Ecosystem progression and retrogression are considered to be causally linked to shifts from nitrogen to phosphorus limitation, but evidence to support this view remains scarce. We conducted a nutrient-limitation bioassay along a 2-million year dune chronosequence in Australia and provide strong experimental evidence in support of this view. This study is now accepted for publication in Journal of Ecology.

This new paper, titled "Which plant traits determine abundance under long-term shifts in soil resource availability and grazing intensity?", uses maximum entropy models to identify the relative importance of different traits during grassland assembly under different soil resource availability / grazing intensity regimes. It was an key chapter of my PhD thesis.

A PDF can be obtained from my publications page.

Congratulations to Graham, who won a competitive Australian Endeavour Award! This generous award will allow Graham to complete a >6-month research project at Unicamp, Campinas, Brasil, under the supervision of Prof Rafael Silva Oliveira. This project will explore nutrient-uptake strategies of native plants of highly nutrient-impoverished Cerrado ecosystems, and will be a central part of Graham's PhD thesis.

Learn a bit more about Graham's research here.

I have received a $1000 "High Achieving Young Scientist Award" from UWA. Thanks to UWA for supporting my research!

I have been awarded a UWA Research Development Award for 2012 for my project: "Predicting plant community composition in a megadiverse botanical region". This one-year project will test the maximum entropy trait-based model of community assembly in megadiverse shrubland communities of south-western Australia. Thanks to UWA for their support!

A great opportunity if you are interested in postgrad studies at UWA. Please contact me if you're interested in applying!

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Online Applications for 2012  Australian Postgraduate Awards, University Postgraduate Awards and Prestigious University scholarships for Local Applicants  are NOW OPEN. Closing Date:  5pm Monday 31 October 2011

 

Aplications are now open for a wide range of postgraduate research scholarships for local (domestic) students, including Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA), University Postgraduate Awards (UPA), prestigious University scholarships funded from bequests and other faculty and discipline-specific scholarships.

 

Scholarships are tenable at The University of Western Australia for up to two years for Masters by research candidates and three years for Doctoral candidates. PhD scholarships may be extended to a maximum of three and a half years. Full-Time scholarships are tax-free.  Australian and University Postgraduate Awards valued at $22,860 per annum (in 2011) are awarded in all disciplines. UWA also provides UWA Safety-Net Top-Up Scholarships valued at $3,500pa (in 2011) to increase the basic rate of postgraduate research scholarships for local and international students to $26,360pa in 2011. 2012 stipends will be advised when the APA rate is confirmed by DEEWR.

Scholarships on offer include the following prestigious scholarships awarded to top-ranked applicants in multiple disciplines:

 

·         Hackett Postgraduate Scholarships - $35,000pa with an additional $5,000 travel allowance

·         Prescott Postgraduate Scholarships - $35,000pa

·         Gledden Postgraduate Scholarships for research in applied science, particularly relating to surveying, engineering, mining or cognate subjects are valued at APAI rate ($27,651 pa in 2011 ) with an additional $5,000 travel allowance. Please Note: Gledden scholarships are typically awarded to PhD students enrolled in the Faculties of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics; Natural and Agricultural Sciences; and Life and Physical Sciences. However, relevant applications will be considered from candidates in other Faculties.

·         Jean Rogerson Postgraduate Scholarships - $7,000pa top-up scholarships

There are also many other faculty and discipline-specific scholarships available for application via the iAthena online application form.

Details of conditions of award for postgraduate research scholarships, application and selection processes, and access to the online application form can be found on the UWA Scholarships website at:

http://www.scholarships.uwa.edu.au

 

There is a single online application form to apply for scholarships and Higher Degrees by Research enrolment for 2012. Scholarship applicants do not also need to complete a separate hardcopy application form for PhD or Masters by Research enrolment.

 

CLOSING DATE: MONDAY 31 OCTOBER 2011

For further information please contact:

The Graduate Research and Scholarships Office,

G13 Hackett Hall (M358)

University of Western Australia

35 Stirling Highway

CRAWLEY WA 6009

Ph: (08) 6488  3738/1584/8148

E-mail: help@scholarships.uwa.edu.au

This paper is the central chapter of my PhD thesis. It explores the long-term effects of changes in soil resource availability and grazing intensity on plant functional composition and diversity, and feedbacks to ecosystem functioning.

The main findings were that soil resource availability exterted dominant control over functioning, both directly and indirectly via changes in plant functional composition, and by modulating the effects of plant functional diversity and grazing intensity (which shifted from negative to positive with increasing soil resources).

The paper can be downloaded from my publications page.

I was lucky enough to be part of a week-long field trip to the Pilbara, ~1500km north of Perth. A beautiful arid landscape, completely different from anything I had ever encountered.

This field trip is part of the third-year "Australian Vegetation" unit, which I co-teach with Drs Pauline Grierson (unit coordinator) and Michael Renton. Three groups of nine students each sampled five sites with quite different vegetation types. These data will be analysed during the semester and form the basis of a student report to be submitted at the end of the course.

Many thanks to Rio Tinto Iron Ore, who covered ALL costs associated with this field trip.

We were fortunate to have the visit of Prof. Fangliang He visited to UWA this week. We took him on a great field trip to Lesueur National Park, 2.5 hours north of Perth -- a plant biodiversity hotspot within the larger SWA biodiversity hotspot. Prof. He was kind enough two give two talks and a workshop today. It was great to hear about his exciting work on species-area curves and area-based assessments of species extinction risk.




Photo (from left to right): Chuck Price, Laura Fagan (sitting), Etienne Laliberté, Émilie (sitting), Raphael Didham, Fangliang He, Hans Lambers, Jamie, Graham Zemunik, Jessica Clopton, François Teste.