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Recreational Ecology: A Review Of Research And Gap Analysis, Daminda Sumanapala, Isabelle D. Wolf

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Recreational ecology is an internationally evolving research field addressing the high demand for nature-based tourism and recreation, and its environmental impacts. This review aimed to analyze the research effort of recreational ecology studies published in four renowned journals in the field, the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Management, the Journal of Environmental Management, and Environmental Management. Between 1976 and 2017, this review identified 145 papers focused on recreational ecology. The majority of research investigated the direct impacts of terrestrial activities in protected areas, in particular the impacts of walking and hiking on vegetation and trail conditions, and the impacts of …

Residential Green Space Quantity And Quality And Symptoms Of Psychological Distress: A 15-Year Longitudinal Study Of 3897 Women In Postpartum, Xiaoqi Feng, Thomas E. Astell-Burt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Experiments and large-scale epidemiological studies indicate the importance of green space for mental health. However, little research has been conducted to elucidate whether these mental health benefits are more dependent upon the quantity or quality of the green space. Methods: Symptoms of psychological distress were measured in 3897 women who did not change neighbourhood up to 15 years postpartum using the Kessler 6 psychological distress scale from 2004 onwards. The percentage land-use of the neighbourhood was used to ascertain a measure of green space quantity. A Likert scale was used to measure green space quality in response to the …

Animal Host-Microbe Interactions, Bethany J. Hoye, Andy Fenton

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The ecology of infectious diseases, as we currently recognise it, has been a major field of scientific research for over a century. Since the early work of John Snow, describing the epidemiology of cholera in 1850s London, and Ronald Ross, describing the transmission dynamics of malaria at the end of the 19th century, through the mathematical models of Kermack & McKendrick in the 1920s, and Anderson & May's revolutionary modelling of infectious disease dynamics in the late 1970s, the field of disease ecology has always sought to combine cutting‐edge analytical and theoretical tools with observational and experimental data to understand …

Why Is It Important To Use Flagship Species In Community Education? The Koala As A Case Study, Rolf Schlagloth, Flavia Santamaria, Barry Golding, Hedley Thomson

Animal Studies Journal

Our paper investigates the conservation and planning implications of the use of an individual flagship species. The koala was chosen, as an example, in a community education intervention in a regional Australian city. Educating the community to accept changes in planning laws aimed at the protection of a single species such as the koala has never been an easy task. We examine the approach used to educate the Ballarat community in doing just that. We outline the power of this iconic Australian mammal, the koala, in promoting conservation and changes in planning regulations. We highlight the flow-on conservation and educational …

Effects Of Dredging On Critical Ecological Processes For Marine Invertebrates, Seagrasses And Macroalgae, And The Potential For Management With Environmental Windows Using Western Australia As A Case Study, Matthew Fraser, Jessie Short, Gary A. Kendrick, Dianne Mclean, John Keesing, Maria Byrne, M Julian Caley, Doug Clarke, Andrew R. Davis, Paul Erftemeijer, Stuart Field, Sam Gustin-Craig, John M. Huisman, Michael J. Keough, Paul Lavery, Ray Masini, Kathryn Mcmahon, Kerrie Mengersen, Michael Rasheed, John Statton, Jim Stoddart, Paul Wu

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Dredging can have significant impacts on benthic marine organisms through mechanisms such as sedimentation and reduction in light availability as a result of increased suspension of sediments. Phototrophic marine organisms and those with limited mobility are particularly at risk from the effects of dredging. The potential impacts of dredging on benthic species depend on biological processes including feeding mechanism, mobility, life history characteristics (LHCs), stage of development and environmental conditions. Environmental windows (EWs) are a management technique in which dredging activities are permitted during specific periods throughout the year; avoiding periods of increased vulnerability for particular organisms in specific locations. …

Linking Animal Contests And Community Structure Using Rockpool Fishes As A Model System, Kai Paijmans, Marian Y. L Wong

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Competition for limiting resources is a fundamental and well-established driver of niche partitioning, which in turn promotes species coexistence and biodiversity. Although contests are a well-known behavioural mechanism by which organisms compete over limiting resources, there has been surprisingly little application of contest theory to understanding interspecific interactions, niche partitioning, species coexistence and biodiversity. We investigated the link between contest dynamics and community structure using two intertidal rockpool fishes, Bathygobius cocosensis (Gobiidae) and Lepidoblennius haplodactylus (Tripterygiidae), as model species. We assessed the abundance and distribution of the two species on intertidal rocky shores of South-East Australia, and whether distribution patterns …

Three Arcs: Observations On The Archaeology Of The Elands Bay And Northern Cederberg Landscapes, Alex Mackay

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The area around Elands Bay and the adjacent interior landscapes west of the Doring River have been subject to intense archaeological investigation over the last ~50 years. The result is a region with great depth and diversity of archaeological information. In this paper I discuss three general observations that arise from the integration of data across this region. The first is that redundancy in site occupation is limited: even where many sites are excavated in a small area, understanding of the regional sequence cannot be assumed to be complete. The second is that humans did not live in rock shelters: …

The Impact Of Marketing And Advertising On Food Behaviours: Evaluating The Evidence For A Causal Relationship, Jennifer A. Norman, Bridget Kelly, Emma J. Boyland, Anne T. Mcmahon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The prevention of overweight in childhood is paramount to long-term heart health. Food marketing predominately promotes unhealthy products which, if over-consumed, will lead to overweight. International health expert calls for further restriction of children¿s exposure to food marketing remain relatively unheeded, with a lack of evidence showing a causal link between food marketing and children¿s dietary behaviours and obesity an oft-cited reason for this policy inertia. This direct link is difficult to measure and quantify with a multiplicity of determinants contributing to dietary intake and the development of overweight. The Bradford Hill Criteria provide a credible framework by which epidemiological …

Bayesian Methods For Comparing Species Physiological And Ecological Response Curves, Michael B. Ashcroft, Angelica Casanova-Katny, Kerrie Mengersen, Todd N. Rosenstiel, Johanna Turnbull, Jane Wasley, Melinda J. Waterman, Gustavo E. Zuniga, Sharon A. Robinson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Many ecological questions require information on species' optimal conditions or critical limits along environmental gradients. These attributes can be compared to answer questions on niche partitioning, species coexistence and niche conservatism. However, these comparisons are unconvincing when existing methods do not quantify the uncertainty in the attributes or rely on assumptions about the shape of species' responses to the environmental gradient. The aim of this study was to develop a model to quantify the uncertainty in the attributes of species response curves and allow them to be tested for substantive differences without making assumptions about the shape of the responses. …

Dietary Carotenoids Change The Colour Of Southern Corroboree Frogs, Kate Umbers, Aimee J. Silla, Joseph A. Bailey, Allison K. Shaw, Phillip G. Byrne

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Animal coloration can be the result of many interconnected elements, including the production of colour-producing molecules de novo, as well as the acquisition of pigments from the diet. When acquired through the diet, carotenoids (a common class of pigments) can influence yellow, orange, and red coloration and enhanced levels of carotenoids can result in brighter coloration and/or changes in hue or saturation. We tested the hypothesis that dietary carotenoid supplementation changes the striking black and yellow coloration of the southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree, Amphibia: Anura). Our dietary treatment showed no measurable difference in colour or brightness for black patches …

The Expanding Role Of Urban Fluvial Geomorphology: South Creek, Stephanie J. Kermode, Phillip Birtles, Geoff Vietz, Stephen Lynch, Jonathon Dixon, Carl Tippler, Michael Dean

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

As aspirations for waterways in urban areas increases, and we demand more social and environmental values from them, an increased role exists for applied geomorphology in urban streams of the future. Previously, there has been a strong focus on flood mitigation and water quality in stream management, and even where geomorphology has been used to drive legislation (e.g. stream order, offsets), desired outcomes have not always been achieved. Understanding how physical attributes of channels are altered by urbanisation, and how the physical template and waterways can assist in achieving aspirational goals, is now central to urban landscape managers and planners. …

Balance Improvement Effects Of Biofeedback Systems With State-Of-The-Art Wearable Sensors: A Systematic Review, Christina Ma, Duo Wong, Wing K. Lam, Anson Wan, Winson Lee

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Falls and fall-induced injuries are major global public health problems. Balance and gait disorders have been the second leading cause of falls. Inertial motion sensors and force sensors have been widely used to monitor both static and dynamic balance performance. Based on the detected performance, instant visual, auditory, electrotactile and vibrotactile biofeedback could be provided to augment the somatosensory input and enhance balance control. This review aims to synthesize the research examining the effect of biofeedback systems, with wearable inertial motion sensors and force sensors, on balance performance. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials were included in this review. All studies …

Neighborhood Walkability, Fear And Risk Of Falling And Response To Walking Promotion: The Easy Steps To Health 12-Month Randomized Controlled Trial, Dafna Merom, K Gebel, Paul P. Fahey, Thomas E. Astell-Burt, A Voukelatos, Chris Rissel, Cathie Sherrington

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In older adults the relationships between health, fall-related risk factors, perceived neighborhood walkability, walking behavior and intervention impacts are poorly understood. To determine whether: i) health and fall-related risk factors were associated with perceptions of neighborhood walkability; ii) perceived environmental attributes, and fall-related risk factors predicted change in walking behavior at 12 months; and iii) perceived environmental attributes and fall-related risk factors moderated the effect of a self-paced walking program on walking behavior. Randomized trial on walking and falls conducted between 2009 and 2012 involving 315 community-dwelling inactive adults ≥ 65 years living in Sydney, Australia. Measures were: mobility status, …

Social Class, Anxieties And Mothers' Foodwork, Jan Wright, Janemaree Maher, Claire E. Tanner

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In the context of concerns about childhood obesity, mothers are placed at the forefront of responsibility for shaping the eating behaviour and consequently the health of their young children. This is evident in a multitude of diverse sites such as government reports, health promotion materials, reality TV shows and the advice of childcare nurses and preschools. These sites produce a range of resources available to mothers to draw on to constitute themselves as mothers in terms of caring for their children's health. Drawing on a qualitative study of mothers recruited through three Australian preschool centres, this article examines how the …

Two Lowland Tropical Spodosols From The Fiji Islands: First Report From Small Islands, David M. Leslie, Philomena Gangaiya, R John Morrison

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Spodosols, one of the major orders of soils in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Taxonomy, are believed to be formed by down-profile movement of colloidal humic materials complexed with aluminum and iron. Conditions favoring formation of these soils are normally cool and humid climates, but some tropical Spodosols have been observed in continental and island situations, mainly at higher elevations. Here we report on observation of two Spodosols at low elevations in Fiji, the first such report for the South Pacific islands. Soil field descriptions and associated laboratory data are presented, along with interpretation of data in terms of …

Contrasting Topoclimate, Long-Term Macroclimatic Averages, And Habitat Variables For Modelling Ant Biodiversity At Landscape Scales, John R. Gollan, Daniel Ramp, Michael B. Ashcroft

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Spatial modelling is part of the solution for incorporating insects into conservation policy. Uptake, however, rests on identifying robust environmental predictors. Coarse-grained climate models based on long-term averages and similarly coarse environmental features may not be adequate, especially at regional scales where most planning is done. Here, we test whether topoclimatic variables, which are derived from local-scale climate forcing factors, are more important for structuring ant assemblages.

We quantified ant richness and species composition at 86 sites across a large (200 x 300 km) temperate region of southeast Australia, and tested the explanatory power of three groups of environmental variables: …

Woody Plant Encroachment Of Grasslands: A Comparison Of Terrestrial And Wetland Settings, Neil Saintilan, Kerrylee Rogers

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

A global trend of woody plant encroachment of terrestrial grasslands is co-incident with woody plant encroachment of wetland in freshwater and saline intertidal settings. There are several arguments for considering tree encroachment of wetlands in the context of woody shrub encroachment of grassland biomes. In both cases, delimitation of woody shrubs at regional scales is set by temperature thresholds for poleward extent, and by aridity within temperature limits. Latitudinal expansion has been observed for terrestrial woody shrubs and mangroves, following recent warming, but most expansion and thickening has been due to the occupation of previously water-limited grassland/saltmarsh environments. Increases in …

Toxicity Of Fuel-Contaminated Soil To Antarctic Moss And Terrestrial Algae, Anna Nydahl, Catherine K. King, Jane Wasley, Dianne F. Jolley, Sharon A. Robinson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Fuel pollution is a significant problem in Antarctica, especially in areas where human activities occur, such as at scientific research stations. Despite this, there is little information on the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on Antarctic terrestrial biota. The authors demonstrate that the Antarctic mosses Bryum pseudotriquetrum, Schistidium antarctici, and Ceratodon purpureus, and the Antarctic terrestrial alga Prasiola crispa are relatively tolerant to Special Antarctic Blend (SAB) fuel-contaminated soil (measured as total petroleum hydrocarbons). Freshly spiked soils were more toxic to all species than were aged soils containing degraded fuel, as measured by photosynthetic efficiency (variable fluorescence/maximum fluorescence [Fv/Fm]), pigment content, …

Rules Of Attraction: Enticing Pelagic Fish To Mid-Water Remote Underwater Video Systems (Ruvs), Matthew Rees, Nathan A. Knott, G V. Fenech, Andrew R. Davis

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Mid-water baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) are becoming an increasingly popular tool for examining pelagic fish assemblages in a non-destructive, fisheries independent manner. As the technique is relatively novel, critical methodological questions such as the most appropriate attractant for pelagic fish to mid-water RUVS remain unresolved. In this study, we compared the relative effectiveness of 4 attractant treatments (sight: metallic reflectors, sound: bait fish recordings, scent: pilchards and their combination) on the time of first arrival, total abundance of pelagic fish and the relative abundance of 3 pelagic fish species: Trachurus novaezelandiae, Sarda australis and Seriola lalandi. Recordings were …

Limpet Shells As Unmodified Tools In Pleistocene Southeast Asia: An Experimental Approach To Assessing Fracture And Modification, Katherine A. Szabo, Brent Koppel

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Pleistocene tools manufactured in shell are rarely identified. This may in part be due to the complexity of shell as a raw material and associated challenges in recognising and interpreting shell modification. A series of unusually-shaped Scutellastra flexuosa limpets from c. 30,000 year old deposits in Golo Cave, eastern Indonesia were identified as putatively modified during midden analysis. A pilot programme of investigations into the microstructure and natural fracture patterns of this species, coupled with a series of use-wear experiments, demonstrates that some S. flexuosa shells were used as scrapers. The shells were used in unmodified form and were 'repurposed' …

Sex-Specific Triacylglycerides Are Widely Conserved In Drosophila And Mediate Mating Behavior, Jacqueline S.R Chin, Shane R. Ellis, Huong T. Pham, Stephen J. Blanksby, Kenji Mori, Qi Ling Koh, William J. Etges, Joanne Y. Yew

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Pheromones play an important role in the behavior, ecology, and evolution of many organisms. The structure of many insect pheromones typically consists of a hydrocarbon backbone, occasionally modified with various functional oxygen groups. Here we show that sex-specific triacylclyerides (TAGs) are broadly conserved across the subgenus Drosophila in 11 species and represent a novel class of pheromones that has been largely overlooked. In desert-adapted drosophilids, 13 different TAGs are secreted exclusively by males from the ejaculatory bulb, transferred to females during mating, and function synergistically to inhibit courtship from other males. Sex-specific TAGs are comprised of at least one short …

Testing The Ability Of Topoclimatic Grids Of Extreme Temperatures To Explain The Distribution Of The Endangered Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallaby (Petrogale Penicillata), Michael B. Ashcroft, Mike Cavanagh, Mark D. Eldridge, John R. Gollan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Aim Many species are susceptible to climatic extremes, yet few fine-scale studies consider the factors that determine the distribution of extreme temperatures at landscape and regional scales. These factors include cold air drainage, canopy cover and topographical exposure to winds and radiation. We used the brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) to test whether innovative topoclimatic grids of extreme temperatures are an important predictor of regional-scale species distributions. Location Hunter Valley region, New South Wales, Australia (31.2-33.4° S, 148.6-153.0° E). Methods We modelled the regional distributions of rock-wallaby observations and colonies using topoclimatic, macroclimatic, topographical and habitat factors. We employed a randomization …

A Simulation Study To Quantify Drift Fence Configuration And Spacing Effects When Sampling Mobile Animals, Murray Ellis, Michael Bedward

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Drift fences with traps are commonly used for ecological research and survey. Field studies have examined the effectiveness of selected fence layouts, but comprehensive field testing is impractical. We applied a simulation approach to investigate how the interaction of fence layout and animal movement type influence fence encounter rates. A range of fence layouts, varying in spacing and configuration, were chosen based on common field practices and recommendations in the literature. Animal movement patterns ranged from meandering (Brownian) to highly directional over distances of 10 to 500 m. We found that fences in short, straight, widely spaced arrangements would be …

Five Practical Uses Of Spatial Autocorrelation For Studies Of Coral Reef Ecology, S Hamylton

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The organisation of benthic communities across coral reefs is underpinned by spatially structured ecological processes and neighbourhood interactions such as larval dispersal, migration, competition and the spread of disease. These give rise to spatial autocorrelation in reef communities. This paper demonstrates how the measurement of spatial autocorrelation can profitably be incorporated into studies of coral reef ecology through a series of 5 simple statistical exercises: for the generation of maps depicting the strength of spatial relationships between ecological communities, as an indicator of optimal dimensions for sampling ecological communities on coral reefs, as a diagnostic tool for model misspecification, as …

Monitoring And Benchmarking Population Diet Quality Globally: A Step-Wise Approach, S Vandevijvere, C Monteiro, S M. Krebs-Smith, A Lee, Boyd A. Swinburn, Bridget Kelly, Bruce Neal, W Snowdon, G Sacks

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

INFORMAS (International Network for Food and Obesity/non-communicable diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support) aims to monitor and benchmark the healthiness of food environments globally. In order to assess the impact of food environments on population diets, it is necessary to monitor population diet quality between countries and over time. This paper reviews existing data sources suitable for monitoring population diet quality, and assesses their strengths and limitations. A step-wise framework is then proposed for monitoring population diet quality. Food balance sheets (FBaS), household budget and expenditure surveys (HBES) and food intake surveys are all suitable methods for assessing population diet …

The Sensitivity Of Topoclimatic Models To Fine-Scale Microclimatic Variability And The Relevance For Ecological Studies, Michael B. Ashcroft, John R. Gollan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Microclimatic loggers are increasingly used to collect data from various habitats and interpolate ecologically meaningful landscape-scale topoclimatic grids. However, it is unknown how sensitive these grids are to finer-scale variations in microclimate. We performed a sensitivity analysis using three microclimatic loggers at 27 sites for 5 months in a semi-arid region of Western Australia. We partitioned the within- and between-site variance in temperature and produced 100 different topoclimatic models using a random sensor from each site. For the coldest temperatures, we found within-site variance was negligible (3 %), and models were strong (r 2 = 0.74) and the coefficients consistent. …

Do Social Interactions Explain Ethnic Differences In Psychological Distress And The Protective Effect Of Local Ethnic Density? A Cross-Sectional Study Of 226 487 Adults In Australia, Xiaoqi Feng, Thomas Astell-Burt, Gregory Kolt

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background A frequently proposed, but under-researched hypothesis is that ethnic density benefits mental health through increasing social interactions. We examined this hypothesis in 226 487 adults from 19 ethnic groups aged 45 years and older in Australia. Methods Multilevel logit regression was used to measure the association between ethnicity, social interactions, own-group ethnic density and scores of 22+ on the Kessler scale of psychological distress. Self-reported ancestry was used as a proxy for ethnicity. Measures of social interactions included a number of times in the past week were (i) spent with friends or family participants did not live with; (ii) …

Estudios Ornitológicos Urbanos En Colombia: Revisión De Literatura, Carlos Delgado-Velez, Juana C. Correa-Hernandez

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

This paper reviews what has been published in peer-reviewed journals about birds in Colombian cities, complementing an important Latin American review article that was recently published. This review identifies 55 papers dealing with 12 Colombian cities which exceeds by 50 the the number of studies previously considered. Species lists and Ecological Studies are the most frequent studies. Medellín is the city with the most studies (26 papers), whereas Bogotá (nine), Cali and Popayán (four each) had fewer publications. Although our review detects important publications not previously considered, we conclude that urban ornithology in Colombia is still in its infancy considering …

Demographic Patterns Of A Widespread Long-Lived Tree Are Associated With Rainfall And Disturbances Along Rainfall Gradients In Se Australia, Janet S. Cohn, Ian D. Lunt, Ross A. Bradstock, Quan Hua, Simon Mcdonald

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Predicting species distributions with changing climate has often relied on climatic variables, but increasingly there is recognition that disturbance regimes should also be included in distribution models. We examined how changes in rainfall and disturbances along climatic gradients determined demographic patterns in a widespread and long-lived tree species, Callitris glaucophylla in SE Australia. We examined recruitment since 1950 in relation to annual (200-600 mm) and seasonal (summer, uniform, winter) rainfall gradients, edaphic factors (topography), and disturbance regimes (vertebrate grazing [tenure and species], fire). A switch from recruitment success to failure occurred at 405 mm mean annual rainfall, coincident with a …

Fine-Grained Climate Data Alters The Interpretation Of A Trait-Based Cline, John R. Gollan, Michael B. Ashcroft, Daniel Ramp

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Investigating responses to climate often rely on macroclimatic models. This is problematic because of the potential to miss or wrongly attribute relationships. Here we compare the explanatory power of macroclimatic models and near-surface topoclimatic models. Body-size measurements of the ant species, Iridomyrmex purpureus, were collected from separate colonies spanning a range of climatic conditions in a large region (∼75,000 km2) of Australia. Regional regression was used to derive two topoclimatic variables, while ANUCLIM was used to derive macroclimatic variables. Relationships were tested using linear mixed-effect models with Akaike information criterion used as an indication of the relative goodness of fit …