A5004142457- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Plant and animal studies
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Biological Control of Invasive Species
- Forest ecology and management
- Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Plant responses to elevated CO2
- Tree-ring climate responses
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Plant responses to water stress
- Tree Root and Stability Studies
- Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Botanical Studies and Applications
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Flood Risk Assessment and Management
- Radioactivity and Radon Measurements
- Magnetic and Electromagnetic Effects
UNSW Sydney
2013-2023
Environmental Earth Sciences
2014-2023
John Wiley & Sons (United States)
2018
Ecological Society of America
2018
Macquarie University
2003
Summary 1. Plant height is a central part of plant ecological strategy. It strongly correlated with life span, seed mass and time to maturity, major determinant species’ ability compete for light. also related critical ecosystem variables such as animal diversity carbon storage capacity. However, remarkably little known about global patterns in height. Here, we use maximum data 7084 Species × Site combinations provide the first global, cross‐species quantification latitudinal gradient 2. The...
Abstract Question Are plant traits more closely correlated with mean annual temperature, or precipitation? Location Global. Methods We quantified the strength of relationships between temperature and precipitation 21 from 447,961 species‐site combinations worldwide. used meta‐analysis to provide an overall answer our question. Results Mean was significantly strongly than precipitation. Conclusions Our study provides support for some assumptions classical vegetation theory, points many...
Summary 1. We provide a brief overview of progress in our understanding introduced plant species. 2. Three main conclusions emerge from review: (i) Many lines research, including the search for traits that make species good invaders, or ecosystems susceptible to invasion, are yielding idiosyncratic results. To move forward, we advocate more synthetic approach incorporates range different types information about and communities habitats they invading. (ii) Given growing evidence adaptive...
Some introduced populations thrive and evolve despite the presumed loss of diversity at introduction. We aimed to quantify amount genetic retained introduction in species that have shown evidence adaptation their environments. Samples were taken from native ranges Arctotheca populifolia Petrorhagia nanteuilii. Using microsatellite data, we identified source for each introduction, estimated populations, calculated populations. These values compared those a literature review native,...
Summary There is a wealth of research on the way interactions with pollinators shape flower traits. However, we have much more to learn about influences abiotic environment colour. We combine quantitative colour data for 339 species from broad spatial range covering tropical, temperate, arid, montane and coastal environments 9.25ºS 43.75ºS 11 environmental variables test hypotheses how macroecological patterns in colouration relate biotic conditions. Both community conditions are important...
Abstract Aim Alpine plant species’ distributions are thought to have been shifting higher elevations in response climate change. By moving upslope, species can occupy cooler and more suitable environments as change warms their current ranges. Despite evidence of upslope migration the northern hemisphere, there is limited for elevational shifts southern hemisphere plants. Our study aimed determine if alpine plants Australia migrated last 2 6 decades. Location Kosciuszko National Park, NSW,...
Abstract Animal color phenotypes are invariably influenced by both their biotic community and the abiotic environments. A host of hypotheses have been proposed for how variables such as solar radiation, habitat shadiness, primary productivity, temperature, rainfall, diversity might affect animal traits. However, while individual factors linked to coloration in specific contexts, little is known about which most important across broad taxonomic geographic scales. Using data collected from 570...
Abstract Aim The idea that species are generally more colourful at tropical latitudes has held great appeal among biologists since the days of exploration by early naturalists. However, advances in colour quantification and analysis only now allow an objective test this idea. We provide first quantitative latitudinal gradient on a broad scale using data from both animals plants, encompassing human‐visible ultraviolet colours. Location A ustralia. Methods collected spectral reflectance 570 or...
Abstract Aim Biotic interactions have traditionally been predicted to be stronger towards the tropics. However, all previous studies about latitudinal gradient in seed predation were either based on single species or compiled data from that used different methods ecosystems. Our goal was provide first broad‐scale quantification of at both cross‐species and within‐species levels. Location Twenty‐five sites spanning 28° latitude east coast Australia. Methods Using consistent protocols, we...
Abstract Aims Organisms on islands are thought to escape biotic pressure and lose defensive capabilities. However, broadscale, evidence-based tests of this idea rare. In study, we asked: (i) whether the proportion spinescent plant species differed between mainlands (ii) increased with increasing island area decreasing distance mainland. Methods We compiled lists for 18 island–mainland pairs around Australia. classified 1129 as or non-spinescent using published descriptions. Important...
Abstract Question How do contrasting influences of inundation and historical land uses affect restoration soil propagule bank composition in floodplain wetlands? Location Northern Nature Reserve (large ephemeral floodplain), Macquarie Marshes, New South Wales, Australia. Methods We conducted germination assays on samples collected from fields with different land‐use histories, stratified along an gradient. used GLM to determine whether native exotic species richness abundance varied...
Abstract Questions Understanding how trees affect their understorey plants and soils is crucial to understand savanna ecosystems. Most studies focus on the differences between canopy open microsites, but do different positions within large tree canopies influence plants? Are these potential likely change depending environmental conditions (i.e. annual rainfall grazing)? Location One hundred sites across a gradient (220–1400 mm) in NSW, Australia. Methods We measured cover, richness community...
Australia’s distinctive biogeography means that it is sometimes considered an ecologically unique continent with biological and abiotic features are not comparable to those observed in the rest of world. This leaves some researchers unclear as whether findings from Australia apply systems elsewhere (or vice-versa ), which has consequences for development ecological theory application management principles. We analyzed 594,612 observations spanning 85 variables describing global climate,...
Abstract This study examined the assisted natural restoration of native vegetation in an Australian floodplain wetland where flows were reinstated and river was reconnected to floodplain, following cessation agricultural cultivation. Extant surveyed three times during inundation event at plots with different land‐use histories. Restoration rate more influenced by past land use than long‐term frequency success decreased antecedent intensity. Prolonged history (>3 years cultivation)...
Abstract Rapid evolution is likely to be an important mechanism allowing native species adapt changed environmental conditions. Many Northern Hemisphere have undergone substantial recent changes in phenology and morphology. However, we little information about how the Southern are responding climate change. We used herbarium specimens from 21 alpine plant Kosciuszko National Park, Australia, make over 1,500 measurements of size, leaf thickness, mass per area, shape, size across last 126...
Abstract There is an enormous body of literature on plant invasions, including many investigations the types introduced species that are most likely to invade natural ecosystems. In this study we turn invasion biology upside down, and ask what sort native colonise novel anthropogenic habitats such as roadside lawns, infrequently tended road shoulders, railway embankments fire trails. We quantified richness cover in lawns shoulders five regions New South Wales, Australia. The vegetation these...
Large urban trees have many benefits. However, falling branches pose a serious hazard to both people and infrastructure. In several tree species, aerial roots grow down from the ground. These are capable of thickening support branches, lessening risk failure. Unfortunately, in environments most die before reaching Here, we report new method for encouraging reach ground, developed by second-year botany class at UNSW Sydney. Our tested three experimental treatments on Ficus rubiginosa Desf. ex...