Fields of Research

Terrestrial ecology
Landscape ecology
Plant physiology
Global change biology
Forestry fire management
Agricultural hydrology
Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation
Plant biology
Ecosystem function
Population ecology
Biogeography and phylogeography
Ecological physiology
Fire ecology
Forestry management and environment
Environmental rehabilitation and restoration
Forestry biomass and bioproducts
Biosecurity science and invasive species ecology
Genetics
Natural resource management
Forest ecosystems
Oenology and viticulture
Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology)
Tree nutrition and physiology
Environmental management
Carbon sequestration science
Conservation and biodiversity
Ecology

Research Objectives

Terrestrial biodiversity
Assessment and management of freshwater ecosystems
Natural hazards
Terrestrial systems and management
Social impacts of climate change and variability
Climatological hazards (e.g. extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires)
Ecosystem adaptation to climate change
Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems
Evaluation, allocation, and impacts of land use
Other environmental management
Native forests
Effects of climate change on Australia (excl. social impacts)
Understanding climate change
Rehabilitation or conservation of terrestrial environments
Climate change mitigation strategies
Soils
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to land and environment
Native and residual pastures
Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in terrestrial environments
Climate change adaptation measures (excl. ecosystem)

Career Best Publications

Big eucalypts grow more slowly in a warm climate: evidence of an interaction between tree size and temperature; Global Change Biology
Detecting trends in tree growth: Not so simple; Trends in Plant Science
Ecophysiology of trees of seasonally dry tropics: Comparisons among phenologies; Advances in Ecological Research
Environmental and demographic correlates of tree recruitment and mortality in north Australian savannas; Forest Ecology and Management
Experimental evidence that fire causes a tree recruitment bottleneck in an Australian tropical savanna; Journal of Tropical Ecology
Leaf attributes in the seasonally dry tropics: a comparison of four habitats in northern Australia; Functional Ecology
Population structures of the widespread Australian conifer Callitris columellaris are a bio-indicator of continental environmental change; Forest Ecology and Management
Seasonal and diurnal patterns of carbon assimilation, stomatal conductance and leaf water potential in Eucalyptus tetrodonta saplings in a wet-dry savanna in northern Australia; Australian Journal of Botany
The worldwide leaf economics spectrum ; Nature
Why do evergreen trees dominate the Australian seasonal tropics?

Research Publications

Water Relations and Ion Concentrations of Leaves on Salt-Stressed Citrus Plants; Australian Journal of Plant Physiology
A warmer world will reduce tree growth in evergreen broadleaf forests: evidence from Australian temperate and subtropical eucalypt forests; Global Ecology and Biogeography
A wide diversity of epicormic structures is present in Myrtaceae species in the northern Australian savanna biome - implications for adaptation to fire; Australian Journal of Botany
Abrupt fire regime change may cause landscape-wide loss of mature obligate seeder forests; Global Change Biology
Across a macro-ecological gradient forest competition is strongest at the most productive sites; Frontiers in Plant Science
Aerial sowing stopped the loss of alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) forests burnt by three short-interval fires in the Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia; Forest Ecology and Management
Alcoholic fermentation and malate metabolism in rice germinating at low oxygen concentrations; Australian Journal of Plant Physiology
Bamboo, fire and flood: consequences of disturbance for the vegetative growth of a clumping, clonal plant; Plant Ecology
Big eucalypts grow more slowly in a warm climate: evidence of an interaction between tree size and temperature; Global Change Biology
Bioclimatic drivers of fire severity across the Australian geographical range of giant Eucalyptus forests; Journal of Ecology
Biomass consumption by surface fires across Earth's most fire prone continent; Global Change Biology
Can trophic rewilding reduce the impact of fire in a more flammable world?; Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences
Cause and effects of a megafire in sedge-heathland in the Tasmanian temperate wilderness; Australian Journal of Botany
Citrus leaf fluorescence: water and salt effects; Acta Horticulturae
Classification of post-fire responses of woody plants to include pyrophobic communities; Fire
Climate change in wildlands: pioneering approaches to science and management; Quarterly Review of Biology
Climate, not Aboriginal landscape burning, controlled the historical demography and distribution of fire-sensitive conifer populations across Australia; Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
Conceptualizing ecological flammability: an experimental test of three frameworks using various types and loads of surface fuels; Fire
Conservative water management in the widespread conifer genus Callitris; AOB Plants
Continental-scale climatic drivers of growth ring variability in an Australian conifer; Trees: Structure and Function
Contracting Tasmanian montane grasslands within a forest matrix is consistent with cessation of Aboriginal fire management; Austral Ecology
Decadal dynamics of tree cover in an Australian tropical savanna; Austral Ecology
Demographic effects of severe fire in montane shrubland on Tasmania's Central Plateau; Fire
Demographic effects of severe fire in montane shrublands on Tasmania's Central Plateau
Demographic vulnerability of an extreme xerophyte in arid Australia; Australian Journal of Botany
Demography and growth of subadult savanna trees: Interactions of life history, size, fire season, and grassy understory; Ecological Monographs
Detecting trends in tree growth: Not so simple; Trends in Plant Science
Differential demographic filtering by surface fires: How fuel type and fuel load affect sapling mortality of an obligate seeder savanna tree; Journal of Ecology
Do feral buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) explain the increase of woody cover in savannas of Kakadu National Park, Australia?; Journal of Biogeography
Does inherent flammability of grass and litter fuels contribute to continental patterns of landscape fire activity?; Journal of Biogeography
Dynamics of Acacia aneura - Triodia boundaries using carbon (¹⁴C and δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) signatures in soil organic matter in central Australia; The Holocene
Ecophysiology of trees of seasonally dry tropics: Comparisons among phenologies; Advances in Ecological Research
Effect of experimental fire on seedlings of Australian and Gondwanan trees species from a Tasmanian montane vegetation mosaic; Australian Journal of Botany
Effect of landscape fires on the demography of the endangered New Caledonian conifer Callitris sulcata; Biological Conservation
Effects of accumulation of 3-O-methylglucose on growth and osmotic regulation in Chlorella emersonii; Plant, Cell and Environment
Environmental and allometric drivers of tree growth rates in a north Australian savanna; Forest Ecology and Management
Environmental and demographic correlates of tree recruitment and mortality in north Australian savannas; Forest Ecology and Management
Evaluating carbon storage in restoration plantings in the Tasmanian Midlands, a highly modified agricultural landscape; The Rangeland Journal
Experimental evidence that fire causes a tree recruitment bottleneck in an Australian tropical savanna; Journal of Tropical Ecology
Fire and cattle disturbance affects vegetation structure and rain forest expansion into savanna in the Australian monsoon tropics; Journal of Biogeography
Fire caused demographic attrition of the Tasmanian palaeoendemic conifer Athrotaxis cupressoides; Austral Ecology
Fire controls population structure in four dominant tree species in a tropical savanna; Oecologia
Fire maintains an Acacia aneura shrubland-Triodia grassland mosaic in central Australia; Journal of Arid Environments
Fire risk and severity decline with stand development in Tasmanian giant Eucalyptus forest; Forest Ecology and Management
Fire weather risk differs across rain forest–savanna boundaries in the humid tropics of north-eastern Australia; Austral Ecology
Fire, herbivores and the management of temperate Eucalyptus savanna in Tasmania: introducing the Beaufront fire – mammalian herbivore field experiment; Ecological Management & Restoration
Fire-driven lass of obligate seeder forests in the Alps; Ecological Society of Australia
Fire-driven loss of obligate seeder forests in the Alps; Hot Topics in Ecology
Forest‑sedgeland boundaries are historically stable and resilient to wildfre at Blakes Opening in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Australia; Landscape Ecology
Frequent fires reduce tree growth in northern Australian savannas: implications for tree demography and carbon sequestration; Global Change Biology
From desert to rainforest, sapwood width is similar in the widespread conifer Callitris columellaris; Trees: Structure and function
Growth and survival of termite-piped Eucalyptus tetrodonta and E-miniata in northern Australia: Implications for harvest of trees for didgeridoos; Forest Ecology and Management
Growth and survival of two north Australian relictual tree species, Allosyncarpia ternata (Myrtaceae) and Callitris intratropica (Cupressaceae); Ecological Research
Have plants evolved to self-immolate?; Frontiers in Plant Science
High post-fire mortality of resprouting woody plants in Tasmanian Mediterranean-type vegetation; International Journal of Wildland Fire
Human-imposed, fine-grained patch burning explains the population stability of a fire-sensitive conifer in a frequently burnt northern Australia savanna; Ecosystems
Impact of Aboriginal landscape burning on woody vegetation in Eucalyptus tetrodonta savanna in Arnhem Land, northern Australia; Journal of Biogeography
Impact of high-severity fire in a Tasmanian dry eucalypt forest; Australian Journal of Botany
Influence of rootstock and trellis systems on the productivity of Sultana grapevines; Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
Intra-specific variation in leaf attributes of four savanna tree species across a rainfall gradient in tropical Australia; Australian Journal of Botany
Isolation and characterization of 52 polymorphic EST-SSR markers for Callitris columellaris (Cupressaceae); American Journal of Botany
Lack of reliable post-fire recovery mechanisms makes the iconic Tasmanian conifer Athrotaxis cupressoides susceptible to population decline; Australian Journal of Botany
Land clearance not dieback continues to drive tree loss in a Tasmanian rural landscape; Regional Environmental Change
Landscape analysis of Aboriginal fire management in Central Arnhem Land, north Australia; Journal of Biogeography
Leaf attributes in the seasonally dry tropics: a comparison of four habitats in northern Australia; Functional Ecology
Leaf axil anatomy and bud reserves in 21 Myrtaceae species from Northern Australia; International Journal of Plant Sciences
Leaf trait relationships in Australian plant species; Functional Plant Biology
Long-term effects of saline irrigation water on growth, yield, and fruit quality of Valencia orange trees; Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
Long-term effects of saline irrigation water on Valencia orange trees: relationships between growth and yield, and salt levels in soil and leaves; Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
Macroecology of Australian tall eucalypt forests: baseline data from a continental-scale permanent plot network; PLoS ONE
Measurement of inter- and intra-annual variability of landscape fire activity at a continental scale: the Australian case; Environmental Research Letters
Multi-decadal stability of woody cover in a mesic eucalypt savanna in the Australian monsoon tropics; Austral Ecology
Population collapse of a Gondwanan conifer follows the loss of Indigenous fire regimes in a northern Australian savanna; Scientific Reports
Population structures of the widespread Australian conifer Callitris columellaris are a bio-indicator of continental environmental change; Forest Ecology and Management
Post fire ecological forest recovery: the recovery of alpine ash following the 2013 Harrietville-Alpine Bushfire
Post-fire resprouting strategies of rainforest and savanna saplings along the rainforest–savanna boundary in the Australian monsoon tropics; Plant Ecology
Post-fire restoration of Sphagnum bogs in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Australia; Restoration Ecology
Productivity and biomass of Australia's rangelands: towards a national database; Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland
Projecting canopy cover change in Tasmanian eucalypt forests using dynamically downscaled regional climate models; Regional Environmental Change
Putting plant resistance traits on the map: a test of the idea that plants are better defended at lower latitudes; New Phytologist
Retreating Melaleuca swamp forests in Kakadu National Park: Evidence of synergistic effects of climate change and past feral buffalo impacts; Austral Ecology
Seasonal and diurnal patterns of carbon assimilation, stomatal conductance and leaf water potential in Eucalyptus tetrodonta saplings in a wet-dry savanna in northern Australia; Australian Journal of Botany
Seasonal changes in hydraulic conductance, xylem embolism and leaf area in Eucalyptus tetrodonta and Eucalyptus miniata saplings in a north Australian savanna; Plant, Cell and Environment
Seasonal changes in leaf water characteristics of Eucalyptus tetrodonta and Terminalia ferdinandiana saplings in a northern Australian savanna; Australian Journal of Botany
Seasonal differences in leaf attributes in Australian tropical tree species: family and habitat comparisons; Functional Ecology
Seasonal trends in carbon assimilation, stomatal conductance, pre-dawn leaf water potential and growth in Terminalia ferdinandiana, a deciduous tree of northern Australian savannas; Australian Journal of Botany
Shifting fire regimes of Australia, USA and the Brazilian Amazon
Small mammal diversity is higher in infrequently compared with frequently burnt rainforest-savanna mosaics in the north Kimberley, Australia; Wildlife Research
Sodium chloride and soil texture interactions in irrigated field grown sultana grapevines. 3. Soil and root system effects; Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
Sodium chloride and soil texture interactions in irrigated field grown sultana grapevines. I. Yield and fruit quality; Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
Sodium chloride and soil texture interactions in irrigated field grown sultana grapevines. II. Plant mineral content, growth and physiology; Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
Soil moisture thresholds for combustion of organic soils in western Tasmania; International Journal of Wildland Fire
Spatio-temporal trends in tree cover of a tropical mesic savanna are driven by landscape disturbance; Journal of Applied Ecology
Tall eucalypt forests; Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction
The 2016 Tasmanian Wilderness Fires: Fire Regime Shifts and Climate Change in a Gondwanan Biogeographic Refugium; Ecosystem Collapse and Climate Change
The effect of transient waterlogging on the growth, leaf gas exchange, and mineral composition of potted sultana grapevines; American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
The legacy of pasture improvement causes recruitment failure in grassy eucalypt woodland conservation reserves in the Midlands of Tasmania; Australian Journal of Botany
The relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic factors in the decline of obligate seeder forests; Global Ecology and Biogeography
The roles of statistical inference and historical sources in understanding landscape change: the case of feral buffalo in the freshwater floodplains of Kakadu National Park; Journal of Biogeography
The vulnerability of peatlands in the Australian Alps; Australasian Plant Conservation
The worldwide leaf economics spectrum ; Nature
Trajectory of change in land cover and carbon stocks following European settlement in Tasmania, Australia; Anthropocene
Tree growth rates in north Australian savanna habitats: seasonal patterns and correlations with leaf attributes; Australian Journal of Botany
Tree-piping termites and growth and survival of host trees in savanna woodland of north Australia; Journal of Tropical Ecology
Two climate-sensitive tree-ring chronologies from Arnhem Land, monsoonal Australia; Austral Ecology
Using a rainforest-flame forest mosaic to test the hypothesis that leaf and litter fuel flammability is under natural selection; Oecologia
Using generalized autoregressive error models to understand fire-vegetation-soil feedbacks in a mulga-spinifex landscape mosaic; Journal of Biogeography
Using permanent forest plots to evaluate the resilience to fire of Tasmania’s tall wet eucalypt forests; Forest Ecology and Management
Using permanent forestry plots to understand the possible effects of climate change on Australia's production forest estate
Variable rainfall has a greater effect than fire on the demography of the dominant tree in a semi-arid Eucalyptus savanna; Austral Ecology
Variation in Eucalyptus delegatensis post-fire recovery strategies: The Tasmanian subspecies is a resprouter whereas the mainland Australian subspecies is an obligate seeder; Forest Ecology and Management
Variation in stem radial growth of the Australian conifer, Callitris columellaris, across the world's driest and least fertile vegetated continent; Trees
Water, land, fire, and forest: Multi-scale determinants of rainforests in the Australian monsoon tropics; Ecology and Evolution
What limits the distribution and abundance of the native conifer Callitris glaucophylla (Cupressaceae) in the West MacDonnell Ranges, central Australia?; Australian Journal of Botany
Why do evergreen trees dominate the Australian seasonal tropics?
Yield-salinity relationships of different grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) scion-rootstock combinations; Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research

Research Projects

Aging Callitris glaucophylla trees from the driest landscape in Australia; Australian Institute of Nuclear Science & Engineering (AINSE)
Assessment of Post-fire recovery of Pencil Pine forest after the 2016 World Heritage Area Fires; Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC (BNHCRC)
Delivering a Sustainable Long Term Ecosystem Research Network for Australia; Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER)
Ecological Effects of 2019 Tasmanian Fires - Remeasurement of Burnt Permanent Plots; Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (HWRE)
Ecological Effects of 2019 Tasmanian Fires -Remeasurement of Burnt Permanent Plots; Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC (BNHCRC)
Understanding the impacts of high-intensity fire on the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area; Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (HWRE)
Using Permanent Forestry Plots to Understand the Possible Effects of Climate Change on Australia's Production Forest Estate; Department of Agriculture (DoA (Cwth))
Statistical identification of the direction, rate and magnitude of tree cover change in the Ranger lease area within Kakadu National Park, NT

Research Candidate Supervision

Anthropogenic Transformations of the Eucalyptus C3 Savannahs of the Tasmanian Midlands
The Fire Ecology of Callitris intratropica- Tracing the Legacy of Aboriginal Fire Management to Inform Contemporary Responses to a Conservation Crisis on the Arnhem Plateau, Northern Australia