A5075219583- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Forest ecology and management
- Tree-ring climate responses
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology
- Seedling growth and survival studies
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies
- Forest Management and Policy
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Lichen and fungal ecology
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Aeolian processes and effects
- Plant responses to elevated CO2
- Tree Root and Stability Studies
- Plant and animal studies
Murdoch University
2016-2025
Harry Butler Institute
2023
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
2018-2019
Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority
2003-2018
The King's College
2018
In-Q-Tel
2011
The University of Western Australia
2003-2009
Siemens (Germany)
1988-1989
Kraftanlagen (Germany)
1984-1987
Simultaneous environmental changes challenge biodiversity persistence and human wellbeing. The science practice of restoration ecology, in collaboration with other disciplines, can contribute to overcoming these challenges. This endeavor requires a solid conceptual foundation based empirical research which confronts, tests influences theoretical developments. We review developments ecology over the last 30 years. frame our context changing goals reflect increased societal awareness scale...
Summary Accumulating evidence highlights increased mortality risks for trees during severe drought, particularly under warmer temperatures and increasing vapour pressure deficit ( VPD ). Resulting forest die‐off events have consequences ecosystem services, biophysical biogeochemical land–atmosphere processes. Despite advances in monitoring, modelling experimental studies of the causes tree death from individual to global scale, a general mechanistic understanding realistic predictions...
Abstract Globally, collapse of ecosystems—potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function—imperils biodiversity, human health well‐being. We examine the current state recent trajectories 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° latitude across 7.7 M km 2 , from Australia's coral reefs terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures global climate regional impacts, occurring as chronic ‘presses’ and/or acute ‘pulses’, drive collapse. Ecosystem responses 5–17 pressures were categorised...
Abstract The effects of anthropogenic climate change on biodiversity are well known for some high‐profile Australian marine systems, including coral bleaching and kelp forest devastation. Less well‐published the impacts being observed in terrestrial ecosystems, although ecological models have predicted substantial changes likely. Detecting attributing to factors is difficult due importance extreme conditions, noisy nature short‐term data collected with limited resources, complexities...
Heat waves have profoundly impacted biota globally over the past decade, especially where their ecological impacts are rapid, diverse, and broad-scale. Although usually considered in isolation for either terrestrial or marine ecosystems, heat can straddle ecosystems of both types at subcontinental scales, potentially impacting larger areas taxonomic breadth than previously envisioned. Using climatic multi-species demographic data collected Western Australia, we show that a massive wave event...
Climate change is testing the resilience of forests worldwide pushing physiological tolerance to climatic extremes. Plant functional traits have been shown be adapted climate and evolved patterns trait correlations (similar distribution) coordinations (mechanistic trade-off). We predicted that would differentiate between populations associated with gradients, suggestive adaptive variation, correlated adapt future scenarios in similar ways.We measured genetically determined variation...
Globally, combinations of drought and warming are driving widespread tree mortality crown dieback. Yet thresholds triggering either or dieback remain uncertain, particularly with respect to two issues: (i) the degree which heat waves, as an acute stress, can trigger mortality, (ii) chronic historical have legacy effects on these processes. Using forest study sites in southwestern Australia that experienced associated a short-term heatwave (heatwave-compounded drought) 2011 span gradient...
Mediterranean forest ecosystems will be increasingly affected by hotter drought and more frequent severe wildfire events in the future. However, little is known about longer-term responses of these forests to multiple disturbances forests' capacity maintain ecosystem function. This particularly so for below-ground organisms, which have received less attention than those above-ground, despite their essential contributions We investigated rhizosphere microbial communities a resprouting...
ABSTRACT Alongside gradual changes in climate, extreme events such as droughts and heatwaves have increased frequency globally. Together, chronic change been linked to forest die‐off, well larger, more severe wildfires. Increased disturbance inevitably increases the likelihood of compounding effects, highlighting importance understanding responses recovery. This study investigated physiological characteristics dominant canopy tree species, Eucalyptus marginata , on sites affected by a...
The surge in global efforts to understand the causes and consequences of drought on forest ecosystems has tended focus specific impacts such as mortality. We propose an ecoclimatic framework that takes a broader view ecological relevance water deficits, linking elements exposure resilience cumulative range ecosystem processes. This is underpinned by two hypotheses: (i) deficit can be represented probabilistically used estimate thresholds across different vegetation types or ecosystems; (ii)...
Forest die-offs associated with drought and heat have recently occurred across the globe, raising concern that changes in fuels microclimate could link initial die-off disturbance to subsequent fire disturbance. Despite widespread concern, little empirical data exist. Following forest Northern Jarrah Forest, south-western Australia, we quantified fuel dynamics for control plots. Sixteen months post die-off, plots had significantly increased 1-h (11.8 vs 9.8 tonnes ha–1) but not larger...
Abstract Broad‐scale forest die‐off associated with drought and heat has now been reported from every forested continent, posing a global‐scale challenge to management. Climate‐driven is frequently compounded other drivers of tree mortality, such as altered land use, wildfire, invasive species, making management increasingly complex. Facing similar challenges, rangeland managers have widely adopted the approach developing conceptual models that identify key ecosystem states major types...
Abstract Questions Climate change‐type drought (the combination of and heatwave) has become a widely documented driver forest dieback yet, to date, limited measurement post‐event dynamics been reported. Can climate trigger structural and/or compositional changes in type which is usually highly resilient other disturbances? Location Mixed Eucalyptus southwestern Australia. Methods Forest areas that were severely minimally affected by measured repeatedly at 3, 6, 16, 26 49 mo for structure...
Abstract Animals that forage for food or dig burrows by biopedturbation can alter the biotic and abiotic characteristics of their habitat. The digging activities such ecosystem engineers, although small at a local scale, may be important broader scale landscape processes influencing soil litter properties, trapping organic matter seeds, subsequently altering seedling recruitment. We examined environmental (soil moisture content, hydrophobicity composition) foraging pits created southern...
Ecosystems in Mediterranean climate regions are projected to undergo considerable changes as a result of shifting climate, including from extreme drought and heat events. A severe sudden dieback event, occurring regionally significant Eucalyptus gomphocephala woodland Western Australia, coincided with conditions early 2011. Using combination remote sensing field- based approaches, we characterized the extent severity canopy following well highlighted potential predisposing site factors. An...
Addressing plant-soil relationships within restoration science may improve success and reduce costs. Here we assess the question of topsoil storage time: how does stockpile age impact plant biomass soil microbial activity, particularly root symbionts such as rhizobia arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)? Working in Western Australia sandy soils, grew a legume species <i>Acacia saligna</i> (Fabaceae) one-, two-, three-, five- ten-year-old soils under controlled glasshouse conditions. We...
The rapid expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to native habitat loss and ecosystem fragmentation degradation. Although the study urbanisation’s impact on biodiversity gaining increasing interest globally, there still a disconnect between research recommendations urbanisation strategies. Expansion Perth metropolitan area Swan Coastal Plain in south-western Australia, one world’s thirty-six hotspots, continues affect Banksia Woodlands (BWs) ecosystem, federally listed Threatened...
Extreme climatic events, including droughts and heatwaves, can trigger outbreaks of woodboring beetles by compromising host defenses creating habitat conducive for beetle development. As the frequency, intensity, duration are likely to increase in future, expected become more common. The combination drought has potential alter ecosystem structure, composition, function. Our aim was investigate a outbreak native Eucalyptus longhorned borer, Phoracantha semipunctata (P. semipunctata),...
Globally, drought and heat-induced forest disturbance is garnering increasing concern. Species from Mediterranean forests have resistance resilience mechanisms to cope with differences in these ecological strategies will profoundly influence vegetation composition response drought. Our aim was contrast the early of two co-occurring species, Eucalyptus marginata Corymbia calophylla, Northern Jarrah Forest southwestern Australia, following a sudden severe event. plots were monitored for health...