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There has been considerable recent debate about the relative roles of dispersal limitation and local conditions in determining the structure of biological communities. This debate is important for management, because it addresses the important issues of maintaining connectivity between reserves and the ability of local site restoration to regenerate community structure.
Research themes:
The importance of dispersal in maintaining biodiversity of aquatic plants in landscapes
(ARC Linkage funded project with Professor Ralph MacNally, Dr. Elisa Rawlings and Dr. Kay Morris)
Fragmentation of aquatic ecosystems within agricultural landscapes has disrupted the dispersal pathways of aquatic plants. Dispersal plays a critical role in maintaining species richness and genetic diversity of aquatic plants but is poorly understood. This project will:
- Establish the relative importance of dispersal by wind, water and water birds.
- Determining how each of these pathways contributes to plant communities across the landscape.
- Identify optimal environmental flows for plant dispersal and establishment.
This information will result in the development of appropriate landscape-scale management and environmental water allocations to preserve plant diversity in Australia's aquatic habitats.
Projects:
- Hons Charlotte Hurry (with Liz James, RBG) ‘ Salinity tolerances in wetland plants ’
- Hons Jenny Hellyer (with Rawlings/Morris) ‘ Dispersal of wetland plants ’
The role of dispersal in determining community dynamics of aquatic ecosystems
Local patterns of diversity are influenced both by local conditions and the nature of the species which are able to reach a site. In aquatic insects in particular, the arrival of dispersing adults can have pervaisve effects on the ways in which communities develop and function.
Projects:
- PHD Elise King (with Sam Lake and Paul Reich) 'Effects of dispersal and predation on community dynamics in intermittent streams'
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