Zoology & Ecology

Saul Chemonges

Saul Chemonges

Daniel Montesinos Torres

Daniel Montesinos Torres

Claire Gely

Claire Gely

Ben Hirsch

Ben Hirsch

Stephen Williams

Stephen Williams

Myles Menz

Myles Menz

Martijn van de Pol

Martijn van de Pol

Slade Allen-Ankins

Slade Allen-Ankins

Noel Preece

Noel Preece

Conrad Hoskin

Conrad Hoskin

Investigating combined stressors in bees: insecticides and thermal stress (Old ID 27283)
Peter Yeeles
30 Jun 2021 - 31 Jan 2022
Insecticide use poses a risk to non-target insects including bees. The effects of these compounds is all the more worrying given that honey bees prefer nectar containing traces of the naturally derived insecticide class – the neonicotinoids. This project will expand upon previous bodies of work to investigate the preference of stingless bee species Tetragonula hockingsi when provided with the choice between an insecticide laced food source and a sucrose solution. This project will also explore the combined effects of insecticide exposure and increasing temperature on bees.
Ant-plant-herbivore interactions across global tropical ecosystems (Old ID 30049)
Daniel Montesinos Torres
03 Jul 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
My project aims to investigate the plant-insect interactions in a highly invasive tropical weed to assess the interactions that unfold during the spread of alien invasive species. Sicklepod (Fabaceae; Senna obtusifolia) is native to the neotropics but has become invasive in many tropical ecosystems including Australia’s tropics. My project aims to investigate to what extent the ant-plant interaction increases plant fitness for the invasive sicklepod, and whether sicklepod benefits from enemy release in Australia. I anticipate that the results from this study will form one chapter of my PhD thesis, a manuscript for publication and presentations at an international conference.
Investigating differences in the behavioural syndromes of Melomys cerninipes from different habitat types (Old ID 22195)
Tasmin Rymer
01 Jul 2015 - 30 Jun 2016
Behavioural syndromes or personalities are a series of correlated behaviours that are consistently displayed within an environment by an individual. I aim to study whether the fawn-footed melomys, Melomys cervinipes, in the Wet Tropics has distinct behavioural syndromes and whether these behavioural syndromes are associated with habitat disturbance. I hypothesise that individual M. cervinipes will show distinct behavioural syndromes depending on their habitat. This study will provide a greater understanding of the relationship between behavioural syndromes and habitat disturbance in a poorly studied Australian rodent. This knowledge will provide an insight into how individual and population fitness could be affected in degraded environments and how animals may cope with environmental change.
Investigating the effects of insecticide exposure, pathogens, and heat stress on bee diversity, abundance, and health (Old ID 28974)
Peter Yeeles
01 Apr 2023 - 30 Apr 2026
Bees are threatened by multiple stressors including insecticide exposure, disease, loss of habitat, and climate change. Studies investigating stressors facing Australian bees are becoming more common, but many knowledge gaps still exist and while some studies document the effects of stressors in isolation, they stop short of investigating the effects of stressors in combination. My project will investigate how the stressors of insecticide exposure, pathogens and heat stress affect native bee diversity, abundance, and health, as well as investigate whether bee hotels cause increased pathogen and parasitism prevalence, and predation rates in native bees.
Understanding fine-scale distribution and climate resilience in microhylid frogs - the Wet Tropics' most threatened vertebrates (Old ID 27600)
Conrad Hoskin
01 Apr 2022 - 31 Aug 2025
This grant will help fund field trip and equipment costs (e.g., acoustic monitoring devices) for my PhD project. My research aims to resolve current elevational ranges of threatened Cophixalus frog species in the Wet Tropics and determine what factors drive distributions and breeding activity, ultimately contributing to future management actions.
Ecoregional planting guide: Powerful Pollinators (Townsville region) (Old ID 28934)
Daniel Montesinos Torres
15 Nov 2022 - 31 Dec 2023
I will develop an ecoregional planting guide for pollinators covering the Townsville bioregions. The guide will include a list of common native plants including forbs, shrubs and trees, that are available for purchase from local nurseries and that provide resources (nectar and/or pollen) for local pollinators. A list of local nurseries will also be provided. The Wheen Bee Foundation will use this, along with photos supplied by myself to develop a planting guide for the Townsville area.
Using pheremones to understand Australia's hyper-diverse lizard fauna (Old ID 26232)
Conrad Hoskin
17 Oct 2018 - 30 Jun 2020
I am to test if contempoary gene flow (reproductive isolation) corelates with the degree of pheremone divergence among eight genetic lineages of Heteronotia geckos in north-eastern Australia. In doing so, I aim to assess the utility of integrating pheremone data into taxonomic revisions of cryptic lizard groups.
Using pheremones to understand Australia's hyper-diverse lizard fauna (Old ID 26232)
Megan Higgie
17 Oct 2018 - 30 Jun 2020
I am to test if contempoary gene flow (reproductive isolation) corelates with the degree of pheremone divergence among eight genetic lineages of Heteronotia geckos in north-eastern Australia. In doing so, I aim to assess the utility of integrating pheremone data into taxonomic revisions of cryptic lizard groups.
Species interactions and plasticity in female mate assessment (Old ID 25016)
Megan Higgie
08 May 2018 - 07 May 2019
This project will investigate the effect of species interactions on female mate preference through presence/absence of a heterospecific. The questions I am interested in is "do females plastically change their mate preferences when heterospecifics are present?" To do this, I will be conducting two-choice mate trials in allopatric-c context situations (2 conspecifics only) and in sympatric-context situations (2 conspecific males plus 1 heterospecific). No previous mate preference study has put a heterospecific into the mating arena with the conspecifics. This project is the first to look at mate preference in the presence of a heterospecific.
Ecoregional planting guide: Powerful Pollinators (Atherton Tablelands region) (Old ID 31093)
Daniel Montesinos Torres
31 Jul 2023 - 31 Dec 2023
It will develop an ecoregional planting guide for pollinators covering the Atherton Tablelands bioregions. The guide will include a list of common and native plants including forbs, shrubs and trees, that are available for purchase from local nurseries and that provide resources (nectarand/or pollen) for local pollinators. A list of local nurseries will also be provided. The Wheen Bee Foundation will use this, along with photos supplied by myself to develop a planting guide for the Atherton Tablelands.
Title: Visiting Researcher, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
Reseracher: Myles Menz (Senior Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: Assistant Professor, University of Western Australia
Reseracher: Lori Lach (Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2009
End Date: 01 Jan 2013
Title: Invertebrates Australia Scientific Advisory Committee
Reseracher: Myles Menz (Senior Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: International Bio-Logging Society Committee Supporting Member
Reseracher: Myles Menz (Senior Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: Award for Excellence-Cross Unit Collaboration
Reseracher: Heather Robson (Senior Lecturer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
Title: Lecturer, James Cook University
Reseracher: Tasmin Rymer (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2014
End Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: Senior Lecturer, James Cook University
Reseracher: Tasmin Rymer (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: Australian Mammal Society
Reseracher: Tasmin Rymer (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2016
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: Royal Society of Queensland
Reseracher: Tasmin Rymer (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2025
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Reseracher: Tasmin Rymer (Associate Professor)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2018
End Date: 01 Jan 2025