News

Professor Mike Clarke discusses the Ecological Illiteracy Crisis on La Trobe University Big Fat Ideas

The Ecological Illiteracy Crisis


Other research news and seminars

La Trobe News

La Trobe #1 in Victoria in employment rankings

La Trobe leads employment rankings in Victoria

Diversity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

David Deane on measuring and maintaining ecological diversity.

Native bees and climate change

La Trobe researcher is investigating how native bees will respond to rising temperatures

Passing on a love of plant biology

Dr Alison Kellow brings a love of plant biology to her role as Lecturer in the Department of Environment and Genetics

Tiny creatures restore ecosystems

La Trobe researchers are examining the role that minibeasts play in environmental restoration

Saving the fat-tailed dunnart

Research by PhD candidate, Emily Scicluna, has identified that Australia's fat-tailed dunnart population is in serious decline

Natural Capital Accounting

In the promotion of sustainable farm practices, researchers have developed a way to account for natural resources like soil, vegetation and biodiversity

The Nullarbor deserves better protection

Rich cultural history, vast cave systems and unique animals

Rare High Country snowpatch ecosystem threatened

Lower snowfalls threatening rare High Country snowpatch ecosystem

The true damage of invasive alien species

The true damage of invasive alien species was just revealed

Researchers awarded combined $2.67m DECRA funding

La Trobe researchers awarded combined $2.67m DECRA funding

Turtle researchers win Eureka Prize

Researcher wins Eureka Prize for turtle conservation

Sex lives of orchids reads like science fiction

flowers, orchid, pollination, database, species, flowers, interantional,

Top improver in QS World University Rankings

Top improver among Australia’s top 20 universities

La Trobe's highly employable graduates

La Trobe graduates are among the most employable in the country

Seminars

The Department's seminar series for 2023 will follow on from the success of previous years.   

We have an exciting line up with speakers from Victoria, interstate and overseas.  Seminars will be fortnightly on Thursdays and begin at 11 am unless otherwise indicated. Check back soon for a program which will be updated weekly.

Semester One 2023 will be posted soon.

The Conversation

The Department of Environment and Genetics has several staff members who contribute to The Conversation, an independent news source, whose content is supplied by academics and researchers. The following staff feature on The Conversation:

News & Seminars Archive

Here you will find links to recordings of past departmental seminars which were presented via Zoom.

Semester Two -  2021

DateSpeakerTopic Recording Link
July 21st David Deane, La Trobe University A null model for species diversity in subdivided habitat Watch David's seminar
July 28th Martin Westgate, CSIRO Improving the Atlas of Living Australia for ecological researchers Watch Martin's seminar
Aug 4th
9 am start
Chris Wood, University of British Colombia

Lessons in physiology from a fish living in the most extreme aquatic environment on Earth

Watch Chris' seminar
Aug 11th Romina Rader, University of New England

Pollination ecosystem services

not available
Aug 18th Ashley Sparrow, Arthur Rylah Institute

The art of making run-down ecosystems new again

Watch Ashley's seminar
Aug 25th Sarah Whitely, University of Canberra

Epigenetic mechanisms driving temperature induced sex reversal in the dragon lizard, Pogona vitticeps

Watch Sarah's seminar
Sept 8th Tracey Regan, Arthur Rylah Institute

Decision science for complex environmental problems

Watch Tracey's seminar
Sept 15th Therese Lofroth, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Conservation of invertebrates in boreal forests

Watch Therese's seminar
Sept 22nd
4 pm start
Kate Parr, Liverpool University

Ecosystem impact of social insects

 
Sept 28th Iliana Medina, University of Melbourne

The wonder of birds’ nests: are they more important than we suspected?

 

Oct 6th
4 pm start

Howard Jacobs, Tampere University

Alternative respiratory chain enzymes: what they do and why we lost them

 
Oct 13th Bronte van Helden, Universit of Western Australia

Ecology of the western ringtail possum

 

Semester One -  2021

DateSpeakerTopic Recording link
March 3rd Meghan Castelli, University of Canberra

Temperature sex reversal and evolving thermal thresholds in the wild

Watch Meghan's seminar

March 10th

One Pagan, West Cheshire University Animals and Intoxication Watch One's seminar
March 17th Angie Haslem, Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University

Tracking the recovery of bird communities following restoration in agricultural environments: insights from a multi-scale, long-term study

Watch Angie's seminar
March 24th Alejandro Ordonez, Aarhus University Rising Novelty in Ecosystems and Climates Watch Alejandro's Seminar
March 31st Denise Fernando, Department of Environment and Genetics, La Trobe University

Black box, the iconic Murray Darling Basin eucalypt: nutrition through flooding

Watch Denise's seminar

April 14th

David Nash, University of Brighton, UK

Geochemical fingerprinting the sarsen stones at Stonehenge

Watch David's seminar
April 21st Chris Reid, The Australian Museum, NSW

The leaf beetles and why they are important

Watch Chris' seminar
April 28th Akane Uesugi, RMIT

Rapid evolution of drought resistance in invasive capeweed

Watch Akane's seminar
May 5th Andre Siebers, Centre for Freshwater Ecology, La Trobe University

Towards an improved understanding of biogeochemical processes across surface-groundwater interactions in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams

Watch Andre's seminar
May 12th Lars Brudvig, Michigan State University, USA

Restoration of longleaf pine savannas in the southeastern United States

Watch Lars' seminar
May 19th Amanda Franklin, University of Melbourne

Why are beetles so brilliant? Vision and colour of Australian beetles

Watch Amanda's seminar
May 26th Katherine Moseby, University of New South Wales

Conservation of Australian mammals

Watch Katherine's seminar

Semester Two -  2020

DateSpeakerTopic Seminar recording link
July 22nd Jen Wood
La Trobe University 

Cross talk between microbial ecology and the rest of ecology

Watch Jen Wood's seminar
July 29th Richard Fuller
University of Queensland        

The importance of urban green space for biodiversity and human health and wellbeing

Watch Richard Fuller's seminar
Aug 5th Rebecca McIntosh
Phillip Island NP 
Using drones, Citizen Science and fur seals for healthy oceans Watch Rebecca McIntosh's seminar
Aug 12th Ursula Ellenberg
Eudyptes EcoConsulting Ltd. 

Seabird conservation research between midnight sun and shadowlands

Watch Ursula Ellenberg's seminar
Aug 19th Jim Radford
La Trobe University 

Does regenerative agriculture benefit biodiversity?

Watch Jim Radford's seminar
Aug 26th Rachael Gallagher
Maquarie University 
Conservation biogeography: assessing the vulnerability of plants in a rapidly changing world Watch Rachael Gallagher's seminar
Sept 9th Rachel Nolan
University of Western Sydney 

Towards prediction and quantification of bushfire impacts in Australian forests

Watch Rachel Nolan's seminar (La Trobe accounts only)
Sept 16th Daniel Blumstein
UCLA
Conservation biology - the fearful perspective Watch Daniel Blumstein's seminar
Sept 23rd Philip Barton
Federation University
Exploring the necrobiome Watch Philip Barton's seminar
Sept 30th
4pm
Johnathan Green
University of Liverpool, UK
Constraints, challenges and consequences for seabirds: Insights from ecological energetics Watch Jonathan Green's seminar

October 7th
10 am

Ana Davidson
Colorado State University

Bological roles and conservation challenges of burrowing mammals in the world's grasslands

Watch Ana Davidson's seminar
October 14th Eleanor Slade, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Using trait-based ecology to study responses of insects along environmental gradients Watch Eleanor Slade's seminar

Semester One 2020

DateSpeakerTopic Seminar recording link
May 6th Prof. Jenny Graves, La Trobe University "Australian animals reveal how sex determination works and how it evolved" Jenny Graves Seminar
May 13th

April Reside, University of Queensland

Death by a thousand cuts: conservation challenges for the Black-throated finch, and what this means for Australia’s environmental law reform

April Reside Seminar
May 20th

Adriana Verges, University of New South Wales

Operation Crayweed and Operation Posidonia: engaging the public to restore underwater forests and meadows

Adriana Verges Seminar
May 27th

Kerry Fanson, La Trobe University

Animal physiology

Kerry Fanson Seminar
June 3rd

Ewen Silvester, La Trobe University

'Good, don’t call me good’: assessing peatland function and condition from seasonal patterns and event response.

Ewen Silvester Seminar