Dr Richard Reina
Vertebrate Physiological Ecology
Telephone: 9905 5600
Email: richard.reina@sci.monash.edu.au
Potential projects:
Reproduction and foraging of penguins
Little penguins,
Eudyptula minor, live and breed at
Phillip Island southeast of Melbourne in a large colony. As part of
an ongoing program of the Phillip Island Nature Park (PINP) studying
the population dynamics and biology of these penguins, a project
opportunity exists to study the reproductive biology and foraging of
the penguins in the colony. Studies of parenting and foraging
success are possible to understand the relationships between
allocation of time and resources to food acquisition and
reproduction. Other topics may be negotiated depending on student
interests. The project is available for a mid-year start only and
will require several days per week to be spent at Phillip Island
between September and February. This project is co-supervised by Dr
André Chiaradia of PINP.
Effects of environmental salinity on native frogs
Past and present land management practices have led to rising
environmental salinity in many parts of Australia, with disastrous
consequences for native flora and fauna. Severe habitat degradation
results when normally freshwater habitats become affected by
increased salinity, especially in the wetlands of South-eastern
Australia. However, information relating to the effects of this
increased salinity on native wetlands animals is extremely limited.
In particular, the sensitivity of Australian frog species to
increasing environmental salinity is almost entirely unknown. A
project is available to determine the effects of increased water
salinity on the reproduction and development of native frog species
in the Gippsland wetlands faunal community. This project is
designed to determine the sensitivity of frogs to increased salinity
under several conditions that simulate different processes of
salinisation that occur in the Gippsland. We will thereby determine
the sensitivity of the species directly and also obtain information
useful for application to the management for the long-term survival
of these species, other frog species and wetlands fauna in general
that may be similarly affected by increased salinity in this
important habitat. This project is available for a mid-year start
only.
Past honours students
Where are they now?
