Susan Laurance
- susan.laurance@jcu.edu.au
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2831-2933
- Professor, Personal Chair
Projects
12
Publications
145
Awards
6
Contact Details
- 42321237
- 0474312854
- susan.laurance@jcu.edu.au
Biography
I study how human activities impact tropical rainforest plant and wildlife communities. I am especially interested in how vulnerable wildlife and plant species are affected by major land-use and climate change. My work spans much of the tropical world, including the Amazon and tropical Australia.
I have maintained a long-term involvement at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in Brazil, which is the largest, longest-running experimental study into how human land-use impacts rainforest communities. This dataset has also contributed significantly to our current understanding of forest dynamics, floristic diversity and carbon stock and pulses in tropical rainforests.
In Australia, I have developed an extensive research program that continues my work in global change and tropical forests at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO), where we have initiated an ambitious experiment to induce an artificial drought in order to study its effects on rainforest biodiversity. My other research programs include understanding the biotic and abiotic drivers of secondary forest composition and carbon sequestration, and how fragmentation and human land-use influences disease vectors. I am a named investigator on >$9 million in research grants and lead investigator on >$3 million. I have authored/coauthored more than 170 peer-reviewed research articles.
You can see the Daintree Drought Experiment on JCU’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5386WYkyWw; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFDZ_LNn00. See researchers from my lab Dr David Tng and Dr Deborah Apgaua: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCa9WfSQXGk
Research
Research Interests
Ecology Conservation Biology Restoration Ecology Climate Change Rainforest Ecology
Research Seminar on the Daintree Drought Experiment Can be seen here https://mediasite.jcu.edu.au/Mediasite/Play/67d312078b274f768eaff24df7e02e861d
TEDX talk can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFDZ_LNn00
A short youtube video can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5386WYkyWw
Projects
Research Data
Teaching
Research Advisor Accreditation
Advisor Type
Primary