Biography
As a plant population ecologist, I am interested in the processes that determine abundance and distribution of plant species and genotypes. Through experimentation, survey and modelling, we are able to predict how abundance and distribution change under different conditions and hence what action we might take to manage populations. This same research philosophy applies to rare species requiring conservation, to invasive species requiring eradication or containment, or to abundant weeds that require control. Thus, my research has been targeted towards endangered orchids, horticultural/crop/pasture species that may have the potential to become weeds, and weeds of both natural vegetation and farming. In addition, I have been involved in the development of methodology that allows us to study plant populations and to predict their dynamics. An unrelated interest is in the history of the network of regional Botanic Gardens in the State of Victoria.
Current and recent student projects have included: the impact of river flow management on seed dispersal (Joe Greet, with Angus Webb); the invasive fungus Amanita muscaria (Svetlana Smart, with Teresa Lebel); the seed ecology of Hieracium aurantiacum and H. praealtum (Jenny Bear, with Nick Williams); the physiological ecology of Heliotropium europaeum (James Hunt); weed plant architecture and its implications for seed dispersal (Mohammad Taghizadeh, Hassan Mojeny & Faezeh Zaefarian, with Natalie Kelly); explosive dispersal in Oxalis corniculata (Mohammad Rezvani, with Andrew Robinson); the ecology of the invasive Cakile maritima (Futhi Magagula); the distribution of Oxalis compressa (Emma Hill); the impact of the invasive Plantago triandra (Daniel Walmsley); sensitivity of Nassella trichotoma and other pasture species to flupropanate (Holly Bennett, with Charles Grech); significant Australian garden designers of the 20th century (Anne Vale, with Greg Moore); and the poetics of gardening (Richard Aitken, with Philip Goad).
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest |
Key Words |
Country of Expertise |
| Plant Ecology |
weeds population dynamics dispersal |
Australia |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other
Awards
Qualifications
| Title |
Institution |
Date Awarded |
Abbreviation |
| Bachelor of Science |
Dalhousie University |
15-Jul-1981 |
|
| Doctor of Philosophy |
Wales |
01-Aug-1978 |
|
Memberships
| Membership Type |
Membership Body |
Description |
Start Date |
End Date |
| Member |
British Ecological Society |
Ordinary |
01-Jan-1980 |
|
| Member |
Ecological Society of Australia |
Ordinary |
01-Jan-1992 |
|
| Member |
European Weed Research Society |
Ordinary |
01-Jan-1981 |
|
| Member |
Weed Science Society of America |
Ordinary |
01-Jan-1989 |
|
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title |
Role |
Funding Source |
Scheme |
Award Date |
| Scoping Study into using Microwave Technologies as part of an Integrated Weed Management Strategy in Conservation Farming Systems |
Chief Investigator |
GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORP |
Research Grants |
26/02/2009 |
| IMPROVED DETECTION AND ERADICATION OF HIERACIUM: EXPERIMENTS AND 2ND GENERATION DISPERSAL MODELS |
Chief Investigator |
DEPT OF AGRICULTURE FISHERIES & FORESTRY |
Australian Weed Research Centre Funding |
02/03/2009 |
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.
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