Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Life Sciences

Department of Environmental Management & Ecology

Research

This Department has academic and adjunct/honorary staff members actively involved in research and offers Honours, Masters and PhD programs. The research areas include aquatic research, functional morphology, taxonomy & phylogeny, population ecology, community ecology, alpine ecology, and environmental modelling. The Department is a member of the Australian CRC eWater and collaborates with Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre and the Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology.

Dr Darren Baldwin, Adjunct Associate Professor

Dr Baldwin's main area of interest is how human and natural perturbation affect the way nutrients and energy moves through aquatic ecosystems, particularly wetlands, floodplains and reservoirs. He has expertise in biogeochemistry, aquatic and floodplain ecology, biodiversity and ecosystems processes, water quality monitoring and evaluation and environmental philosophy and ethics.

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Dr Roger Croome, Reader/Associate Professor

Phytoplankton taxonomy and ecology; water quality of lakes and rivers; lake and river management.

Dr Susan Lawler, Senior Lecturer

Dr Catherine Meathrel, Senior Lecturer

Population ecology of terrestrial fauna, including insects and all vertebrate classes, especially birds; restoration of native flora; feral pest control (cats, foxes, rabbits); seabird physiology, including shearwaters, albatrosses and penguins; endangered species recovery programs.

Dr Daryl Nielsen, Adjunct Associate Professor

Dr Dennis Black, Lecturer

Mr Martin Fussell, Lecturer

Dr Warren Paul, Lecturer

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Dr Peter Pridmore, Lecturer

Dr Gavin Rees, Adjunct Associate Professor

Dr Ewen Silvester, Associate Professor

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Dr Rick Stoffels, Adjunct Associate Professor

Flow-demography relationships in freshwater fishes. Bioenergetics of freshwater fishes. Population biology of freshwater fishes. Quantitative/mathematical conservation planning for freshwater fish populations. Population biology of vertebrate immunity and disease. Population modelling, both theoretical and applied.

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Dr Phillip Suter, Head of Department

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Dr Martin Thoms, Adjunct Professor

My main area of research is the interdisciplinary study of riverine landscapes. I enjoy working at the interface between fluvial geomorphology, landscape ecology and freshwater ecology and I have been active in this area for over 15 years. The setting for most of my research has been on the large floodplain rivers of the Murray Darling Basin and those of the Lake Eyre Basin in central Australia. I value research collaboration with my scientific colleagues as well as those in water management agencies.

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Examples of past and present student projects:
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management & Ecology (Honours)

· The effects of fire on wetland plant seeds and zooplankton eggs in Barren Box Swamp, NSW.

· A review of the status of an unusual population of freshwater crayfish of the genus Euastacus found in the East Buffalo River, Victoria.

· Phylogenetic Analysis of the Australian Members of the Mayfly Family Caenidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera).

· Effect of drying on sediment microbial community structure of an Australian water storage during a drought.

· Spatial and temporal variation in the macroinvertebrate community of the Lower Murray darling Basin, Australia, between 1980 and 2000.

· The effects of domestic stock grazing on the reptile fauna in chenopod shrublands of Ned’s Corner Station, North_west Victoria.

· The mallee woodland – chenopod shrubland ecotone and reptile biodiversity at Calperum Station, South Australia.

· Diel periodicity in the macroinvertebrate communities of the Rose River, Victoria.

· The relationship between vegetation, water regimes and wetland type in wetlands of the Murray River floodplain.

· Factors influencing the frequency and intensity of wild dog attacks on livestock within Eastern Victoria.

· Microbial abundance, extracellular enzyme activity and community structure in the surface microlayer and water column of Normans Lagoon.

· Factors affecting recruitment into the breeding population of Short-tailed Sherwaters Puffinus tenuirostris on Great Dog Island, Furneaux Group, Tasmania.

· Association of Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities with alpine peatland pool vegeatation of Watchbed Ck, Bogong High Plains, Victoria.

· The effects of fire on skinks in Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park, Victroia.

· A study of the behaviours and time budgets of Pacific Gulls Larus p. pacificus breeding in the southern Furneaux Group, Tasmania.

· The sytematics of the Australian mayfly genus Coloburiscoides (Ephemeroptera: Coloburiscidae).

· Assessments of biological monitoring programs and their capacity to determine the impact of effluent discharge streams within North East Victoria.

· Seed bank viability within floodplain wetlands Lake Hume to Barmah.

· Response of sequestrate fungi and mycophagous mammals to disturbance by fire.

· Seed production and germination in relation to the commercial production cycle of three grass species native to South-Eastern Australia.

· The role of nest site selection on the reproductive success of eastern Pacific Gulls Larus pacificus pacificus breeding in the Furneaux Group, Tasmania.

· The diet of eastern Pacific Gull Larus pacificus pacificus in the southern Furneaux Group, Tasmania.

· The impact of fire on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of alpine Sphagnum peatlands on the Bogong High Plains, Victoria.

· Diet and foraging onteractions between the native crimsonspotted rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) and the introduced mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) in the Broken River of northeast Victoria.

· The effect of variable salinity on the development of egss and larvae of anuran species in the Upper Murray river and its catchment.

· The effects of varying temperature and feeding levels on somatic and obolith growth in Murray Cod, Maccullochella peelii peelii (Mitchell) larvae.

· Behavioural and morphological studies of feeding in native freshwater fishes.

· Macroinvertebrate fauna of the Billabong Creek, NSW, an unregulated lowland river.

· Comparison of locomotor anatomy and climbing performance in tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) and feral cat (Felis catus).

· Habitat utilisation and foraging behaviour of aquatic invertebrates in an alpine stream.

· Cleaner production at the Norske Albury Paper Mill: using the hydrocyclone stock cleaning process as an example.

· The effects of cattle grazing on the diversity and abundance of terrestrial arthropods in Poa hiemata grassland on the Bogong Highplains.

· The application of cleaner production for selected Rutherglen wineries.

· The generation and movement of nutrients from drylands and irrigated dairy farms in upper north east Victoria.

· Comparative use of exotic and native riparian vegetation by adult stream insects.

· Breeding ecology of the threatened Pacific Gull Larus pacificus in the Furneaux Islands, Bass Strait, Tasmania.

· Development of an environmental overlay for the Rural City of Wangaratta's Planning Scheme.

· Fire ecology of common fringe myrtle (Calytrix tetragona) in the Warby Range.

· Aspects of the distributional ecology of the inland carpet python (Marelia spilotes metcalfei) in the Warby Ranges, north east Victoria.

· The effects of inter-basin water transfer from the Snowy River to the Swampy Plain and Murray Rivers on the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera.

· Altitudinal implications for modelling distribution of the Ephemeroptera (mayflies) along the Kiewa River in north east Victoria, Australia.

· A study of the limnology, algae and photosynthetic bacteria of Norman's Lagoon.

· Ecology of pest birds at Uncle Toby's, Wahgunyah.

· The effect of size on the fast-start performances of three species of native Australian fish.

· Studies of horizontal climbing ability in Antechinus and Sminthopsis (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae).

· Ant harvesting of wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) seed in cropping systems in south east Australia.

· Aspects of the physico-chemistry and biology of Dartmouth Reservior in north eastern Victoria.

· A retrospective assessment of gold mining in the Reedy Creek subcatchment, north east Victoria, Australia.

· The distribution and impact of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in the Warby Range, north-east Victoria.

· Habitat use of gudgeons in floodplain billabongs: the role of their interaction with perch and mosquitofish.

· Ecology of freshwater tortoises in billabongs of the River Murray.

· Effect of excluding vertebrate predators on populations of the grasshopper Acrida conica Fabricius.

· Taxonomic identification and association of various species of Cheumatopsyche (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae) using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers.

· The effect of beef feedlot manure applications on soil biology and chemistry.

· Trophic interactions between Australian smelt (Retropinna semoni) and zooplankton in a Murray River billabong.

· Habitat use and diet of river blackfish (Gadopsis marmoratus) and two spined blackfish (Gadopsis bispinosus) in Tallangatta Creek.

· Comparisons of biofilm growth on artificial substrata in static and fluctuating water levels in a weir pool in the Murray River.

· Phylogeography of mayflies of the genus Cloeon of still waters within south eastern Australia.

· Postdrought macroinvertebrate recolonisation of a temperate seasonally flowing temporary river: Rose River, Victoria.

· Habitat occupation of the Baetidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) in the Rose River, Victoria.

· Benthic diatom communities of a temporary stream: groundwater interactions and effects of nitrogen and phosphorus addition.

· Genetic analysis of the genera Nousia and Koorrnonga (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae), using cellulose acetate protein electrophoresis.

· Comparison of macroinvertebrate sampling techniques for the rapid bioassessment of lowland rivers.

· The effect of shading on biofilm biomass, macroinvertebrate density and macroinvertebrate community structure in the Murray and Darling Rivers at Wentworth.

. Effects of salinity on the development of frog eggs.

. Cotton Strip Assay's (CSA) as an indicator of microbial activity: relationships with soil chemistry and grazing intensity.

. Effects of grazing on the physico-chemistry and biota in dams associated with travelling stock reserves in southern NSW.

. Growth and drifting behaviour of Murray cod larvae.

. Studies of larval feeding in four Murray-Darling freshwater fish species.

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Examples of past and present student projects:
Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management

· Relationships between waterbird populations and various habitats of an effluent management system.

· Soil structure within the Burrumbuttock Catchment.

· Chemical removal of phosphorus at the Albury Sewage Treatment Plant.

· Land disposal of wastewater by irrigation of a tree plantation at Mount Beauty, Victoria.

· The use of composting/vermicomposting as a value adding method of organic waste conversion.

· 'Green Marketing' - Selling environmental management to Australian consumers in the 1990s.

· Impact of river management on river bank vegetation and erosion.

· Use of paper mill sludge as a fertilizer and soil conditioner.

· Study of waste management practices in cattle feedlots.

· Investigation of urban stormwater runoff and associated nutrient pollution into the River Murray.

· An assessment of the impact of effluent reuse on soils, tree foliar chemistry and groundwater at Fletcher Challenge Paper Mill, Albury, Australia.

· On-farm management of waterlogging and salinity in irrigation areas.

· Life-cycle assessment incorporating cleaner production concepts.

· Billabong Creek - A study of the area within the Culcairn Shire.

· The effects of grazing on a set of pasture plots on light granite soil in the Everton Upper-Eldorado area of Northeast Victoria.

· Implementing an Environmental Management System in a regional HealthCare facility.

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Examples of past and present student projects:
Master of Science

· Classification of Victorian streams: implications of taxonomic resolution, sample habitat & sample method.

The influence of taxonomic resolution and sample habitat on the classification and ordination of 165 stream sites in 27 catchments across Victoria was examined. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected from 2 habitats (riffle and edge) at each site. A third data set was generated by amalgamating the individual habitats. These three habitat treatments were analysed at family, genus, and species level, and a fourth taxonomic treatment was generated at species level including Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa only. All 12 data sets were analysed using presence/absence data, and each was used to classify sites across Victoria into groups that were characterised using environmental variables. The Mantel test was used to compare the 12 analyses, and showed that each of the analyses produced similar patterns. A number of possible ways to reduce time and effort in broad-scale macroinvertebrate studies were evident: 1) single habitat sampling was sufficient for biological monitoring, 2) studies that require species-level discrimination may be able to reduce costs by identifying EPT taxa only, and 3) genus-level identifications offered no substantial advantage over family-level identifications. Using edge habitat only, the effect of using spring, autumn or combined season, was also examined and single season sampling was shown to yield similar patterns compared to combined season, at all four different taxonomic treatments. Overall, species-level identification appeared to be unnecessary for broad-scale monitoring programs, with family-level identifications yielding similar patterns. Scale issues were also considered by repeating the analyses described above for 44 north eastern Victorian sites and 14 Tambo River sites to determine if similar conclusions could be drawn at different scales. At all scales, multiple habitat and season sampling conclusions could be drawn at different scales. At all scales, multiple habitat and season sampling were found to be redundant, while the influence of taxonomic resolution was found to be more scale dependent. At the regional scale family-level data failed to detect a geographical pattern in the site groups that was evident for EPT and species level taxa, although it did yield similar group characterisations in term of important environmental variables. At the single river scale family-level yielded different site groupings to all other taxonomic levels.

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· The use of wetlands for the control of diffuse source pollution in rural catchments.

Three small wetlands in north-eastern Victoria (Crooke's Wetland, Humphrey's Wetland, Reid's Wetland) were examined to determine their impact on the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and loads leaving an agricultural area. The study found that small wetlands unaffected by groundwater can have a significant impact on diffuse nitrogen and phosphorus loads flowing from rural catchments. Their efficiency diminishes as hydraulic and nutrient loads increase, but the location of wetlands within the higher areas of individual catchments can be used to optimise their performance. The discovery of substantial groundwater interaction within Reid's Wetland emphasised the need to fully characterise any wetland prior to its possible use as a site for nutrient retention.

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· Determination of the health of the Lachlan River using aquatic macroinvertebrates.

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Examples of past and present student projects:
Doctor of Philosphy

· The ecology and systematics of the Australian Eustheniidae and the implications of climate change on their conservation status.

The study is on the threatened and endangered Family of Eustheniidae (stoneflies). They are a small Family of aquatic insects (approximately 40-50mm long) that occur in the alpine areas of Australia, New Zealand and South America. The major focus will be the members of the Family that occur across the Bogong High Plains of Victoria and will involve species in all other alpine regions across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania. Species will also be collected from Chile and throughout New Zealand.

Very little is known about the biology, ecology and behaviour of these rare insects. They appear to be vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and the reduction of habitat through human activities in alpine areas. The project will aim to resolve the implications of these and other threatening processes by examining the insects' behaviour and microhabitat use of alpine streams and streamside vegetation. The project will incorporate the use of DNA technology to analyse species boundaries and to determine genetic relationships between the different species.

Ultimately, this research will contribute to the development of management plans and strategies to maintain biodiversity and ensure sustainable use of Australia's alpine regions.

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· The effects of water level fluctuations on the macro-invertebrate community structure and resource use by carp gudgeons (Hypseleotris spp.) in a Murray river floodplain billabong.

Regulation has reversed the seasonality of flows with high flows in summer and autumn and low flows for the remainder of the year.

Carp gudgeons dominated the fish fauna in littoral stands of the emergent giant rush (Juncus ingens) and were the principal predator of macro-invertebrates in these stands. Spatial and temporal patterns of carp gudgeon changed over time. Throughout the year carp gudgeons were only weakly associated with habitat structure (eg. stem density) but temporal changes in fish and macro-invertebrate numbers suggested a negative impact caused by water level fluctuation throughout the irrigation period.

Carp gudgeons fed primarily on chironomids which were the dominant macro-invertebrate group within the giant rush community. Small-scale associations between carp gudgeons and giant rush demonstrated patch specific differences in chironomid density which were positively correlated with fish numbers. Furthermore, the amount of biofilm within a patch was positively correlated with the number and biomass of chironomids within a patch. Billabong water level stability directly affects biofilm biomass and apparently the number of carp gudgeons within the macrophytes. This suggests that the current hydrological regime of the Murray River will adversely affect the viability of small native fish assemblages in floodplain habitats. This result has important implications for management of water levels in regulated, lowland rivers.

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· Ecology of avian pests, Warby Range, north-east Victoria.

Cherry and grape producers in the Warby Range, north east Victoria, view exotic House Sparrows and Starlings, as well as native Silvereyes, Australian Magpies, Pied Currawongs and Australian Ravens, as important threats to their livelihood. In spite of their concern, no landholders seem able to tell precisely which birds are present, during which season, how they move between properties or precisely how much fruit is being damaged by these birds. This PhD research aims to document which avian species occur in grape and cherry enterprises in the north east of Victoria. Population sizes will be determined for these birds and their seasonal movements studied. The diet and foraging behaviour of each species will be used to ascertain their economic impact on fruit production.

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· Trophodynamics in fish communities of the River Murray - role of zooplanktivory and small native fish interactions in structuring the biotic community in the River Murray.

Studies performed in standing waters have found that predation by fish can have a significant impact on the abundance and species composition of lower trophic levels through either direct consumption of prey species (zooplankton, small fish) or reduced predation pressure on lower trophic levels (zooplankton, algae). Such phenomena are known as trophic cascades. As a result of these influences, fish have the ability to affect both community composition and the flow of energy and nutrients through the ecosystem. Whether fish exert these influences on lowland river communities will depend on complex interactions between different species and life stages of fish, the physical environment and the dynamics of the zooplankton community.

The role fish have in structuring the biotic community in the Murray-Darling Basin can be determined by examining the processes which link two trophic levels. This project will focus on zooplanktivory. All fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin rely on zooplankton as a food source for at least part of their life. A number of these species then progress to other forms of carnivory whilst some exhibit omnivory. Many of these species will continue to feed on plankton opportunistically, and so its importance will vary between species and with resource availability.

The project is intended to quantify a trophic link involving fishes for the lowland river environment of the Basin. The project will primarily focus on zooplanktivory.
The objectives are,
1) Quantify consumption rates of zooplanktivory within the channel environment.
2) Obtain a breakdown of the relative importance of individual species or guilds of zooplanktivores.
3) Determine the extent of spatial and temporal variation in patterns of zooplankton availability and teleost feeding. This work will determine whether zooplankton become a limiting resource for which fish compete and to what extent these fishes can potentially influence other trophic levels and affect the structure of the Murray River ecosystem.

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· The ecology and management of the Mountain Pygmy-possum in Victoria, with particular reference to the population at Mt Buller.

A genetically distinct population of the alpine endemic and endangered Mountain Pygmy-possum was recently discovered at Mt Buller, an area which is primarily managed for alpine skiing. In other alpine areas in Victoria and NSW, the development of ski resorts has led to fragmentation and degradation of the naturally restricted and disjunct habitat of this species. In some localities specific management actions have been used to restore the social organisation and movement patterns of these populations. There are two main aims of this PhD research: 1) describe aspects of the ecology and social organisation of the Mountain Pygmy-possum at Mt Buller; and 2) investigate the population dynamics at Mt Buller and elsewhere in Victoria. Information obtained from this study will be used to formulate a strategy and guidelines for the conservation and management of the species.

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· Physiological constraints to ecological distributions in Ovens River billabong fish communities.

· The role of surface complexity of submerged logs and fish predation in structuring benthic invertebrate community in billabongs.

Wood blocks with three rows of grooves of varying dimensions were used to examine the effect of surface complexity on the invertebrate community structure of floodplain billabongs of the River Murray. Surface complexity affected the invertebrates with greater impact occurring in the littoral zone compared with open water. The effect of the interaction between seasons, fish density and variation of groove dimensions on wooden blocks on the invertebrates was examined during different seasons. The results revealed that season had a greater impact on invertebrates than did predation by fish or groove dimensions. Higher densities of invertebrates occurred inside the grooves compared with the exposed surfaces. Fish predation had negative impact on the species richness and certain invertebrate groups, with the narrow grooved blocks providing refuge for the species richness while the deep grooved blocks were found to have the strongest negative impact. Overall, it suggests that detecting the effects of surface complexity on natural logs is complex and not linear given the various overlapping scales of surface complexity which are present within any one small patch of natural log surface.

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· Taxonomy, microspatial and temporal variation of freshwater testate amoebae (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) on the submergent macrophyte, Vallisneria gigantea in a River Murray floodplain billabong.

The project consisted of two major components: 1) a taxonomic atlas of scanning electron micrographs and biometrical data of 26 spp. of testate amoebae from V. gigantea leaves in Ryans 1 billabong was prepared, 2) the distribution patterns and variation in community structure of testate amoebae on V. gigantea leaves was examined. Habitat partitioning of these leaves on a microspatial scale by dissimilar species communities was observed.

It was determined that primary and secondary succession occurred during testate colonization. The source of testate amoebae was principally the benthic layer and to a lesser degree the water column. Colonization was a deterministic rather than stochastic event with pioneer species sequentially displaced by different species with increasing colonization time.

The perceived microhabitat partitioning of V. gigantae leaves observed was a result of both asynchronous vertical leaf growth to provide fresh substrate for testate colonization, and testate community succession.

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· The ecology of the White-browed Babbler.

Over 75% of Box-Ironbark forests have been cleared since European settlement and the remaining areas are fragmented with a degraded structure. This study aims to investigate the relationships between the structure of Box-Ironbark forest in north east Victoria and aspects of White-browed Babbler ecology and social organisation and to provide information that will assist in the future management of the forest. The overall objectives of the study are to quantify the ways in which White-browed Babblers utilise Box-Ironbark forests for feeding, breeding and roosting and to determine relationships between forest habitat structure, group size, density and reproductive performance.

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· Taxonomic, biogeographic and genetic studies on Australian chydorids.

The Chydoridae is the largest family of the order Anomopoda (Arthropoda: Crustacea), and its members are abundant in the littoral and benthic zones of many freshwater bodies, forming an important link in the food chain between the periphyton, and larger invertebrates and fish. This study was undertaken to increase the level of taxonomic and biogeographic knowledge of the Family Chydoridae in Australia and explore the application of genetic techniques for phylogenetic analysis.

All published locality records from 1854 to the present were collated and evaluated; additional distribution records were then added, extending the range of several species. Two new species were described, and numerous taxa re-described. The biogeographical affinities of the chydorid species found in Australia are closest to those chydorids present on Australia's nearest neighbours and the continents of Gondwanan origin, with the biogeography of the fauna dependent mostly on tectonic movement and long term vicariant events. Molecular techniques utilising the mtDNA CO-1 gene were employed for phylogenetic analysis of molecular relationships between selected species.

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· Ecology of Pacific Gulls in the Furneaux group of Islands, Bass Strait, Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Department of Parks, Wildlife and Heritage see the Furneaux Group in eastern Bass Strait, Tasmania, as the last stronghold of the endemic and listed Pacific Gull. As such, they asked that this PhD address the following aims:1) document the current distribution of breeding Pacific Gulls in the Furneaux Group,2) measure various parameters of reproductive success for this species and compare success between those that breed in the colony versus those that breed as loose and solitary pairs, 3) assess foraging ranges and prey types taken by Pacific Gulls, and 4) relate reproductive success to physical and floristic characteristics of various islands (e.g. grazed versus ungrazed nature reserve) and nest sites.

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. Assessment of the ecological condition of grassy woodlands in south-eastern Australia along a disturbance gradient (livestock grazing).

This project is being undertaken on the NSW South West Slopes bioregion which has been extensively cleared of native vegetation to facilitate agricultural activities, particularly with respect to grassy woodlands. A selection of grassy woodland remnants that has historically being subjected to a range of grazing intensities is being assessed with respect to current ecological condition. The aim is to select a set of statistically robust and ecologically sound variables that accurately reflects ecosystem structure, function and composition. These will be used to develop a model that can be used to manage and monitor ecological processes within grassy woodland remnants elsewhere in the region that may be undergoing restoration or being actively managed for increased ecological sustainability.

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