Staff profile

Dr Susan H Lawler

Head of Department of Environmental Management & Ecology, Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Life Sciences
Department of Environmental Management and Ecology

Albury-Wodonga

 

Qualifications

PhD WU St Louis

Area of study

Zoology
Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Genetics
Environmental Management and Ecology
Biology

Brief profile

I have been in the Department of Environmental Management and Ecology since1993, where I contribute to undergraduate teaching and post-graduate programs in the areas of conservation, ecology and evolutionary genetics.  Much of my research has been on the evolution and ecology of freshwater crayfish, often in conjunction with staff at the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre which is located on our campus in Albury-Wodonga.

I have received a number of awards for excellence in teaching, including the Faculty Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2007), a La Trobe University Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2008) and an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2008).

Research interests

Conservation biology

- conservation, ecology and evolutionary genetics of native fauna, especially freshwater crayfish

Teaching units

BIO1GEN - Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution

WEM2EGE - Ecological Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology

VCE Genetics (a 6 hour practical covering Unit 4 VCE Biology for secondary students)

Postgraduate workshop (discussions every month with the PhD students in our Department)

Recent publications

Hazlett, B. A., Lawler, S. and Edney, G. (2007) Agonistic behavior of the crayfish Euastacus armatus and Cherax destructor. Journal of Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology 40 (4): 257 - 266.

Shull, H.C., Perez-Losada, M., Blair, D., Sewell, K., Sinclair, E.A., Lawler, S., Ponniah, M. and Crandall, K. A. (2005) Phylogeny and biogeography of the freshwater crayfish Euastacus (Decapoda: Parastacidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37: 249 – 263.

Edney, GN, McNeil, DG and Lawler, SH (2002). The Swamp Yabby (Cherax sp) of the Murray River Catchment. The Victorian Naturalist, Murray River Special Issue. Vol. 119 (4), 200-204.

Lawler, S. (2000) Australian freshwater crayfish: yabbies or crays? Trees and Natural Resources 42 (2): 12-13.

Whiting, A. S., Lawler, S. H., Horwitz, P. and K. Crandall (2000). Biogeographic regionalization of Australia: assigning conservation priorities based on endemic freshwater crayfish phylogenetics. Animal Conservation 3: 155-163.

Crandall, K.A., J. W. Fetzner, S. H. Lawler, M. Kinnersley and C. Austin (1999). Phylogenetic relationships among the Australian and New Zealand genera of freshwater crayfish (Decapoda: Parastacidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 47 (2): 199-214.

Lawler, S. H. and K. A. Crandall (1998). The relationship of the Australian freshwater crayfish genera Euastacus and Astacopsis. Proc. Linn. Soc. NSW 119: 1-8.

Lawler, S., S. Brown, G. Edney, S. Howlett and P. Love (1998). Buffalo Sallee at the Back Wall: an alpine species adapted to fire and drought. Vic. Nat. 115: 204-208.

Lawler, S., J. Burston, B. Cockayne, N. Smedley and P. Massingham (1997). Environmental determinants of the distribution of the Buffalo Sallee Eucalyptus mitchelliana. Vic. Nat. 114: 278-281.

Versteegen, M. and S. Lawler (1997). Population genetics of the Murray River Crayfish Euastacus armatus. Freshwater Crayfish 11: 146 - 157.

Oldroyd, B.P., E. G. Thexton, S.H. Lawler, and R. H. Crozier (1997). Population demography of Australian feral bees (Apis mellifera). Oecologia 111: 381-387.

Crandall, K. A., S. H. Lawler, and C. M. Austin (1995). A preliminary examination of the molecular phylogenetic relationships of the crayfish genera of Australia (Decapoda: Parastacidae). Freshwater Crayfish 10: 18-30.

Hoffman, A. A., C. M. Sgro and S. Lawler (1995). Ecological population genetics: the interface between genes and the environment. Annual Review of Genetics 29: 349-370..

Lawler, S. H., R. W. Sussman, and L. L. Taylor (1995). The mitochondrial DNA of the Mauritian macaques (Macaca fascicularis): an example of the founder effect. Am. J. Phys. Anthr. 96: 133-141.

Lawler, S., B. P. Oldroyd, F. Noelker, and R. H. Crozier (1995). Potential for hollow competition with feral honey bees. In: Conservation through sustainable use of wildlife, ed. by G. C. Grigg, P. T. Hale, and D. Lunney, Centre for Conservation Biology, The University of Queensland.

Oldroyd, B.P., S. H. Lawler, and R. H. Crozier (1994). Do feral honey bees (Apis mellifera) and regent parrots (Polytelis anthopeplus) compete for nest sites? Aust J. Ecol. 19: 444-450.

Templeton, A. R., H. Hollocher, S. Lawler, and J. S. Johnston (1990). The ecological genetics of abnormal abdomen in Drosophila mercatorum. pp. 17-35. In: "Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics of Drosophila.", edited by J. S. F. Barker, W. T. Starmer and R. J. McIntyre. Plenum Press, New York.

Lawler, S. H., R. W. Jones, B. P. Eliceiri, and G. L. Eliceiri (1989). Adenovirus infection retards ribosomal RNA processing. J. Cell. Phys. 138: 205-207.

Templeton, A. R., H. Hollocher, S. Lawler, and J. S. Johnston (1989). Natural selection and ribosomal DNA in Drosophila. Genome 31: 296-303.

Morra, D. S., S. H. Lawler, B. P. Eliceiri, and G. L. Eliceiri (1986). Inhibition of small nuclear RNA synthesis by ultraviolet radiation. J. Biol. Chem. 261: 3142-3146.  

Non-refereed publications:

Love, P. and Lawler, S. (2007) Re-naming the Bogong Moth. Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL) Melbourne. September issue: p. 4-5

Lawler, S. (2000). Australian freshwater cryafish: yabbies or crays. Watershed (April 2000), CRC for Freshwater Ecology, Canberra.

Lawler, S. (1999). How to get students to talk and read. Advocate (Journal of the National Tertiary Education Union) 6 (2): 5.

PhD student publications:

Mitrovski, P., Heinze, D., Broome, L., Hoffmann, A. A. and Weeks, A. R. (2007) High levels of variation despite genetic fragmentation in populations of the endangered mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus, in alpine Australia. Molecular Ecology 16: 75-87.

McNeil, D.G. and Closs, G.P. (2006) Behavioural responses of a south-east Australian floodplain fish community to gradual hypoxia. Freshwater Biology 52: 412- 420.

Mitrovski, P., Heinze, D.A., Guthridge, K. and Weeks, A. R. (2005) Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from the Australian endemic mountain pygmy-possum, Burramys parvus Broom. Molecular Ecology 5: 395 – 397

Heinze, D., Broome, L. and Mansergh, I. (2004) A review of the ecology and conservation of the mountain pygmy-possum Burramys parvus. In The Biology of Australian possums and gliding possums, ed. By Goldingay, R. and Jackson, S. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton.

 

Older publications

G.P. Closs, S. R. Balcombe, and M. J. Shirley (1999). Generalist predators, interaction strength and food-web stability. Advances in Ecological Research 28: 93-126.

Heinze, D. and L. Williams (1998). The discovery of Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus at Mount Buller, Victoria. The Victorian Naturalist 115 (4): 132-134.

Heinze, D., G. O’Neill, E. Briggs, and T. Cardwell (1998). Buffalo Sallow Wattle Acacia phlebophylla of Mount Buffalo. The Victorian Naturalist 115 (5): 205-209.