia, WA
Monitoring is vital for identifying and tracking impacts of
land use practices such as mining on wildlife. While
standard survey methods are appropriate for monitoring
many species, rare or threatened species are often not
captured and are under-estimated using these
techniques. In the northern jarrah forest of Western
Australia, Alcoa of Australia is designing species-specific
monitoring programs in attempts to reliably track
changes in populations of threatened species due to
bauxite mining and identify impacts on habitat values
required by species for persistence. For example,
standard site-based trapping transects are underestimating the density and extent of occurrence of the
western quoll, Dasyurus geoffroii and the quokka,
Setonix brachyurus compared with spatially appropriate
monitoring programs and use of motion sensitive
cameras. Standard site-based bird surveys provide little
meaningful data on the Forest Red-tailed black cockatoo
and Baudin’s cockatoo because of the scale at which
these birds utilise the landscape. Surveys that target roost
and nest sites will identify high quality habitat for
protection within the mine lease. Wildlife surveyors and
researchers need to adopt species appropriate and
novel approaches to monitoring to ensure that species
are not over-looked.
Dr Vicki Stokes is a research scientist with Alcoa of Australia,
researching ecosystem restoration, particularly pertaining to fauna
in production landscapes. Other research interests include invasive
species and threatened species ecology.
Increasingly the conservation of mammals in semi-arid
Australia is becoming dependent on protected areas,
with methods such as intensive baiting, shooting and
large scale feral animal proof fencing being employed to
protect these mammals.
Scotia Sanctuary has the largest fenced feral animal
proof area in Australia, which has enabled the
reintroduction of 6 mammal species, otherwise extinct in
NSW.
We analyse long term population data for two species of
bettong: Bettongia penicillata and Bettongia lesueur.
Both species naturally occurred in the region prior to
European settlement and were considered prime
candidates for successful reintroductions into Scotia
Sanctuary. Release into the sanctuary was staged over
four separate occasions at intervals of three months.
Results of population monitoring show pronounced
differences in the populations of these species. B. lesueur
populations have reached 400 animals, compared to 30
animals in the B. penicillata population. The population
growth for the species show differences, with a constant
increase in the B. lesueur population compared to a
peak in the B. penicillata population 3 months after the
final release, followed by a constant decline which has
seen the species stabilise at the current level. Questions
of appropriate founder population size, species selection,
future population control and what constitutes a
‘successful reintroduction’ are being revisited in light of
these findings and are helping to frame the ongoing
management of the sanctuary.
Until coming to work for AWC in 2008, Kerryn Herman’s area of
interest had been in woodland birds, with a PhD on a Tasmanian
endemic honeyeater. Since being at Scotia work has progressively
become more mammal oriented with focus on reintroductions
and endangered species management.
240
1430, Room T4, MCC
1445, Room T4, MCC
Monitoring protocols to assess the recovery of
native plants following the control of widespread
weeds
Monitoring threatened savanna finches using
health indices
Paul O Downey1, Nelika K Hughes2
1
Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2Australian
Wildlife Conservancy
Despite wide acknowledgement that monitoring is
essential, few data exist on the effectiveness of weed
management programs. Of the available datasets, few
contain information on the response of native species,
with the main focus being on the decline of the weed
species. In addition, nearly every monitoring program is
different making broader comparisons virtually
impossible. This situation is largely attributed to a general
lack of: (i) expertise within weed managers, (ii) guidance
on which methods to use given the endless options
available, and (iii) what to do with the data, as well as
inadequate resourcing of monitoring programs. To
address this, monitoring protocols have been developed
to assess the response of native plant species following
weed control. This monitoring manual contains 3 tiers of
complexity (Standard, Advanced and Research Tiers),
with techniques ranging from simple qualitative
assessments to robust research studies, with site
managers adopting the tier most suitable to their desired
outcomes, skills and resources. In addition, the manual
contains standardised datasheets and information on
simple data analysis. The benefits of this approach is that
(i) it provides all site managers with guidance on
monitoring and, (ii) the results from each site can be
compiled and assessed collectively.
Paul Downey has a PhD in weed ecology. He worked for NSW
National Parks as a weed ecologist for 8 years and recently took up
an assistant professor position at UC.
Kimberly Maute1, Kris French1, Sarah Legge2, Lee Astheimer3,
William Buttemer3
1
University of Wollongong, 2Australian Wildlife Conservancy,
Deakin University
3
Over a quarter of Australia’s granivorous birds have
declined in abundance or experienced range
contractions over the last 50 years. It is widely assumed
that cattle grazing and changed fire regimes have
lowered the quality of savanna habitats for some grassseed eating species, but the relative impacts of changed
land use on declining and common finches remains
poorly defined because of difficulties in monitoring the
abundance of these semi-nomadic birds. We have
instead compared health measures of declining and
non-declining finch species to determine if the timing
and severity of changes in health indicators coincide
with differing land management. All finches displayed
signs of poorer health during non-breeding compared
to breeding seasons, but the extent of this was greatest
in declining species. Threatened Gouldian, Star and
Black-throated finch populations more often had
elevated stress hormone and haematocrit levels and
lower body condition measures than non-declining
Long-tailed, Masked and Black-throated finch
populations. Declining finch species also showed more
variation in health measures between sites with differing
land management. These results reveal the utility of
using health indices to determine the sensitivity of birds
to environmental perturbations and their potential to
monitor the effects of intensified grazing and fire on
savanna biodiversity.
Kimberly Maute is a PhD candidate at the University of
Wollongong who has worked on finch related research in
Northern Australia since 2004 and has a life-long interest in
241
global biodiversity
1330, Room T5, MCC
1345, Room T5, MCC
Competition for light promotes plant-trait and
species diversity via niche partitioning and neutral
dynamics
Age and growth of an old-growth stand of
Eucalyptus regnans: the world’s tallest angiosperm
1
2,3
1
Daniel Falster , Åke Brännström , Mark Westoby , Ulf
3
Dieckmann
Macquarie University, Australia, 2Umeaa University, Sweden,
IIASA, Austria
Sam Wood1, Quan Hua2, Kathy Allen1, David Bowman1
1
School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, 2Australian
Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
1
3
The long-term evolutionary effects of competitive
shading on species diversity and stand structure remain
controversial. The failure of niche theory to account for
observed patterns of diversity has led some researchers
to seek alternative explanations, founded on notions of
neutral drift. However, existing niche models have not
previously incorporated realistic ecology; therefore, the
evolutionary consequences of competitive interactions
remain largely unexplored. Using a detailed mechanistic
model, we show that the combination of three generic
features of plant communities—competition for light,
disturbance, and growth-related trade-offs—inescapably
lead to the formation of stable, functionally diverse
communities. Further, our model shows how natural
selection under different environmental conditions
intrinsically favours different trait combinations. In
addition to trait values, the model predicts other
commonly observed features of plant communities,
including the segregation of species into different
successional types and the development of idealised
canopy layers. While the number of strategies supported
by niche-based mechanisms is still limited, inspection of
fitness landscapes in our evolved communities reveals
regions of near-neutrality within which multiple,
functionally equivalent species can coexist. This leads us
to suggest that stand structure, trait diversity, and neutral
dynamics are all outcomes of a niche-based theory of
diversity.
Daniel Falster is presenting work from his PhD thesis, completed in
early 2010. His goal is to develop a new evolutionarily-inspired
theory of plant-trait diversity and vegetation dynamics.
242
Temperate old-growth forests contain some of the
highest above-ground stores of carbon. The ecology of
many temperate forests is dominated by episodic
disturbance, such as high intensity fire. Eucalyptus
regnans forests are particularly carbon dense and are
adapted to infrequent catastrophic fires. Understanding
the growth and longevity of old-growth trees is crucial
to understanding the carbon balance and fire regimes of
these forests. In an old-growth E. regnans stand in
Tasmania we used dendrochronological techniques and
radiocarbon dating to determine the age and stem
growth of E. regnans and Phyllocladus aspleniifolius, an
understorey rainforest conifer. Our analysis revealed that
an even-aged cohort of E. regnans and P. aspleniifolius
established in 1490–1510AD, apparently after a stand
replacing fire. Growth rates of E. regnans were rapid
compared to P. aspleniifolius. That the longevity of E.
regnans is > 500 years challenges the 350–450 year
timeframe proposed by the traditional model of
succession from eucalypt to rainforest. These forests not
only store vast amounts of carbon, but also maintain
high carbon densities for a long period of time. Estimates
of the capacity of temperate forests to store carbon
should consider past fire regimes and increased fire
frequencies associated with climate change.
Sam Wood is a landscape ecologist that is currently working
towards a better understanding of the relationships between
vegetation, fire and soils in the vegetation mosaics of south-west
Tasmania. He is also interested in the use of dendro-ecological
techniques for investigating the temporal dynamics of forest
ecosystems and has experience in measuring and modelling
carbon storage in eucalypt forests.
1400, Room T5, MCC
1415, Room T5, MCC
Not enough niches to explain a remarkable cooccurrence of congeneric ant species
Phylogenetic and taxonomic structure of plant
communities across the south-west Australian
biodiversity hotspot
Alan Andersen1, Xavi Arnan2, Kate Sparks3
1
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, 2Universitat Autònoma de
Barcelona, Spain, 3University of Adelaide
Marcel Cardillo1
The control of species co-existence and therefore local
diversity remains one of the most enduring and
contentious issues in community ecology. The traditional
view is that local species richness is limited by the
number of available niches, and that few closely related
species are able to co-occur because of competitive
exclusion. An alternative view is that different species are
competitively neutral, and that species co-occurrence is
determined by stochastic processes, with the number of
closely related species co-occurring being limited only by
the available species pool. Here we describe a
remarkable co-occurrence of congeneric ant species,
with more than 20 (mostly undescribed) species of
Monomorium occurring within 0.2 km2 of relatively
uniform savanna habitat near Darwin. Sixteen of these
species display similarly generalised morphology and
biology; we validate our species differentiation with
genetic data, and provide information on their diets,
foraging times, foraging distances and recruitment
behaviour. Despite some clear examples of niche
differentiation, there is overwhelming ecological
similarity among the species. The assemblage represents
virtually the entire pool of common, generalised
Monomorium species in the broader Darwin region (ca.
50,000 km2). This points to the importance of neutral
processes in the control of local diversity and suggests
that competitive exclusion plays a limited role.
The extraordinary botanical diversity of Australia’s
southwest corner is one of the major features of
Australian biodiversity, yet remains poorly explained.
Using a database of botanical surveys of nearly 600 sites
across the southwest, I explore patterns in the taxonomic
and phylogenetic structure of the region’s plant
communities. The results reveal a prevalent pattern of
phylogenetic clustering, where species within
communities tend to be more closely-related than
expected under null models. This may reflect a
diversification history of highly endemic local radiations,
as well as processes of ecological sorting and
mechanisms of coexistence among closely-related
species.
1
Marcel Cardillo is an ARC QEII Fellow in the Research School of
Biology, ANU. His interests are in macroecology, macroevolution,
conservation biology, and the use of phylogenetics in biodiversity
science.
Dr Alan Andersen leads CSIRO’s Tropical Savannas Group in
Darwin, where he has been for 25 years. He has a particular
research interest in the biogeography and community ecology of
ants.
243
1430, Room T5, MCC
1445, Room T5, MCC
How many waterbirds are there in Australia—
chasing the impossible?
The effect of contrasting edaphic conditions on
birds in mulga woodland in central Australia
Richard Kingsford1, John Porter1, Stuart Halse2
Adam Leavesley1, Jennie Mallela2, Matthew Brookhouse1
and Environmental Science, University of NSW, 2Wembley WA
University, 2Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National
University
1
The collection of data on the distribution and
abundance of organisms is fundamental to ecology,
wildlife management and conservation biology. There
are few rigorous measures of population sizes of species
that are distributed widely across different landscapes.
Key questions of habitat use, conservation of species or
their management and measurement of anthropogenic
impacts require well established and repeatable
methods for data collection. In 2008, we surveyed the
continent’s wetlands to determine the distribution and
abundance of waterbirds. We adopted a stratified
approach, identifying all major sites used by waterbirds
and then randomly sampling other wetlands. The survey
took two months with nearly 5,000 wetlands surveyed
across the continent. This has enabled the first
reasonable population estimates for more than 100
species of waterbirds, providing a relative measure of
population size among species. As well, distributions of
all these species were estimated. In addition, we
identified the relative importance of wetlands in terms of
abundance of waterbirds and species richness. Such
information will be valuable for identification of Ramsar
sites, protected areas and managing and guarding
against impacts of water resource development,
drainage, urbanisation and effects of water quality on
waterbirds and their wetlands.
Richard Kingsford is Director of the Australian Wetlands and Rivers
Centre at the University of NSW and has spent too much time in
the plane counting waterbirds.
244
1
In the ecological framework for arid Australia it is
postulated that the distribution of some fauna is affected
by spatial patterning related to water availability and soil
nutrients. We investigated the question by comparing
the bird communities in mulga woodland in two
landscapes with contrasting hydrology and substrate in
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in arid central Australia.
One landscape was a sheetwash system and the other
was a reticulated dune-swale system. We counted the
birds in 76 patches of mulga woodland (43 in the
sheetwash and 34 in the dune-swale) of two times-sincefire (recently burnt and long unburnt). Bird community
composition varied between landscape in both timesince-fire classes with larger insectivores and granivores
more common in the sheetwash landscape and smaller
insectivores more common in the dune-swale. Univariate
analysis showed that in recently burnt mulga woodland
all common species were more abundant in the
sheetwash landscape but in the long-unburnt mulga
woodland small insectivores were more common in the
dune-swale landscape. The total biomass of the most
common species was greater in the sheetwash
landscape in both times-since-fire. We concluded that
edaphic conditions interacted with recent rain and fire
to affect the distribution of mulga birds at the study site.
Adam Leavesley is a fire ecologist with a particular interest in arid
ecosystems and birds.
Mammal extirpation on Australia’s islands
Using TOPS to identify host hot spots for rust
incursion management
Emily Hanna1, Marcel Cardillo1
1
1,2,3
John Weiss
1
In the last two centuries, over one quarter of terrestrial
mammal extinctions have occurred in Australia. Many
other Australian mammal species have suffered serious
declines in both population size and geographic range.
Native mammal decline is not simply a mainland
Australia problem: numerous native mammal
extirpations have occurred on Australia’s offshore islands.
However, some islands remain free from introduced
predators, such as cats (Felis catus), allowing certain
remnant populations of native species to survive without
this threat. Islands therefore provide a good opportunity
to test the impact of introduced predators on the erosion
of mammal diversity. This talk will discuss the patterns of
native mammal extinction risk on Australia’s islands,
emphasising the effects of introduced species. The
differences in factors influencing mammal extinction risk
on Australia’s mainland and islands will also be
discussed.
Emily Hanna is a first year PhD student under the supervision of
Dr Marcel Cardillo at the Centre for Macroevolution and
Macroecology, ANU. She is interested in native mammal decline.
2,3
, Jane Moran , Michael McCarthy
1
2
School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Cooperative Research
Centre for National Plant Biosecurity, 3Department of Primary
Industries, VIC
Rust fungi are important parasites of plants, causing
environmental and economic impacts. In addition to the
current distribution of rusts, knowing likely sources and
potential changes in distribution is important for
managing rust incursions. By using NASA’s Terrestrial
Observation Prediction System—Gross Primary
Production model (TOPS GPP) to model daily
photosynthetic rates, we hope to gauge the suitability or
susceptibility to rusts in vegetation types for South
Eastern Australia. Using TOPS one can use weekly
composite data of GPP at a 1 km spatial resolution to
indicate susceptibility of vegetation to rust infection.
Combining these data with meteorological climate data
and a rust sporulation model, we predicted areas
susceptible to rust infection, areas suitable for
sporulation, and the direction that the spores may
disperse. The change in vegetation suitability may be
used to aid the location of traps for monitoring for
presence of rusts. Simulations can be used to forecast
pest outbreaks and potentially identify feasible and
effective containment or management options.
John Weiss is a PhD student with the Cooperative Research Centre
for National Plant Biosecurity and the Victorian Department of
Primary Industries. He has been working on and researching
invasive species for nearly 20 years. He investigated the biological
control and integrated management of the invasive weed,
Horehound for 9 years and more recently worked on weed risk
analysis and predictive modelling of potential weed impacts. At
present he is enjoying working with NASA to see if we can use
dynamic environmental layers to improve predictions for pest
incursions.
245
Is a vulnerable native marsupial naive to the
predation threat of domestic cats and dogs?
Role of nitrogen fixing bacteria in the invasion
success of weedy Australian Acacias
Alexandra Carthey1, Peter Banks1
Christina Birnbaum1, Peter H Thrall2, Michelle R Leishman1
1
Alien predators are more dangerous to native prey
populations than native predators, a fact generally
attributed to prey naiveté, or a failure to respond
effectively to novel predators due to a lack of experience.
Evolutionary theory predicts that this novelty should
diminish over time as local species gain predatorwariness. Here we use a novel approach to test whether
free-living long-nosed bandicoots (Perameles nasuta)—
vulnerable, native, critical weight range mammals that
forage in urban back yards adjacent to bushland in
Sydney—recognise and respond to the presence of two
key introduced predators, dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
and cats (Felis catus). We predict that a long coexistence
history with Australia’s wild dog, the dingo (C. lupus
dingo, ~5000 years) compared to feral cats (<200 years)
would mean that bandicoots recognise and respond to
the threat of domestic dogs but not to cats. Signs of
bandicoot activity were less likely to appear at all in yards
with dogs, and appeared less frequently and in smaller
quantities than in yards with no pets; but were
unaffected by the presence of cats. The bandicoots’
apparent response to dogs suggests that C. lupus may
no longer be a novel predator to them.
Alexandra Carthey is a second year PhD student, interested in the
novel ecological interactions that result from the introduction of
species into new areas.
1
Macquarie University, 2CSIRO Plant Industry
Several Australian Acacias have become invasive when
introduced into new areas within Australia. These
invasive Acacias may have a detrimental effect on native
flora and induce changes to below-ground microbial
composition. Previous studies have shown that the
invasive success of Acacias can be at least partly
attributed to their ability to associate with N-fixing
rhizobial bacteria. This study assessed the role of rhizobia
in the invasion success of four Acacia species (A. cyclops,
A. longifolia, A. melanoxylon, A. saligna) and closely
related species Paraserianthes lophantha in their nonnative environment within Australia. Presence or
absence of rhizobia in soils in both the native and
introduced ranges of each species, as well as infectivity
and efficacy, were estimated using the Most Probable
Number (MPN) method to determine numbers of
rhizobial cells/g-1 of soil. A glasshouse experiment had
shown that there are significant differences in
aboveground biomass between plants grown in soils
from their native compared with non-native
environment.
The outcome of this study will enhance our
understanding of the role of plant-soil interactions in
Acacia invasion into novel ranges in Australia and also
contribute towards a larger global framework of studies
on the invasion ecology of non-native Acacias.
Christina Birnbaum is a PhD student in Macquarie University
Biology Department. She has done her BSc and MSc in Estonia
and has been involved in NOBANIS IAS database compilation.
246
Assessing rapid morphological change in the
invasive common starling (Stunus vulgaris) in
Australia
The influence of landscape and local-scale
attributes on invasive predator activity patterns in
agricultural landscapes
Ellen Couchman1,2,3, Angela Moles1,2,3, Lee Ann Rollins1,2,3,
1,2,3
William Sherwin
Cameron Graham1, Martine Maron1, Clive McAlpine1,2
1
2
3
UNSW, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of
Biological, Earth and Environmental Science
Rapid changes in morphological traits can influence
invasion success. Globally, it is now recognised that rapid
shifts in morphological traits are commonly found in
invasive species. However within Australia studies on
rapid morphological change have been limited. Our
study follows on from recent genetic work conducted by
Dr Lee Ann Rollins and Dr William Sherwin which found
a genetic change in the range front population of
starlings in Western Australia. We looked at the
morphological traits of starlings over their range in
Australia.
We measured twelve morphological traits which are
broadly categorised into four major morphological
groups (brain, feet and leg, flight related and bill).
Preliminary analysis has found that wing length differs
over the starlings range in Australia. Furthermore trait
variation is highly reduced in both the South Australia
and Western Australian populations when compared to
Victorian and New South Wales populations. Thus, rapid
morphological change is occurring in the starling
population in Australia.
Although many studies have looked for evidence of
genetic bottlenecks, this is one of the first to ask whether
invading populations display less morphological
variation then established. The results of this study are
important as changes to a species phenotype can
influence invasiveness. This study will also give baseline
information to help us predict how Australia’s fauna may
respond to climate change.
1
University of Queensland, School of Geography, Planning and
Environmental Management, 2University of Queensland, The
Ecology Centre
Invasive predators are often associated with fragmented
landscapes, and are an important concern for
conservation management. Knowledge of how invasive
predators are influenced by landscape structure can
assist in the mitigation of their impacts. To address this
issue, we investigated the influence of landscape and
site scale habitat attributes on feral cat and red fox
activity patterns in agricultural landscapes. Field surveys
of the frequency of invasive predator visitation at a site
scale were conducted in patch interiors, large patch
edges, small patches, roadside verges, regrowth patches
and open agricultural land. Invasive predators were
most active in roadside verges, which may provide
increased foraging success and also function as
movement corridors. Generalised linear models showed
that the most important factors in influencing invasive
predator activity levels included the proportion of the
landscape covered by cultivation and the density of
vegetation at the site scale. Heterogeneous landscapes
dominated by cultivation had more invasive predator
activity. Dense lateral vegetation, typical of edge habitat,
may be preferred by invasive predators as they provide
cover for animals when foraging and moving. This
information has important implications for the design of
wildlife-friendly landscapes.
Cameron Graham completed a BSc Conservation Ecology (Hons)
at Deakin University. Cameron volunteered for two years at Bogor
Botanical Gardens, Indonesia, and is currently a PhD candidate at
University of Queensland investigating the ecology of invasive
predators in agricultural landscapes.
Ellen Couchman is currently completing an honours year at
UNSW in ecology. Her special interests are invasive species and
evolution.
247
Concurrent session 7e—Urban landscapes
Modelling spatial patterns of wildlife mortality in
peri-urban landscapes
Roost tree selection by insectivorous bats: can
urban remnants sustain populations of hollow
dependent fauna?
1
Harriet Preece , Clive McAlpine
2
1
Qld Department of Environment and Resource Management,
The University of Queensland
2
In urban and peri-urban landscapes, wildlife experience
elevated rates of mortality due to the interaction of
habitat loss and fragmentation, matrix impermeability,
proximity to roads and increased predation by dogs and
cats. Numerous studies have sought to model the
distributions of wildlife, however, few have modelled the
spatial patterns in wildlife mortality. Using the koala
(Phascolarctos cinereus) as a case study, we modelled
spatial patterns of mortality to determine the relative
importance of natural and anthropogenic factors. To
account for spatial autocorrelation, both trend surface
analysis and a conditional autoregressive (CAR) model
were applied and this revealed insights that would have
been otherwise overlooked. Progressively introducing
more spatial information into the models tended to
decrease the magnitude of the environmental effects.
Both human population density and road density were
found to be misleading indicators of koala mortality
compared with traffic volume and the amount of habitat
in the landscape. Spatial autocorrelation represents a
new paradigm in ecology and provides an important
toolset for managers to better assess proposed urban
developments and in the formulation of targeted
management responses to better sustain biodiversity in
the future.
Dr Harriet Preece is a Senior Conservation Officer in the
Queensland Department of Environment and Resource
Management (DERM). Her current work involves research and
monitoring to support koala conservation in South East
Queensland.
248
Caragh Threlfall1, Bradley Law2, Peter Banks1
1
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University
of New South Wales, 2Forest Science Centre, Industry and
Investment NSW
A lack of suitable refuge in urban areas is a common
explanation for population declines of native wildlife. For
microbats, this could mean a scarcity of roosting
opportunities, but roosting requirements are poorly
known. We examine roost selection in an urban
bushland remnant in Sydney, Australia. We radio-tracked
Gould’s long-eared bat Nycotphilus gouldi during
breeding and non-breeding periods and compared their
roosting strategy to two other species, Gould’s wattled
bat Chalinolobus gouldii and the Eastern broad-nosed
bat Scotorepens orion. Individual roost trees were
located during the day and tree characteristics
measured. Random trees available to bats (that
contained at least one hollow or decorticating bark)
were also measured. N. gouldii roost trees had
significantly greater vegetative cover than random trees,
and breeding females had significantly different roosting
behaviours to non breeding females. No differences in
roost preference emerged amongst species or in the
location of roosts in the landscape. All species rarely used
the urban matrix or small remnants, and confined their
roosting activities to within 200 m of a large remnant.
Our data indicates that reasons for such habitat
preferences include the density of suitable trees in the
urban landscape and competition for roost space by
other hollow-using fauna.
Caragh Threlfall is a PhD student in her 3rd year at UNSW
studying the mechanisms governing bat diversity and abundance
in urban areas.
Impact of urbanisation on frog communities in
streams along an urban–rural gradient in
Melbourne, Victoria
Urban edges: bird responses at the interface
between suburbs and reserves
Stefano Canessa1, Kirsten Parris1
1
School of Botany, University of Melbourne
Urbanisation affects stream ecosystems through altered
hydrology, pollution and modified habitat. Impacts of
urbanisation on biotic communities in streams have
been widely investigated. In particular, the proportion of
impervious area in the catchment has been shown to
significantly correlate with impoverished invertebrate
and fish assemblages. However, few studies have
focused on anuran species (frogs) in urban streams. We
monitored 46 sites in three different stream systems in
north-western Melbourne, along an urban-rural
gradient. After accounting for imperfect detection,
multiple surveys were carried out to estimate presence
and abundance of frogs. Community data were then
related to variables at a local scale, describing stream
structure and suitable habitat, as well as at the
catchment scale, including measures of attenuated
imperviousness. We found that the species richness and
abundance of frogs declined substantially as the area of
impervious surface in the catchment increased. This
study may contribute to conservation planning in urban
stream systems, which often represent the only
connecting corridors available for amphibian species in
these human-impacted landscapes.
After graduating in Science and Economics in Italy, Stefano
Canessa has recently completed a MSc at Melbourne University.
He is involved in amphibian ecology and conservation in both his
home countries.
Karen Stagoll1, Adrian Manning1, Emma Knight1,
Joern Fischer1, David Lindenmayer1
1
National University
As cities expand closer to natural areas, a key
management question is what happens at the interface
where suburbs and reserves meet. The interface is
subject to edge effects, which can influence the ability of
birds to live in and move through suburban and reserve
areas. Factors affecting the extent and nature of these
effects include: (i) the type of street vegetation (native or
exotic street trees); and (ii) the type of interface boundary
(unsealed management track or sealed public road). Our
study investigates these ‘urban edges’ in order to inform
urban planners and developers how the management
and design of interfaces in new urban areas will affect
birds. We examined bird responses at suburb-reserve
edges in Canberra, Australia, and found that both
suburb vegetation and boundary type affected bird
diversity and composition within suburbs and reserves,
but that individual bird responses to the interface were
species-specific. We use this data to discuss how
alternative planning options at new suburb-reserve
edges can lead to different bird communities in future
urban areas.
Karen Stagoll studies patterns of landscape use by birds within
mixed-use urban landscapes as part of her PhD at the Fenner
School of Environment and Society, ANU.
249
Urban wildlife across the divide: the unlikely costs
and benefits of urbanised landscapes
Sustaining mammals in urban landscapes: the
importance of maintaining functional connectivity
and understanding behavioural ecology
Nelika Hughes1, Rachel Miller2, Matt Hayward1, Sarah Legge1
1
Australian Wildlife Conservancy, 2Department of Environment,
Climate Change and Water, National Parks and Wildlife Service
Sean FitzGibbon1, Robbie Wilson1, William Ellis1
The impact of urbanisation is slow for many species, as
populations that manage to survive the initial loss of
habitat gradually decline throughout the urbanbushland mosaic. An understanding of how remnant
populations use the interface between urban and
natural landscapes is therefore crucial to their long term
management. In this presentation I examine how the
long-nosed bandicoot, one of the few ground-dwelling
mammals to have persisted within the urban-bushland
mosaic, exploits both the modified urban and natural
habitats available to it. I present the results of large-scale
trapping and radio-tracking studies, in combination with
an analysis of the distribution of predators and prey. My
findings reveal some paradoxical costs (e.g. the loss of
nesting habitat and reduced cover from some predators)
and benefits (e.g. highly productive habitats and an
escape from other potential predators and competitors)
of urbanised landscapes to species existing across the
urban-bushland divide. Significantly, however, these
results demonstrate that already urbanised environments
need to be managed just as much as the natural
vegetation remnants. Only with this management can
we hope to maintain our already threatened urban
wildlife.
Sustaining biodiversity in urban landscapes involves
addressing markedly different challenges to those in
rural and natural environments. While habitat loss and
fragmentation are still pervasive influences upon wildlife,
the role of the matrix that separates patches is poorly
understood. We examined the distribution and
behavioural ecology of two native mammals, the
northern brown bandicoot and koala, occupying habitat
fragments in the heavily urbanised landscape of South
East Queensland. Using GPS and radio-telemetry we
found both species were largely restricted to habitat
patches but occasionally ventured into adjacent highdensity residential areas. Such forays often involved
exposure to significant threats including domestic pets
and vehicle collisions during road crossings. Patch
surveys highlighted the importance of functional
connectivity upon occupation by bandicoots, which was
generally highest for riparian fragments. Repeat surveys
one-year later revealed that bandicoots are continuing
to become locally extinct within isolated patches.
Similarly, while koalas were found within many small
patches (some <1ha), we suggest this is due to a lag
effect and that numerous local extinctions will occur in
the near future. We discuss the implications of this
research for the conservation and management of
native mammals in urban landscapes.
Nelika Hughes is an ecologist with the Australian Wildlife
Conservancy at the North Head Sanctuary, where research
examines the effects of fire, introduced species and habitat
fragmentation on native species and communities.
250
1
Sean FitzGibbon completed his Doctorate of Philosophy at The
University of Queensland (2005), examining wildlife survival in
habitat patches within fragmented urban landscapes. He
continues to research native wildlife in urban and rural landscapes.
He also paints garden gnomes.
Concurrent session 7f—Symposium: Taking action together: the role of ecology in conservation
partnerships
1330, Room T6, MCC
1345, Room T6, MCC
Continental scale connectivity conservation in
Australia and North America: science in partnership
Ecological drivers in landscape planning in the
Gondwana Link area of Western Australia
Carina Wyborn1
Angela Sanders1, Jim Radford1
1
Fenner School, Australian National University
Initiatives seeking to establish ecological connectivity at
large scales are growing in number and profile as a
means to protect, enhance and restore native vegetation
and biodiversity. Originating in response to habitat
fragmentation and land use intensification, connectivity
is increasingly framed within the discourse of climate
change adaptation, resilience and social connectivity.
While these initiatives show promise for integrated
conservation management across multiple land tenures,
they face significant challenges of collaboration and
communication across vast, diverse landscapes,
communities and agendas. Building social and
ecological connectivity across large landscapes is
dependent on small-scale interventions feeding into a
landscape-scale vision that makes sense at multiple
scales, through individual landholder, local community,
bioregion, up to the continental scale. And while
proponents of connectivity conservation have
aspirations to work with local communities across large
landscapes, there is an inherent incompatibility between
landscape scale science and community based
conservation. Little research has been undertaken on the
social and institutional aspects of connectivity
conservation. Drawing on two case studies in Australia
and one in North America this paper will explore
different mechanisms for engaging with local
communities in the context of landscape scale science
and action.
1
The Conservation Action Planning process, developed
by The Nature Conservancy, has been used to prepare a
landscape scale plan for the FitzStirling operational area
of Gondwana Link in southern Western Australia. Six
years on the plan remains the blueprint guiding property
management, ecological monitoring and the
achievement of Gondwana Link goals. Ecological drivers
underpin the plan, which includes six key conservation
targets; creeks, yate (Eucalyptus occidentalis) woodland,
mallet (E. astringens) and moort (E. platypus) woodland,
proteaceous rich communities, wallabies and fresh water
systems. The current condition of targets has been
assessed against various ecological attributes and
monitoring programs have been developed for each.
The achievement of all this has involved partnerships
with other conservation based NGOs, state government
departments and tertiary education institutions. The
ecological monitoring section has been well supported
but momentum on the strategy effectiveness and
adaptive management sections has been difficult to
maintain. This paper explores possible reasons and
proposes solutions to fill the gaps.
Jim Radford manages the Science and Monitoring team at Bush
Heritage. His research interests include understanding the interplay
between behavioural responses to landscape change and the
ecological processes that determine the distribution and
abundance of fauna. He translates this understanding into
principles and guidelines for ecologically sustainable landscape
management.
Carina Wyborn is a PhD student and social scientist at the Fenner
School of Environment and Society. Her research interest is in the
integration of human dimensions into understandings of
environmental change and biodiversity conservation.
251
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Implementing Naturelinks—the WildEyre
experience
Strange bedfellows? Partnerships between
environmental NGOs and resource extraction
companies
Emma Coates1, Andrew Freeman2, Matt Turner3, Todd
Berkinshaw4, Rob Coventry2, Louise Mortimer2, Paul Hodges2,
5
4
Tim Milne , Simon Bey
1
1
Greening Australia
2
Department for Environment and Natural Resources, Eyre
Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board, 3The Wilderness
Society, 4Greening Australia (SA), 5The Nature Conservation Society
of SA
The NatureLinks program is the South Australian
Government’s commitment to No Species Loss—through
the implementation of fundamental ecological principles
at a landscape scale to ensure the best long-term
outcomes for healthy ecosystems. Launched in 2008, the
East meets West NatureLinks Plan provides the direction
for collaborative landscape scale conservation on Eyre
Peninsula. So begins the WildEyre experience; a
Conservation Alliance of five conservation organisations
creating and implementing a shared ecological vision for
the conservation of the WildEyre area whilst acting as a
delivery mechanism for NatureLinks.
The key aim of WildEyre is to conserve and restore the
core habitats and species of central to north-western
Eyre Peninsula through an integrated, landscape-scale
conservation project that is supported by strong
organisational partnerships, an ambitious investment
program and best-practice, science-based planning,
community involvement and on ground action.
WildEyre aims to increase the resilience and condition of
key South Australian native ecosystems to environmental
and anthropogenic induced landscape changes.
The WildEyre approach epitomises best practise in
collaborative landscape scale biodiversity conservation.
Emma Coates has a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honours in
Environmental Ecology and coordinates the East meets West
NatureLinks and WildEyre programs with the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources.
252
Robert Lambeck1
In order to fund their operations, NGOs often seek out
sponsorships and partnerships with corporate
organisations. These relationships can be both
challenging and rewarding. If they are to be successful
over the longer term, it is critical that both parties have a
clear understanding of what each party wants from the
relationship. This requires an understanding of the
distinction between corporate social responsibility,
enlightened self-interest and cynical opportunism.
Effective relationships need to be embedded at multiple
levels of both organisation’s management and there
needs to be great clarity about communication
expectations, both internally and externally. Risk
management is critical with a need to explicitly ensure
that organisational Brands are protected in the event of
one party experiencing negative public exposure. This
paper explores an exemplary partnership between
Greening Australia and Shell Development Australia, that
focused on delivering scientific, environmental, social
(both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) and economic
gains in the context of the Gondwana Link initiative in
Western Australia.
Robert Lambeck is a Adjunct Professor, School of Plant Biology
University of Western Australia. He is also a consultant for
Greening Australia and is the former CEO of Greening Australia.
He has developed a number of long standing and high profile
corporate partnerships for Greening Australia.
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The primacy of ecology in NGO conservation
planning
Boorowa River recovery—a case study
demonstrating the importance of partnerships in
landscape scale rehabilitation
Guy Dutson1, Stephen Garnett2, Cheryl Gole3
1
BirdLife International, 2Charles Darwin University, 3Birds Australia
Lori Gould1
1
Important bird areas (IBAs) are an international tool for
prioritising sites for bird conservation. They are built from
ecological knowledge of the birds and, for several
criteria, are tenure blind—places where threatened birds
persist or where large numbers congregate are chosen
by the birds. Declaration of such IBAs, whose values are
non-substitutable, can therefore be apolitical. In contrast
other terrestrial conservation planning regimes must
often work within a human framework of land allocation
and maximise efficiency on the basis of price and
availability within political and social constraints. In
Australia identification of the IBA network was
undertaken with funding from a large mining company,
which put no constraints on the outcome of the final
plan, but with no formal government assistance. At the
same time engagement of a volunteer network in
identification of IBAs helped imbue a local sense of
responsibility for IBA protection and management,
regardless of tenure. We argue that identification of
irreplaceable ecological values must remain
independent of socio-political influences, and that
conservation NGOs are better placed than government
to undertake such planning. After that, however,
achievement of effective conservation is entirely a
political process where the stronger the partnerships the
more durable the success.
Greening Australia Capital Region
Boorowa River Recovery is a large scale, award winning
riparian rehabilitation program implemented in the
Boorowa River Catchment over the past 4 years in
response to poor water quality, and a significant loss of
biodiversity resulting in salinity and reduced agricultural
productivity. Boorowa River Recovery has actively
engaged 70 land managers who have protected and
rehabilitated 640 ha of riparian zone along 80km of
waterways. The project is centred around meaningful
partnerships with community, government and business,
in a flexible and adaptive implementation model that
aligns partner priorities with project objectives to achieve
outcomes with multiple benefits.
Over the past ten years, Lori Gould has managed several award
winning multi-million dollar projects resulting in the protection and
rehabilitation of over 400 km of waterways in south eastern
Australia. Lori has engaged over 450 farmers, and manages
partnerships with dozens of organisations who provide financial
support and other resources.
Guy Dutson, Stephen Garnett and Cheryl Gole were all closely
involved in planning Australian Important Bird Areas and their
implementation. All have extensive experience in linking ecology,
conservation and people.
253
Concurrent session 7g—Symposium: Biodiversity indicators for measuring and monitoring
ecosystem condition and climate change adaptation
1330, Room T2, MCC
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Warming UK climate increases avian species
richness and homogenisation as generalists spread
A new approach to biodiverse ecosystem indicator
measurement for change adaptation
Cath Davey1,2, David Noble2, Alison Johnston2, Stuart
Newson2, Dan Chamberlain2,3
Judy Fisher1
1
2
CSIRO, British Trust for Ornithology, UK, University of Turin, Italy
Birds are expected to react to climate change in a
number of ways; as well as range expansions and
contractions, phenological mismatches in breeding and
migration are expected to occur. To date, research has
focused on single-species, with few studies addressing
the impacts of climate on community structure. We
examined the influence of recent warming on
communities by examining diversity and
homogenisation in British bird assemblages.
We used Breeding Bird Survey data for Britain from
1994–2006 to calculate site-specific diversity and
community specialisation indices. We modelled these
indices using Generalised Additive Models to examine
the effect of climate on spatial and temporal trends in
community metrics.
Over our study period, species’ diversity increased at the
local scale. Average temperature had a positive effect on
community diversity and richness, confirming empirical
and theoretical predictions of the effect of climate
warming. However, temperature had a significant
negative influence on community specialisation indices,
which declined over the same period. We suggest that
diversity increases are in part being driven by range
expansion of generalist species; future warming is likely
to increase homogenisation of communities. Indicators
that rely solely on richness or diversity measures may
therefore overlook important implications of climate for
biodiversity.
Cath Davey has recently taken up a Postdoctoral Fellowship in
agro-ecological modelling with CSIRO sustainable ecosystems.
Prior to this she worked at British Trust for Ornithology where she
worked on a variety of applied conservation issues. In addition to
her work on patterns in bird diversity she also completed an
evaluation of the efficacy of environmental schemes for reversing
farmland bird declines in England.
254
1
Fisher Research/University of Western Australia
3
As a response to concerns regarding the management
and protection of ecosystems in biodiversity hot spots
and significant ecological communities in Western
Australia, a new bottom up scientific approach to
establishing indicators of ecosystem change has been
developed. These advances are being applied in urban
rivers, and their associated vegetation communities, and
ecosystems in the Kimberley Dampierland bioregion. Key
indicators and baseline measurement methodologies
are being established, by working with those designing
on ground restoration activities, to determine indicators
most likely to determine ecosystem functional change
and responses to change. The incorporation of
scientifically sound baseline monitoring programs into
restoration projects is providing new directions to
monitor and adapt the management of altered and
disturbed ecosystems and their responses to future
change. Invasive species, as indicators, are leading to
opportunities, and baseline measurement questions,
which will assist us to better understand the responses of
ecosystems to change. The incorporation of key
indicator measurements into on ground restoration
projects will provide baseline evidence based data to
direct policy and its effective implementation.
1400, Room T2, MCC
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Vulnerability of aquatic macroinvertebrates to
climate change in eastern New South Wales
Towards meaningful quantitative indices for
monitoring degradation and restoration of
biological communities
Alex Bush1
1
School of Biological Sciences
Carla Catterall1, Jarrad Cousin1, Amanda Freeman1
1
Aquatic assemblages of freshwater invertebrates have
been shown to respond rapidly to shifts in climate. As
the climate changes, these species are expected to shift
to higher latitudes and altitudes, where suitable habitat is
available and where movement is not constrained by
geographic barriers. Understanding the present day
distribution of species and higher order taxonomic
groups in relation to topography and other
environmental factors is important for predicting the
vulnerability of these taxa in the future. We show that
standard water-quality macroinvertebrate survey data,
based on family-level taxonomy, demonstrates significant
turnover along a latitudinal gradient down the eastern
coast of New South Wales. Montane stream
assemblages, which have modest scope for altitudinal
migration, are particularly vulnerable because suitably
elevated sites are isolated from one another. Dispersal is
often limited, or infrequent, among many aquatic taxa
which will struggle to shift their range in accordance
with new climate conditions. Loss of habitat specialists
unable to locate suitable habitat will lead to an overall
reduction in beta-diversity among reaches, and in
landscape gamma-diversity. Management options for
the most vulnerable aquatic habitats using both riparian
corridors and terrestrial linkages between catchments
should be considered to reduce the impacts of climate
change.
Alex Bush is an ecology student, originally graduating from the
University of East Anglia, UK. Alex now studies the implications of
climate change for freshwater macroinvertebrates at Macquarie
University for a PhD.
Griffith University
Many important questions in ecological management
involve judgements concerning the condition or quality
of a community in relation to specific reference points.
The latter may, for example, comprise ecosystems
selected to represent ‘intact’ or ‘degraded’ states, or the
start and endpoints of restoration. To understand and
monitor whether ecological communities are changing
in a desired direction, we need to measure and rank
states of ecological degradation or restoration—that is, to
quantify where a given community sits, or how fast it is
moving, on the trajectory between reference conditions.
Well-developed methods for the quantitative assessment
of communities at particular points in space and time
involve measuring the values (for example abundances)
of multiple attributes (such as species). Methods for
visualising and describing similarities and difference
between communities are also well developed, however
these generally tell us about overall patterns of similarity
or difference among sites or times, rather than their
relative positions in relation to reference states. This talk
explores some alternative methods for representing the
progress of communities along a degradationrestoration spectrum, using both univariate and
multivariate approaches. We use case studies of bird
communities in remnant and restored forest patches,
although the methods are not taxon-specific.
Carla Catterall is a wildlife ecologist at Griffith University with a
particular interest in the conservation and restoration of forest
communities. She is also President of ESA.
255
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Effectiveness of vegetation condition attributes for
predicting vertebrate assemblages in inland
Queensland
ClimateWatch: community monitoring of
ecological change
Victor Neldner1, Teresa Eyre1
1
Lynda E Chambers1, Andy Donnelly2, Rachel Maitland2, Richard
Weatherill2
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Sciences, Department of Environment
and Resource Management, QLD
1
Bureau of Meteorology, VIC, 2EarthWatch Institute Australia,
NSW, 2EarthWatch Institute Australia, WA
The BioCondition Assessment Methodology uses the
best practice vegetation indicators to provide a rapid
assessment of the condition of the vegetation at a site.
Research in the poplar box woodlands in the
fragmented brigalow belt and mulga woodlands from
the Queensland mulgalands bioregion has been
investigating the effectiveness of these structural and
floristic indicators for predicting the biodiversity of
vascular plants and vertebrates. In general the
aggregated BioCondition classes (1234, with 1 being
best condition) reflect the biodiversity values in terms of
richness and composition as expected for the tested
functional groups of forbs, grasses, reptiles and diurnal
birds. For both diurnal birds and reptiles, there was no
significant difference between species richness in classes
1, 2 and 3 but species richness in class 4 was significantly
lower. Diurnal bird and reptile assemblages were
dissimilar between all BioCondition classes, except
between classes 1 and 2. This pattern was consistent
within each of the three investigated land types.
Appropriate setting of benchmarks for attributes for
different ecosystems is important, e.g. the presence of
some shrub cover is important habitat in some
ecosystems e.g. poplar box woodlands, but at too high
levels is indicative of dysfunctional condition in other
ecosystems e.g. mulga.
Australia is in a unique position to investigate the
influence of climate on plants and animals as its climate
ranges from the tropics to temperate to arid to alpine.
In response, ClimateWatch, the Australian phenology
network was launched in September 2009
(http://www.climatewatch.org.au). Based on
international examples, the network is the first of its type
in the Southern Hemisphere and aims to support the
work of climate change biologists, natural resource
managers and policy makers.
Eighty-three indicator species were selected by a Science
Panel which cover 8 groups: birds (28), plants (13),
insects (16), mammals (4), marine (6), frogs (6), reptiles
(5) and spiders (5). During a pilot phase more than 1000
volunteers tested the web interface and gathered
preliminary data. Over 2000 records on 66 species in
264 locations have been received. The system is
designed to detect changes in both phenology and
distribution.
In its first year ClimateWatch seeks to engage 8000
citizen scientists with recruitment strategies based on
existing networks, on-line and traditional media. Longer
term strategies include partnerships with key scientific
organisations and strategic alignments with government
initiatives. These strategies, the early results and both the
social and scientific implications of the project are
discussed.
Dr Lynda Chambers is a Senior Research Scientist at the Centre for
Australian Weather and Climate Research—Bureau of
Meteorology. Specialising in climate research and its interaction
with flora and fauna, Lynda is a project leader for the citizen
science project ClimateWatch, member of the NCCARF Terrestrial
Biodiversity Steering Committee, expert member of the Charles
Darwin Climate Change Observatory, lead author of the National
Marine Climate Change and Adaptation Report Card and
contributing author of the IPCC 4AR.
256
ecosystem function
1330, Room T1, MCC
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Return of the fauna: brown treecreeper
reintroductions in Eucalypt woodland
Ameliorating grassy woodland soils by enhancing
truffle production and establishing populations of
mycophagous marsupials
Victoria Sheean1, David Lindenmayer1, Adrian Manning1,
Veronica Doerr2, Erik Doerr2
1
2
Australian National University, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
One of the key components of restoring an ecosystem is
to restore or improve the species biodiversity. Species
reintroductions are increasingly important tools to
improve biodiversity by establishing self-sustaining
populations, particularly when natural recolonisation is
unlikely.
We reintroduced 43 Brown Treecreepers, Climacteris
picumnus, into two eucalypt grassy woodland nature
reserves, Mulligans Flat and Goorooyarroo, in Canberra,
ACT. The Brown Treecreeper is one of many woodland
birds that are rapidly disappearing, chiefly in small
degraded remnants. Complex reasons for their decline
include delayed effects of habitat fragmentation and
habitat degradation. Release of birds within an
experimental framework allowed for assessment of the
reintroduction process as well as investigation into the
factors influencing the species’ decline.
Brown Treecreepers were radio-tracked for three
months. We examined individual movement patterns
and large-scale habitat selection based on experimental
manipulations placed across the reserves. We also
assessed how bird behaviour and use of small-scale
habitat variables differed depending upon variations in
qualities of the large-scale habitat. Therefore, the birds
themselves provide an unique insight into the condition
of an ecosystem through their survival, movement,
behaviour and habitat use. This project will provide a
model for future reintroductions and suggest pathways
for re-establishing populations of Brown Treecreepers.
Victoria Sheean completed her first class honours at the University
of Wollongong, before working within the graduate program at
the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and
Water.
Jacqui Stol1, Jim Trappe1,2
1
Agricultural and Forest Ecosystems Research Program, CSIRO
Ecosystem Sciences, 2Department of Forest Ecosystems and
Society, Oregon State University, USA
Australian woodlands once supported mammal
mycophagists, including rodents, rat-kangaroos,
bandicoots, possums, and wallabies. Many prefer truffles,
the subterranean fruit-bodies of mycorrhizal fungi, over
other foods, digesting nearly all the truffle but the spores,
which they disperse through defecation. When
excavating truffles, these animals break through
hydrophobic soil crusts, turn over soil, and after
extracting a truffle leave a water ‘microcatchment’.
Individual woylies, for example, may excavate 38–114
holes per night, displacing up to 5 tonnes of soil per
year. Such cultivation occurred in woodlands until
invasive predators plus other threatening factors
reduced mycophagists a century or more ago. Success
of re-establishing mycophagists for soil amelioration and
dispersal of mycorrhizal fungus spores depends on
predator control and availability of truffles. We examined
habitat variables that affect truffle production in SE
Australian woodlands. Water, required by truffle colonies
to fruit, proved the most important, including soilwetting rains plus leaf litter and shade to reduce
evaporation and moderate temperatures. Current
studies at Mulligan’s Flat Nature Reserve in the ACT
indicate 1–4 cm of litter are related to maximum truffle
production, with 2 cm the best. Management to
promote truffle fruiting includes capturing rainfall,
retaining leaf litter and encouraging understorey plants
for shade.
Jacqui Stol has been involved in diverse research projects,
including firewood production and vegetation studies in
woodlands, tree regrowth in paddocks, and role of mycorrhizal
fungi in establishing tree plantations.
257
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Restoring ecological resistance to invasion by exotic
annual plants in degraded woodlands
Influence of a parasitic shrub on diversity in
eucalypt forests: a resource-based approach
Ian Cole1,2, Ian Lunt1, Suzanne Prober3
David M Watson1, Hugh W McGregor1, Peter G Spooner1
1
Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University,
Department of Climate Change and Water NSW, 3CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems
2
Degraded temperate grassy ecosystems commonly
support abundant exotic annuals. This has been
associated with seasonally elevated soil nitrate
concentrations, that can result from disruption of
feedbacks between keystone native perennial grasses
and soil nitrogen cycling. We attempted to restore
ecological resistance to broad-leaf exotic annuals in
degraded woodlands by: (a) comparing management
strategies to control exotics in the short-term, and (b) reestablishing native perennial grasses to restore soil
nutrient cycles and control exotics over the long term.
We added carbohydrate (sugar) to reduce soil nitrate,
and applied spring burning and crash grazing to control
exotic seed set. Seed of four perennial grass species was
sown. Results over 2 years show that sugar dramatically
reduced soil nitrate and exotic annual cover, as in earlier
studies. Spring grazing and burning had no effect on
broad-leaf exotic cover in the short term at least. Reestablishment of native perennial grasses proved difficult,
with few plants of any species establishing despite
effective exotic control in some treatments. This study
confirms that exotic annuals can be controlled in the
short-term by adding carbohydrate, and highlights the
need for better native grass establishment strategies to
achieve the greater challenge of long-term resistance to
weed invasion.
Dr Ian Lunt’s research focuses on the disturbance ecology and
restoration of temperate grasslands and grassy woodlands in
south-east Australia.
1
Parasitic plants are components of many habitats and
have various effects on their hosts and neighbouring
plants. Research on mistletoes has explored the
consequences of these interactions at the stand and
community level; the aerial hemiparasites found to boost
species richness, alter successional dynamics and modify
nutrient cycling pathways. These plants also provide
fleshy fruit, nectar, foliage-dwelling insects and secure
nest sites, but the relative importance of these nutritional
and structural resources on faunal diversity has not been
considered. Moreover, the growth form of mistletoes is
distinctive (shared only with woody epiphytes restricted
to rainforests), and it is unclear what proportion of
mistletoe’s influence relates to their parasitic habit. To
disentangle these factors and quantify the resources
provided by parasitic plants, we focused on the root
parasitic shrub Exocarpos strictus (Santalaceae). 28
Eucalyptus camaldulensis forest plots were measured in
the Gunbower-Koondrook forest in south-eastern
Australia, comparing riparian forests with an Exocarpos
understorey with otherwise similar habitats without
shrubs or with an equivalent cover of the non-parasitic
shrub Acacia dealbata. Analyses of avian richness and
incidence (both overall and in six feeding guilds) were
complemented by explicit measures of resources in both
shrub types. Avian species richness was approximately
50% greater and total incidences for five guilds were
significantly greater in forests with the parasitic shrub,
with no appreciable differences between the other two
habitat types. In addition to plentiful fleshy fruits,
Exocarpos supported abundant arthropods in their
foliage—significantly higher in biomass than for
equivalent volumes of Acacia foliage. The parasitic plant
had a shorter and denser structure, providing a greater
range of microhabitats than the more open growing
Acacia. Grass cover was also greater beneath Exocarpos
plants, consistent with studies that have found parasitic
plants can facilitate understorey growth via high quality
litter. Rather than an exceptional system or an aberrant
result, we suggest the influence of Exocarpos on species
richness relates to their parasitic habit, whereby
hemiparasites mobilise resources from their hosts and
make them available to a range of trophic levels, thereby
driving pervasive changes in productivity and diversity.
Dave Watson’s research group focuses on three broad themes:
biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes, the biological
consequences of habitat fragmentation and the ecology of
parasitic plants.
258
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Temperate woodlands, vegetation condition,
vegetation restoration and biodiversity
conservation: insights from a decade of field-based
empirical research
Landscape restoration and spatial planning for
biodiversity
David Lindenmayer1, Ross Cunningham1, Jeff Wood1,
1
1
1
Emma Knight , Damien Michael , Mason Crane , Rebecca
1
1
Montague-Drake , Chris MacGregor , Geoff Kay1
1
1
Our research team has dedicated more than a decade
to studies a range of aspects of temperate woodland
conservation and management on the South West
Slopes of New South Wales—one of the most extensively
cleared bioregions in that State. Work to date has
encompassed investigations of birds, reptiles, mammals
and plants and it has shown that an array of strategies
can promote the conservation of biodiversity on farms—
at the site, paddock, farm and landscape scales. We have
discovered that plantings can be important habitats for a
range of woodland birds and reptiles, although arboreal
marsupials and other native mammals rarely use them.
Design attributes of plantings to enhance their value for
bird taxa include making them block shaped,
establishing near other plantings or areas of native
vegetation and intersecting them with other plantings.
Another key discovery has been the cumulative value for
woodland birds of different kinds of attributes of
remnant vegetation on farms including woodland
patches, scattered paddock trees, fallen timber, and
native pastures. We also have identified rocky areas as
key micro hotspots for reptile biota on farms and in
agricultural landscapes. The importance of these places
was previously unrecognised by farmers and natural
resource managers. Based on research insights we have
generated from the past 10 years, we have commenced
the process of writing and distributing new
communication materials for farmers and natural
resource managers that aim to improve biodiversity
conservation on farms.
Peter Vesk1, Jim Thomson2, Atte Moilanen3, Andrew Bennett4,
Ralph Mac Nally2
University of Melbourne, 2Monash University, 3University of
Helsinki, 4Deakin University
Much effort is being devoted to restoring grassy
woodland landscapes through revegetation.
Conservation of native biodiversity under threat from
years of degradation and clearing of native habitat is a
key aim of the effort. How to choose where to
revegetate? We approached this problem by
considering how to maximise the benefit to woodland
birds in the Goulburn Broken Catchment, Victoria. We
quantified the development of habitat through time on
revegetated sites and developed species-specific spatiotemporal models of habitat suitability for 62 woodland
birds. We then used an optimisation approach using the
conservation planning software, Zonation, to choose the
sites that maximised the increase in range balanced
across the species. The spatially-explicit plan highlighted
priority areas clustered around existing vegetation and
on productive soils and higher rainfall, reflecting their
disproportionate clearing. This work demonstrates
potential of systematic restoration planning at broad
scales.
Thomson, JR, Moilanen, AJ, Vesk, PA, Bennett, AF & MacNally,
R (2009). Where and when to revegetate: a quantitative
method for scheduling landscape reconstruction. Ecological
Applications, 19, 817–828.
259
Concurrent session 8a—Symposium: Ecological restoration science and practice: current and
future directions
1530, Room T4, MCC
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Evaluating riparian restoration in the Murray–
Darling Basin: lessons and implications
Improving biodiversity outcomes from restoration
actions using a landscape assessment framework
and recovery group
Paul Reich1,2, Sam Lake2, Tim Cavagnaro2, Rob Hale2
1
Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Sustainability and
Environment, 2School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
Nigel Willoughby1, Rowena Danks2, Phil Barron3, Chris Grant1,
4
5
Jo Spencer , Sarah Lance
1
Riparian zone restoration is a critical component of
stream restoration but monitoring its effectiveness is
typically deficient. Consequently, there is a lack of
knowledge about the timing and magnitude of
ecological responses, and the indicators that should be
measured to assess these. For six years, we have been
carrying out an experiment across 5 locations in the
Murray–Darling basin, implementing and monitoring
the restoration of river red gum-dominated riparian
zones in small, intermittent lowland streams within
grazed catchments. At each site (~1 km long treatment
and control sections), a range of aquatic and terrestrial
variables has been monitored to test if restoration
produces desirable trajectories of response and reinstates
hypothesised links in structure and function between
variables. Despite a 13-year mega-drought affecting all
sites since 1997, there have been reductions at
treatment sites in bare ground, increases in plant and
litter cover and successful recruitment of river red gum
seedlings. However, macrophytes, fish and aquatic
macro-invertebrates have declined in abundance and
richness across all sites. With both treatment and control
sections at each site, it is possible to discriminate
between the effects of restoration and drought. Our
results illustrate the need in restoration to contend with
potentially counteractive disturbances, such as drought,
and to plan for both short- and long-term effects, both
predicted and otherwise.
Paul Reich is a freshwater ecologist with an interest in stream
restoration.
260
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, South
Australia, 2Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association,
3
Barron Environmental, 4Greening Australia, 5South Australian
Murray–Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board
To conserve biodiversity, the general principles of
landscape and restoration ecology provide an indication
of what to consider, not what to do. To decide what to
do, a framework is needed to guide from vision through
to explicit goals. This presentation presents a practical
example of the use of such a framework from the
northern Murray Mallee, South Australia. Landscape
components were defined on the basis of
environmental settings and their typical vegetation types.
Prioritisation between these components occurred using
an approach we termed ‘landscape response groups’,
based here on characteristic bird species. Data on
current bird distributions suggested: extinction of birds
associated with habitats typically developing on shallow
sand; contraction to one population for birds associated
with habitats typically developing on deep sand; while
birds associated with habitats that develop on sandy
loams with calcrete remained relatively widespread.
Together, this information provided the basis for a
landscape restoration goal to increase the extent of
desirable vegetation on deep sand. A state-and-transition
model for deep sand guides activities on each patch.
2010 sees the second year of on-ground works and
landscape monitoring.
Nigel Willoughby has worked in the Murray Mallee for five years,
focusing on merging landscape and restoration theory with
practice. Prior to that he completed a PhD on Melithreptid
honeyeater ecology.
1600, Room T4, MCC
1615, Room T4, MCC
Fish for the future—what difference is the Native
Fish Strategy making?
When environmental filters become too fine:
multiple, interacting stressors drive regeneration
failure in semi-arid floodplain forests
Jim Barrett1, Martin Mallen-Cooper2, Terry Korodaj1
1
Murray–Darling Basin Authority, 2Fishway Consulting Services
Gillis Horner1,2
1
Populations of most of the Murray–Darling Basin’s 35
fish species have declined severely in the last 100 years,
with nearly half listed as threatened under
Commonwealth or State legislation. The Native Fish
Strategy, which started in 2004, is a 50 year initiative to
rehabilitate native fish populations by direct
management of causal factors as well as targeted
restoration. This paper will describe some of the
strategy’s successes in its first 6 years, together with some
of the key research findings that will lead to further
improvements.
The construction of 16 fishways along 2,500km of the
Murray River that are purpose-built for native fish (and
include facilities to trap and remove the invasive Carp)
will be completed in 2011. Results include hundreds of
thousands of native fish moving through the new
fishways as well as over 70 tonnes of carp being
removed River at Lock 1. Resnagging several reaches of
the Murray to recover native fish populations, increase
habitat complexity and restore connectivity has taken
place and is being monitored. Ten large-scale
‘demonstration reaches’ are being established to trial the
cumulative impact of simultaneously undertaking a
range of restorative measures, with the active
participation of local communities across the Basin.
The paper concludes with a range of questions to the
management and research communities to stimulate
further collaborative effort to move the Basin along a
restorative trajectory for the future.
Monash University, 2GHD Pty Ltd
Riverine ecosystems already under stress from human
actions, such as wholesale land-use change and
excessive water extraction for agriculture, now are
experiencing a profound, chronic, additional stress
through climate change. The extensive river red gum
(Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.) forests of Australia’s
Murray–Darling Basin provide one of the world’s most
dramatic examples of floodplain forest decline, the extent
of which is likely to have profound consequences for
ecosystem structure and function. We explored how
flooding, mammalian herbivory (grazing) and sediment
salinity affected a key stage in forest regeneration, tree
seedling survival. We conducted two concurrent field
experiments measuring survival of planted and naturally
established seedlings. We controlled likely stressors
(water availability and grazing) individually, and in
combination, to determine how these factors affect
survival. In the first experiment, seedlings were planted
within six ephemeral creeks, three of which were
flooded and three unflooded. Within each creek, four
plots were established, two of which were grazed and
two ungrazed. Sediment conductivity (ECe) was
measured at 10, 20 and 30 cm depths at all plots.
Flooding had a pronounced positive effect, increasing
seedling survival by a factor of 8, in the absence of
grazing. Grazing and sediment salinity had strong
negative effects on seedling survival at both flooded and
unflooded sites. Positive effects of flooding (on survival)
largely were nullified by grazing and sediment salinity.
Seedling survival is likely to be a critical process limiting
population viability of dominant floodplain tree species in
many water-limited river basins. Variation in flooding,
grazing and sediment salinity are strong environmental
filters, controlling short-term establishment and longterm population viability. Given the extensive dieback of
mature trees from river regulation and salinisation, there
is an urgent need to enhance regeneration. Managing
these filters correctly probably will enhance regeneration
and structural development of floodplain forests
subjected to a drying climate and excessive human
water extraction.
Gillis Horner has over 15 years experience, working as an ecologist
in Qld, NSW and Victorian sections of the Murray–Darling Basin.
He has recently submitted his PhD thesis titled ‘Impacts of multiple
stressors on ecological dynamics of river red gum (Eucalyptus
camaldulensis) Denhn. forests on the Murray River floodplain’. Gillis
is currently working as a Senior Botanist for GHD, an international
consulting company.
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A genetic assessment of ecological restoration
success
Restoration of threatened plants recipes for success
1,2
Siegy Krauss , Alison Ritchie
1
University Sunshine Coast
2
Kings Park and Botanic Garden, University of Western Australia
Implicit, but rarely assessed, in the success of ecological
restoration projects is the management of genetic
variation of restored populations and, critically, their
offspring. Management of genetic variation is critical to
achieving functional, self-sustaining restored populations
that are resilient to environmental challenges. The
delivery of robust pollinator services for seed set,
inbreeding avoidance and genetic connectivity is vital,
especially for animal pollinated outcrossing species. In a
keystone Banksia, we assessed genetic variation,
structure and differentiation of restored and natural
populations, and their offspring. We also characterised
mating systems and assigned paternity to offspring to
characterise pollen flow, and genetic connectivity, within
and among restored and adjacent natural populations,
and assessed inbreeding depression through glasshouse
growth trials. Restored populations and their offspring
were genetically undifferentiated from, and displayed
similar levels of genetic variation to, adjacent natural
populations, indicating initial sourcing of genetically
diverse local provenance seed. Mating system
parameters were similar between populations, and
extensive realised pollen dispersal within and between
restored and adjacent natural populations highlight
effective delivery of pollinator services and genetic
connectivity and explain the absence of inbreeding
depression in restored population offspring. Our results
indicate successful genetic management of a restored
population, from which we identify general principles.
Siegy Krauss is a senior research scientist at Kings Park and Botanic
Garden, and a Adjunct Professor at the University of Western
Australia. Siegy has headed the Conservation Genetics team at
Kings Park since 1998.
262
Alison Shapcott1
1
2
Restoration of threatened plants is sometimes;
incorporated within community level restoration
programs, undertaken as part of targeted species
recovery programs or part of translocations associated
with offset or compensatory programs. Threatened plant
species present a special case for restoration and as such
are either embraced for specific attention or excluded
due to inadequate knowledge or experience. This has
lead to both failures and lost opportunities. Experience
with a variety of such projects has enabled development
of recipes for success. The ability to translate theory into
practical on the ground compromises is one of the keys
to success when working with a variety of stake holders.
Being able to explain why particular things matter for
success and resolving practical constraints is another.
Case studies including the USC compensatory Habitat
Project, Macadamia jansenii and Allocasuarina emuina
recovery projects will be used to illustrate how a little
time spent on the details has lead to successful projects.
Alison Shapcott has been involved in threatened plant restoration
for the last decade, working with developers land managers
community groups and traditional owners in Australia, PNG and
Madagascar.
Concurrent session 8b—Threatened species: birds
1530, Room T6, MCC
1545, Room T6, MCC
Coins to conservation: how do the values of
avifauna to Australian society affect conservation
outcomes?
Resource limitation and interspecific competition
constrain reproduction in an endangered finch
1
1
1
Gill Ainsworth , Heather Aslin , Stephen Garnett , Mike
2
Weston
1
1
1
James Brazill-Boast , Sarah Pryke , Simon Griffith
1
Department of Brain, Behaviour, and Evolution, Macquarie
University
1
School for Environmental Research, Charles Darwin University,
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
2
That biodiversity is a social value is easy for
conservationists and ecologists to forget. However one
need only look at the relative allocations of funding
across government budgets to realise that much of the
voting public has other priorities. Nevertheless, that there
is a budget at all for biodiversity conservation indicates
that this social value does command at least some
political support. But which values are being reflected in
conservation investment? What is it that drives allocation
of funds and time towards protection of non-human
taxa? Historically the sole reason was probably
utilitarian—communities that over-exploited critical
resources were selected against. Modern society,
however, is driven by a wide range of values—aesthetic,
religious, scientific, anthropomorphic. My research aims
to understand just which of the values that society holds
for threatened birds drive conservation action—by
government, by individuals or by society at large. To do
so I am initially comparing conservation investments for
different bird taxa with bird values as expressed through
a range of media from stamps to scientific papers, from
tour guides to legislative schedules. Later work will be
delving more deeply into paired samples where different
values seem to have driven different outcomes for similar
species.
Gill Ainsworth is a PhD student studying the social values of
Australian threatened birds at Charles Darwin University. She has
worked in Australian conservation for the last ten years.
Nest-site limitation and interspecific competition for nestsites can have important effects on the reproductive
fitness and population dynamics of cavity-nesting birds.
The endangered Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is
an obligate cavity-nester, which inhabits only a small
fraction of its historical distribution. We investigated the
effects of nest-site limitation and interspecific competition
with the ecologically similar and sympatric Long-tailed
finch (Poephila acuticauda), which utilises similar tree
cavities for nesting. Over three years, we monitored
competitive interactions at nest-sites via video cameras,
as well as experimentally manipulating nest-site
availability using custom designed nest-boxes. Gouldian
finch nests received higher levels of competitive
interference than Long-tailed finch nests, Long-tailed
finches dominated agonistic interactions, and
interspecific competition frequency significantly affected
Gouldian finch offspring survival. Nest-box provisioning
enhanced both population productivity (71–240%
increase in breeding densities) and individual
reproductive success (pairs nesting in boxes produced
larger clutches and fledged more offspring than those in
natural cavities). Our findings demonstrate that Gouldian
finches were limited by the availability and quality of
nest-sites in the environment, and that interference
competition at nests from a dominant and more
abundant competitor constrains reproductive success.
We also highlight the efficacy of custom-designed nestboxes for conservation management of this endangered
species.
James Brazill-Boast completed an undergraduate degree at
UNSW, and recently completed a PhD at Macquarie University,
based on fieldwork in Western Australia.
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1600, Room T6, MCC
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Ten little dicky birds up against the wall: social
behaviour of an endangered population of chats
How are our birds doing? Red List indices
calculated from 20 years of bird statuses and trends
in Australia
Richard Major1
1
Australian Museum
Judit Szabo1, Stephen Garnett1
1
The white-fronted chat has recently been listed as a
Vulnerable species in New South Wales, with the
Sydney population listed as Endangered. Since 2008, a
colour-banding study demonstrated that the
subpopulation at Homebush Bay has declined from nine
down to four (all males) and the only other
subpopulation (Botany Bay) consists of 23 birds. Radiotransmitters were used to locate roost sites and measure
habitat use of foraging birds during midwinter. Most
birds roosted communally and usually foraged in a
single flock ranging over a 40 ha area of saltmarsh.
During this period birds foraged continuously from
dawn to dusk, almost exclusively on Sarcocornia
quinqueflora substrates. The foraging flock assembled in
the same place for several days before moving on to
new locations, suggesting temporal variability in food
resources over a local scale. Birds of prey were common
in the Botany Bay site, and predation by the Australian
Hobby was observed. Given 1) the restricted area of
saltmarsh habitat, 2) its invasion by mangroves, and 3)
the isolation of patches by intensive urban development,
it is easy to understand how stochastic factors will drive
coastal populations to extinction without management
intervention.
Richard Major’s main research interest is the ecology of birds in
fragmented landscapes. Richard is currently Chair of the NSW
Scientific Committee, which maintains the threatened species lists
in New South Wales.
264
Charles Darwin University
The Red List Index uses information from the IUCN Red
List to track trends in the projected overall extinction risk
of sets of species based on their population and range
size and trends. We assessed the status of all Australian
birds on a subspecies level in 1990, 2000 and 2010 and
calculated Red List Indices based on the number of taxa
in each Red List category and the number that changed
categories between assessments as a result of genuine
improvement or deterioration in status. As a result of
action on Christmas Island to control ants, six of the 21
bird taxa considered Critically Endangered in 2000 can
now be downlisted to Endangered. However we
believe that in 1990 five subspecies and one species
considered Critically Endangered at the time were
probably already extinct. While this means no taxon has
gone extinct in the last two decades, the overall trend is
negative. In the last decade the largest decline in status
has been among the migratory shorebirds, primarily
because of development in the Yellow Sea. This would
never have been detected had it not been for two
decades of monitoring by volunteers in Australia.
Judit Szabo is a Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University,
Darwin. Her interests include threatened bird conservation,
optimal monitoring, conducting bird surveys and ecological
modelling.
1630, Room T6, MCC
1645, Room T6, MCC
Habitat use by hooded robins Melanodryas
cucullata (Petroicidae)
Resource allocation between multiple
management actions: how to cost-effectively
conserve the malleefowl
Phillip Northeast1, David Paton1, Daniel Rogers2
1
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of
Adelaide, 2Conservation Policy and Programs Directorate,
Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australian
Government
Habitat use by Hooded Robins Melanodryas cucullata
was examined at locations within the Mount Lofty
Ranges, South Australia. The aim was to critique
disproportionate habitat use to delineate high-use and
low-use areas to expose critical habitat features deemed
important to this species. The study showed how these
birds may interpret and use their habitat at patch scales.
Within plantation style revegetation, birds chose areas
containing higher levels of leaf litter for home ranges,
and then sought areas within home ranges containing
choice perching substrates overlooking heavy litter
cover. Within remnant vegetation, birds frequented
more open areas typically hosting eucalypts. Surveys
were generally conducted during fine weather, but
birds resurveyed during storm conditions used more
enclosed habitats, dominated by slender cypress-pine
Callitris gracilis. This information could help drive
restoration policy to return quality habitat in favour of
this declining species.
Entering academia as a mature-aged student, Phillip Northeast
followed a lifelong passion for the environment. Currently, his PhD
project has him studying habitat use of declining woodland birds
within the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Jessica Walsh1, Kerrie Wilson1, Joe Benshemesh2, Hugh
1
Possingham
1
The University of Queensland, 2La Trobe University
The prioritisation of conservation spending should be
informed by knowledge of the effectiveness of available
management actions and the level of investment
required to achieve the desired outcomes. However,
there is often limited evidence regarding the true
effectiveness of management actions, especially across
landscapes with large environmental variability. As a
result, decisions regarding the allocation of resources are
often based on assumptions, which may lead to
ineffective management. We use the malleefowl (Leipoa
ocellata) as a case study and investigate how this species
responds to different levels of investment in fox control
and fire management. We employ empirical data
collected from extensive malleefowl monitoring surveys
and analyse it within a Bayesian modelling framework.
We then incorporate these models on the malleefowl’s
response to investment in fox baiting and fire
management into a prioritisation framework to
investigate a cost effective management strategy for this
species. The paucity of data on past management
regimes is a key constraint in quantifying the
effectiveness of management actions, even though the
malleefowl is one of the best studied species of
conservation concern in Australia. Adaptive
management could be used to better integrate
monitoring, data collection and management, while
maximising conservation outcomes for the malleefowl
and other threatened species.
Jessica Walsh has been in the Ecology Centre at the University of
Queensland for four years, working on conservation resource
allocation, the impacts of exotic species on islands and the
effectiveness of recovery plans.
265
global biodiversity
1530, Room T5, MCC
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Importance of location and habitat structure in
determining nearshore faunal assemblages within
Botany Bay, Australia
Modelling bottom-up trophic dynamics in estuarine
habitats: food-chain responses to nutrient
enrichment
Judy Upston1,2
Paul York1, Brendan Kelaher1,2, Melanie Bishop1,3, David Booth1
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Technology,
Sydney
1
3
Estuarine habitats are particularly susceptible to
anthropogenic disturbance yet the consequences of
habitat loss are unpredictable because processes
determining distributions of nearshore small fish and
macroinvertebrates are not well understood. The
importance of location and habitat structure (seagrass,
patch reef) in determining nearshore faunal
assemblages within Botany Bay, Australia was
investigated over four years in a series of mensurative
and manipulative experiments, incorporating different
spatial scales. Potential confounding factors such as the
sampling method and volume of ‘living space’ within
each habitat were standardised in an experiment.
Simple ecological models that predict trophic responses
to bottom-up forcing are potentially an invaluable tool
for ecosystem managers. Historically, theoretical
ecologists have assumed resource-dependence in
predicting the trophic dynamics of food webs and their
responses to perturbations. More recently it has been
suggested that ratio-dependent models may better
represent natural systems. The predictions of these two
models vary greatly in aquatic systems subjected to longterm bottom-up forcing. We conducted experiments to
determine the relationship between nutrients and four
trophic levels in two estuarine systems, one based on
seagrass and the other phytoplankton. Comparisons of
food web structure between sites above and below a
sewage outfall that has been operational for > 20 yrs
revealed increased abundance of all four trophic levels
proportional to nitrogen loading in the phytoplanktondominated system, supporting ratio-dependence.
However, comparison of seagrass ecosystems between
enriched and low nutrient catchments revealed that
while the predictions of ratio dependent models held at
lower trophic levels, there was no significant difference
in biomass at higher trophic levels between ambient and
enriched catchments. The evidence of ratio dependence
demonstrates the applicability of ecological theory for
simplifying the complexity of systems and provides
valuable information for fisheries management and the
conservation of estuarine habitats. These studies also
highlight the need for further research that investigates
different habitats, geographical locations and the
strength and type of perturbations.
1
Location within Botany Bay and habitat structure were
important in determining fish and macroinvertebrate
assemblages within seagrass (Zostera and artificial beds)
and on patch reefs. Faunal assemblages within the
habitats were localised at the scale of site. Differences
between macrofaunal assemblages in seagrass beds
and patch reefs were evident over different spatial scales
(metres and kilometres) and regardless of the large
variability in faunal assemblages between sites. Most taxa
found within seagrass beds did not recruit to the
alternative habitat provided by patch reefs, indicating
that the reefs were a novel habitat in areas dominated
by seagrasses. Consequently, disturbance to seagrass
beds by introducing artificial hard substrata may result in
different faunal assemblages.
Judy Upston has a PhD in marine ecology and a Graduate
Certificate in Biometrics. She has worked in quantitative ecology
and fisheries science for the past 13 years, currently at CSIRO.
266
University of Technology, Sydney, 2Batemans Marine Park,
Paul York is a PhD student at UTS studying trophic interactions of
seagrass food webs.
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Developing an integrated approach to climate
change refugia in old stable landscapes
Using weather events, not climate means, to model
the distribution and competitive outcomes of
marsupials
Grant Wardell-Johnson1, Gunnar Keppel1, Colin Yates2,
Kimberly Van Niel3, Margaret Byrne2, Ladislav Mucina1,
1
4
Antonius Schut , Stephen Hopper
1
2
Curtin University, Department of Environment and Conservation,
3
The University of Western Australia, 4Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Anthropogenic climate change threatens the Earth’s
biota and human society. By identifying areas that are
most likely to act as refugia for biota under projected
climate change, adaptation and conservation activities
can be focused where they will provide greatest benefit.
In Australia, the subdued landscape of the southwestern Australian (SWWA) global biodiversity hotspot is
already experiencing climate change with predictions for
further warming and drying. Much theory associated
with refugia has been developed in young, complex
landscapes. We have developed a methodology to
determine whether there are features in subdued
landscapes that will act as refugia in the face of
anticipated climate change. Three questions and 10
hypotheses guide our research on granite outcrops and
fringing vegetation, and their surrounds. Our approach
examines environmental characteristics,
phylogeographic patterns, resource availability, and
resilience of granite outcrop plant communities and
fringing vegetation; compared to that of the wider
landscape. The application of high resolution spatial
analysis together with phylogeography, ecophysiology
and community assembly rules provides an integrated,
transdisciplinary approach to examining the role of
granite outcrops as safe havens for the biota in the face
of climate change. Our approach enables the
development of understanding and management of
refugia in old stable landscapes.
Associate Professor Grant Wardell-Johnson is Director of the Curtin
Institute for Biodiversity and Climate at Curtin University. He
researches refugia and climate change impacts on biodiversity in
mediterranean-climate ecosystems.
Brooke Bateman1, Jeremy VanDerWal1, Christopher Johnson1,2
1
University, 2School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Species distribution models (SDMs) are used to generate
hypotheses on the determinants of current distributions
of species, and predict distributional responses to climate
change. Current approaches to such prediction are
based on correlations between species locations and
climate variables, generally measured as long-term
means. But species respond to weather, not climate.
Weather events or unusual short-duration patterns of
weather are known to affect species distributions,
interspecific competition and community assemblage,
but are typically not included in SDMs. Although these
‘weather events’ may not be even noticed by humans,
they can be defined as ‘extreme’ for the species. Here,
we demonstrate the importance of such extreme
weather events in defining the distribution of an
endangered marsupial, the northern bettong (Bettongia
tropica). Weather events are implicated in the failure of
populations close to range margins to reach their
potential abundance (as indicated by climate suitability),
and can explain local extinction of marginal populations.
Further, we show how these extreme events can
influence the results of interspecific competition of this
species with the more common rufous bettong
(Aepyprymnus rufescens). Such events are overlooked
when only long-term climate means are used to
construct distribution models. Because the incidence of
extreme events is likely to rise with climate change,
climate-only models may underestimate the impacts of
climate change.
Jeremy VanDerWal is a spatial ecologist examining the impacts of
past, present and future climate change on spatial patterns of
species distribution and abundance.
267
1630, Room T5, MCC
Bottom-up versus top-down limits on recruitment in
the threatened long-lived arid tree, Acacia peuce
Catherine Nano1, Chris Pavey1, S Raghu2
1
Biodiversity Conservation Division, Northern Territory
Government, 2Plant Industries, Northern Territory Government
Acacia peuce F.Muell. (Mimosaceae) is a threatened arid
tree known only from three small disjunct populations
on the edge of the Simpson Desert in Central Australia.
The population in the Northern Territory is vulnerable to
decline by virtue of its small size and due to cattle and
fire disturbances. We tested the relative effects of
bottom-up (climate and soil resources) versus top-down
(herbivore and fire disturbance) limits on recruitment
using a 30 year monitoring data-set of 14 permanent
plots, and through redundancy analysis (RDA) of
environmental and life-class relationships. We found that
resource availability (space and time) had an
overwhelming effect on stand density and regeneration
in this species; but disturbance reduced both attributes
to levels below the climate limit. Seedling recruitment
was confined to a single phase of extremely high rainfall.
Cattle browsing in productive (run-on) patches kept
saplings short; while long-fenced and low cattle-use
(run-off) patches provided spatial escape opportunities
for sapling growth. Fire caused the death of standing
plants, but it did not stimulate recruitment, and therefore
led to stand decline. Our study emphasised the need for
ongoing management to ensure that rare recruitment
opportunities are not reduced below persistence
thresholds by cattle and fire.
Catherine Nano is a botanist with the NT government in Alice
Springs. Her major research focus in on limits to woody growth
and canopy formation in arid systems.
268
Factors that effect the detection of the northern
Pacific seastar
Australian family ties: does a lack of local relatives
help invasive plants succeed?
1
1
Kimberley Millers , Michael McCarthy , Jan Carey
1
1
1
2
1
Kerinne Harvey , David Britton , David Nipperess , Lesley
1
Hughes
1
Globally, extensive survey programs have been
undertaken in marine environments to document the
distribution of invasive marine species. A critical source of
error when conducting such surveys is the imperfect
detection of a species. Understanding the relationship
between factors influencing detection probability such
as observer experience, search effort and environmental
conditions is essential for designing cost-effective survey
programs. In this study, we estimate the likelihood of
detecting the invasive northern Pacific seastar, Asterias
amurensis, in Victoria. Using a novel approach, artificial
mimics of the target species were placed along a 50 m
survey transect to create a population with a known
density. Observers independently surveyed the area and
recorded search effort and the number of individual
mimics detected. Mathematical modelling was used to
examine the relationship between detection probability,
search effort, observer experience and environmental
conditions. The findings suggest that detection
probabilities declined with (i) increasing habitat cover
and water depth and (ii) decreasing water visibility and
search effort. Detection probabilities on average were
higher for an experienced observer compared with
those of an inexperienced observer. This study provides
a powerful tool in addressing the overall efficiency of
detection during surveys for a spreading introduced
marine species.
Kimberley Millers is a PhD candidate from the University of
Melbourne, with her current research project looking at the
imperfect detection of introduced marine species.
Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University,
Entomology Collections, Australian Museum, NSW
2
Invasive plants may initially be released from natural
enemies upon their introduction to new regions but
once established, natural enemies may accumulate. The
degree to which phylogenetic relationships of nonindigenous species to the native recipient community
may drive patterns of herbivore and pathogen damage
and be important in determining the success of the
invasive species. Damage due to herbivores was
compared across invasive, non-invasive and native
species. Phylogenetic distance to nearest native relative
explained 37% of leaf damage on invasive plants. Using
a finer taxonomic scale within the genus Senecio,
preliminary results display a non-significant trend
towards reduced herbivory on non-indigenous species,
but the invasive plant S. madagascariensis had similar
damage levels to other non-indigenous Senecio’s. These
results suggest that phylogeny at the genus level and
above may provide a tool for assessing the invasive
potential of non-indigenous plants, with respect to
colonisation by the herbivore and pathogen community.
However, predictions based on phylogeny at the subgeneric level may be less reliable due to the fine-scale
complexity of interactions between invaders and their
natural enemies.
Kerinne Harvey is a PhD student interested in the predictions and
community response of invasion.
269
Distribution and impacts of the invasive ant
Pheidole megacephala on Great Barrier Reef coral
cays
From individual damage to population level
consequences: the biocontrol program against the
invasive weed groundsel bush
Chris Burwell1,2, Akihiro Nakamura1,2, Andrew McDougall3,
4
John Neldner
Yvonne Buckely1,2, Nikki Sims-Chilton1
1
Queensland Museum, Environmental Futures Centre and Griffith
School of Environment, Griffith University, 3Queensland Parks and
Wildlife Service, Department of Environment and Resource
Management, 4Queensland Herbarium
We surveyed ants across 16 coral cays located in the
southern Great Barrier Reef, mostly in the Capricorn and
Bunker Groups. A total of 28 ant species were recorded,
including at least 11 species we considered exotic. The
exotic and invasive coastal brown ant, Pheidole
megacephala, was widely distributed, occurring on 12
of the 16 islands. The inter-island distribution of P.
megacephala was related to current human
disturbance, suggesting that human activities have
facilitated its establishment. The within-island distribution
of P. megacephala was influenced by habitat type. It was
much less abundant within closed Pisonia grandis forest
in the interior of larger islands. However, on small islands
it was equally abundant within Pisonia forest and
surrounding open woodland.
Pheidole megacephala was numerically dominant on
most infested islands and was the most significant factor
influencing assemblages of other ants. Heavily infested
islands, particular smaller ones, were characterised by
depauperate faunas of other ants. Uninfested islands
had relatively large numbers of ant species consisting
mostly of natives. The management implications of these
results are discussed, particularly in relation to controlling
P. megacephala on heavily-infested islands, preventing
its further spread, and elucidating its role in outbreaks of
scale insects that have resulted in the death of Pisonia
grandis trees on some islands.
Chris Burwell is Senior Curator of insects at the Queensland
Museum, Brisbane and a 20% co-appointment with Griffith
University where he is a lecturer in the Griffith School of
Environment.
270
1
The University of Queensland, 2CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences
2
The introduction of biological control agents is a
common control strategy for invasive plants; however,
long-term evaluation of biocontrol programs is rarely
carried out. We examined whether the insects released
for biocontrol of groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia)
in Australia affect the growth, survival and fecundity of
individual plants under field conditions and subsequently
population growth rate. We used the observed effects of
biocontrol agent damage on plant vital rates and insect
exclusion experiments to parameterise matrix population
models. While biocontrol agent damage can reduce
individual plant growth rates in the field, low average
levels of attack indicate that population level control is
not generally achieved. Simulation of the highest
observed levels of damage indicate that there is potential
to further reduce population growth rate. Insect
exclusion experiments showed a greater effect of insect
damage on individual plant growth than the
observational damage models, with a concomitant
increase in population growth rate; however, enemy
release and observed population growth rates did not
differ significantly. We provide a unique example of
population scale evaluation of the effectiveness of a
long-term biological control program and demonstrate
the use of a novel evaluation framework combining
insect exclusion, observational damage studies and
population modelling to assess, a posteriori, the
effectiveness of biological control.
Dr Yvonne Buckely is an ARC Australian Research Fellow at the
University of Queensland and CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences. Her work
includes plant and insect interactions, plant population dynamics,
movement ecology and environmental decision making for
invasive species management and ecosystem restoration.
How far does pollen and seed of the invasive
willow, Salix cinerea, move?
Brushtail possums in New Zealand: a nutritional
study
Tara Hopley1,2, Alec Zwart3, Andrew Young1
Hannah Windley1, William Foley1, Ian Wallis1, Wendy Ruscoe2,
Pen Holland2, Mandy Barron2, Roger Pech2
1
2
CSIRO Plant Industry, Australian National University, Research
School of Biology, 3CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics and Statistics
Current control efforts for the most highly invasive
willow species, Salix cinerea, are extensive, costly and not
always successful due to rapid post-removal
reinfestation. An improved knowledge of the
reproductive ecology and dispersal dynamics of this
species will help to minimise future expansion and make
current control efforts more effective. The species was
found to be predominately insect pollinated but can
exhibit wind pollination which has the potential for long
distance dispersal. This combined with a high
reproductive output and high initial germination rates
give the species the potential to reinfest cleared areas
and expand its range. Preliminary paternity analysis using
molecular markers show that up to 50% of seed on trees
are sired from outside the home location. Genetic
profiling of populations in surrounding rivers has
allowed us to identify the most likely pollen and seed
sources to give an estimate of the scale of gene flow.
Initial results suggest that over 30% of seed are moving
between rivers with a small amount travelling over 30
kilometres. These results suggest that land managers
need to coordinate control efforts across rivers for more
effective long term eradication.
1
Australian National University, 2Landcare Research New Zealand
Ltd
The common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
poses one of the greatest threats to New Zealand’s
natural ecosystems. Many have suggested that possums
in New Zealand have experienced an ‘ecological release’
from some of their natural controls (both ‘top-down’ and
‘bottom-up’) into an environment which has not coevolved with folivorous mammals, resulting in much
higher population densities than seen in Australia. The
‘bottom-up’ part of these ideas depends on assumptions
made about the nutritional quality of the vegetation in
New Zealand and the physiological capacity of the
possums themselves. There are very few data on either
aspect and no large scale studies that compare the
nutrition of possums in Australia and New Zealand. We
are currently comparing nutritional environment in the
two countries. Using near infrared reflectance
spectroscopy, we can analyse far more samples than by
using traditional techniques and can also develop
calibration equations for several nutrients and secondary
chemicals that allow us to quickly assess the nutritional
value of sites and how they vary over time. This study
links nutrition and populations but it also informs possum
control programs. Nutritional information could assist in
deciding where and when to control possums and
what sites are most vulnerable to damage from possum
browsing.
Hannah Windley is in her first year of a PhD at the Australian
National University. She is a nutritional ecologist with a
background in biotechnology. Her current work addresses the
impact of brushtail possums on native New Zealand forests and
aims to explain browsing choices within and between tree species.
Hannah completed her B.Biotech (hons) from ANU in 2009 and
during her honours year, developed a method for determining the
quality of diets eaten by folivores through chemical analysis of
faeces.
271
Concurrent session 8e—Urban landscapes
Threatened species in the path of progress: major
infrastructure projects acting responsibly
On the snail trail! Mitchell’s rainforest snail (Thersites
mitchellae) and microhabitat use
Wendy Jeffery
1
1
KBR
In recent years, several major linear infrastructure
projects have been proposed such as road, rail wand
water projects to the north and west of Melbourne.
These projects pass through areas which include
remnants of the threatened native grassland community
and threatened species of flora and fauna it supports.
Detailed flora and fauna assessments required for major
projects increasingly encounter threatened communities
or species at some point along their proposed
alignments. Despite attempts to avoid areas of
concentration of significant species or habitat, it is almost
inevitable given the limited opportunities for routing
major linear infrastructure through areas of existing
development or those under development pressure, that
some species must be narrowly avoided and managed
during construction and beyond.
This paper describes the process of risk identification, risk
assessment, construction mitigation and postconstruction management commitment which is
applied at the project design, pre-construction,
construction and post-construction stages and is
necessary to achieve a potentially positive outcome for
threatened species. A major long-term benefit of this
process is a result of the ‘ripple effect’, which is
contributing to the raised awareness, education and
practice of project engineers, clients, local community,
government representatives charged with management
of threatened species on the ground and government
policy makers.
Several threatened species are discussed as specific
examples.
Wendy Jeffery is Senior Ecologist in KBR’s Melbourne office with
practical knowledge and skills in ecology, field botany, zoology,
fauna survey, analysis of soil, water and air, managing terrestrial
and aquatic ecosystems, revegetation and environmental
remediation, integrated catchment management, nature-based
tourism and aspects of environmental law. She is experienced in all
aspects of the production of environment effects statements (EES)
and environmental management plans, from concept to final
product.
272
1
Mark Robinson
1
Byron Shire Council
Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail (Thersites mitchellae) is a
threatened terrestrial snail confined to north-eastern
NSW in an area whose macrohabitats have been
severely altered and reduced by agricultural land use
and under increasing pressure by urban and holiday
developments. Little is known about the microhabitat
use of this nocturnally active mollusc however it is an
imperative to improve knowledge in this regard to
satisfactorily manage its habitat or for informing impact
assessment purposes. To assist NSW conservation
agency (DECCW) Priority Actions for managing this
threatened species, a pilot study was undertaken to use
line and spool tracking method to determine the
microhabitat use of the species. A custom built spool
was attached and microhabitat features were recorded
every 0.25m and compared to that of available habitat.
The results have illuminated the microhabitat use of this
rare snail but also their nightly movement distances.
Mark Robinson has over 20 years’ experience in ecological
management, including biological surveys, ecological restoration
and education and impact assessment. Among other issues, this
project was so Mark could learn about snails.
Habitat usage of parrots in an urban landscape
Pattern, process and prediction: developing a
stochastic patch occupancy model for an
endangered Australian amphibian
Adrian Davis1, Charlotte Taylor1, Richard Major2
1
University of Sydney, 2Australian Museum
Since 1981, populations of at least four species of native
parrot have increased in urban Sydney, with similar
trends reported throughout other urban centres around
Australia. Such increases in abundance highlight the
potential role that urban landscapes may play in
biodiversity conservation. Whilst awareness of urban
habitats such as streetscapes, golf courses and urban
parks is increasing amongst both scientists and urban
planners alike, the configuration and structure of the
landscape, species utilisation of the landscape, and the
factors that allow the two to coexist, are both poorly
understood and largely unstudied. This project aimed to
determine the extent to which the urban landscape is
utilised by Sydney’s parrot population. Golf courses,
streets, parks and remnant bush lots were surveyed
along an urban gradient stretching from the city centre
to the surrounding national parks during and outside
parrot breeding season over a two year period.
Significantly higher numbers of parrots were present in
the urban landscape, relative to the surrounding
national parks, and were most likely to be found in the
suburban and outer urban regions. Presence and
abundance amongst different habitats varied
significantly and was species dependent.
Adrian Davis is a PhD candidate in the School of Biological
Sciences, University of Sydney. His research focuses on the
resource and habitat utilisation of Sydney’s’ urban parrot
population.
Geoffrey Heard1, Michael Scroggie2, Kirsten Parris1, Michael
1
McCarthy
1
School of Botany, University of Melbourne, 2Arthur Rylah Institute
of Environmental Research, Victorian Department of Sustainability
and Environment
Metapopulation theory is a useful paradigm for the
conservation of species threatened by habitat change,
because it offers tools to assess their viability under
differing management scenarios. One such tool is a
stochastic patch occupancy model, or SPOM. A SPOM
describes the processes of population extinction and
colonisation, and can be used to predict these dynamics
given alternative management scenarios. When coupled
with formal approaches to compare extinction risk under
these scenarios (such as a decision analysis), SPOMs can
identify those that optimise metapopulation viability. We
sought to develop a SPOM for the growling grass frog
(Litoria raniformis), an endangered Australian amphibian
threatened by urbanisation. We will describe two
preliminary steps: ‘pattern’—in which hypotheses
concerning the determinants of population extinction
and colonisation were developed using occupancy
data—and ‘process’—in which these hypotheses were
assessed using occupancy-turnover data. Our resulting
Bayesian SPOM will be presented, with examples of the
application of the model to specific conservation
problems for L. raniformis. In doing so, we will show that
contemporary analytical methods and software provide
a complete framework in which to develop a SPOM, and
apply it to conservation planning for threatened species.
Geoff Heard is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Applied Environmental
Decision Analysis Hub at the University of Melbourne. Geoff is an
applied ecologist, with special interest in the conservation of
herpetofauna.
273
Local turnover in amphibian communities in an
urbanised landscape
The impacts of urban growth on Brisbane’s
biodiversity
Andrew Hamer1, Kirsten Parris2
Jessica Sushinsky1, Jonathan Rhodes2,3, Hugh Possingham1,
Tony Gill3, Richard Fuller1,2
1
Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Royal Botanic
Gardens Melbourne, 2School of Botany, University of Melbourne
Recent studies conducted in relatively natural ecosystems
have found that the dynamics of regional and local
amphibian communities are strongly influenced by local
abiotic and biotic factors, and landscape connectivity. In
this study, we assessed local extinction of frog
populations in urban ponds throughout Greater
Melbourne, Australia. We sampled frog communities at
61 ponds during two study periods in 2000–2002 and
2007–2008. We recorded a suite of local and landscape
variables at each pond as measures of habitat quality
and pond connectivity and isolation. Using a Bayesian
stochastic patch occupancy model, we investigated the
effect of these variables on the probability of local
extinction between the two study periods. We found
that populations of Limnodynastes dumerilii, L. peronii, L.
tasmaniensis and Litoria ewingii were more likely to go
extinct at smaller ponds. Local extinction of L.
tasmaniensis populations was also higher at ponds
surrounded by a high density of roads and where nonnative fish were present. Populations of L. peronii were
less likely to go extinct at ponds with a high cover of
aquatic vegetation. These results highlight the
importance of pond size, local habitat quality and
landscape context for the persistence of amphibian
communities in urban areas.
Andrew Hamer is an ecologist who conducts research into the
effects of urbanisation on frog communities. He is interested in
how frog-habitat relationships determine species persistence in a
rapidly urbanising world.
1
The Ecology Centre, University of Queensland, 2CSIRO Climate
Adaptation Flagship and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, 3Centre
for Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science, School of
Geography, Planning and Architecture
Cities have become the epicentres of human population
growth, and urbanisation is arguably the most persistent,
damaging and rapidly expanding form of environmental
degradation. Fuelled by a desire to minimise future land
take, many cities have adopted urban growth plans that
increase the density of existing residential areas. The
consequences for urban biodiversity of such policy
decisions are unclear. Here, we predict the impacts of
future urban development policy in Brisbane on both
biodiversity persistence and access by people to green
spaces close to where they live and work.
We modelled the current distributions of 35 bird species
(25 urban adapting and 10 urban sensitive species), and
projected how these will change under low and high
density future urban growth scenarios both adding the
required 85,000 dwellings to the city. Switching to high
density urban growth will substantially reduce the
quality of the urban matrix for the urban-adapted
components of biodiversity that dominate urban
assemblages, but retain pockets of habitat where (i)
urban sensitive species can persist, and (ii) people can
access nature close to where they live. Tools integrating
conservation planning and urban planning are urgently
required in Australia, particularly as the nation debates
moving toward compact city design.
Jessica Sushinsky has been at the University of Queensland in
Brisbane for the past two years working as a research assistant and
studying for her MPhil in The Ecology Centre with Dr Richard
Fuller and Prof Hugh Possingham. Jessica’s work at UQ has
focused on conservation planning, spatial ecology, urban ecology,
and bird conservation and ecology. Currently, she is investigating
the impacts of urban growth strategies in Brisbane on biodiversity
conservation objectives and the aim of maintaining biodiversity
close to where people live. Before coming to Australia Jessica
completed my BSc in ecology at the University of Maryland in the
USA and then worked for two years as a biologist at Patuxent
Wildlife Research Centre where she provided GIS and database
support for several national (USA) biological monitoring programs.
Jessica will complete her MPhil in March 2010 and move to
Louisiana in the USA where she plans to continue her work as a
research biologist.
274
Concurrent session 8f—Impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation
1530, Room T3, MCC
1545, Room T3, MCC
Back to the brink—population decline of the
endangered grassland earless dragon following its
rediscovery
Linking plant–pollinator interactions to gene flow in
fragmented plant populations
1
1
2
Wendy Dimond , Will Osborne , Murray Evans ,
1
1
Bernd Gruber , Stephen Sarre
1
1,2
3
2
Carole Elliott , Alec Zwart , David Lindenmayer ,
4
1
Saul Cunningham , Andrew Young
1
2
Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Research
and Planning Unit, ACT Parks, Conservation and Lands
Lizard populations are under serious threat with
widespread declines and predictions of multiple
extinctions through climate change. A concerted effort
to locate all remaining populations of the endangered
grassland earless dragon (Tympanocryptis pinguicolla)
following its rediscovery in 1990 identified two regions,
Canberra and the southern tablelands, that retained
apparently viable populations of the species. We show a
gradual non-significant decline in population sizes across
Canberra from 1995 followed by a dramatic reduction
(88%) from 2006 at the most densely populated site.
Using mark-recapture, we estimate annual survival at
that site to be low (0.017 to one year of age and 0.024
to adulthood) over the three years of the study. Taken
together, these data suggest a regional decline among
T. pinguicolla populations that place the species in grave
jeopardy of becoming the first confirmed reptile
extinction in Australia since European settlement. The
key extinction factors are likely to include extreme
drought conditions, coincident with over grazing and
habitat fragmentation. Our data show the value in
continuous monitoring of at risk species in identifying
declines before it is too late and in providing strong
baselines with which to identify causes of decline
through rigorous experimentation.
Wendy Dimond is completing her PhD thesis at the University of
Canberra studying the conservation biology of grassland earless
dragons.
CSIRO Plant Industry, 2Fenner School of Environment and Society,
The Australian National University, 3CSIRO Mathematics,
Informatics and Statistics, 4CSIRO Entomology
We investigated the effect of landscape context on
plant-pollinator interactions on a common, birdpollinated, autohexaploid shrub (Eremophila glabra ssp.
glabra) to assess connectivity in fragmented landscapes,
in south-eastern Australia. We contrasted three
replicated landscape contexts (interior element; near
element; far element) at different distances from a large
vegetation remnant. We compared plant reproduction,
and examined the relationship between pollinator
movement and gene flow by assessing the ratio of
within versus between population matings. Seed set was
significantly higher in the interior, yet experienced lower
pollinator visitation when compared to the near and far
elements. Eremophila glabra ssp. glabra was highly outcrossed (>90%) and we found no difference in the
frequency of local or foreign gene flow of populations in
different elements. We attribute this lack of difference to
self-incompatibility and highly mobile pollinators. There
was no relationship between pollinator movement
patterns and gene flow patterns. We demonstrate that
the spatial context of fragmented remnants altered
pollinator behaviour and plant reproduction, though
levels of gene flow were unaffected, as evidenced by
high levels of foreign out-crossing. Therefore, we
conclude that current immigrant gene flow is crucial to
populations and pollinators were key to maintaining
genetic connectivity among populations in highly
fragmented landscapes.
275
1600, Room T3, MCC
1615, Room T3, MCC
Genetic effects of habitat loss and fragmentation
on the endangered tetraploid shrub, Allocasuarina
emuina (Casuarinaceae)
Not drowning, waving—the effect of flooding and
fallen timber availability on floodplain ant
assemblages
Robert Lamont1, Alison Shapcott1, Rhonda Stokoe1
Greg Horrocks1, Ralph Mac Nally1, Dennis O’Dowd1,
1
Shaun Cunningham
1
University of the Sunshine Coast
1
Over the last few decades, there have been numerous
ecological and genetic studies conducted on plant
species from recently fragmented habitats. Depending
on a species life-history and genetic characteristics, the
effects of population loss and erosion of population size
upon long-term viability, are likely to vary among taxa.
We assessed the genetic consequences of significant
levels of habitat loss, due to rapid urbanisation, in the
Emu Mountain she-oak (Allocasuarina emuina), an
apomictic, polyploid shrub from the coastal heaths of SE
Queensland. Contrary to the predictions of population
genetic theory, which relates mainly to diploid species,
no correlation was found between population size,
fecundity, and the level of genetic diversity contained
within populations. In fact, one of the smallest remnant
populations of A. emuina, with only 43 individuals, was
also one of the most diverse. It would appear that in
some cases, the fixed genomes of polyploid taxa, are
functioning to conserve the loss of diversity, even under
conditions of severe fragmentation. The implications of
collateral benefit for co-occurring species are discussed.
Robert Lamont’s main focus is the conservation genetics and
ecology of heathland species under conditions of habitat loss and
degradation arising from urbanisation and human overpopulation
in SE Qld.
Australian Centre For Biodiversity, Monash University
Flooding regimes and fallen timber both play pivotal
roles in the determination of floodplain ecology and
have a significant impact on the diversity of resident
biota. Terrestrial arthropod communities in these systems
have had limited study and there is little information on
the long-term impact of such disturbance on ant
assemblages. Altered flooding regimes, and any change
in the amount and distribution pattern of logs, are both
likely to have an impact on the resident ant community.
Historically, a reduction in habitat complexity has often
led to a drop in species richness for other floodplain
fauna. In this study, we used a manipulative forest
experiment to investigate the effect of availability of
fallen-timber and flooding on the composition and
abundance of ant assemblages. Invertebrate collection
surveys were carried out over a five-year period in river
red gum forest on a Murray River floodplain in Victoria.
In areas of similar habitat structure, pitfall trapping was
carried out in 34 one-hectare plots prior to fallen timber
being redistributed into differing woodloads. Four postmanipulation surveys were conducted over the three
years after disturbance including three completed after a
major flooding event. The response of the ant
assemblages to changes in the amount of fallen timber
and extensive flooding will be discussed.
Greg Horrocks has over 30 years’ experience as a field ecologist
working on birds and mammals for DSE and Monash University
and is now completing a PhD on ants.
276
1630, Room T3, MCC
1645, Room T3, MCC
Bat activity in forests in south-east NSW as revealed
by Anabat call detection and radiotracking
Land clearing reduces gene flow in the granite
outcrop dwelling lizard, Ctenophorus ornatus
Dan Lunney1, Harry Parnaby, Peggy Eby, Chris Corben, Shaan
Gresser, David Priddel, Robert Wheeler, Alison Matthews2, Ian
Shannon
Esther Levy1, Natasha LeBas1, Jason Kennington1, Joseph
Tomkins1
1
2
DECCW NSW, Charles Sturt University
This study of tree-dwelling microbats is part of a broader
investigation into the long-term impact of woodchip
logging on fauna. Radiotracking was used to determine
the roosts selected by Gould’s long-eared bat and the
little forest bat in a forest that had been logged 25 years
earlier. Both bat species were selective in the species, size
and condition of roost trees, and in landscape
characteristics, such as logging history, topography and
aspect. Neither species used live trees of <50 cm in trunk
diameter, although trees of this size dominated the
forest. There was no evidence that regrowth trees within
intensively managed forest provided roosting habitat.
We conclude that the conservation of these bats
depends on the preservation of the old-growth elements
of forests to be logged. The second strand of the study,
using Anabat ultrasonic detectors, explored patterns of
bat activity across vegetation types, elevation and land
tenure. Activity of most species was highest in the
vegetation types with the highest soil fertility. Our results
demonstrate the usefulness of this technique, and
identify that management prescriptions for bats need to
include landscape characteristics.
Dan Lunney is a wildlife ecologist with a long-term interest in forest
mammals.
1
University of Western Australia, School of Animal Biology, Centre
for Evolutionary Biology
An important question for the conservation of species
dwelling in fragmented habitats is whether changes to
the intervening landscape create a barrier to gene flow.
Here, we make use of the spatial distribution of the
granite outcrop-dwelling lizard, Ctenophorus ornatus to
compare inferred levels of gene flow between outcrops
in a nature reserve with that between outcrops in the
adjacent agricultural land. Genetic variation, relatedness
and subdivision were compared within groups of
individuals from different outcrops similar in size and
distance apart at each site. In the agricultural land we
found significantly lower genetic variation within
outcrops and greater genetic differentiation between
outcrops than in the reserve. Further, the rate at which
genetic divergence between outcrops increased over
geographical distance was significantly greater in the
agricultural land than in the reserve. We also found that
individuals were more closely related within outcrops,
but more distantly related between outcrops in the
cleared land. Thus, even though land clearing around
the outcrops leaves outcrop size unchanged, it restricts
gene flow, reducing genetic variation and increasing
population structure, with potentially negative
consequences for the long-term persistence of the lizards
on these outcrops.
Esther Levy is postgraduate student at the University of Western
Australia. Her research focuses on the causes and consequences
of reduced genetic variation, using the ornate dragon lizard as a
model.
277
Concurrent session 8g—Climate change and other disturbances: impacts on species
assemblages
1530, Room T2, MCC
1645, Room T2, MCC
Alpine soil as a methane sink: predicting the effects
of climate change and fire
The influence of climate on the numerical response
of a top order mammalian predator
Kerryn J McTaggart1,2, Tina L Bell1,2,3, Chris J Weston1, Lauren T
Bennett
Berlinda Bowler1, Jim Hone1, Charles Krebs1,2
1
Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of
Melbourne, 2The Bushfire CRC, 3The University of Sydney
Soils are vital to sustaining biodiversity, cycling nutrients
at a global and local level, providing one of the earth’s
most diverse areas of biodiversity as well as the largest
carbon sinks which humans can control. One important
part of this sink is aerobic forest soils which contain CH4
consuming bacteria (methanotrophs) that consume 15–
45 Tg yr-1 of atmospheric CH4 globally (3–10% of
emissions). This sink is greatly affected by climate change
and fire.
This project studied the effect of soil property changes
on CH4 oxidation. Alpine Ash forests (E. delegatensis)
and Snow Gum (E. pauciflora) woodlands in the
Bogong High Plains were chosen as alpine areas are
thought to be particularly sensitive to climate change. All
soils were shown to be CH4 sinks, with oxidation rates
ranging from 28 to 105 (mean 59) μg CH4 m-2 h-1.
Laboratory and field studies were used to disentangle
the effects of changing properties and determine
properties that play an important role in controlling CH4
oxidation rates. Properties investigated included CH4
concentration and diffusion, soil moisture, temperature,
bulk density, inorganic nitrogen and pH. Results from
these studies will improve our understanding and ability
to predict the effects of changes on this important CH4
sink.
Kerryn J McTaggart studied at The University of Melbourne,
completing a Bachelor of Science with honours and has almost
completed her PhD. Kerryn currently works for the Department of
Sustainability and Environment.
278
1
Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, 2Department
of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada
Predation is an important ecosystem function and much
work has been done to elicit complex relationships
between predators and their prey. However, the
influence of climate on predator-prey interactions
remains poorly understood for terrestrial mammals. In a
time of climate change, there is a need to understand
the consequences of climate on such important wildlife
interactions. This study investigates the influence of
climate on the predation dynamics of a top order
predator, coyote (Canis latrans), relevant to its keystone
prey, snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) in a Canadian
boreal forest ecosystem experiencing rapid climate
change. The aim was to develop models to assess the
influence of climate on the predator numerical response.
Linear, non-linear, additive, and interactive effects of prey
and climate were postulated that separately
incorporated broad scale (North Atlantic Oscillation,
El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Pacific/North Atlantic) and
local scale (temperature, precipitation, snow) climate
indices. Models were evaluated using model selection
procedures. The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) had
the strongest effect on coyote numerical response, while
other broad and local scale climate indices had relatively
weak effects. Coyote numerical response was positively
influenced by the negative phase of the NAO, and
contrary to expectations, negatively influenced by
increased local temperatures.
Berlinda Bowler recently completed a Bachelor of Environmental
Science degree, and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Applied
Science Honours by research, both at the University of Canberra.
1600, Room T2, MCC
1615, Room T2, MCC
Incorporating fire frequency in species distribution
models enhances climate change predictions for
tropical savanna birds
Response of eucalypt arthropods to climate change
factors: predicting future community changes
April Reside1,2, Jeremy VanDerWal2, Ian Watson1, Alex Kutt1
1
CSIRO, 2JCU
Biodiversity conservation in the face of changing climate
requires reliable predictions of species distributions.
Distribution models need to include variables that
strongly influence species persistence. Species will be
affected by climate change directly by altering the
amount and location of suitable climatic space, and
indirectly by climate-driven modification of habitat. Very
few studies of climate change effects on biodiversity
have included key landscape factors in distribution
modelling, despite recognition that landscape alteration
through processes such as fire and land clearing have
substantial influence on fauna patterning. For birds in
Australian tropical savannas, change in fire regime is a
critical conservation issue, linked to species decline, and
likely to be a more immediate threat than the actual
changes in climate. This study examines species’
vulnerability to climate change by modelling species
distributions using Maxent, projecting distribution
algorithms onto spatial surfaces predicted by nine global
circulation models and three emissions scenarios. This
study shows that including fire frequency is important for
understanding species vulnerability to climate change.
Understanding species’ vulnerability to both climate
change and fire is a critical step in conservation planning
and adaptation of land management for combating
biodiversity loss.
April Reside is a student working on climate change impacts on
Australian tropical savanna birds, continuing her interests in
ecology and conservation, particularly of flying vertebrates.
Tara Murray1, Goran Lopaticki1, David Ellsworth1,
Markus Riegler1
1
Centre for Plants and the Environment, University of Western
Sydney, Hawkesbury Campus
For several decades now there has been significant
research into the potential impacts of future atmospheric
and climate change on plant chemistry and productivity,
with important implications for insect development and
diversity. Most of these studies have been conducted in
the Northern Hemisphere. However, recent outcomes
from the Hawkesbury Forest Experiment, an
international climate change field experiment on
eucalypts, suggest physiological responses of eucalypts
may differ in some key aspects from those of Northern
Hemisphere plants. These responses have consequences
for arthropod diversity and community dynamics in
Australia where eucalypts dominate a number of native
ecosystems. We discuss the expected physiological
changes in eucalypts under predicted atmospheric and
climate change scenarios for 2050 in Australia. We
present preliminary data and hypotheses for the effects
of drought on arthropod community diversity and of
changes in atmospheric CO2 on herbivore development.
We also present results of a community diversity study in
a remnant natural eucalypt woodland which may be
used as baseline data for monitoring impacts of climate
change in the future.
Dr Tara Murray received her PhD from Lincoln University in New
Zealand where she was based with New Zealand Forest Research
Institute in Rotorua studying parasitoids of eucalypt pests. She
joined the Centre for Plants and the Environment at the
Hawkesbury campus of the University of Western Sydney as a
postdoctoral fellow in June this year. Tara and her co-authors are
part of a large group of scientists utilising the Hawkesbury Forest
Experiment to study the effects of climate change, particularly
increased CO2, on eucalypt communities and her research focuses
on the responses of insect herbivores.
279
1630, Room T2, MCC
1645, Room T2, MCC
Which species are most responsive to rising CO2
under resource limited conditions? A model
analysis
Vulnerability of Australian forests to climate change:
contrasting bioclimatic and ecophysiological
approaches
Ashehad Ali1, Belinda Medlyn1
Belinda Medlyn1, Melanie Zeppel1
1
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) has a
direct and measurable effect on plant growth. However,
it does not affect all species equally, which could lead to
shifts in competitive dominance of species in ecosystems.
Numerous studies suggest that under favourable
conditions, plants with high relative growth rate (RGR)
respond strongly to rising [CO2], and it is possible to
show mathematically why this should be the case.
However, we have a poor understanding of which plant
species will be most responsive to rising [CO2] when
resources, such as light and nutrients, are limiting. We
used a plant-soil model to examine which species traits
lead to high or low [CO2] responsiveness under
resource-limited conditions. Trait values that yield high
RGR did not lead to high [CO2] responsiveness, contrary
to the non-resource-limited case. Our results suggest that
rising [CO2] could favour changes in species dominance
towards slow-growing species in resource-limited
environments.
Ashehad Ali is a PhD student at Macquarie University, applying
maths to natural systems such as plant-soil-environment by
understanding processes and developing mathematical models for
such systems in the face of global change.
280
1
The vulnerability of Australian forests to climate change
has been assessed using two quite different types of
study: bioclimatic modelling and ecophysiological
modelling. Bioclimatic modelling is correlative: this
approach seeks to establish correlations between the
current distribution of a species and climate, and use
these correlations to predict distributions under future
climate. Ecophysiological modelling is mechanistic: it
seeks to understand how climate affects individual plant
processes and to use this knowledge to predict how
climate will affect overall plant growth.
We reviewed studies applying these approaches to
Australian forests, and found that the general
conclusions of the two types of study were quite
different. Bioclimatic models indicate that Australian
forest species are highly vulnerable to climate change,
whereas ecophysiological models suggest that forest
productivity could potentially increase under climate
change. We discuss reasons for these contrasting
conclusions. Integration of these two approaches is a
clear and compelling research need.
Dr Belinda Medlyn’s background is in maths and biology. Her chief
research interest is in ecophysiological modelling of forest
responses to climate change.
ecosystem function
1530, Room T1, MCC
1545, Room T1, MCC
Presenting an experimental, field-scale project
focused on reconstructing grass and herb
components of open woodland
Where’s the seed going to come from? Florabank
tools to enable restoration of grassy woodlands
Paul Gibson-Roy
1
1
Greening Australia/Melbourne University
Vulnerable grassy-woodlands contain many rare and
threatened species. Clearing and continued grazing
have reduced the extent and complexity of grassywoodlands throughout their natural range. Studies have
demonstrated that the grassy-herb component is the
most problematic to restore or re-introduce at-scale.
Since 2004 the Grassy Groundcover Research Project
(GGRP) has investigated the reconstruction of grassland
and grassy woodland focusing on:
•
the reintroduction of species-rich assemblages
(representative of local remnants) onto land with an
agricultural history (where weed management and
plant establishment are primary areas of interest)
•
the use of seed production systems to supply
quantities of high quality, provenance seed for fieldscale restoration.
Thirty GGRP grassland or woodland sites have been
restored across Victoria. Utilising over 200 native species
considerable success has been demonstrated in reestablishing species-rich communities using mechanised
seeding equipment. Nutrient limitation was critical to
restricting weed competition with sown species and
improving establishment. Recruitment of second
generation individuals and colonisation by vertebrate
and invertebrate species indicate increased functionality
within these reconstructed grasslands. It is hoped that
GGRP findings may contribute to the wider knowledge
of broad-scale restoration of grassy and grassywoodland communities.
Paul Gibson-Roy has headed the GGRP since 2004. Since that time
the project has continued to investigate the reconstruction of
species-rich grassland and grass-woodland at field sites throughout
Victoria. He has published several papers on this subject and
spoken at many restoration forums though Australia.
Penny Atkinson1, David Carr1,2
1
Greening Australia, 2Southern New England Landcare
Coordinating Committee
Ecological research demonstrates that biodiverse
restoration is most effective, yet Australian restoration
projects are still often planted with just a few species.
Seed is not readily available for the right range of species
in the quantities required to restore vegetation
communities at the scales required, and restoration
practitioners need more accessible information.
Greening Australia’s Florabank has developed new tools
which can focus on priority vegetation communities in a
local area to improve restoration results.
•
Florabank Seed Supply Planning examines
restoration seed needs—identifying provenance
zones, source populations, seed issues and
constraints. Once the ecological information and
the local human and physical infrastructure around
seed supply are understood, the practical
recommendations can be implemented to increase
the amount of seed and species range available.
•
Florabank’s Species Navigator integrates plant
species distribution data with ecological data using
a Lucid platform. Species Navigator can be used as
an interactive key to select species suited to
particular restoration sites and the Species Fact
Sheets consolidate information to improve
restoration results.
Florabank’s role in the Communities in Landscapes
project supported by the Australian Government’s
Caring for our Country is to provide these tools to
improve restoration outcomes for endangered Box-Gum
Grassy Woodlands.
Penny Atkinson manages Greening Australia’s Florabank, which
aims to improve the availability of native seed for large-scale
restoration work around Australia. David Carr was instrumental in
the development of Florabank.
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1600, Room T1, MCC
1615, Room T1, MCC
State-and-transition modelling for adaptive
management of grassy woodlands in south-eastern
Australia
Beyond remnants and single properties: landscape
scale improvement in box gum grassy woodlands
Libby Rumpff1, Peter A Vesk1, David H Duncan2, David A Keith3,
1
Brendan A Wintle
1
University of Melbourne, 2Department of Sustainability and
Environment, 3Department of Environment and Climate Change
New South Wales
Peter Ampt1
Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of
Sydney
1
Substantial investments are being made to restore the
condition of grassy woodlands across Australia.
However, there is high uncertainty about how, where,
and under what circumstances vegetation restoration is
a good investment. Adaptive Management (AM) uses
monitoring to iteratively update the state of knowledge
and the subsequent direction of management and is
regularly proposed as a framework to help deal with this
uncertainty. Yet there still remains a need to demonstrate
its efficacy for vegetation restoration. One of the major
factors impeding implementation is the failure to
develop and use appropriate process models. Process
models are a representation of the belief about the
properties and dynamics of an ecological system, and
the system response to management intervention. In this
study we present an example of AM underpinned by a
quantitative state and transition model (STM) for grassy
woodland vegetation dynamics. The STM is
implemented as a Bayesian network, making it simple to
communicate and update with new data as they arise.
We show how the model may be used to predict the
probability of achieving desirable state transitions at
restoration sites and how monitoring of those sites can
be used to update the model (learn) and adapt
restoration strategies.
Libby Rumpff’s postdoctoral research project aims to implement an
Adaptive Management experiment for native vegetation
restoration. It is a collaboration between the Applied
Environmental Decision Analysis and Landscape Logic CERF hubs.
282
There is a strong ecological case for improving the
landscape matrix within which remnants exist.
Developing a finely scaled landscape mosaic which
includes a range of uses from cropping through to good
quality woody remnants could provide better
connectivity and greater habitat diversity. The social
landscape in BGGWs is already diverse and becoming
more multifunctional, offering opportunities for
integrating conservation and production. Grazing
management has potential, with, landholders already
moving towards shorter periods of intense grazing
followed by longer periods of rest. The research on these
rotational systems is increasing and, while more
evidence is needed, there is clearly cause for optimism
that these systems may hold the key to regenerating
some of the function and structure of grasslands. Major
benefit will be achieved if multiple properties embrace
this and other strategies across the same locality. Local
and international precedents exist for this environmental
collaboration and there is a common property literature
paving the way for successful implementation. The
Communities in Landscapes (CiL) project is attempting to
bring these factors together through its contribution to
the research on the impact of rotational grazing
strategies and in its pursuit of cross property planning in
priority landscapes.
Peter Ampt is a Lecturer in Natural Resource Management and
Manager of the Future of Australia’s Threatened Ecosystems
Program. He has returned to academia following a career as high
school teacher, education manager and participatory research
consultant. He is in the final stages of a PhD by papers on the
integration of conservation and production through the Institute
of Environmental Studies at UNSW.
1630, Room T1, MCC
1645, Room T1, MCC
Connect the people, connect the landscape,
restore the system
Woodland conservation through environmental
stewardship—applying research to policy and
practice
Toni McLeish1
1
Grassy Box Woodland Conservation Management Network
Emma Burns1, Charlie Zammit1, Simon Attwood1
1
Incomplete knowledge: Incomplete understanding of
the ecosystem, their components, their interaction with
each other or their interaction with a landscape that
includes productive systems, limits our actions. We
continue to stand outside the system looking in; we
compartmentalise, simplify and address symptoms.
We need comprehensive information about how this
complex, responsive natural system (in all transitional
states) functions internally, with the landscape and its
managers.
Lack of funding security: Scientists are loosing too much
time sourcing funding instead of focusing on providing
sound knowledge and innovation. Frustrated land
managers are taking unstructured research into their
own hands.
We need collaborative scientifically valid research shared
through trusted sources.
Wasted resources: Governments and authorities have
aspirations for landscapes without detailed plans of
actions and funds to achieve them. Communities do not
always share these aspirations limiting their participation.
We need a shared vision and plan for our landscapes.
Competition verses collaboration: Limited funds
historically have created competition where there should
be collaboration and partnerships.
We need to continue to encourage the formation of
partnerships (shared ideals and resources) that can drive
the broader landscape vision and build collaborative
relationships that help deliver the vision at all scales.
Toni Mcleish has worked with members of the GBWCMN for 11
years, initially from the family property as a Rural Liaison Officer and
for the past 7 years as coordinator.
Communities
Grassy woodlands present both a high priority and a
considerable challenge for conservation. They are often
situated on productive private land, and consequently
require a combination of legislative and incentive
approaches for effective conservation. Here we outline
the design and early results from the Australian
Government’s Environmental Stewardship Program,
which uses competitive tenders to fund private land
managers to maintain and/or improve the condition
and extent of targeted matters of national environmental
significance under the Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The program utilises
scientific input to enable evidence-based decisionmaking, with key examples including the use of State
and Transition Models, conservation value metrics and
an ecological monitoring program.
From 2007–2009, the program targeted the box gum
grassy woodlands of south eastern Australia through the
Box Gum Grassy Woodlands Project. This project
consisted of five tender rounds across NSW and
southern Queensland and resulted in 26,470 ha being
managed for conservation by 201 land managers who
have long-term agreements with the Australian
Government. In 2010–2011 the program will target
multiple grassland and woodland communities through
the Multiple Ecological Communities Project in NSW and
SA. This project signals the program’s intent to shift to a
more landscape-focused approach.
Emma Burns is an Assistant Director in the Environmental
Stewardship Program. She is responsible for scientific management
issues to support Environmental Stewardship, including survey,
tender and metric designs for optimal conservation outcomes.
Emma has a PhD in conservation genetics and phylogeography
and has worked in various roles with a focus on conservation
ecology for a number of years, including positions in research,
consultancy and government.
283
Friday 10 December
Concurrent session 9a—Open forum
1100, Room T4, MCC
1115, Room T4, MCC
Can Reverend Bayes redeem categorical vegetation
assessments to help monitor change over time?
‘Jack-and-Master’ species: when adaptive
phenotypic plasticity maximises geographic ranges
and their transformations
David Duncan1
1
Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of
Sustainability and Environment, VIC
Jean-Baptiste Pichancourt1, Rieks van Klinken1
Opportunities for monitoring ecological change due to
applied management are severely limited by the
availability of appropriately sensitive baseline data.
Enormous amounts of plot or mapped-zone based data
exist, these data were mostly collected by Government
for justifying the choice of one site over another as a
place to invest in native vegetation management. This is
an important function, but very different to detecting
change over time. Is there a way that quasi-quantitative
metrics like Habitat Hectares can contribute to assessing
change over time? I revisited 25 habitat zones in dry
woodland and forest in northern Victoria that were
established under the pilot BushTender program.
Detailed quantitative assessments of vegetation
composition and structure were compared against backprojected prior values informed by the initial
assessments. Change over time as a function of starting
conditions and management was then assessed using a
Bayesian regression. These analyses shed light on likely
ecological trends in the accumulation of litter and logs;
and a decline in weed cover. Systematic estimation error
is suggested in some cases. Above all, these findings
underline why data collection for prioritisation and
allocation; and for monitoring change over time, should
each be tailored with respect to their objectives.
Adaptive phenotypic plasticity has long been suspected
to give species the ability to increase their geographic
range across large-scale environmental gradients. We
confirm theoretical expectations by demonstrating a
hybrid ‘Jack-and-Master’ strategy in a highly invasive
plant in response to moisture gradients, where
phenotypic plasticity resulted in (1) fitness homeostasis
across its geographic range, including in sub-optimal
environments such as at the arid and wet margins of its
range (‘Jack-of-all-Trades’ strategy), and (2) fitness
maximisation at the range centre where moisture
conditions were optimal (‘Master-of-Some’ strategy). The
‘Jack-and-Master’ strategy allowed for rapid and
reversible phenotypic responses to new or changing
environments at different scales, providing definite
advantages over genetic adaptation for maximising the
species distribution and its transformation. Furthermore,
we show for this species that plasticity itself is under
natural selection pressure which will result in a more
pronounced ‘Jack-and-Master’ strategy, thereby
maximising further range transformations.
David Duncan has been working at ARI since the end of 2004. His
interests are in the functional integrity of remnant native
vegetation in fragmented or production landscapes.
284
1
Jean-Baptiste Pichancourt undertook a PhD in mathematical
ecology (Uni. Rennes & Lyon, France: with Dr Francoise Burel & Pr
Pierre Auger) from 2004–2007; Post-Doc CSIRO Ento. (Dr Rieks van
Klinken) 2007–2010; Post-Doc CSIRO Eco. Sc. (Dr Tara Martin),
2010–2012.
1130, Room T4, MCC
1145, Room T4, MCC
How does habitat complexity affect ant foraging
success? A test using functional measures on three
continents
How well do small urban remnants sustain forest
bird communities over time?
1
Heloise Gibb , Catherine Parr
2
1
La Trobe University, 2Oxford University
Habitat complexity can mediate key processes that
structure local assemblages through effects on factors
such as competition, predation and foraging behaviour.
While most studies address assemblage responses to
habitat complexity within one locality, a more global
approach allows conclusions with greater
independence from the phylogenetic constraints of the
target assemblages, thus allowing greater generality. We
tested the effects of natural and manipulated habitat
complexities on ant assemblages from South Africa,
Australia and Sweden, in order to determine if there
were globally consistent responses in how functional
measures of foraging success are regulated by habitat
complexity. Specifically, we considered how habitat
complexity affected ant foraging rates including the
speed of discovery and rate of monopolisation. We also
tested if habitat complexity affected the Body Size Index,
a size-related morphological trait, of ants discovering
resources and occupying and monopolising the
resources after 180 mins. Ants were significantly slower
to discover baits in the more complex treatments,
consistent with predictions that they would move more
slowly through more complex environments. The
monopolisation index was also lower in the more
complex treatments, suggesting that resources were
more difficult to defend. Our index of ant body size
showed trends in the predicted direction for complexity
treatments. In addition, ants discovering, occupying and
monopolising resources were smaller in simple than
complex natural habitats. Responses of discovering ants
to resources in natural habitats were clear in only one of
three regions. Consistent with our predictions, habitat
complexity thus affected functional measures of the
foraging success of ants in terms of measures of
discovery and monopolisation rates and body size traits
of successful ants. However, patterns were not always
equally clear in manipulative and mensurative
components of the study.
Jarrad Cousin1, Carla Catterall1
1
Environmental Futures Centre, School of Environment, Griffith
University
Biodiversity conservation in urban areas is often limited
to small patches of remnant vegetation. The
conservation value of such remnants to bird species may
be influenced by the size and quality of a remnant as
well as the surrounding landscape. Over time, the
stability of bird communities within the remnants could
depend on the extent of change in attributes of both
the remnants themselves and the surrounding
landscape. Community change may comprise the loss of
some species and gain in others. Observed changes in
bird species composition could represent random
species turnover, but could also constitute time-lagged
losses (extinction debt). This has broad implications if
urban conservation reserves are established on the basis
of current presence of habitat-dependent biota, given
that they may fail to support these biota in the future. In
the present study, we examined bird community
composition in 19 urban remnants in the urbanising
Brisbane region, across a 15-year time period. We
investigated what attributes influenced bird community
composition within the early 1990s and the mid-2000s,
as well as the change across time-periods.
Jarrad Cousin is interested in spatio-temporal ecology, and is
currently a post-doctoral research fellow at Griffith University
undertaking a project on forecasting and managing change in
birds in urbanising landscapes.
Dr Heloise Gibb is a lecturer in zoology at La Trobe University. Her
research examines the role of biotic and abiotic factors in
structuring communities, with a focus on functional trait responses.
285
1200, Room T4, MCC
1215, Room T4, MCC
A new workshop called ‘Bioscapes—an
introduction to biodiversity in grazing landscapes’
Adaptive management through research-directed
monitoring of the operational roll-out of variable
retention silviculture in Tasmania
Clare Edwards1, Lori McWhirter1
1
Industry and Investment NSW
This paper outlines a new workshop, ‘Bioscapes—an
introduction to biodiversity in grazing landscapes’,
developed by Industry and Investment NSW (I&I NSW).
The workshop was developed primarily for land
managers wanting to know more about the linkages
between ecology and production, as well as clear
definitions of pertinent terms. The workshop has been
piloted to over 50 land managers, producers, extension
personnel, and Landcare and catchment officers since
April 2010. Delivery has covered the northern, central
and southern tablelands of NSW.
The two-day workshop aims to develop the skills and
knowledge of participants in assessing the landscape
and its components. This promotes better land-use, land
capability and conservation values. A mixture of theory
and practical examples is used, employing the principles
of adult learning. The workshop is activity based, and is
delivered either on-farm or near a suitable area of native
vegetation like a travelling stock route. It also connects
with other production and sustainability based
workshops and activities.
Bioscapes integrates local and relevant scientific
information into ‘bite-sized’ components. Objectives
include understanding and exploring the conflicts
between agriculture and biodiversity, as well as
investigating possible solutions. Bioscapes recognises
and supports the influence that practical engagement
can have in enhancing landholders’ knowledge of
biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.
Clare Edwards is a district agronomist based in Armidale NSW.
286
Steve Read1,3, Sue Baker1,2,3, Dave McElwee1, Tim Wardlaw1,2,3
1
Forestry Tasmania, 2Department of Plant Science, University of
Tasmania, 3CRC for Forestry
Research at the Warra Long-Term Ecological Research
site, southern Tasmania, identified the aggregated
retention form of variable retention as the best
alternative to clearfelling in tall, wet eucalypt forests on
ecological, economic and safety criteria. Based on the
Warra research and practices elsewhere, a set of goals
were developed for the state-wide roll-out of
aggregated retention, with an associated set of
operational guidelines. The roll-out was overseen by a
formally constituted implementation group, to ensure
the goals and guidelines were translated into feasible
and effective practice. Feed-back from operational
monitoring of silvicultural outcomes allowed refinement
of practices during the roll-out. A set of twelve metrics
that evaluated outcomes against key ecological
objectives were developed as a focus for biodiversity
monitoring. These metrics showed continual
improvement during the first three years of operational
roll-out as practices were developed, even though many
of the ecological benefits will not appear for a decade or
more after harvesting. The Warra research had low
statistical power but temporally intensive sampling and a
rapid transition to state-wide implementation, but has
been coupled to intensive, directed monitoring at
ecologically critical time-points in operational areas, with
local controls: this is an alternative approach to adaptive
management in practice.
Steve Read is Chief Scientist of Forestry Tasmania’s Division of
Forest Research. He oversees a multi-disciplinary research program,
with extensive collaborative linkages, underpinning management
of Tasmania’s State forests.
Concurrent session 9b—Invasive species
1100, Room T5, MCC
1115, Room T5, MCC
Understanding the ecological drivers of invasion to
structure management
Threats to woodlands posed by invasive grasses:
the case of Coolatai grass (Hyparrhenia hirta)
1
1
Cameron Fletcher , David Westcott
1
Miconia calvescens is recognised as one of the 100
1
2
2
Chris Nadolny , Vinod Chejara , Paul Kristiansen
1
NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water,
University of New England
2
worst invasive alien species in the world, has caused
great environmental damage in Hawaii and Tahiti, and is
established at four locations in and around the Wet
Tropics World Heritage Area in Far North Queensland. It
is listed as a Class 1 weed in Australia and as such is
under active eradication programs by state and local
governments. To support this management effort and
improve our ecological understanding of the drivers of
the invasion we have created a detailed, process-driven
individual-based model, incorporating seed dispersal by
Australian frugivores and heterogeneous environmental
suitability of the real habitats it is invading. We have also
worked with on-ground managers to incorporate
realistic management strategies that capture the broad
and fine scale interaction of management policies with
established populations. We present key results of the
model, including an analysis of the trade-offs between
the spatial scale of management and limited
management resources, and concrete
recommendations for management in real
environments. We then extend the analysis to consider
fundamental relationships between management
strategies and the ecological drivers of invasion for
frugivore dispersed species in general.
Coolatai grass (Hyparrhenia hirta), originally introduced
as a prospective pasture species, now infests large areas
of grassy woodland in northern New South Wales,
including roadsides, travelling stock routes and national
parks. In previous decades the threat posed by this
species was not widely appreciated because it was
widely believed that grassy woodlands that were
protected from grazing and disturbance should be
resistant to invasion by exotic grasses. It has now been
confirmed that Coolatai grass is capable of displacing
intact native vegetation in the absence of grazing. It
forms dense, almost monospecific swards that reduce
floristic diversity in a variety of vegetation types and
tolerates a variety of soil conditions. Coolatai grass
performs well in climates varying from warm temperate
through to Mediterranean and subtropical, so is capable
of invading much more of Australia. The short viability of
its seedbank, with the life-expectancy of seeds less than a
year, is a weak point in the species’ life cycle that can be
exploited in efforts to prevent its continued spread.
While Coolatai grass is only one of several highly invasive
exotic grasses in Australia, the story of its spread in
northern New South Wales provides pertinent lessons
for conservation.
Dr Cameron Fletcher is an expert in modelling ecosystems and
human interactions with the environment. He has a PhD in physics
and is a Research Scientist with CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences.
Chris Nadolny is an ecologist with the NSW Department of
Environment, Climate Change and Water with a long-standing
interest in conservation and restoration of biodiversity in rural
landscapes.
287
1130, Room T5, MCC
1145, Room T5, MCC
Habitat specificity of biocontrol agents of Mimosa
pigra: implications for evaluating effectiveness of
biocontrol
Australian Acacias behaving badly: correlates of
invasiveness in novel ranges
Louis Elliott1
Michelle Leishman1, Rachael Gallagher1, Dave Richardson2,
John Wilson2, Jaco LeRoux2, Jan Suda3, Joe Miller4
1
NT Department of Natural Resources, the Environment, the Arts
and Sport
Macquarie University, 2Centre for Invasion Biology, University of
Stellenbosch, 3Charles University Prague, 4CSIRO Plant Industry
Over the last 30 years, 15 different biocontrol agents
have been released on Mimosa pigra, an invasive exotic
plant of wetlands in the Northern Territory. Of these, 9
have established. Traditionally multiple agents are
chosen in order to target different parts of the host
species anatomy or as part of a ‘lottery’ approach to
maximise the probability of success. In the Northern
Territory, Mimosa pigra is capable of invading a wide
range of wetland habitats, with a range of local
environmental stresses. We present evidence that
different biocontrol agents may be better at surviving
and inflicting damage in particular habitats, and that a
suite of agents may do a better job not only because
they can attack multiple parts of the target, but because
they may be able to better colonise the range of habitats
available. In addition, native insects and pathogens may
form a part of this suite. Where the impact and
establishment of agents occurs unevenly across a
heterogeneous landscape, agent habitat preferences
may need to be considered for all steps of a classical
biocontrol program from selection through to the
evaluation of effectiveness.
Many Australian Acacia species have been introduced to
novel environments for forestry and horticultural
purposes around the world. A substantial number of
these have become naturalised and/or invasive, and
represent a significant threat to native diversity and
ecosystem processes. We compiled a database of 80
Australian Acacia species that have been introduced to
new environments outside Australia. For each species
we calculated an index of invasiveness and compiled
data on traits including genome size, seed mass, specific
leaf area and relative growth rate. We examined
relationships between traits and invasiveness using crossspecies correlations and phylogenetically independent
contrasts derived from supertree constructions.
Understanding of the correlates of invasiveness in this
widespread and speciose genus will contribute
substantially to our general understanding of plant
invasion success.
Louis Elliott completed honours in ecology at Charles Darwin
University in 2005, since then he has been working for the NT
government on threatened flora, weed risk and biological control.
288
1
Michelle Leishman is a plant ecologist at Macquarie University. Her
research focuses on plant functional traits, particularly in relation to
invasive plants and restoration ecology. The work presented here is
part of a large international collaborative project on invasive
Acacias.
1200, Room T5, MCC
Managing feral olives and restoring endangered
bushland—how can we maximise restoration
success?
Peter Cuneo1, Michelle Leishman2
1
Botanic Gardens Trust, NSW, 2Department of Biological Sciences,
African olive (Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata) is a dense
crowned evergreen small tree, and a closely related subspecies of the cultivated European olive. Invasion by
African olive threatens highly fragmented native
vegetation in the Cumberland Plain region (western
Sydney), where it forms a dense mid canopy excluding
the regeneration of native species. We established a
three year ecological restoration experiment following
removal and mechanical chipping of an established
African olive forest to test the effectiveness of burning
and re-seeding to re-establish native plant diversity.
Burned plots had some regeneration of native species,
indicating that the native soil seedbank was still present
after 15 years of olive invasion. Native grasses were
found to be not persistent in the soil seedbank, however
species such as Microlaeana stipoides, Elymus scaber
and Themeda australis were readily established by
supplementary direct seeding. Germination and
establishment of native shrubs from the direct seeding
mix was poor, suggesting that these species may have to
be planted in subsequent years. The use of burning and
direct seeding to establish early successional stage
Cumberland Plain woodland provides the basis of an
ecological restoration model, which could be
implemented in areas of African olive removal to exclude
subsequent establishment of African olive and promote
re-establishment of native plant diversity.
Peter Cuneo is Manager—Natural Heritage at Mount Annan
Botanic Garden. Peter is currently completing a PhD on weed
ecology of invasive African Olive which is now a major
conservation concern in western Sydney. Working in conjunction
with Macquarie University, Peter has published four research
papers on this invasive species.
289
Concurrent session 9c—Threatened species: plants
1100, Room T6, MCC
1115, Room T6, MCC
National vegetation attributes for linking vegetation
type and condition to the delivery of ecosystem
services
Comprehensive ‘Red List’ assessments of flora at the
municipal scale
1
2
Richard Thackway , Joe Walker , Roger Hnatiuk
1
Graeme Lorimer
1
Biosphere Pty Ltd
1
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics—
Bureau of Rural Sciences, 2CSIRO Division of Land and Water
Resources
A nationally accepted schema for surveying and
classifying site-based vegetation was developed in early
1980s and revised in 1990. Initially the classification and
mapping was directed towards pastoral, forestry and
conservation activities. Today there is a much wider
range of users and often the users are not well versed in
vegetation science but simply want a means to describe
what vegetation exists at a site and the condition of the
vegetation. Recently the national schema has been
revised to clarify some definitions and to include a wider
range of users and to include wetlands, cool temperate
rainforests of Tasmania as well as vegetation stage and
condition. The site-based attributes have been revised in
collaboration with state and territory agencies and are
accepted by the Executive Committee for Australia
Vegetation Information (ESCAVI) as part of the national
guidelines for the National Vegetation Information
System (NVIS). Additional work has been carried out in
developing a method for linking vegetation type and
condition to the delivery of ecosystem goods and
services. Some examples will be presented.
Richard Thackway has had an extensive career in developing of
practical methods and their theoretical underpinnings for
vegetation survey and classification to underpin land use and land
management. He has developed numerous models for
understanding vegetation function.
290
The IUCN ‘Red List’ method for rating the extinction risk
of species is mostly used for unusually rare species. Much
less predictable outcomes arise when a region’s entire
flora or fauna are assessed, as has occurred for vascular
flora in each of three municipalities near Melbourne. For
example, common, long-lived species (e.g. eucalypts and
some sedges) generally qualify as threatened even
though botanists and policy makers mostly find such
classifications unpalatable.
This presentation identifies the features of the Red List
criteria that lead to such unexpected outcomes and
explores resolution of the tension between the
classifications and popular conceptions.
The presentation also provides statistics of the threat
ratings of plants in the three municipalities and the
reasons why species qualify as threatened. 82% of extant
indigenous species in Manningham are locally
threatened, compared with 84% in Knox and 79% in
Boroondara. A frequent reason for qualification as
threatened is the decline of regional populations over
the past decade due to their habitat drying out,
particularly for mistletoes and plants of floodplains. As
the drying is believed to be at least partly associated with
ongoing climate change, there are serious implications
for the future of the region’s indigenous flora and fauna.
Dr Graeme Lorimer has over 20 years’ experience as a consulting
environmental scientist with specialisations in biodiversity strategies,
management plans for species and reserves, vegetation
monitoring and the botany of grasses.
1130, Room T6, MCC
1145, Room T6, MCC
Long-term monitoring of endangered plant
populations in the ACT: values and limitations
Specialised symbioses and their role in rarity in
hammer orchids (Drakaea)
Emma Cook1, Greg Baines1
Ryan Phillips1,2,3, Matthew Barrett1,2, Kingsley Dixon1,2, Stephen
Hopper4
1
Conservation Planning and Research, ACT Land Management
and Planning
Monitoring work carried out by the ACT Government
shows that trends identified from short term data sets in
the abundance and distribution of small populations of
endangered plants can sometimes be misleading. Long
term monitoring can reveal a truer picture of a
population, especially in species where there is little
known of their specific ecology. Here we use the
endangered Tarengo Leek Orchid and Small Purple Pea
as case studies. Issues that arose over time included
changes in staff and methodology and the lack of
efficient management of core data. We found that
stringent and detailed record keeping and data
collection is important to minimise negative impacts from
these issues. The implementation of new technology
part way through one of the programs greatly improved
the efficiency and repeatability of the field work,
providing the most reliable information possible over
time. In conclusion, the maintenance of any program
over the long term will always experience management
and funding difficulties however these are certainly
outweighed by the long term survival of remnant
populations of threatened and endangered species
through scientifically informed management.
Emma Cook completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at
the University of Canberra in 2008. She has since worked as a
Research Support Officer for the ACT Government focusing on
vegetation management and monitoring within the ACT.
1
Kings Park and Botanic Garden, The Botanic Garden and Parks
Authority, WA, 2School of Plant Biology, University of Western
Australia, 3Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of
Biology, The Australian National University, 4Royal Botanic
Gardens, UK
The role of specialised plant-pollinator and plantmycorrhiza relationships in plant species rarity is poorly
understood. Here, we test the role of these symbioses in
rarity in Drakaea, a genus endemic to south-western
Australia, where five of the nine extant species are rare
and endangered. Drakaea are pollinated by sexual
deception of male thynnid wasps and rely on
mycorrhizal fungi for germination and annual growth.
All Drakaea were shown to utilise a single, widespread
species of mycorrhizal fungus. Further, in situ baiting
demonstrated that potential mycorrhizal fungi exhibit
similar abundance to fungi utilised by co-occurring
common orchid genera. Baiting for pollinators and DNA
barcoding demonstrated that each Drakaea species
relies on a single pollinator species. In areas with a
diversity of Drakaea, rare orchids were pollinated by rare
pollinators. Fruit set was high in most species but low in
a subset of rare species. In some rare species, the
pollinator was more widespread than the orchid at the
regional scale. We propose that in Drakaea the causes of
rarity are idiosyncratic. Species rarity appears to result
from different combinations of the abundance of
pollinators, habitat specialisation and the evolutionary
history of the Drakaea species.
Ryan Phillips undertook his PhD at University of Western Australia
and is continuing this work at the Australian National University.
His research focuses on the role of pollinators and mycorrhiza in
speciation and rarity in orchids.
291
1200, Room T6, MCC
1215, Room T6, MCC
Translocation of Eremophila resinosa, is it working
and have we improved our cultural practices
Plant translocations and the consequences for
dependent insect assemblages
Ian (Bob) Dixon1
Melinda Moir1, Peter Vesk1, Karl Brennan2, Lesley Hughes3, Mick
McCarthy1, David Keith4
1
Botanic Garden and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic
Garden, WA
Eremophila resinosa was translocated to three degraded
open woodland sites at Westonia in the Wheatbelt of
Western Australia. Here we discuss the sites and
improving cultural practices over the last 6 years. The first
site was initially planted in 2004, using multiple plants of
five clones raised by tissue culture, and extended to
double its size with seedlings the following year. The
second and third sites were initially planted with
seedlings in 2009. All sites were irrigated to establish the
plants, initial growth and survival rates were high but
variable depending on the irrigation system used and
the frequency of watering. Site management
improvements include chemical weed control and
sowing seed in situ. Seed production and seedling
recruitment on site one Indicate we are on the way to a
sustainable system, and our present corporate
knowledge will assist any future minesite restoration of
this species.
Acknowledgments: Catalpa Resources for funding the
project, Westonia Shire and Kings Park Volunteer Master
Gardeners for their assistance.
Bob Dixon’s main areas of expertise are the translocation of
declared rare flora and environmental weed control in natural and
degraded ecosystems.
292
1
The University of Melbourne, 2Western Australian Department of
Environment and Conservation, 3Macquarie University, 4NSW
Management actions designed to conserve threatened
species may be detrimental to co-dependent species that
use the threatened taxa as hosts. We investigate
whether the translocation of three highly threatened
plant species (Leucopogon gnaphaloides, Banksia
brownii, Banksia montana) is beneficial to the survival of
possible co-threatened insect assemblages that are
dependent upon these plants as hosts. We assessed
insect assemblage similarity between threatened plants
in the wild, related non-threatened plant species within
the area and plants at a translocation site. Using host
breadth models, we determined which insects were
potentially host-specific to the threatened plants. We
found that the insect assemblages on wild plants
differed from those on translocated plants and that
several host-specific insects were not present on
translocated plants. Instead, translocated plants adopted
insect assemblages from the surrounding area. We
conclude that ex-situ conservation methods for host
species, such as translocating threatened plants, are not
beneficial to individual dependent species or the insect
assemblage as a whole.
Melinda Moir is a research fellow with the University of Melbourne
working on co-extinction: the extinction of dependent fauna with
their host species.
Concurrent session 9d—Ecological science and policy making
1100, Room T3, MCC
1115, Room T3, MCC
The usefulness of resilience thinking in conservation
policy and planning
Supporting native fauna recolonisation following
catastrophic fires: using SDMs and ‘zonation’ to
prioritise predator control activities
1
1
1
Kate de Smeth , Charlie Zammit , Robert Gales
1
Communities
Graeme Newell1, Matt White1, Peter Griffioen1, Alan Robley1,
2
Phil Pegler
1
Increasing the resilience of our natural systems has been
promoted in a number of recent scientific and policy
reports as a means of mitigating threats to Australia’s
biodiversity. Here we outline preliminary work on the
applicability of the resilience concept, and of the broader
‘resilience thinking’ approach, to environment planning
and decision making by the Department of Sustainability,
Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
Kate de Smeth works as a Project Officer in the Biodiversity
Conservation Branch of the Land and Coasts Division of the
Department. She is responsible for project work about resilience
thinking for natural resource management and conservation
policy and planning.
Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Sustainability and
Environment, VIC, 2Parks Victoria
The bushfires of February 2009 had major impacts upon
more than 450,000 hectares of land supporting
important populations of native fauna. Assisting
ecosystem recovery has been a major focus with
management agencies allocating significant funds to the
suppression of introduced predators. This project aimed
to identify and prioritise key locations in fire-affected
landscapes for predator suppression activities to support
native fauna recolonisation.
Species distribution models (SDMs) of 126 target fauna
species were assembled from an existing state-wide
library. One data array of SDMs was differentially
damage using DSE’s 2009 Fire Severity model, while a
similar array remained ‘unburnt’. Spatial prioritisation
analyses were undertaken using Zonation software.
Rank analyses for the ‘burnt’ and ‘unburnt’ stacks were
compared to identify locations where the highest habitat
values had been reduced in the fire event. Analyses also
considered the adjacency of the impacted habitat areas
to unburnt locations that are likely to facilitate
recolonisation. Spatial outputs were used in consultation
with land managers to develop an optimal baiting
strategy for predator control. This process demonstrated
a systematic process for using robust species distribution
models for prioritising landscape scale management
activities, where the products are consistent across the
state, but useful at local scales.
Graeme Newell is the Program Leader in Ecological Analysis and
Synthesis at the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research.
He and his team work on developing state-wide spatial datasets of
ecological assets and processes that directly inform conservation
policy and management for the Victorian Government.
293
1130, Room T3, MCC
1145, Room T3, MCC
Cats or quolls? Feasibility and conservation impact
of keeping native mammals as pets
Does recovery planning improve the status of
threatened species?
Rosie Cooney1, Rosalie Chapple1, Sarah Doornbos2, Stephen
Jackson3
Madeleine Bottrill1, Jessica Walsh1, James Watson1, Liana
1
2
1
Joseph , Alejandro Ortega-Argueta , Hugh Possingham
1
Institute of Environmental Studies, UNSW, 2Future of Australia’s
Threatened Ecosystems (FATE) Program, Faculty of Agriculture,
Food and Natural Resources, University of Sydney, 3wildlife
consultant
Substantial media polemic—and scant reasoned debate—
have accompanied the proposition that keeping native
mammals as pets rather than the common suite of exotic
predators could contribute to conservation. While the
keeping of certain native reptiles, birds and amphibians
as pets is reasonably well-established across Australia, in
most states private keeping of most native mammals is
currently prohibited. Such keeping is controversial on a
number of grounds, including conservation and animal
welfare impacts and whether such an industry would be
practical from an economic or regulatory standpoint.
This report provides the first detailed assessment of the
feasibility of keeping native mammals as pets, focused on
the marsupial eastern quoll Dasyurus viverrinus and the
rodent Mitchell’s hopping mouse Notomys mitchelli as
case studies. It critically examines arguments about the
likely impact of such an industry on conservation and
animal welfare, surveys current regulatory approaches,
assesses the suitability of the focal species for keeping,
and examines a range of critical issues for regulation and
industry structure. It concludes that under certain
regulatory and management conditions, more
widespread keeping of these species could benefit
conservation in a number of ways, including raising
revenue for captive breeding and reintroduction efforts,
and proposes a set of recommended models for the
regulation and operation of such an industry.
Rosie Cooney is an ecologist and biodiversity policy specialist,
affiliated with the Fenner School of Environment and Society at
ANU and the Institute of Environmental Studies at UNSW.
294
1
University of Queensland, 2Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico
Recovery planning is a key component of federal and
state funded initiatives to address declining populations
of threatened species. Recovery plans bring together
quantitative data and expert opinion to specify threats,
direct management priorities and identify recovery
criteria for threatened species. In Australia, limited
retrospective evaluation of the impact of recovery plans
applied under the national legislation for listing
threatened species, the Environmental Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act. Interest in evaluating
recovery planning has been motivated by demands for
greater accountability and a shift away from a single
species focused to more ecosystem-based management.
To date, recovery plans do not exist for many species,
and for those with plans, there is currently no legal
obligation to implement recovery actions highlighted in
the plan. In this paper, we aim therefore to investigate
whether listed species with recovery plans are more
likely to be improving than listed species without
recovery plans. We applied an econometric matching
analysis to reduce biases associated with the nonrandom selection of species for listing and recovery
planning. Our analysis found that any variation in
species status (e.g., improving/stable or declining) was
independent of whether a species had a recovery plan.
This result suggests that recovery plans do not
consistently demonstrate a positive (or negative) impact
on species status in the short term and uncertainty
persists on the overall contribution of recovery plans to
species recovery.
Madeleine Bottrill is a PhD candidate in the Spatial Ecology Lab at
the University of Queensland. Her research focuses on the use of
evaluation to measure the effectiveness of different approaches to
conservation planning.
1200, Room T3, MCC
Conservation management frameworks for
protected areas in South Africa and Australia:
comparing resource use approaches
Kelly Scheepers1, Sue Jackson1
1
This paper entails a critical review of natural resource
management (NRM) within the formal reserve systems of
South Africa and Australia. We assess how key scientific,
socio-economic and political drivers in both countries
have shaped their nation’s conservation management
frameworks. Based on current trends, we suggest
principles for balancing conservation and sustainable
resource use objectives in protected area management.
A preliminary analysis shows that although South Africa
and Australia have experienced similar conservation
policy trajectories, key differences in population
pressures, political aspirations for Indigenous social
development and settlement histories have shaped the
definition of legitimate resource users, protected area
planning and the development of resource use
strategies. Both countries have shifted away from the
use of simple, cause-and-effect models in favour of
ecosystem and adaptive approaches that try to
accommodate multiple values and benefits from
sustainable resource use in protected areas. South Africa
has made tentative advances in the formulation of
institutional arrangements to integrate socio-economic
and ecological objectives in park management, namely a
national resource use policy for protected areas and a
management effectiveness framework.
Kelly Scheepers is a postdoctoral fellow with CSIRO Ecosystem
Sciences, working on Indigenous livelihoods development.
295
Concurrent session 9e—Ecosystem restoration
1100, Room T1, MCC
1115, Room T1, MCC
Restoration in a current and changed climate—
should we source seeds locally, or not?
Assessing consequences of assemblage change for
ecological processes: a case study using frugivorous
birds
1,2
2
1
1
Ann Smithson , Siegy Krauss , Hans Lambers , Erik Veneklas
1
2
School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, Kings
Park and Botanic Gardens
Catherine Moran1, Carla Catterall1
South-western Western Australia is a world biodiversity
hotspot, characteristically harbouring large numbers of
species with often restricted ranges. Large scale projects
aim to restore hundreds of hectares of this biodiverse
vegetation each year, following activities such as mining.
Seed is the main resource used to achieve such
restorations. Since seed is often obtained from remnant
native vegetation it is a very limited resource, and habitat
specificity and adaptation to local climatic conditions
further restrict seed sourcing zones. With climate
change, sourcing seeds more widely has been
suggested based on the premise that increased genetic
diversity will promote adaptation to future climate, but
this may risk poor plant establishment in a current
climate or a novel habitat. In this talk, we will test (a) how
intraspecific adaptation is spatially structured in south
west Western Australia, and (b) whether adaptability is
predictable using genetic markers. We will discuss case
studies using two native forest understory legumes, one
is morphologically uniform, the other morphologically
diverse. We will summarise by considering whether seed
sourcing decisions in a biodiversity hotspot should
continue to be based around the concept of local
adaptation, or whether in the light of climate change
different strategies are advisable.
Changes in the species composition of faunal
assemblages may lead to changes in ecological
processes: If species are lost from ecosystems, some
processes will also be lost unless remaining species are
functionally similar to those that have been lost.
Prediction of such consequences requires knowledge of
species’ roles. In complex ecological systems such as
rainforests, where the process of seed dispersal is
predominantly mediated by vertebrate frugivores, it is
not feasible to study all possible interactions between all
species. However, it may be possible to develop a
predictive understanding of the consequences of
assemblage change for ecological processes without this
information, if species having different functional roles
also vary in certain attributes. In contrast with most
regions globally, the roles of Australian birds in seed
dispersal are relatively well known, providing an
opportunity to test whether there are predictable
relationships between particular attributes of bird species
and their roles in seed dispersal. We consider the
patterns of plant-frugivore interactions in Australian
rainforests in order to identify attributes of birds that are
strongly correlated with major variation in seed dispersal
roles. We discuss how this approach could be useful in
other regions where there is a dearth of information
regarding species’ roles in seed dispersal.
Ann Smithson has researched and lectured in plant evolutionary
biology, ecology and genetics for 15 years in the UK. She focused
on rare species of conservation concern, especially within the
Orchidaceae, but has a broad interest in plant-pollinator
interactions and the influences of pollinator behaviour on plant
reproductive success and population genetics. Since a move to
Australia three years ago she has been researching the ecology
and genetics of selected legume species in a restoration and
climate change context, with particular emphasis on broad-scale
post-mining restoration in a drying climate.
296
1
Griffith University
Cath Moran has studied the consequences of rainforest
fragmentation for frugivores and seed dispersal in Australia and is
especially interested in applying the findings of this work to
restoring landscapes that support healthy frugivore populations
and seed dispersal processes.
1130, Room T1, MCC
1145, Room T1, MCC
Breeding birds and farm revegetation
Continuing loss of tropical forests on agricultural
land could be reversed by carbon credit trading
Suzi Bond1, David Lindenmayer1, Joern Fischer1, Jeff Wood1
1
University
The majority of Australia’s eucalypt woodlands in the
temperate agricultural zone have been cleared,
fragmented and degraded, which has resulted in the
loss and decline of biodiversity, including many bird
species. For various reasons, there have been restoration
programs that have focused on the planting and
regeneration of trees on this cleared agricultural land.
The faunal response to vegetation restoration is little
known, and from the work conducted on birds in
Australia it would appear that planting attributes
important for birds are their size, shape, width, structure,
age and proximity to remnant vegetation. There is also a
general consensus that generalist species prefer
plantings. Most studies on birds in plantings in Australia
have not focused on detecting breeding activity,
however. We examined the bird community and bird
breeding activity in revegetation and woodland
remnants in the sheep-wheat belt of southern New
South Wales. We found that revegetation and remnant
sites had distinctly different bird communities from each
other, and that just under half of the bird species
community present attempted to breed. We determined
that plantings can be valuable breeding sites for many
bird species, and that block-shaped plantings were
particularly important for bird species attempting to
breed.
Suzi Bond is a PhD candidate at the Fenner School of Environment
and Society at the Australian National University.
Noel Preece1,2,3, Penny van Oosterzee1,2
1
Biome5 Pty Ltd, 2Charles Darwin University, 3James Cook
University
Legislation protects, to a significant degree, remnant
forests on private lands, but fails to minimise and reverse
continuing losses of forests in Queensland’s Wet Tropics.
The decline of forest area on private lands has been
substantial since World Heritage declaration, with over
36,000 ha lost since 1990, around 10% of the remaining
forest. The annual clearing rate is around 1,700 ha/yr.
Reactions to legislative restrictions on private land use
have led to pre-emptive clearing. We argue that
legislation is necessary but insufficient to protect vital
forest habitat. Incentives are needed which encourage
landholders, particularly primary producers, to retain
their natural forest regrowth. The sale of carbon credits
held within these forest regrowth stands can provide
alternative sources of income, and could provide returns
per hectare equivalent to those from beef cattle and
other uses, making retention of forests viable alternative
land uses. Annual increments of biomass in trees are in
the order of 15–20 t/yr of CO2-equivalent. This could
return a price to landholders of around $150-$200/yr at
a net price of $10 per tonne of carbon. Given
transaction costs of around 40%, a market price of $17/t
would make forest stands viable as an income stream in
many situations.
Noel Preece is an ecologist with 25 years’ experience in the
Australian tropics and deserts. He is a consultant and business
proprietor, currently working on carbon trading with the NRM
regions.
297
1200, Room T1, MCC
1215, Room T1, MCC
Using competitive native plants to achieve
grassland restoration goals
Green roofs: delivering urban ecosystem services
using a novel experimental platform
Kris Hulvey1
Nicholas SG Williams1, Zengdong Chen2, Elizabeth C
Denman1, John P Rayner1
1
University of Western Australia, work completed at University of
California, Santa Cruz
Successful ecosystem restoration involves both
increasing native populations and restoring ecosystem
functions. In many ecosystems, reinvasion by non-native
plants is a key threat to restoration. Through a fieldbased experiment in US grasslands, I explored whether
restoration actions that increased densities of native
competitors could reduce vulnerability to invasion. I
focused on interactions between three asters: yellow
starthistle (Centaurea solstitalis)—an invasive annual forb
currently spreading across the Western US, and two
native forbs—Hemizonia congesta and Madia elegans. I
planted varying abundances of one or both natives into
plots where litter was either cleared or retained. Past
studies show H. congesta and starthistle use resources
similarly in time and space, and that starthistle invasion
increases as H. congesta abundance declines.
I found two strategies similarly increased invasion
resistance: retaining cut litter in plots, or removing litter
and adding high densities of native seed. Litter retention,
however, decreased native survival. These findings
suggest that while land managers can manipulate
multiple site variables to achieve restoration goals,
including competitive native species in restoration
actions can both increase native species populations and
decrease exotic reinvasion.
Kris Hulvey gained her PhD from the University of California, Santa
Cruz in the US working on plant invasions in grasslands. She
currently is a post doc researcher with Dr Richard Hobbs at UWA.
298
1
Department of Resource Management and Geography,
University of Melbourne, 2CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
Extensive green roofs consist of stress tolerant plants
growing in shallow, lightweight growing media over a
specially designed drainage layer. While common in the
temperate northern hemisphere they are rare in
Australia due to significant climatic differences, unproven
growing media and plant palettes which combine to
create significant technical and market barriers. Our
research aims to overcome these because extensive
green roofs have great potential as a climate change
mitigation and adaptation strategy for urban
environments by providing ecosystem services such as
temperature amelioration, stormwater capture and
filtration and biodiversity habitat. We assessed the
survival of 32 plant species on an experimental extensive
green roof between 2008 and 2009. Simultaneously, we
monitored temperatures on the green roof, a control
roof and in identical rooms below and used this data to
model the green roof influence on building energy
budgets. Despite all of 25 of the 32 species dying over
the experimental period, the green roof is predicted to
reduce summer energy use by 38%. The presentation
will also report the results of plant growth trials in two
light weight media and explain how green roofs are an
attractive research platform to investigate the influence
of biodiversity on ecosystem function.
Dr Nicholas (Nick) Williams is a plant ecologist who joined the
University of Melbourne in 2007. Although he has conducted
research in agricultural, forest and alpine environments Nick is
particularly interested in the ecology of urban areas because they
are a unique combination of habitats that are becoming
increasingly prevalent on a global scale and present many
important research questions. His research has addressed both
theoretical and applied ecological questions while advancing the
conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity in
human dominated landscapes. Recently Nick and colleagues have
been investigating how green roofs can be successful in Australian
cities and have established Australia’s first green roof research
program.
Concurrent session 9f—Woodlands
1100, Room T2, MCC
1115, Room T2, MCC
Historical grazing management (1976–1998) in
travelling stock reserves in southern NSW: influence
on woodland conditions
Evolution of crown architecture and its role in the
coexistence of trees
1
Peter Spooner
1
1
Peter Vermeulen , Mark Westoby
1
1
Travelling stock routes and reserves (TSRs) are a legacy of
19th century grazing practice, and a conspicuous
component of many rural landscapes. The aim of this
study was to quantify grazing practices implemented in
TSRs 1976–1998 in the Albury region, and investigate
potential relationships with woodland conditions. As the
results show, 78% of TSRs provided refuge for
endangered box woodlands, where 35% were assessed
as having ‘medium’ to ‘high’ conservation values, where
14% possessed high native plant species richness. Most
TSRs were lightly grazed (annual mean 1.1 DSE/ha), and
were stocked for less than 2 months per year, but some
were much more heavily grazed. Fluctuations in grazing
tended to follow climate variability; however stocking
rates had declined since 1984, and attributed to a more
conservation grazing approach. Plant response to
historic grazing management was highly variable, and
largely influenced by the intensity, duration (years
grazed) and timing (season) of grazing inputs, as well as
the size (area) and spatial location of individual TSRs.
These results highlight the conservation values of TSRs
and role of stock in managing endangered woodlands.
Peter Spooner’s research is aimed at contributing to biodiversity
conservation in rural landscapes. His research interests include
human impacts on ecosystems, fragmentation effects on
vegetation, restoration of woodlands, and road ecology.
Crown architecture strongly determines the light
environment of an individual tree by influencing the
level of self-shading and the amount of shade that is cast
by neighbouring trees. Therefore, the relation between
the different components of crown architecture should
be the result of selection and evolution, due to
competitive interactions between trees in the
competition for light.
Here, we apply a game theoretical approach to a pipe
model, analysing the evolution of crown depth, crown
height and the crown radius through their effects on
light capture in dense stands.
In our model, crown depth is independent of maximum
height. It does, however, depend on the radius of the
tree: with increasing radius the evolutionarily stable
crown depth increases. In contrast, our model predicts
that tree crowns become thinner when nutrient
availability increases, and become thinner with
increasing latitudes.
Our results indicate that even in dense stands the
evolution of crown architecture is driven by shifts in the
balance between self-shading and shading by
neighbours. Analysing the interplay between top height,
crown base, total leaf area and tree radius, we
investigate how evolution for different levels of selfshading may lead to the coexistence of different crown
shapes.
Peter Vermeulen obtained his PhD under Professor Werger at
Utrecht University, the Netherlands. He was awarded a Rubicon
fellowship for talented researchers by the Netherlands
Organisation for Scientific Research for current postdoctoral
project.
299
1130, Room T2, MCC
1145, Room T2, MCC
Niche separation in herb-rich woodlands: evidence
from novel use of species co-occurrence tests
Assessing the habitat specificity of Hall’s babbler
(Pomatostomus halli) at multiple spatial scales
John Morgan1, Jodi Price2, Brandon Schamp3
Dean Portelli1
1
2
Department of Botany, La Trobe University, Department of
Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu,
Estonia, 3Department of Biology, Algoma University, Canada
Ecological mechanisms proposed to explain the
maintenance of biodiversity are hypothesised to fall
along a theoretical continuum bounded at one extreme
by deterministic processes (‘niche assembly’) and at the
other extreme by stochastic processes (‘dispersal
assembly’). Untangling the importance of these
processes remains a challenge for ecologists. We explore
assembly processes in temperate eucalypt woodlands
where species density can exceeded 100 species per 0.1
ha and local environmental conditions (trees,
microtopography) create strong environmental
heterogeneity in light, soil moisture and litter. We use cooccurrence null models in a novel way to test whether
micro-sites differ in species co-occurrence patterns,
which is expected if these micro-sites represent different
niches. Our results suggest that local woodland
composition was deterministically structured by
interspecific interactions in each of three study years,
consistent with the widespread evidence of plant
competition for nutrients, light and/or water. Our
analysis does not support the hypothesis that four
targeted micro-sites represent different niches in this
woodland. While analysis of species distribution patterns
can provide only indirect evidence as to the mechanisms
structuring communities, our study also introduces a
novel set of predictions, as well as a null model test for
identifying biologically relevant heterogeneity within
natural communities.
John Morgan is a plant ecologist interested in long-term
vegetation dynamics and patterns of species coexistence in
herbaceous-dominated ecosystems.
300
1
Habitat destruction and degradation are arguably the
greatest threats facing species worldwide. Effective
management of natural resources for biota depends on
a comprehensive understanding of wildlife-habitat
relationships, yet this is lacking for most species. The
Australian endemic Hall’s babbler (Pomatostomus halli)
has been little studied since its relatively recent discovery
in 1963, but largely anecdotal information suggests it is a
habitat specialist. Other babbler species are sensitive to
habitat loss and modification, raising concern for the
conservation of Hall’s babbler, given its apparent habitat
specificity. I assessed the habitat use of the species at a
microhabitat, landscape and distribution scale using
direct field sampling techniques and spatial data analysis
within a geographic information system. At a
microhabitat scale, the structure of the tree stratum is an
important determinant of habitat occupancy, but
vegetation community composition is of over-riding
importance. Hall’s babblers are restricted to a subset of
vegetation communities present within its geographic
distribution, primarily woodlands and shrublands
dominated by Acacia species, in particular mulga (Acacia
aneura). I discuss the conservation management issues
raised by the habitat specificity of Hall’s babbler,
including land use practices, degradation and habitat
fragmentation, with reference to better-studied
populations of other babbler species.
With a research interest in conservation biology and increasing
our knowledge of poorly-studied Australian birds, Dean Portelli is
currently completing a PhD on the behavioural ecology of Hall’s
babbler.
1200, Room T2, MCC
1215, Room T2, MCC
Bird community disarray in eastern Australia: the
relative roles of landscape properties and
interspecific competition
Altitudinal variability of flower visitor assemblages of
subtropical rainforest plants—predicting climate
change impacts
Martine Maron1, Alison Howes1, Michiala Bowen1, Peter
2
1
3
Dunn , Clive McAlpine , Jarrod Kath
Sarah Boulter1, Jacinta Zalucki2, Roger Kitching2
1
2
The University of Queensland, University of the Sunshine Coast,
3
University of Southern Queensland
Millions of hectares of remnant woodland in eastern
Australia are now dominated by a single, highly
aggressive species, the noisy miner Manorina
melanocephala. We combined bird assemblage data
from eight regions distributed across a 2,000 km-long
transect in eastern Australia to explore the potential
implications of landscape modification and noisy miners
for bird community structure, niche occupancy and the
provision of ecological services. In all cases, the
proportion of small passerines in the avifauna declined
rapidly with increasing noisy miner density until a
threshold density of miners was reached, beyond which
only 10–15% of birds were small passerines. A threshold
in landscape-level native vegetation cover was evident at
about 30%, below which the proportion of small
passerines in sites with few noisy miners depended on
the remnant vegetation cover. However, the proportion
of small passerines in sites with high noisy miner density
was independent of vegetation cover. The ecological
implications of this widespread bird community disarray
include changes to predation pressures on particular
invertebrate guilds and increased rates of predation on
small vertebrates. Combined, the effects of landscape
change and interspecific aggressors are causing
significant shifts in the dynamics of eastern Australia’s
woodlands.
1
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Centre, Griffith
University, 2Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University
Climate change has the potential to lead to a
‘decoupling’ of phenological relationships such as those
that occur between a plant and its pollinators due to
strong links between flowering activity and pollinator life
histories and climactic cues. While evidence of pollinator
declines is indisputable for some plant species, other
pollinator species show resilience or adaptability to
change and disturbance. In this study we considered the
variation in flower visitor assemblages at different
altitudes using three plant species in a subtropical
rainforest. A common understorey palm demonstrated a
very specialised visitor assemblage, while a mid-storey
tree species and canopy tree species each showed a
much broader visitor assemblage. By using altitude as a
surrogate for climate change, the variation or constancy
of the assemblages at different altitudes provides an
important indication of the long-term reproductive
success of these species under climate change scenarios.
Coupled with an assessment of reproductive success, we
consider the implications of species substitution as a
response to changed climate, and the implications of this
for ecosystem function.
Sarah Boulter is a research fellow with the National Climate
Change Adaptation Research Facility. She completed her PhD in
February 2010 looking at pollination and climate change in
subtropical rainforest.
Martine Maron is a landscape ecologist and Lecturer in
Environmental Management in the School of Geography,
Planning and Environmental Management at UQ. Her research
interests include conservation of biodiversity in human-dominated
landscapes, particularly understanding the mechanisms which
drive species loss from fragmented or degraded landscapes, and
conservation policy.
301
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Abstracts—Posters
Poster 1
Poster 2
Dryland salinity and terrestrial biota on the
southern tablelands of NSW: the importance of
endemic saline soils, disturbance, succession, edge
effects, scale and predation
How resilient are poplar box (E. populnea)
woodlands in production landscapes?
1
1
Glen Bann , John Field
1
An update to the understanding of the affects of dryland
salinity on terrestrial biota in SE Australia was carried out
using a suite of biotic and abiotic metrics collected
during 2004, 2005 and 2006 on grassy woodland sites
on the STNSW. No cause-effect relationship was
established linking elevated salinity levels to endemic
biota mortality. Many endemic fauna and flora species
flourish at degraded salinised sites; many species of ants,
spiders, wasps, worms, termites, centipedes, frogs and
lizards tolerate elevated and fluctuating salinity levels.
Foxes and other exotics were present at all sites and are
ubiquitous across the region. Many endemic grass and
tree species also exhibit salt tolerance, during all stages of
their life cycles and should therefore be focal
management species. It is problematic to directly link
elevated soil salinity levels per se with ecological stress
(particularly for endemic species), as many other factors
and processes are involved and are likely more
significant, including the sites previous history (i.e. is it
primary salinity?) and disturbance (i.e. land use/grazing
regime and the compounding adverse affects of soil and
vegetation degradation), succession (soil, vegetation,
fauna), edge effects, scale, predation (foxes, spiders,
centipedes, meat ants), drought and water deficit, and
many other synergistic symptoms associated with soil
and vegetation degradation.
2011.
Lisa Fritz1, Andy Le Brocque1, Martine Maron2
1
University of Southern Queensland, 2Landscape Ecology and
Conservation Group, Centre for Spatial Environmental Research,
School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management,
As little as 10% of the original poplar box (Eucalyptus
populnea) woodlands remain in the agriculturally
productive landscapes of southern inland Queensland,
with most remnants significantly affected by surrounding
land use practices. These woodlands have shown signs
of dysfunction in the form of dieback and reduced
recruitment. Little is known of the resilience of these
remaining ecosystems in the face of disturbance from
agriculture and other activities. Woodland ecosystems
occurring in agricultural landscapes are often subject to
clearing, fragmentation and grazing effects. These
processes may result in altered recruitment patterns,
floristic composition, and condition, changes to stand
structure, soil processes, and disruption to overall
ecosystem function. The decline in resilience of these
systems decreases the likelihood of long term persistence
and future provision of broader ecosystem functions. We
summarise existing knowledge of poplar box ecosystems
and develop a conceptual model of multi-scale drivers of
resilience of these woodlands. We describe the fieldbased research underpinned by this model to test the
role and strength of key potential drivers. This study will
contribute to developing informed resource
management actions needed to maintain and enhance
the biodiversity and resilience of poplar box woodlands
in these production landscapes.
Lisa Fritz is currently researching the resilience of poplar box
(Eucalyptus populnea) in production landscapes in southern
Queensland as part of her Master of Science degree. She is a
member of the Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments, a
trans-disciplinary research centre at Toowoomba campus of the
University of Southern Queensland.
303
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 3
Poster 4
Gaining insight into the impacts of severe tropical
cyclones on vegetation in northern Australia using
time series remote sensing
Frog assemblage structure and its environmental
correlates in a production landscape of south-west
Australia
Leo Lymburner1, Garry Cook2, Peter Tan1, Norman Mueller1,
3
1
1
Richard Thackway , Adam Lewis , Medhavy Thankappan
Aaron D Gove1, Grant Wardell-Johnson1, Michael J Bamford2,
2
3
4
Wesley J Bancroft , Geoffrey W Mauger , James T Croton ,
5
Stephen Vlahos
1
Geoscience Australia, 2CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, 3Australian
Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics-Bureau of Rural
Sciences
Severe tropical cyclones occur frequently across
Australia’s tropical north, and those that make landfall
typically have a catastrophic impact on the vegetation in
the immediate path of the cyclone. Previous studies have
demonstrated a ‘before and after’ characterisation of the
impact, however time series information is required to
fully characterise the longer term response and recovery
trajectories of vegetation communities. This study
illustrates how the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dynamic Land Cover Map
(DLCM) in combination with EVI time series can provide
insight into the impact of three recent severe tropical
cyclones, Monica, Ingrid and Larry on vegetation
communities including tropical rainforest, savannah
woodlands and mangroves. The characteristics of the
impacts are assessed within the context of terrain effects,
storm surges and antecedent (pre-event) vegetation
structure. Vegetation on the windward slope and ridges
show significantly greater impact than those on the lee
slope. The post event time series characteristics are
consistent with an event-disturbance-recovery model,
however the recovery trajectories of different vegetation
types provide valuable insight into their immediate and
short-term resilience. Given the flexibility of the DCLM
data products it can be readily applied to numerous
other resource management issues.
Leo Lymburner has worked in the field of vegetation remote
sensing since 1998 and is keenly interested in how remote sensing
can be used to provide insight into the impact of extreme events.
1
Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University,
Bamford Consulting Ecologists, 3Geographic Information Analysis
Pty Ltd, 4Water and Environmental Consultants, 5Health,
Environment and Asset Protection, BHP Billiton Worsley Alumina
Pty Ltd
2
Management of biodiversity at a landscape level requires
knowledge of the location of species assemblages and
their environmental correlates. Here we focus on the
frog assemblage of a region of SW Australia in which
Worsley Alumina is developing plans for future miningrelated activities. Frogs were surveyed at 140 sites
throughout the region. In order to identify useful
environmental correlates of species assemblage, we
considered broad scale landscape-level parameters,
several of which were quantified within a 1 km buffer of
each site. Latitude and longitude were used as proxies
for broad-scale environmental variation. By fitting vectors
to multidimensional scaling plots, we found that frog
assemblage structure was associated with landscapelevel variables such as forest coverage and distance to
forest edge, and latitude and longitude. Longitude is
closely associated with rainfall, while the environmental
correlates of latitude are less well understood. Changes
in species assemblage were primarily due to turnover in
species rather than a simple decline in species richness.
This is also supported by a significant lack of nestedness
in the species assemblage. We suggest that planning
should take account of the possible influence of forest
cover and edge effects, and consider the spatial gradient
in species turnover which is associated with several
environmental variables.
Aaron Gove is interested in the distribution of biodiversity and its
conservation, particularly in the context of production landscapes.
His work has focused insects, birds, and plant-animal interactions in
a number of regions, including Mexico and Ethiopia. In his current
role as Research Associate works with a broad range of taxa and
their distributions in the SW of Australia.
304
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 5
Poster 6
Grazing effects on the sex ratio of a native
dioecious grass depend on unpalatable
neighbourhood
Understanding evolution in regional endemics of
the Yilgarn banded iron formations: a conservation
perspective
Pamela Graff1, Martin R Aguiar1
Heidi Nistelberger1
1
IFEVA-Faculty of Agronomy. University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dioecy makes plants particularly susceptible to
anthropogenic disturbances. By changing the selective
pressures on vegetation, domestic grazing could change
gender performance and sex ratios with important
repercussions on plant population dynamics.
Understanding the mechanisms behind those changes
can be of particular importance for rangeland
management, especially when the species concerned
support livestock production. We studied the impact of
interspecific competition and herbivory on the sex
performance of a perennial-native-dioecious grass (Poa
ligularis). We linked the results of the process-based field
experiments with fine-scale spatial patterns of naturally
established plants at none, moderate and intense sheep
grazing. We found that females were better defended
against insects but had less competitive ability at
exclosure conditions than males. This trade-off resulted in
a microsite sex-biased spatial pattern, being females
more segregated from unpalatable grasses than males.
On the other hand, under domestic grazing, plants
growing far from unpalatable grasses suffer higher levels
of sheep grazing. The reduction in a 40–70% female
density with grazing intensification results in a decrease
of 53–83% flowering stems density. These results, plus
the notion of recruitment limitation in field conditions,
could strongly affect Poa population viability and
livestock sustainability.
Pamela Graff has a PhD in Agronomy Sciences from the University
of Buenos Aires. Argentina. She is a postdoctoral researcher.
CONICET. Faculty of Buenos Aires. Argentina Endeavour Award
Holder. working with Dr Sue McIntyre in CSIRO Sustainable
Ecosystems, Canberra.
1
University of Western Australia, 2Department of Environment and
Conservation
Yilgarn banded iron formations (BIFs) are ancient ‘island’
habitats in semi-arid Western Australia. They have been
unglaciated and above sea-level for 250 million years.
Taxa inhabiting these formations today represent a
combination of relictual species and more recently
derived, arid-adapted taxa. The Yilgarn BIFs are areas of
exceptional species richness and species turnover but
are most notable for their high levels of endemism.
Regional endemics are restricted to BIF habitat but occur
on more than one formation. BIF biotas are threatened
by iron-ore mining; therefore the conservation of these
taxa is of considerable importance for the maintenance
of ecosystem biodiversity. My comparative
phylogeographic study of four regionally endemic BIF
taxa will provide an opportunity to study the historical
forces that have led to these disjunct ‘island’ distributions
and will highlight the degree to which formations are
connected within the landscape. Patterns of genetic
diversity and structure will also be used to develop
predictive hypotheses about the potential impact of
mining on these species and propose conservation
strategies to ensure their long-term persistence. The
study is the first of its kind in the region and will provide
a basis for future studies of endemic BIF taxa.
Heidi Nistelberger is a recent PhD student at UWA studying
comparative phylogeography of regionally endemic BIF taxa. She
has a background in plant population genetics from working at
DEC.
305
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 8
Poster 9
A report card for the biodiversity condition in the
Wet Tropics
Natural systems resilient to climate change: current
approaches in Tasmania
Petina Pert1, Caroline Bruce1, James Butler1, Daniel Metcalfe1
Jennie Whinam1, Louise Gilfedder1, Felicity Faulkner1
1
CSIRO
A prototype report card for biodiversity condition in the
Wet Tropics was developed as part of a federally funded
project entitled ‘Status and trends of biodiversity and
ecosystem services: state of the environment reporting
and gap filling’, this paper presents an analysis of
vegetation condition in the Wet Tropics region. In the
absence of ecologically based thresholds of concern, we
measured the change in native vegetation condition
against the Wet Tropics NRM Plan’s Resource
ConditionTarget 2 (RCT2) for biodiversity: ‘no net loss of
native vegetation condition across the region by 2014’.
This paper describes the methods and results relating to
the analysis of vegetation condition across the region
from 1972–2006. It is the first indicator based assessment
of the Wet Tropics vegetation condition and takes stock
of the state of vegetation condition and its loss in the
Wet Tropics. Analysis of the indicators suggests that with
respect to the status and trends in biodiversity some
progress has been made towards halting biodiversity
loss in the region. However, overall, the status of most
vegetation condition still gives rise to concern. It is still
not possible to give a comprehensive regional picture of
the state of Wet Tropics environment because of the lack
of accurate, consistent temporal environmental data.
Therefore, the need for an enduring data system
remains a high priority if natural resource management
agencies in the Wet Tropics are to measure progress
and make sound investments in the region’s
environmental assets.
Dr Petina Pert is currently working on spatial habitat prioritisation
and visualisation in Mission Beach and investigating ecosystems
services in the Wet Tropics. She is currently works with CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems in the Cairns office. Dr Pert conducts
various spatial analyses, testing and implementation of ecological
metrics for conservation planning in the Wet Tropics and
Melanesia.
306
1
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
The Tasmanian Government’s Natural Systems Resilient
to Climate Change Project aims to identify the key
vulnerabilities and facilitate the adaptations that may
maintain, enhance and recover their natural resilience.
Terrestrial ecosystems considered potentially highly
vulnerable in Tasmania include alpine ecosystems,
moorlands and peatlands. A monitoring program has
been established on key mountain-tops in the
Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Work is also
under way to identify refugia and ensure their
protection and conservation management.
Jennie Whinam is an ecologist who has spent most of her working
life in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area researching
the ecology and conservation management of alpine systems.
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 10
Poster 11
Habitat use of little forest bats subject to changes in
saltmarsh mosquito population size
Are mallee trees modulators of the grounddwelling arthropod community in semi-arid
Australia?
Leroy Gonsalves1, Cameron Webb2, Bradley Law3, Vaughan
1
Monamy
1
School of Arts and Sciences, Australian Catholic University,
Department of Medical Entomology, University of Sydney and
Westmead Hospital, 3Industry and Investment NSW
2
Coastal saltmarsh is a declining community where
mosquito populations can be very high. We investigated
whether insectivorous bats preferentially foraged in
saltmarsh or in adjoining swamp oak forest habitat, and
whether habitat use reflected the availability of certain
prey items, particularly the saltmarsh mosquito, Aedes
vigilax. Habitat use of the little forest bat, Vespadelus
vulturnus , was studied across two relative population sizes
of mosquitoes as predicted by tidal flooding regimes of
local habitats. A total of 13 bats were radio-tracked during
the study. Ten individuals were tracked during a period of
relatively large mosquito population size, while six
individuals were tracked during a period of relatively small
mosquito population size, with three of these individuals
tracked during both periods. Prey availability was
quantified concurrently with radio-telemetry in coastal
saltmarsh and swamp oak forest habitats using CO2baited encephalitis virus surveillance (EVS) traps and
standard light traps. Habitat compositional analysis will be
used to assess whether V. vulturnus was preferentially
foraging in coastal saltmarsh or the adjoining swamp oak
forest. We will also present a comparison of foraging
habitat between both mosquito population size periods
to distinguish whether V. vulturnus foraging habitat
reflected prey availability.
Leroy Gonsalves is a PhD candidate at the Australian Catholic
University, studying the ecological link between saltmarsh
mosquitoes and microchiropteran bats on the NSW Central Coast.
Alan Kwok1, David Eldridge2
1
Landscape modulator (LM) theory predicts that woody
vegetation structures biotic communities through the
creation and maintenance of distinct resource patches,
that is, by regulating the availability of critical resources at
small spatial scales. In semi-arid mallee woodlands, the
ground surface beneath mallee canopies is a distinct
resource patch, being covered by leaf litter and deeply
shaded. This creates habitat and provides a cooler,
moister microclimate which contrasts markedly with the
inter-tree areas that are largely devoid of leaf litter and
shade. Under LM theory, we would expect to find stark
differences in the community assemblage of grounddwelling arthropods between tree and inter-tree areas.
These differences should be greatest where resource
contrasts are at their maximum (i.e. in mature,
undisturbed mallee communities), and weakest or nonexistent where patch structure has been broken down
(e.g. due to disturbances such as fire). In this study we
investigated the role of mallee trees as landscape
modulators of the ground-dwelling arthropod
community. We compared the arthropod community in
tree and inter-tree areas, examining whether the
strength of mallee eucalypts as modulators is moderated
by fire, grazing and their interaction.
Alan Kwok is a PhD candidate investigating how the
concentration of plant resources structures arthropod communities
in semi-arid eastern Australia.
307
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 12
Poster 13
Beta diversity patterns and their contribution to
landscape and regional floristic diversity in arid and
semi-arid Western Australia
Woody thickening of savanna ecosystems in
northern Australia
Eddie Van Etten1
1
Edith Cowan University
Beta diversity is the spatial turnover of species and can
be measured in a variety of ways and at different scales.
There are also many components of beta diversity
including turnover within habitats or communities,
turnover between habitats, and differences between
landscapes. Variance in species composition amongst
sites is a useful measure of overall beta diversity.
Although the south-west of Western Australia is renown
as a plant biodiversity hotspot, other regions of the State
also have relatively high numbers of plant species,
including many recently evolved and endemic species
with relatively restricted distributions. This poster explores
patterns in two such species-rich regions (the arid to
semi-arid Pilbara and Coolgardie bioregions). The
questions posed are: what level of beta diversity is
attributable to differences in environmental features
(principally soil and landform) over landscapes and
regions; and what is attributable to spatial structure? It
was hypothesised that a large proportion of beta
diversity can be explained by spatial structure
independent of environmental s variables due to many
species with narrow ranges or patchy distributions. I
found total species turnover across all scales to be
relatively high and this made an important contribution
to the high plant species diversity of the two arid/semiarid bioregions studied. A large proportion of this
turnover however can be explained by measured
environmental variables (which were mostly edaphic,
topographic and geomorphic factors) and most of these
variables were spatially structured (i.e. had distinctive
spatial patterns). Only a relatively small proportion of
beta diversity can be attributed to spatial structure
independent of measured environmental variables and
this may reflect recent evolution and narrow distribution
ranges of many plant species. The majority of beta
diversity however remains unexplained and could be
due to processes which promote stochastic distributions
of plant species and/or reflect environmental and spatial
variables not measured in these studies (such as
groundwater depth etc).
Eddie Van Etten is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental
Management at Edith Cowan University and study vegetation
ecology (pattern and process) in drylands and apply this
understanding to improving rangeland management.
308
David Gillieson1, Robyn Cowley2, Neil McDonald3, Jeff
Silverman4
1
James Cook University, 2NT Department of Primary Industries,
Fisheries and Mining, 3WA Agriculture Department, 4TerraGlobal
Capital Pty Ltd
‘Woody thickening’ and ‘bush encroachment’ are worldwide phenomena of grassy ecosystems. A
multidisciplinary Savanna CRC project has studied
woody thickening in northern Australia at over 400 sites
in the Kimberleys, Victoria River District and Cape York
Peninsula. Available data indicate that where woody
thickening occurs it tends to be rapid, with substantial
changes occurring over 10–30 year time spans.
Estimates from serial aerial photography show increases
in shrub cover ranging from 20 to 40% over a fifty year
period. At each field site measurements of tree basal
area, tree and shrub height, canopy area and species
dominance were made. Data on fire history were also
collected. Various field measures of shrub cover were
correlated with vegetation indices derived from ASTER
satellite imagery. Significant results were obtained for
NDVI and SAVI indices. These results support
development of broad scale monitoring of woody
thickening using satellite data across northern Australia.
David Gillieson led a Tropical Savannas CRC project assessing
woody vegetation change in savannas. He has also carried out
research on the monitoring of rainforest canopy disturbance.
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 14
Poster 15
The birds and the bees: condition and context
effects in the travelling stock route network
Can you kill two birds with one stone? Birds
indicative of ecological condition and avian
diversity
Pia E Lentini1, Joern Fischer1, Philip Gibbons1, Saul
Cunningham2, Jan Hanspach3, Tara Martin2
1
National University, 2CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, 3UFZ, Helmholtz
Centre for Environmental Research, Germany
The establishment of corridors has been suggested as a
means of ameliorating the effects of habitat
fragmentation, but to do so is costly and their ability to
facilitate dispersal is disputed. However, extensive
networks of linear remnants may already exist in the
landscape. In Australia, some linear elements take the
form of the travelling stock route (TSR) network, which
was established prior to broad-scale clearing to allow for
droving of livestock between pastures. We examined the
habitat value of the TSR network for woodland birds and
native bees, and whether the presence of TSRs
influences these communities in adjacent farmland. Our
study design incorporated TSRs of varying size and
condition, as well as different adjacent land use types.
Communities responded particularly to the condition of
the stock routes and the intensity of agriculture in the
adjacent paddock. Woodland birds of conservation
concern were found almost exclusively in the TSRs or in
native pastures, and although native bees were most
abundant in flowering crops, TSRs proved important for
beta diversity in a regional context. Networks of linear
remnants such as these present a cost-effective
conservation opportunity for land managers, and if
protected and restored appropriately could help sustain
biodiversity across extensively cleared agricultural
landscapes.
Juliana McCosker1, Rod Fensham1, John Rolfe2
1
Department of Environment and Resource Management,
University of Central Queensland
2
Although mobile, birds display strong nesting and
feeding associations with woodland components that
are affected by disturbance. The crested bellbird, brown
treecreeper, grey shrike-thrush, rufous whistler, striated
pardalote and weebill, all display a significant decreaser
response to a reduction in silver-leaved ironbark
woodland condition in the Desert Uplands. The
abundance these birds are indicative of the ecological
condition and avian diversity in this woodland, by
displaying measurable and reliable responses to grazing
disturbance.
Juliana McCosker has worked in conservation in central western
Queensland for 20 years, She has a Masters on the ecology and
conservation of spectacled hare-wallabies, major focus of work in
the 90s was negotiation of conservation on private land, interested
in incentive schemes to maximise conservation in the broader
landscape off reserve.
Pia Lentini is a second-year PhD student at ANU’s Fenner School of
Environment and Society. She completed her BSc(Hons) at
Monash University in 2007, and has also worked in the parks
sector.
309
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 16
Poster 17
Exploring drivers of change in stand structure from
pre-European to present day woodlands using a
stand simulation model
Extinction risk and climate change: a robust
modelling framework applied to the endangered
mountain pygmy-possum
Karen Ross1,2, Ian Lunt1, Ross Bradstock3, Michael Bedward2,
2
Murray Ellis
John Baumgartner1, Tracey Regan1, Brendan Wintle1, Linda
2
3
Broome , Dean Heinze
1
Charles Sturt University, 2NSW Department of Environment,
Climate Change and Water, 3University of Wollongong
Attempts to isolate causes of woody plant
encroachment are often hampered by synchronous
changes to multiple disturbance regimes. We use a
process-driven stand simulation model to investigate
causes of widespread encroachment by Callitris
glaucophylla in Eucalyptus-Callitris woodlands in eastern
Australia. We orthogonally manipulated two processes—
historical removal of canopy trees and subsequent
thinning of regrowth—to identify drivers of structural
change over 120-years. Modelling illustrated that both
disturbances independently contributed to historical
shifts from Eucalyptus to Callitris dominance. At
European settlement, stands were not sufficiently dense
to impede regeneration, and dense Callitris (>1000
trees/ha) established under all scenarios. However, only
in the undisturbed scenario did stands remain
Eucalyptus-dominated in terms of basal area (BA).
Eucalyptus density remained low in thinned scenarios
due to direct destruction, while BA remained low in
unthinned scenarios due to competition from dense
Callitris regrowth. Thinning promoted Callitris BA to a
much greater extent than removal of competing presettlement trees, by enhancing growth of retained trees,
whereas strong competition in unthinned scenarios
retarded Callitris BA growth. Modelling results are
consistent with historical and ecological data and
enabled the complementary, long-term impacts of both
disturbances to be isolated in ways not previously
possible.
Karen Ross works on disturbance ecology in eucalypt
forests/woodlands, and here looks at how historical disturbances
have shaped woodland structures—an understanding of which
contributes to making informed current management decisions.
310
1
University of Melbourne, 2NSW Department of Environment
Climate Change and Water, 3Research Centre for Applied Alpine
Ecology, La Trobe University
In order to effectively manage biodiversity in the face of
a changing climate, it is essential that we produce robust
predictions of species extinction risk. Although a
considerable body of research has risen to this
challenge, most attempts to predict species’ response to
climate change have focused exclusively on changes in
the availability and arrangement of suitable habitat. A
clear shortcoming of this approach is that it fails to
explicitly address demographic and landscape-related
factors, such as constraints to dispersal and natural or
anthropogenic disturbances that can contribute to or
moderate risk of extinction. Recent developments in this
field have yielded an approach that facilitates integration
of correlative models of habitat suitability and dynamic,
spatially explicit meta-population models, thereby
addressing these important processes and interactions.
We demonstrate this approach to predict the fate of an
endangered alpine specialist marsupial, the mountain
pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus, under various climate
change scenarios. Our analysis highlights the likely
demographic and environmental constraints to the
persistence and distribution of B. parvus. This can lead to
the development of more effective conservation
strategies that ameliorate the negative impacts of climate
change on the species’ persistence.
John Baumgartner is a PhD student in the School of Botany at the
University of Melbourne. His research focuses on development of
quantitative tools to facilitate effective decision-making for
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 18
Poster 19
Predicting the effect of climate change on
community structure and function using grassland
invertebrates
Modelling habitat suitability under climate change:
a comparison of Australia’s tropical and temperate
elapid snakes
Matthew Binns1, Nigel Andrew1, David Warton2, Heloise Gibb3
Abigail Cabrelli1, Lesley Hughes1
1
University of New England, 2The University of New South Wales,
3
La Trobe University
Understanding the impact of climate change on
ecological communities is a critical research priority for
Australia. This knowledge is vital for the implementation
of conservation strategies that aim to minimise the
adverse effects of climate change. This project involves
assessing community structure not only in terms of
species abundances, but also through the use of
morphological traits. Forty-four grassy sites dominated by
Themeda australis across NSW and Victoria are being
sampled using sweep netting over four seasons. Modelbased statistical methods currently being developed will
be used to jointly assess the relationship of insect
abundances, environmental variables and
morphological traits. Using these models and values
from climate predictions we can estimate what might
happen to species diversity in the future. In addition to
this survey, a transplant experiment using Themeda
australis will be used to demonstrate the effects of what
a host plant growing outside of its normal climate might
have on insect diversity. Depending on the area,
Themeda australis may exhibit polyploidy, of which
diploids and tetraploids have been shown to have
different climatic tolerances. The transplant experiment
will attempt to determine if insects have a preference in
regards to ploidy of the host plant.
Matthew Binns is one year into a PhD project at the University of
New England.
1
Tropical ectotherms are expected to be particularly
vulnerable to climate change as they tend to have
narrower thermal tolerances, and are therefore more
sensitive to environmental perturbations, than species
from temperate regions. Another important determinant
of species vulnerability, however, is the degree of
exposure to climate change, which is projected to be
greatest at higher latitudes. In this study we investigated
how these factors may influence vulnerability to changes
in habitat suitability by comparing the projected
responses of Australia’s elapid snakes (family Elapidae)
from different biogeographic zones to climate change.
We combined museum locality records of 81 species
with both climatic and habitat data to define the current
environmental niche space of each species, and used
environmental niche models (ENMs) to project these
data onto future climate surfaces produced by four
global circulation models (GCMs). Our results show that
for the majority of species, the amount of suitable habitat
is projected to contract, and that species from temperate
regions are just as susceptible to these changes in
habitat suitability as tropical species. These findings
suggest that thermal tolerance and the degree of
exposure to climate change are equally important drivers
of species vulnerability.
Abigail Cabrelli is a second year PhD student at Macquarie
University, studying the impacts of climate change on Australia’s
reptiles.
311
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 20
Poster 21
The interactive effects of climate change and fire on
floristic composition in the Victorian alps
Thermotolerance capacities of native and
introduced coastal plants during extreme heat
events
James Camac1, Peter Vesk1, Dick Williams2, Carl-Henrik
Wahren3, Ary Hoffmann1
1
The University of Melbourne, 2The University of Melbourne,
3
CSIRO
Climate change can influence species responses directly
through physiological changes (e.g. growth), but also
indirectly by altering disturbance regimes (e.g fire). Fire is
known to shape the distribution and composition of
many plant communities, ecosystems and biomes.
Researchers and managers must now consider whether
changes in disturbance regimes act synergistically or
antagonistically with climate change. Here we examine
the interactive effects of warming and fire on the floristic
composition of key alpine species on the Bogong High
Plains, Victoria. Our key questions were do the effects of
fire and warming result in floristic change? If so, what
species/growth forms are the winners and losers? We
addressed these questions by passively warming
vegetation burnt by the 2003 bushfires using Perspex
open top chambers established in 4 sites (2 burnt; 2
unburnt) as part of the International Tundra Experiment
(ITEX). Preliminary analyses have shown that the post-fire
recovery of alpine vegetation is strong. The response to
warming was idiosyncratic, both with respect to species
and site. There was no evidence of significant declines
species richness or cover in response to warming and
fire. Alpine vegetation appears to be resilient, in the short
term, to the effect of warming and fire.
James Camac is a PhD student at the University of Melbourne
studying the interactive effects of fire and climate change on
Australian alpine shrub/grass dynamics. He is particularly interested
in determining whether alpine shrubs are likely to increase in a
warmer, potentially, more flammable landscape, and if so,
determine what the primary drivers are for such expansions. James
is also a member of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX)
established on the Bogong High Plains in 2003. This international
experiment aims to address the effects of warming on ecosystem
processes by investigating effects on a variety of areas such as soil
chemistry, insect assemblages and plant composition, phenology
and growth.
312
Kris French1, Jodie Lia1
1
University of Wollongong
Predictions suggest that in the future there will be an
increase in the frequency and severity of extreme heat
events in some regions. We compared the response of
introduced and native coastal dune plant species
following simulated extreme heat episodes to determine
if different plant characteristics such as origin,
morphology and photosynthetic pathway could
determine any variation in species thermotolerance and
predict future changes in composition of communities.
Both native and introduced species were treated with
days of extreme heat (39°C) over a period of time to
determine their response to a present summer regime,
predicted future summer regime, and a four day
heatwave. Individual species responses varied but
overall, introduced species performed better than natives
in survivability, growth and showed greater
photosynthetic efficiency under the current frequency of
heat events. However, under future summer conditions,
there was no significant difference between weeds and
native in leaf senescence, photosynthetic efficiency,
photosynthetic efficiency after a heatwave, or
transpirational cooling. Predictable patterns were
observed with C4 grasses thriving under a future
summer regime and introduced reduced leaf shrubs
showing no physical signs of stress to extreme heat. The
added stress of extreme heat may push some native
species out of their current distribution allowing invasive
species to move in.
Kris French has been involved in investigating the effects and
mechanisms of invasion in coastal systems for 20 years.
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Poster 22
Poster 23
Designing reserve networks to facilitate species’
adaptations to climate change: an urban
biodiversity case study
The vulnerability of natural values on Tasmania’s
Jenni Garden1,2, Carla Catterall1, Darryl Jones1, Jean-Marc
1
1
1
Hero , Pat Dale , Jan McDonald
1
2
Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University, Griffith Climate
Change Response Program, Griffith University
The ability for species to adapt to climate change will be
critical for their long-term persistence, as species that are
unable to adapt will risk decline/extinction. Within urban
landscapes, many species that would typically adapt to
climate change by moving their geographic range to
match shifting environmental suitability may be unable
to do so due to the prevalence of impediments to
persistence or movement, such as habitat loss and
fragmentation, as well as the built environment. Such
species are therefore at increased risk of
decline/extinction. Designing urban landscapes that
facilitate species’ adaptations to climate change is a
necessary challenge for protecting biodiversity in the
long-term.
Here we explore an approach for specifically
incorporating species’ adaptations to climate change
into conservation reserve design. The main questions
addressed are: (1) How adequate is the current reserve
network for protecting species now, and under
alternative climate change scenarios?; (2) How might
the reserve design change in order to adequately
protect species now, and under alternative climate
change scenarios?; and, (3) How might such a reserve
design change under alternative urban planning
scenarios? We present here a scoping of the problem
and preliminary results.
Jenni Garden completed her PhD in urban ecology in 2006
through The University of Queensland. She is currently a research
fellow within Griffith University’s Griffith Climate Change Response
Program and the Environmental Futures Centre, and is
investigating urban biodiversity and climate change adaptation.
Louise Gilfedder1, Clarissa Murphy1, Felicity Faulkner1, Jill
Pearson2
1
NRM South
2
Sea level rise increasingly presents a major challenge for
both coastal zone management and biodiversity
conservation planning. The vulnerability of natural values
to sea level rise along Tasmania’s coastline has been
investigated using coastal landform sensitivity (Sharples
2006) as the basis of the assessment. A small number of
native vegetation communities have much of their
extent within 500 m distance of the coast. A similar trend
was found with the flora—11 species have 100% of their
populations and range in the zone defined by 5m
elevation. The fauna most at risk was coastal shorebirds
as they are entirely dependent upon the shoreline of
Tasmania (with 12 migratory species covered by
international conventions and 50% of their habitat on
the coast). The potential impact

ESA 2010 handbook - Ecological Society of Australia

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