Zoology & Ecology
Saul Chemonges
- Adjunct Associate Professor
- saul.chemonges@jcu.edu.au
Daniel Montesinos Torres
- Senior Research Fellow
- daniel.montesinos@jcu.edu.au
Claire Gely
- Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology
- claire.gely@jcu.edu.au
Ben Hirsch
- Adjunct Senior Lecturer
- ben.hirsch@jcu.edu.au
Stephen Williams
- Adjunct Professor
- stephen.williams@jcu.edu.au
Myles Menz
- Senior Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology
- myles.menz@jcu.edu.au
Martijn van de Pol
- Associate Professor, Mathematical Modelling
- martijn.vandepol@jcu.edu.au
Slade Allen-Ankins
- Research Fellow
- slade.allenankins@jcu.edu.au
Noel Preece
- Adjunct Associate Professor
- noel.preece@jcu.edu.au
Conrad Hoskin
- Professor
- conrad.hoskin@jcu.edu.au
Asian House Gecko Research (Old ID 22520)
Research o the calling behaviour and movements of Asian House Geckos. This project will use experiments and field data to assess the determinants of calling behaviour in the Asian House Geckos. The results will be used to refine methods for detecting this invasive species. The research will also include a mark-recapture field study to understand the scalel of movements of Asian House Geckos in urban and bushland areas.
Can parental care behaviour and breeding microhabitat protect Critically Endangered nursery frogs from rising temperatures on Wet Tropics mountaintops? (Old ID 27875)
Nursery frogs are terrestrial breeders with ‘direct development’ and the male stays with the eggs until hatching. While climate change is their biggest threat and their breeding biology of is very poorly known. I will study parental care across Nursery frog species, under varied environmental conditions in the field (low elevation, upland areas, heatwaves, drought) to uncover the details of nest choice and parental care. I will use non-invasive cameras and data loggers in natural nesting sites to determine how variation in parental behaviour impacts larval survival and differs between species and microhabitats under different climatic conditions.
Using novel eDNA technology to identify pollinators in tropical cocoa (Old ID 22911)
I am developing a career focused on identifying roles insects have in ecosystems, and methods to improve the services provided by insects to improve food production. To this end, I have paired in the proposed research two aims with different risk reward ratios focussed on insect pollination generally and pollination of cacao specifically. The first aim, to use molecular techniques to identify pollinators in Australian cocoa, includes very little risk and will serve to improve global relevance of my research and provide a basis for increased funding of cocoa research in Far North Queensland. This is because we have demonstrated tremendous potential to increase yields by providing pollinator habitat, but without identification of the pollinator species it is difficult to apply our research to other growing regions around the world. Demonstrating applicability of research conducted in Australian cocoa for other growing regions will allow me to apply for international aid grants and funding from international companies for research that uses JCU Cairns facilities for mechanistic studies paired with international fieldwork. I have already developed a relationship with Mars Chocolate, which benefit from this demonstration, and will expand my funding through ACIAR and ARC Linkage grants. The second aim of the study, to develop eDNA methods has a higher risk associated with it than Aim 1, given that we may not be able to identify pollinator presence from traces left behind on flowers. However, if we are successful, it will completely change the way pollination biology is researched, putting myself at the forefront of this new technology. One of the key questions remaining in ecology is what species provide pollination of crops and wild plants, and where in the landscape those services are provided. This technique will allow anyone, anywhere to identify which pollinators have visited which flowers in any type of flowering plant. Pioneering this broadly applicable methodology will put me in an ideal and unique position for funding and collaboration opportunities.
Examining the role of social behaviour in climate resilience: Red-winged Fairywrens Field Study
Cooperative breeding, characterized by individuals other than the genetic parents assisting in the rearing of offspring, is seen as a resilient strategy for species dealing with environmental variability, including that induced by climate change. Helpers can increase the reproductive success by providing extra food to the young, or the extra help provided may reduce the workload, thereby enhancing future survival or reproduction. I will use a long-term dataset of the red-winged fairy-wren to understand the association between climate and helping behaviour, and determine whether social behaviours are able to buffer against adverse impacts of climatic conditions
Emerging technologies as a tool to monitor for invasive pathogens
We will evaluate the emerging technologies of environmental DNA (eDNA; air and water) sampling and next generation sequencing for use as rapid, cost-effective and scalable approaches of monitoring for the introduction and circulation of invasive pathogens. These approaches could be adapted to a wide range of high-risk interfaces.
Weed ID workshops for rangers and land managers
Development and delivery of pilot worshops on weed identification to rangers, NRM workers, land managers and other relevant audiences. This grant will help to develop and pilot test the workshops that are intended to continue to be delivered beyond the lifetime of the grant.
Utilising drone-based thermal imagery to accurately estimate abundance of the endangered spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) and model population trajectories
This project aims to address knowledge gaps in our understanding of the abundance and population trajectory of the spectacled flying fox, a keystone species in tropical rainforest ecosystems that is currently listed as Endangered. The research will focus on applying novel remote sensing technologies such as drone-based thermal imagery to estimate the current population size of spectacled flying foxes, and develop a standardised monitoring protocol specifically for use by Indigenous rangers. Additionally, the project will seek to test and adapt theoretical models for predicting species population trajectories using spectacled flying foxes as a case study. This work aligns with national conservation priorities and is crucial to understand whether conservation management actions are having the intended impact of mitigating spectacled flying fox population declines. Moreover, the project supports broader efforts to conserve tropical fauna globally by developing widely applicable field- and desktop-based methods for assessing population declines.
Cane toad call recognition for DPI NSW Invasive Species Biosecurity
DPI NSW has asked us to process some audio data for them, to search for cane toad calls to allow them to mobilise control in response to the discovery of toads in the audio data.
Weed impacts on ten of the most threatened plant species of the Australian wet tropics
One commonly stated threat to plant species conservation is displacement by invasive plants. However, very little quantitative information is available about the actual presence, abundance, and impact of invasives on individual threatened plant species. We have selected ten of the most threatened plant species of the wet tropics for which there are anecdotal reports of threats by invasives, as reported by the Species Profile and Threats Database. This project will remove or minimise immediate weed threats for ten of the most threatened species in the wet tropics, it will also establish a baseline for measuring impacts of invasive plants on plant conservation, for which there is currently a dearth of quantitative information, and it will develop a weed risk assessment tool to prioritize management interventions for weed threats.
Genetic sequencing analysis of Nangur spiny skink tissue samples to inform the captive breeding program
This project will be undertaken as laboratory analysis of genetic sequencing data of 41 captive N. spinosa tissue samples that will inform pairing for the captive breeding program at the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre captive breeding facility.
Complex growth rate evolution in a latitudinally widespread species
- 2004
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Shade acclimation of rainforest leaves to colonization by lichens
- 2002
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Betsy Jackes
Master of them all: performance specialization does not result in trade-offs in tropical lizards
- 2007
- Evolutionary Ecology
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Does total reproductive effort evolve independently of offspring size?
- 2001
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Nomadic movement in tropical toads
- 2002
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024
End Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2011
End Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2023
End Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2022
Start Date:
01 Jan 2020
End Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024