The conservation of threatened species requires an understanding of their ecology to identify the factors that are contributing to their decline and to assess their extinction risk. The objective of this thesis was to ...

While there has been considerable progress in developing global environmental policies and goals, implementing these at a local level has proven extremely challenging. This study explores how internationally formulated ...

Fire is a powerful agent of disturbance in terrestrial ecosystems, and it shapes vegetation composition and patterns globally. This is particularly true in south-eastern Australia where forests are dominated by species of ...

Teak is considered one of the highest value hardwood species. The Lao wood processing industry has been using teak wood harvested from different ages, ranging from 10 to 35 years, with broadly different prices. However, ...

As sessile organisms, plants produce a remarkable diversity of chemicals to defend their tissues against herbivory. The large body of research into plant defences has primarily focused on plant-herbivore interactions and ...

Pollination is one of the most important interactions in nature, with the vast majority of flowering plants reliant upon biotic vectors for out-crossing and reproduction. Despite this, the pollination systems of most plants ...

The creation and expansion of human habitats alters the natural properties of urban soils, not only through direct anthropogenic soil disturbance, but also indirectly through impacts from the anthroposphere. This creates ...

Increasing urbanisation and associated impervious surfaces have negative impacts on humans and the environment. Therefore, more resilient and sustainable stormwater management that mimics the natural predevelopment hydrology ...

Increasing drought-induced tree mortality is a global problem and current scientific efforts aim to understand why and how trees succumb to drought. Nevertheless, our current understanding of the mechanisms leading to ...

Urban stormwater runoff is a primary degrader of stream ecosystems. Excess stormwater runoff causes altered flow regimes, reduced in-stream water quality, and modified channel form. Recognition of such impacts has renewed ...