About
137
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Introduction
My research falls into two main categories: 1) the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem services and the contribution of services to human well-being; and 2) the implications of socio-economic and human demographic change for biodiversity conservation in urban and rural landscapes.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
February 1996 - November 1996
January 2001 - February 2003
February 1997 - January 2001
Education
January 2001 - February 2003
January 1997 - December 2000
January 1996 - November 1996
Publications
Publications (137)
Local and landscape factors interact to influence animal populations and, ultimately, crop yields in agroecosystems. Yet few studies have considered interactions and trade‐offs between these factors within a single agroecosystem.
We sampled insect communities (fruit‐damaging pests and D iptera and H ymenoptera pollinator and natural enemy taxa) ass...
Australia's northern savannas are one of the few remaining large and mostly intact natural areas on Earth. However, their biodiversity and ecosystem values could be threatened if proposed agricultural development proceeds. Through land-use change scenarios, we explored trade-offs and synergies among biodiversity conservation, carbon farming and agr...
A prevailing view in dryland systems is that mammals are constrained by the scarcity of fertile soils and primary productivity. An alternative view is that predation is a primary driver of mammal assemblages, especially in Australia, where two introduced mesopredators - the feral cat Felis catus and red fox Vulpes vulpes - have decimated the drylan...
Scavenging birds can provide ecosystem services to pastoralists by contributing to the breakdown of animal carcasses that can harbour and spread disease. However, these benefits have yet to be quantified in Australia. We monitored rabbit carcasses using motion-sensor cameras to identify beneficial avian scavengers across four landscape types (fores...
Context
Birds active in vineyards in south-eastern Australia can reduce or enhance crop yields via their foraging activities (e.g. by consuming grapes or by preying on grape-eating species).
Aims
We examined the effectiveness of artificial perches in encouraging predatory birds into vineyards to scare frugivorous birds and consequently reduce the...
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, the sustainable management of forests and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (‘REDD+’) aims to improve local livelihoods and conserve plant diversity while limiting carbon emissions. Yet trade-offs and synergies that exist between supporting...
Diverse animal communities influence ecosystem function in agroecosystems through positive and negative plant-animal interactions. Yet, past research has largely failed to examine multiple interactions that can have opposing impacts on agricultural production in a given context. We collected data on arthropod communities and yield quality and quant...
Birds active in apple orchards in south–eastern Australia can contribute positively (e.g., control crop pests) or negatively (e.g., crop damage) to crop yields. Our study is the first to identify net outcomes of these activities, using six apple orchards, varying in management intensity, in south–eastern Australia as a study system. We also conduct...
Supplementary methods and results
Examples of insect and bird damage to plasticine codling moth larvae
(A) Insect damage—pinpricks; (B); insect damage—chew; (C) bird damage—beak mark.
Activity budgets for bird species observed in the orchards (n = 1,980 observations)
Codling moth larvae
(A) and (B) Plasticine and real codling moth larvae attached to cardboard trays to be monitored by Reconyx HC500 remote motion-sensor cameras, (C) Plasticine codling moth larvae attached to apple tree branches near apple clusters, and d) real codling moth larvae attached to apple tree branches near apple clusters.
Average % of insect damaged apples per branch on open and netted branch (±95% CI), compared with insectivorous bird species richness
All orchards except Orchard 6 received more insect damage on netted (bird excluded) branches (n = 120 branches). Orchards are listed 1–6 from lowest intensity management to highest intensity. (n = 120 branches).
Earwigs eating real and plasticine codling moth larvae at night
Types of apple damage
a + b: bird damage, c + d: insect damage.
Bird species found in apple orchards over the entire season
Feeding types categorised as: O, omnivore; H, herbivore; I, insectivore; G, granivore; and C, carnivore. Introduced species are listed in bold. Asterisks denote which species were observed in particular survey periods.
Insectivorous bird species richness in each orchard at key times of the growing season
Orchards are listed 1–6 from lowest intensity management to highest intensity.
Context
Feral cats (Felis catus) are implicated in the ongoing decline of Australian mammals. New research from northern Australia suggests that predation risk from feral cats could be managed by manipulating fire regimes to increase grass cover.
Aims
We investigate the role of fire history and hummock grass cover in the occurrence of feral cats a...
Ongoing debate over the ecosystem services (ES) concept highlights a range of contrasting views and misconceptions. Schröter et al. (2014) summarise seven recurring arguments against the ES concept, which broadly relate to ethical concerns, translation across the science-policy interface, and how the concept's normative aims and optimistic assumpti...
We examined whether environmental or social factors alone, or a combination of social-ecological factors were more effective at explaining patterns in plant and bird assemblages across urban greenspaces. Thirty publicly accessible, passive recreation greenspaces provided by municipal councils (i.e. city parks) were surveyed in a highly urbanised ci...
A cornerstone of environmental policy is the debate over protecting nature for humans’ sake (instrumental values) or for nature’s (intrinsic values) (1). We propose that focusing only on instrumental or intrinsic values may fail to resonate with views on personal and collective well-being, or “what is right,” with regard to nature and the environme...
Wild fauna occur in every agroecosystem and their interactions with crops can influence yields positively
or negatively. Research on the impact of fauna activity on agricultural production focuses mostly on either the costs (e.g. crop damage) or benefits (e.g. pollination) of this activity, with few studies addressing cost–benefit trade-offs in the...
Various disciplines have examined the role of urban greenspace in delivering a wide array of social-ecological values to urban residents. This semi-systematic review of 50 studies assesses how links between the social and ecological qualities of urban greenspace have been measured to establish social-ecological values, and what qualities researcher...
The debate over protecting nature for humans' sake (instrumental values) or for nature's (intrinsic values) is a cornerstone of environmental policy. We propose that focusing only on instrumental or intrinsic values may fail to resonate with views on personal and collective well-being or " what is right " , with regard to nature and the environment...
Many of the world's terrestrial mammal species are imperilled, but recent extinctions and declines have been most severe in Australia. In particular, arid-dwelling marsupials in a critical weight range (35–5500 g) have declined dramatically following European settlement. In the absence of long-term monitoring, documenting these declines or distribu...
Ecological interactions between crops and wild animals frequently result in increases or declines in crop yield. Yet, positive and negative interactions have mostly been treated independently, owing partly to disciplinary silos in ecological and agricultural sciences. We advocate a new integrated research paradigm that explicitly recognizes cost-be...
We analyse how salinity, acidity and erosion threaten the ecosystem services of food production and the regulation of water quality in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia’s most important food producing region. We used the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework, to show that each of these threats undermines the functioning of the...
Agriculture is the predominant land use in Australia. Yet, there is limited knowledge of which bird species use particular agricultural crops and the implications this has for crop damage or the provision of ecosystem services. We measured species and functional diversity of bird communities in almond and apple orchards, vineyards and eucalypt wood...
Homogeneous tree crop plantations can adversely impact wild pollinator communities by limiting the temporal continuity of food and the availability of nesting sites. Identifying how structural differences between plantations and natural vegetation influence pollinator communities is necessary for ecological management of agroecosystems.
Communities...
The extent and connectivity of individual habitat types strongly affects the distribution and abundance of organisms. However, little is known of how the level of connectivity and the interactions between different habitat types influences the distribution of species. Here, we used the geographically restricted and endangered regent parrot Polyteli...
Among species, relative brain size (RBS) is correlated with aspects of ecology and behaviour. We analysed patterns of RBS in Australian birds based on 3164 measurements of brain size in 504 species, and provide species-level data for further analysis. Regression slopes calculated both with and without phylogenetic correction are provided for all sp...
Agricultural landscape elements, such as field edges, are not always a barrier to insects but can influence their distribution and dispersal behaviour.The present study investigated spatial and temporal patterns in wild pollinator (fly, wasp and non-Apis bee) distribution across an edge between natural mallee woodland and monoculture almond plantat...
The frequency and extent of human-induced land-cover changes is escalating worldwide. Recurrent turnover of land-cover types will affect ecosystems over and above major, one-time changes (eg deforestation). Here, we show how a deeper appreciation of the temporal dynamics of land-cover change is needed to understand its effects on ecosystems. We dis...
Animals provide benefits to agriculture through the provision of ecosystem services, but also inflict costs such as damaging crops. These benefits and costs are mostly examined independently, rather than comparing the trade-offs of animal activity in the same system and quantifying the net return from beneficial minus detrimental activities. Here,...
Bandy Bandy's (Vermicella spp.) are a striking, black-and-white ringed genus of small elapid snakes endemic to Australia. All taxa are burrowers and little is known of their biology and ecology. We investigated the habitat preferences of the only arid-dwelling species, the centralian bandy bandy (Vermicella vermiformis), in the MacDonnell Ranges we...
Five years of research on interrelationships between fauna use of almond plantations and native vegetation in north-western Victoria shows that almond plantations have a strong influence on fauna dynamics and in some cases may provide important habitat for threatened species.
Animals provide benefits to agriculture through the provision of ecosystem services, but also inflict costs such as damaging crops. These benefits and costs are mostly examined independently, rather than comparing the trade-offs of animal activity in the same system and quantifying the net return from beneficial minus detrimental activities. Here,...
Wild pollinators are becoming more valuable to global agriculture as the commercial honeybee industry is increasingly affected by disease and other stressors. Perennial tree crops are particularly reliant on insect pollination, and are often pollen limited. Research on how different tree crop production systems influence the richness and abundance...
A major strength of the ecosystem services (ESS) concept is that it allows a succinct description of how human well-being depends on nature, showing that the neglect of such dependencies has negative consequences on human well-being and the economy. As ESS refer to human needs and interests, values are to be considered when dealing with the concept...
The king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) is a large and highly venomous elapid, which occurs throughout much of mainland Australia. Although an ecological generalist, anecdotal evidence suggests that individuals in the arid-zone are more frequently observed in proximity to dense grass cover. We tested the hypothesis that P. australis are more li...
Examinations of the impact of land-use change on functional diversity link changes in ecological community structure driven by land modification with the consequences for ecosystem function. Yet, most studies have been small-scale, experimental analyses and primarily focussed on plants. There is a lack of research on fauna communities and at large-...
Observed (diamonds) and random (squares) values for each FD metric based on response traits. See Table S1 for land-use codes.
(TIF)
Trait values for all bird species included in this study.
(DOC)
Bird species richness in each land use ordered from high intensity (Vine) to low intensity (VGF). See Table S1 for land-use codes.
(TIF)
Observed values for each FD metric for insectivores based on effect traits. See Table S1 for land-use codes.
(TIF)
Observed values for each FD metric for carnivores/omnivores based on effect traits. See Table S1 for land-use codes.
(TIF)
Relations between SR and FDw in each land use. Shown are the results for the entire bird community (A), insectivores (B), frugivores/granivores (C), nectarivores (D) and carnivores/omnivores (E).
(TIF)
Land uses for which values of each FD metric were in either the highest or lowest quartile of values for response or effect traits.
(DOC)
Observed (diamonds) and random (squares) values for each FD metric based on effect traits. See Table S1 for land-use codes.
(TIF)
Observed values for each FD metric for nectarivores based on effect traits. See Table S1 for land-use codes.
(TIF)
Observed values for each FD metric for frugivores/granivores based on effect traits. See Table S1 for land-use codes.
(TIF)
A description of the 24 different vegetation or land-use types in which birds were surveyed.
(DOC)
Coloured pan trapping is a simple and efficient method for collecting flying insects, yet there is still discussion over the most effective bowl colour to use for particular target groups (e.g. pollinator insects). The success of particular colours can vary across bioregions and habitats. Most published pan trap studies have been conducted in the n...
Context
Little is known about the importance of bait-site selection during lethal fox-baiting programmes. Improved bait placement may increase the efficacy of baiting and help reduce fox impacts on wildlife and livestock.
Aims
To determine whether bait uptake by the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) differed among five landscape elements (roadsides, fence l...
Understanding the impacts of landscape change on species behaviour is a major challenge in landscape ecology. A focus on the functional traits of species may improve this understanding if species with similar traits (functional guilds) are impacted by landscape change in similar ways, but this idea has not been widely tested on bat communities in u...
Orange-naped snakes (Furina ornata) are small elapids that occur in tropical to arid regions throughout northern and central Australia. We report on the first field-based study of this species, investigating body sizes, activity patterns, and habitat use in the semiarid MacDonnell Ranges bioregion of central Australia. Using systematic road-cruisin...
Context
Farmland crops may suffer damage from native animals, but also provide a critical resource during times of food scarcity. We know little about bird use of almond crops.
Aims
To examine factors influencing temporal and spatial variation in the use of almond crops in north-western Victoria by bird species, including the threatened regent par...
The ecosystem services (ES) concept is one of the main avenues for
conveying society’s dependence on natural ecosystems. On-ground
applications of the concept are now widespread and diverse, and include its
use as a communication tool, for policy guidance and priority setting, and
for designing economic instruments for conservation. Each applicatio...
In arid Australia, changes to historic fire regimes may now produce more large-scale wildfire events. The impacts of these fires on fauna communities are poorly known. We sought to test the impacts of fire on the occurrence of two arid-zone snake species, the desert death adder (Acanthophis pyrrhus) and monk snake (Parasuta monachus), specialist in...
The behaviour of wild animal species in agricultural landscapes may confer benefits to growers through the provision of ecosystem services (e.g. control of agricultural pests) or inflict costs through direct or indirect damage to crops or livestock. The literature on the costs that species inflict or the benefits they provide has evolved largely in...
Priorities for protecting ecosystem services must be identified to ensure future human well-being. Approaches to broad-scale spatial prioritization of ecosystem services are becoming increasingly popular and are a vital precursor to identifying locations where further detailed analyses of the management of ecosystem services is required (e.g., exam...
This Editorial presents the focus, scope and policies of the inaugural issue of Nature Conservation, a new open access, peer-reviewed journal bridging natural sciences, social sciences and hands-on applications in conservation management. The journal covers all aspects of nature conservation and aims particularly at facilitating better interaction...
1. Examining the consequences of environmental change for the provision of ecosystem services can be facilitated through trait-based frameworks that consider linkages between traits that influence a species’ response to change and traits that determine its effect on ecosystem services.
2. Developing these frameworks requires a systematic approach t...
Urban fauna communities may be strongly influenced by environmental and socio-economic factors, but the relative importance of these factors is poorly known. Most research on urban fauna has been conducted in large cities and it is unclear if the patterns found in these locations coincide with those from smaller human settlements. We examined the r...
Foxes concentrate their activities around den sites during the breeding period and regularly visit dens at other times of the year, meaning den location is an important consideration in efforts to control foxes and protect native prey species. We investigated factors that influence den-site selection by foxes to improve information on potential int...
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a major predator of Australian wildlife and livestock, but relatively few data exist on fox home-range size and movements in agricultural landscapes. We used radio-telemetry to measure variability in fox home-range size and overlap, and to quantify nightly movements in farmland in south-eastern Australia. Home-range e...
In south-eastern Australia, the introduced Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a major predator of native wildlife and livestock. Fox control in agricultural landscapes is heavily reli-ant on the laying of poisoned baits by private landholders, yet there have been few assess-ments of the application or success of landholder-baiting practices. We evaluated a...
Stimson’s python (Antaresia stimsoni) is a small nocturnal python (Pythonidae) that occurs throughout Australia’s arid zone. Despite its wide distribution and localised abundance, no field-based studies have been undertaken on this species. We investigated activity patterns, habitat use, diet, and body sizes of A. stimsoni in the MacDonnell Ranges...
By 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas. In many cases urbanization reduces the richness and abundance of native species. Living in highly modified environments with fewer opportunities to interact directly with a diversity of native species may adversely affect residents' personal well-being and emotional connection to natu...
Aim To assess spatial relationships between avian community similarity and level of urbanization. We tested the following hypotheses for taxonomic similarity: Hypothesis A – the decline in taxonomic similarity with distance is stronger for the least urbanized locations compared to the most urbanized locations; Hypothesis B – the converse of Hypothe...
Future demographic change in Australia’s rural environments will yield substantial challenges and opportunities for biodiversity
conservation. Humans preferentially settle in the most biodiverse regions resulting in considerable spatial conflict between human settlement
and species conservation. The natural amenities
of rural landscapes (e.g., moun...
In this chapter, we synthesise the main findings from the previous chapters in the book to highlight the key issues related
to demographic change in rural Australia. We focus on the two major patterns of population growth and population decline in
rural landscapes, but also explore the complexities underlying these general patterns. Demographic cha...
The RUBICODE project draws on expertise from a range of disciplines to develop and integrate frameworks for assessing the
impacts of environmental change on ecosystem service provision, and for rationalising biodiversity conservation in that light.
With such diverse expertise and concepts involved, interested parties will not be familiar with all t...
Ecosystems are multifunctional and provide humanity with a broad array of vital services. Effective management of services requires an improved evidence base, identifying the role of ecosystems in delivering multiple services, which can assist policy-makers in maintaining them. Here, information from the literature and scientific experts was used t...
Aim To test six hypotheses that could explain or mediate the positive correlation between human population density (HPD) and bird species richness while controlling for biased sampling effort. These hypotheses were labelled as follows: productivity (net primary productivity, NPP); inherent heterogeneity (diversity of vegetation types); anthropogeni...
Standardized methods are required to measure ecosystem services in order to value them. In this paper, we argue that the service-providing unit (SPU) concept may help achieve this objective by promoting the systematic quantification of the key components of nature that provide services (e.g., population density of a key pollinator) and linking thes...
This is the urban century in which, for the first time, the majority of people live in towns and cities. Understanding how people influence, and are influenced by, the 'green' component of these environments is therefore of enormous significance. Providing an overview of the essentials of urban ecology, the book begins by covering the vital backgro...
Throughout history, humans have lived primarily in rural landscapes. In 2008, for the first time, the global population became predominantly urban. While much research has focussed on the impacts of increasing urbanisation, we have very little knowledge of the implications of these changes for rural landscapes. Global trends suggest populations in...
Despite unprecedented worldwide biodiversity loss, conservation is not at the forefront of national or international development programs. The concept of ecosystem services was intended to help conservationists demonstrate the benefits of ecosystems for human well-being, but services are not yet seen to truly address human need with current approac...
By 2050, 70% of the Earth’s human population will live in urban areas. Urbanization can have a devastating impact on local
ecosystems, but these impacts vary across time and space. Identifying links between spatiotemporal change in urban ecosystems
and neighborhood socio-economics is crucial to management aimed at maintaining flora and fauna in urb...
