Invertebrates are the most diverse group of organisms on Earth and play critical roles in maintaining ecosystem functions, including pollination, pest control, and nutrient cycling. Despite their importance, invertebrate populations are experiencing significant global declines, with agriculture identified as one of the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. To support both invertebrate conservation and sustainable agricultural production, it is essential to understand how invertebrate communities vary across agricultural landscapes and which environmental factors influence these patterns. This study investigates the functional diversity and community composition of invertebrates in commercial potato fields in Gatton, Queensland. Invertebrate surveys were conducted using visual sampling and beat sheeting techniques. Environmental data were collected at site-, field-, and landscape-level to capture multiscale drivers of community change. The analysis focuses on four key invertebrate orders: Araneae, Diptera, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera, which have been assigned functional traits based on trophic role, size, and hunting tactic (for predators only). These orders and functional traits will be incorporated into biodiversity models to explore relationships with environmental variables. This study will contribute knowledge about how environmental variables in agricultural landscapes shape the biodiversity and functional traits of invertebrate communities.

Plastic bottles are among the most pervasive forms of anthropogenic marine debris, yet their ecological role as passive traps for beach fauna remains poorly understood. We experimentally deployed 500 mL polyethylene terephthalate bottles in two colours (clear, amber) and four orientations (horizontal, tilted, buried, upright) across bare sand and wrack habitats at a sheltered bay beach (Queenscliff) and an open coast beach (Breamlea) in southern Victoria, Australia. Deployments were conducted during two periods (December 2024 and April 2025).
A total of 637 macroinvertebrates were entrapped, spanning 54 species, 34 families, and 13 orders. Talitridae (Amphipoda) were most abundant (28%), followed by Scyphacidae (Isopoda; 16%), and Curculionidae and Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera; 9% each). Bottles on bare sand captured a greater proportion of individuals (56%) compared to those in wrack (44%), and clear bottles trapped significantly more organisms (62%) than amber ones. Horizontal and buried orientations, particularly in clear bottles on bare sand, yielded the highest abundances. No significant differences were observed in internal versus ambient temperature and humidity, nor were these factors correlated with entrapment rates.
These findings reveal that plastic bottles, beyond their role as litter, can function as incidental pitfall traps that alter macroinvertebrate community structure—an overlooked ecological hazard. This study underscores the need for targeted mitigation strategies to reduce bottle pollution and safeguard vulnerable coastal ecosystems.

Our world has a long history of human-wildlife conflict (HWC), mostly with the dangerously large or annoyingly small. Despite being a shy and innocuous marsupial, bandicoots (Peramelidae) are a misunderstood group with a history of HWC. They have been under considerable threat since European arrival in Australia, largely due to alien predators, but HWC was, and continues to be, a significant threat. Using historical analysis of digitized newspapers and gazettes (accessed through the National Library of Australia’s Trove), we tested predictions about the drivers of range contraction. Historical sources provide an untapped resource for understanding population dynamics and drivers of decline. After interrogating thousands of newspaper records (from 1804 – 1954), we have been able identify multiple causes of decline of bandicoots in New South Wales. Hunting for food and sport as well as pest removal have all contributed to the decline of bandicoots from their previously high densities. Our results shed light on both the long-term HWC with bandicoots as urban development spread and challenges assumptions about their decline. Bandicoot records provide a novel opportunity to understand the complex multiple processes at play in species decline, particularly between the well-document human landscape changes in cities and fox invasion.

Food production has massive environmental impacts including contributing to habitat loss, land degradation and greenhouse gas emissions. Alternative sources of protein have therefore gained growing attention and financial investment. The production of insects for both food and feed could alleviate the pressure on food systems by providing protein with fewer land and natural resource requirements. Insect farming is a growing industry in Australia. However, the , and transport of insect species could lead to unintended consequences from their escape or through pathogen interactions.
Non-native insects have caused impacts to the environment, primary sectors and human health directly as s or indirectly through disease transmission. At the same time, the spread of pathogens could impact the viability of a farm and could spread into the environment, causing further environmental damage. These ‘mini-livestock’ should therefore be subject to biosecurity considerations comparable to those of traditional livestock to ensure best practices.
A holistic biosecurity approach has not been applied to the industry, which could lead to unforeseen negative impacts. I will conduct a three-part literature review that will identify: first, the global practices regarding the of insects, second, potential environmental or socioeconomic impacts of key industry species and third, the diseases or s that could impact on these insects. The review will inform an evidence informed risk rating and contribute to the advancement of an over-arching biosecurity framework for the industry in Australia.
This initial phase of my project will provide a basis for stakeholder engagement and risk analysis. Information from industry practitioners can complement the available literature to deliver practical applications, with reciprocal benefits to industry. Understanding and presenting an issue in this holistic way will contribute to paradigmatic shifts for Australia’s biosecurity, strengthening our agricultural future.

This study compares the wintering strategies of two swallow species within the genus Hirundo: the long-distance migratory Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) in Japan and the short-distance or resident Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena), an Australian-origin species now naturally established in New Zealand. While H. rustica typically winters in Southeast Asia, a small number are known to overwinter in southern Kyushu, Japan. H. neoxena, on the other hand, has colonized New Zealand and remains there year-round despite having no historical overwintering distribution in the region.

We conducted vehicle-based surveys during the non-breeding season in both southern Kyushu and the South Island of New Zealand to examine land-use preferences and climate conditions (e.g., temperature and daylight hours). In Japan, we also collected faecal samples from H. rustica roosts and analyzed diet composition using DNA metabarcoding. Results revealed a predominance of flying insects associated with riverine habitats, consistent with land-use data showing a strong preference for farmland and riparian zones. Similarly, H. neoxena showed a tendency to occur in landscapes adjacent to rivers and agricultural areas.

These findings suggest that despite their distinct migratory behaviors and evolutionary histories, both species converge on similar wintering strategies under comparable ecological conditions—particularly where stable food resources and suitable land use are available. Future research will explore how overwintering outside typical ranges may carry over to influence subsequent stages in the birds’ annual life cycle, including reproduction.

Urban trees deliver vital ecosystem services including stormwater regulation, pollutant reduction, shading, and urban cooling. With growing pressure on freshwater resources due to population growth and climate change, recycled water is gaining attention as a sustainable irrigation alternative. However, its long-term effects on urban soil and plant health remain unclear. This study aims to assess the influence of water quality and soil amendments on plant growth, stress and performance under field conditions, to determine which integrated management techniques best support long-term urban plantings in Western Sydney. A fully factorial long term field experiment was established at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan using 600 trees from 15 native species commonly used in urban landscapes. Treatments included irrigation with recycled or potable water, with or without a biochar soil amendment. Recycled water was supplied by Sydney Water. Tree growth, survival, sap flow and water use efficiency were measured. Soil salinity (via Electrical Conductivity, EC) and soil moisture (via Relative Water Content, RWC) were monitored to 1 m depth. Microclimate effects were tracked using onsite weather stations. Recycled water had ~5x higher EC than potable water, yet resulted in only minor increases in topsoil salinity (5–10%), especially when biochar was present. Tree growth, survival, and water use showed no differences between treatments. Mortality was low (1.8%), and mostly species-specific, driven by site conditions or pathogens. Microclimate data suggested trees began contributing to localised summer cooling as canopy cover increased. These first-year results suggest that recycled water can be safely used for irrigating urban trees at moderate volumes, particularly when paired with soil amendments like biochar. Ongoing monitoring will be critical to evaluate longer-term effects on soil processes, plant performance, and landscape-scale hydrology under a changing climate.

Australia has the unenviable record of being the world leader in contemporary mammal extinctions, with at least 36 species, about 10% of the mammal fauna, driven to extinction since European colonization in 1788. For conservation policy and actions to be evidence-based, targeted and effective, it is vital that the reasons for historical extinctions and ongoing declines are understood and remedied. Using multiple sources of data, and a weight of evidence approach, we show that invasive predators (cats Felis catus and red fox Vulpes vulpes) are strongly implicated in a majority of Australian mammal extinctions and the ongoing imperilment of numerous extant species. In doing so, we describe the many shortcomings in, and reject the flawed conclusions made in a recent paper by Wallach and Lundgren (2025). We acknowledge that for science to progress, it is vital that prevalent views and paradigms are contestable, but this should be done in a robust and responsible manner, especially where the survival of species is at stake. Recognising the devastating role of cats and foxes in the ongoing decline and extinction risk of Australia’s mammals, a large-scale and collaborative program has been designed and implemented to control these introduced and invasive predator populations. This work is helping to protect and recover what is perhaps the most remarkable but also highly imperilled native mammal fauna on Earth.

For companies in the Australian property sector engaged in land development and housing projects, biodiversity loss and environmental decline pose significant financial risks, particularly transition risks associated with policy responses introduced to address these problems. In line with recent international developments, there has been an uptick in Australia in regulatory activities to pressure companies to identify, disclose and manage nature-related risks – including through voluntary nature reporting standards, investor engagement, and stakeholder advocacy. There has also been increased policy attention paid to the biodiversity crisis globally and in Australia, where comprehensive reforms to halt and reverse biodiversity loss have been proposed at national and subnational scales. Although these reform efforts have encountered significant political opposition and stalled at the national level, some subnational jurisdictions are forging ahead with ambitious nature law reform. In this exploratory study, we analyse the early responses of a small sample of large Australian property developers to these shifting regulatory pressures. Our results suggest that without mandatory sustainability reporting standards that apply to nature and without substantial progress on policy reform to address biodiversity loss, Australian companies are unlikely to engage with voluntary standards and take significant steps to set targets and implement strategies to manage their nature-related risks and impacts.

Australian reptiles are highly valued in the international exotic pet trade. National law prohibits commercial export of native wildlife, but illegality is not a deterrent to all, as evidenced by frequent seizures of smuggling attempts. We determined that at least 15% of endemic Australian squamates are traded as pets overseas. This trade is not static; uniqueness and rarity are highly valued in the exotic pet trade, meaning new species enter trade regularly. We characterised current trade in Australian squamates and predicted which species are at risk of being targeted for trade in the future. Using the most comprehensive trait dataset compiled for Australian squamates, we fitted boosted regression trees for species’ presence in international trade. Alongside additional phylogenetic and taxonomic analyses, we found that traded snakes were characterised by large body sizes, with an overrepresentation of pythons in trade. A larger size also contributed to lizard species’ presence in trade, as did having spiked ornamentation, an older year of description, and being from families Carphodactylidae, Diplodactylidae, and Varanidae. From these models, we predicted the probability of trade for all species, returning a list of 59 untraded species that are likely to be traded. Several are considered threatened and have populations already in decline. Most wildlife enforcement is reactive to poaching and smuggling that has previously occurred. We endeavour to provide government enforcement agencies with detailed information on at-risk species with the hope of improving preventative enforcement capabilities, protecting populations before they can be detrimentally impacted by illegal trade.

Biodiversity loss and climate change are altering the composition of communities. Species traits can change rapidly in response to new competition regimes but forecasting how traits evolve and their consequences for populations and communities remains challenging. We used experimental evolution of marine phytoplankton to answer some of these questions. After evolving three species in monoculture (alone) or polyculture (together) for 4.5 months, we quantified changes in their metabolism, size, and population dynamics. We then combined them in communities based on their competition history and tracked community composition and productivity over time.

We found that all three species evolved following remarkably similar trajectories in both competition regimes (monoculture and polyculture), through changes in metabolism and in the sensitivity to competition. These results suggest that competition can drive consistent evolutionary outcomes, at least when species compete for essential resources. When we assessed the interactions of these species in communities, however, we found that the type of competition they experienced mattered, but not equally for all community properties.

Our results indicate that evolution within communities can strengthen competitive differences between species with uneven effects on community functioning. While some community properties seem robust to species evolutionary changes (i.e. biomass production), we should be cautious in extrapolating the consequences of evolution from biomass to other aspects of productivity or stability.

Soil microbiomes help to seed and shape the human gut microbiome, which in turn underpins our immune fitness, metabolism and mental health. Growing evidence also shows that soil microbial community composition and functional capacity shift with ecosystem condition from degraded/disturbed states to mature/biodiverse states, suggesting promise for ecosystem restoration to meaningfully contribute to microbiome-mediated human health. Yet, it remains an outstanding challenge to define and measure exactly what constitutes a “healthy microbiome”, both in soils and humans. This talk will outline a new approach to microbiome functional profiling that quantifies potential metabolism at the scale of individual chemical compounds. A compound-oriented approach is of interest because many compounds have known health-associations, or they may be readily interpreted as key/desirable/undesirable substrates, intermediates, or end-products of microbial activity. We applied this analysis approach to case study datasets from post-mining forest ecosystem restoration and subjects with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D), to investigate plausible links between ecosystem degradation and metabolic anomalies encoded in T2D gut microbiomes. We found shared trends of increased potential metabolism of sugars and decreased potential metabolism of lignin and monomethyl branched-chain fatty acids – representing key compounds involved in regulating human host metabolism – in degraded ecosystems and T2D gut microbiomes. These trends were confirmed in two separate T2D case study cohorts from Sweden and China, suggesting a generalisable pattern. Our findings support a consequential new hypothesis that increased exposures to degraded ecosystems may contribute to metabolic imbalances in T2D. With improving knowledge of microbiome-mediated connections between ecosystems and people there is potential to inform restoration and urban green space design that provides cost effective human health benefits.