Invertebrates account for 95% of Australia’s animal diversity. Yet, they are routinely neglected when it comes to biodiversity monitoring. This is not because they are deemed unimportant. Quite the opposite – it is well documented and commonly accepted that invertebrates play a major role in essential ecosystem processes like pollination, pest control and nutrient cycling. The reason that people rarely monitor invertebrates is simply that it has been deemed intractable. Survey methods produce samples with huge numbers of small organisms that are time consuming to sort and require expert knowledge to identify. And, even when they are sorted it is often with low taxonomic resolution or to morphospecies, which can limit inferences that can be made from the data. With collaborators in Germany and across Australia we are establishing a facility that integrates recent advances in robotics, machine learning, computer vision, and high-throughput genomic sequencing to scan, classify and quantify dark invertebrate taxa. Here, we provide an update on these efforts – presenting data demonstrating how these methods can be used across a broad range of taxa.

There are currently over 100 described species in nine genera of native freshwater crayfish known in Australia ranging from yabbies (Cherax sp.) to burrowing crayfish (Engaeus sp.) to spiny crayfish (Euastacus sp.). At least half of these described species are threatened, have restricted distributions, specialised habitat needs and characteristics which make them vulnerable (e.g. slow growth, long lives, late maturity). Understanding the diversity of freshwater crayfish is key to their effective management, clarifies their conservation status and provides insights about threats and management needs. For all the best surveyed freshwater crayfish, we know that there are species complexes determined by complex topography and paleo-drainage effects. Two serious issues currently beset taxonomic understanding of freshwater crayfish in Australia, (1) The 'Gollum Effect', where new species are known, but researchers refuse to publish genetic information or taxonomic descriptions in a timely manner and (2) chronic biogeographic under-sampling. We discuss the issue with two case studies of newly discovered species in the Euastacus genus, one within the Reik's crayfish complex and the other within Murray crayfish. These shortfalls in the publication of new species not only limit our understanding of the taxonomic limits of a threatened group, but restrict our ability to conserve these threatened species in a rapidly changing world.

After the 2019-20 Australian megafires, agencies wanted to know which species, including invertebrates, were likely at greater risk of extinction. For beetles, with no information about expected fire responses for thousands of species and limited understanding of distributions, direct measurement was needed. We wanted to know for what proportion of beetle species could we model the effects of fire severity, how could we best manage the problem of multiple testing to sort the signal from the noise, and how many species declined after low or high severity fire? We identified 1561 morphospecies collected from 68 paired burnt and unburnt sites from throughout the southern NSW and Victorian areas affected by the fires. We could make models for 167 morphospecies, and found that 118 were affected by fire severity. We identified 22 possible ways that a species' rate of occurrence could respond to sites that were unburnt, or burnt with low or high severity. Half of these 22 possible response types were exhibited by more species than expected compared with permuted data. Among those response types, 38 morphospecies were favoured by fire while 25 morphospecies had reduced occurrence on burnt sites. By the conference, we aim to address how this permutation approach compares with standard p-value adjustments for multiple testing, helping to refine our approach to sorting the signal from the noise when a dataset includes many species. We also aim to use simpler approaches to evaluate possible fire impacts for species with narrow ranges and little opportunity to occur on a statistically robust number of sites, as well as compare our modelled results among narrow-range endemics and widespread morphospecies. This will be a critical step because narrow-range endemics that are reduced by fire will face the greatest risk of extinction as extreme fire increases due to climate change.

Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme fires. In 2019-2020, extreme fires burned 97 000 km2 of native vegetation in south-eastern Australia, affecting many areas of rainforest, a habitat that has historically burned less frequently. We surveyed litter insects and other macroinvertebrates in fire-affected temperate rainforest across Australia’s south-east. We asked how fire severity affected the abundance, richness and composition of litter macroinvertebrates and whether undescribed, short range endemic or flightless beetle species were more vulnerable. Further, we tested the extent to which species were restricted to rainforest, which might further limit their recolonisation potential. High severity burns reduced litter macroinvertebrate assemblages markedly: high severity burn sites supported only 26% of the abundance and 55% of the species richness in unburnt sites, resulting in 1.90 million fewer macroinvertebrates per hectare. Medium severity burns were less hazardous, supporting 80% of the abundance and 97% of the richness in unburnt sites. Across the study region, we estimate that 60 billion fewer litter macroinvertebrates persisted in temperate rainforests alone post-fire. Species overlap between wet sclerophyll and rainforest assemblages was high, but a substantial proportion of species were unique to rainforests. By estimating shared species and beta diversity across the landscape, we modelled the number of beetle species lost to the megafires. We found that undescribed, wingless and short-range endemic species were more likely than other species to disappear following high severity fire. High severity fires thus had substantial impacts on rainforest beetles, particularly those unknown to science. Longer-term studies and a better understanding of the distribution and ecology of litter invertebrate taxa is needed to target conservation efforts under intensifying fire regimes. Invertebrate communities made up of undescribed, short range endemic species might be best protected through listing strategies that focus on location and habitat, rather than individual species.

As global demand for wood products increases, there is growing pressure to manage production forests in ways that support biodiversity conservation. To achieve this, it is essential to understand how different forest management systems - ranging in production intensity - affect biodiversity. Beetles are ideal indicators for such assessments due to their high diversity, ease of sampling, and sensitivity to ecosystem changes. While beetle communities respond differently to various forest management systems and successional stages, little is known about how different forestry intensities affect them within the same landscape.
My PhD addresses this gap by investigating how four forestry systems of varying production intensity impact beetle species richness, abundance and community composition over time. To achieve this goal, I collected beetles with pitfall traps from 66 sites in Tasmanian wet forests, covering a gradient of native forests and plantation systems as well as unmanaged forests - including oldgrowth and wildfire regrowth - at different successional ages.
Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences in beetle community composition, driven by forest age and management system. The Shannon diversity index indicated higher diversity in early successional forests and lower diversity in eucalypt and pine plantations. The fourth-corner analysis examined links between species abundances, environmental variability, and functional traits. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were used to model diversity index and common species responses to site-level environmental variables, such as litter depth, canopy and ground cover. Generalized Dissimilarity Models assessed responses to broader environmental gradients, including bioclimate, topography and landscape configuration.
Ultimately, this study aims to inform forest management strategies that support beetle conservation across landscapes subjected to varying forestry intensities.

In a fragmented remnant of the Western Australian wheatbelt, a 50-year longitudinal study of Gaius villosus (formerly Anidiops villosus) trapdoor spiders continues to shed light on the tenacity of some ways of being in old, stable landscapes. Initiated in 1974 by the late Prof. Barbara York Main, this work is among the longest continuous invertebrate studies globally. It has revealed extraordinary longevity of individuals (up to 43 years), generational burrow fidelity, and reproductive patterns influenced by local climatic rhythms and cycles (Main 1978, Mason et al. 2018). Trapdoor spiders are typically classified as short-range endemics (SREs) and persist in “Islands of Yesterday” amidst extensive land clearing and agricultural intensification. Informed by Noongar relational ontologies and matriarchal philosophies of care, this longitudinal study will continue after intergenerational knowledge sharing among spider kin and peoples across time (Hughes-D'Aeth, 2008; Mason & Kennedy, 2020). Moving onward, the next 50 years will explore the ethical and ecological implications of kincentric conservation; honouring long-lived nonhuman Elders, including Noongar ways of knowing doing and being, and valuing practices that (continue) to resist extractive paradigms. As we mark the close of the first 50 years of study and step into the next, a provocation may be: what might biodiversity conservation look like when grounded in a deep sense of place, tenacity, reverence, and reciprocity?

Trapdoor spiders (infraorder Mygalomorphae), like many of south-west Western Australia’s invertebrates, are poorly studied and little is known about their biology or ecology. We know that many trapdoor spiders are naturally restricted to discontinuous refugial habitats that are locally cool and wet, which allows their burrows to maintain appropriate conditions to avoid desiccation and overheating. This means that the warming and drying of our climate are major concerns for the persistence of these species. The expected increase in fire frequency and severity is likely to be an added threat to many trapdoors, given their restricted dispersal abilities and often shallow burrows. Here, focusing on key groups of idiopid trapdoor spiders in Western Australia’s northern jarrah forest, we are investigating population genetics, habitat requirements, and drought and fire responses, to help inform conservation management. We provide the first update of findings from our genetic sampling and habitat surveys across the landscape, and their implications for connectivity and persistence of populations. Our ultimate goal is to guide and test the feasibility of management approaches, such as translocations and relocations, which are likely to be important for ensuring the persistence of these refugial-reliant species under climate change.

Alpine aquatic ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and invasive species, yet many of their invertebrate species remain poorly understood. Challenging sampling has left many alpine freshwater systems under sampled and cryptic morphology means invertebrate species are undescribed, obscuring the true evolutionary history and ecological significance of this ecosystem. Recently, a complex of undescribed freshwater Neoniphargidae amphipods were documented from alpine springs and streams across the Bogong High Plains in Victoria. These species appear to be limited to the headwaters of the alpine streams, and are likely short range endemics, with phylogenetic analyses suggesting a deep evolutionary history. Spatial analysis of Australian alpine ecosystems suggests that if the biogeographic patterns driving diversification on the Bogong High Plains are replicated throughout the Great Dividing Range, then a large portion of highly localised alpine freshwater invertebrates may be undocumented, undermining conservation efforts. By integrating ecological, morphological, and molecular approaches, the project aims to increase knowledge of Australian alpine invertebrate biodiversity, formally describe species, and assess whether patterns observed in the Bogong High Plains are region specific or broadly alpine. Given the escalating impacts on alpine ecosystems, it is important to document and understand Australian taxa for effective conservation efforts.