Life Sciences Commons^™

Just Add Water: Colonisation, Water Governance, And The Australian Inland, Leah M. Gibbs

Leah Maree Gibbs

Water has played a key role in the development of the Australian inland and the nation. For European colonists, the dry and variable landscape challenged ideas about nature imported from northern temperate regions. I argue first, that colonists brought with them ideas for ordering nature and tools for transforming landscapes that led to inappropriate and destructive water management and the silencing of local voices and knowledge systems. Secondly, colonial patterns of ordering and transforming landscapes are ongoing, but new ways of governing water, which challenge colonialism, are emerging. In the first section of the paper I discuss colonial relationships with …

Places Of Reconciliation: Gay, Lesbian And Transgender Place-Based Belongings In A Regional Australian Centre, Gordon R. Waitt, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray

Gordon Waitt

Place-based belonging is a key concern of geographical work on sexuality. Marginalised through practices of heterosexism and homophobia, gay men, lesbians and other sexual minorities have a heightened awareness of where they belong – of where they can perform sexual difference. Much research here focuses on place-based belonging in metropolitan centres. There is less consideration of how sexual minorities sustain place-based belonging in regional centres, which are also believed to exhibit higher levels of homophobia. Drawing on in-depth interviews, we examine how sexual minorities generate place-based belonging in Townsville. We argue that place-based belonging be understood as an ongoing relational …

Biophyschem2011: A Joint Meeting Of The Australian Society For Biophysics And The Raci Physical Chemistry Division Foreword, Adam Trevitt, Jeffrey Reimers, Ronald Clarke, Jamie Vandenberg

Adam Trevitt

[extract] This Research Front of the Australian Journal of Chemistry is aligned with the BIOPHYSCHEM2011 meeting, a joint conference of the Australian Society for Biophysics and the Physical Chemistry Division of the RACI, which was held at the University of Wollongong from 3 to 6 December 2011. Just shy of 200 delegates made the journey to the Illawarra as these two societies came together for the first time for a national meeting. The idea for this collaboration sprang from the inaugural Australian Biophysical Chemistry Workshop, coordinated by Dr Ron Clarke (U. Sydney) and Dr Tak Kee (U. Adelaide) in 2010. …

Investigation Of Large-Scale Washover Of A Small Barrier System On The Southeast Australian Coast Using Ground Penetrating Radar, Brian G. Jones, C Bristow, Adam D. Switzer

B. G. Jones

Prehistoric depositional signatures for large-scale washover involving marine inundation events such as storm and tsunami have been the subject of considerable research over the last 15 years. Much of this research has focused on the identification of sand sheets in back-barrier environments as depositional records for extreme washover events. All these deposits must have a sediment source, and by their nature, the most likely source of sediment for washover into back-barrier environments is the barrier itself. This study identifies an erosional signature for large-scale washover from a small coastal barrier on the southeast Australian coast. A distinct lense of marine …

Large-Scale Washover Sedimentation In A Freshwater Lagoon From The Southeast Australian Coast: Sea-Level Change, Tsunami Or Exceptionally Large Storm?, Brian Jones, Adam Switzer

B. G. Jones

No abstract provided.

Life In A Northern (Australian) Town: Darwin's Mercurial Music Scene, Christopher Gibson, Christopher Brennan-Horley, Julie Willoughby-Smith, Susan Luckman

Christopher R Brennan-Horley

No abstract provided.

The Major Toxin From The Australian Common Brown Snake Is A Hexamer With Unusual Gas-Phase Dissociation Properties, Andrew Aquilina

J. A. Aquilina

Asymmetric dissociation of multiply charged proteins assemblies has been frequently reported. This phenomenon, which relies on the dissociation of one or more highly charged monomers, has been shown to provide insights into the structure and organization of large monodisperse and polydisperse assemblies. Here, the process of asymmetric dissociation is investigated using the multi-subunit protein, textilotoxin, which has unusually high structural constraints on its monomers due to multiple disulfide linkages. Initially, it is shown that, contrary to previous reports, textilotoxin is made up of 6, rather than 5 subunits. Furthermore, the hexamer exists as two isoforms, one of which is substantially …

Life In A Northern (Australian) Town: Darwin's Mercurial Music Scene, Christopher Gibson, Christopher Brennan-Horley, Julie Willoughby-Smith, Susan Luckman

Chris Gibson

No abstract provided.

Interrogating The Politics Of Gay/Lesbian Belonging In An Australian Country Town: A Case Study Of Daylesford, Victoria, And Local Responses To The Chillout Festival, Andrew Gorman-Murray, Gordon Waitt, Christopher Gibson

Chris Gibson

This paper examines the nature of gasy/lesbian belonging in Daylesford, an Australian country town, contributing to work on both gay/lesbian rural geographies and the politics of belonging. Daylesford hosts ChillOut, Australia's largest rural gay/lesbian festival, thus providing an apt lens for investigating gay/lesbian belonging in rural Australia. The festival, per se, is not analyzed, but instead local responses to ChillOut are interrogated below, particularly certain outcomes and debates following the 2006 festival. This paper begins with a discussion of the notions of belonging and the politics of belonging, and how these relate to gay/lesbian lives. This is followed by …

First Nations And The Politics Of Indigeneity: Australian Perspectives On Indigenous Peoples, Resource Management And Global Rights, R. Lawrence, Michael Adams

Michael Adams

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Particulate Pollution Levels In Australian Cities, Meteorology, And Landscape Fire Activity Detected From Modis Hotspots, Owen F. Price, Grant J. Williamson, Sarah B. Henderson, Fay Johnston, David M. J. S Bowman

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Generally, sigmoid curves are used to describe the growth of animals over their lifetime. However, because growth rates often differ over an animal's lifetime a single curve may not accurately capture the growth. Broken-stick models constrained to pass through a common point have been proposed to describe the different growth phases, but these are often unsatisfactory because essentially there are still two functions that describe the lifetime growth. To provide a single, converged model to age animals with disparate growth phases we developed a smoothly joining two-phase nonlinear function (SJ2P), tailored to provide a more accurate description of lifetime growth …

Larval Tolerance To Salinity In Three Species Of Australian Anuran: An Indication Of Saline Specialisation In Litoria Aurea, Brian D. Kearney, Phillip G. Byrne, Richard D. Reina

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Recent anthropogenic influences on freshwater habitats are forcing anuran populations to rapidly adapt to high magnitude changes in environmental conditions or face local extinction. We examined the effects of ecologically relevant elevated salinity levels on larval growth, metamorphosis and survival of three species of Australian anuran; the spotted marsh frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis), the painted burrowing frog (Neobatrachus sudelli) and the green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea), in order to better understand the responses of these animals to environmental change. Elevated salinity (16% seawater) negatively impacted on the survival of L. tasmaniensis (35% survival) …

Retrofitting The Suburban Garden: Morphologies And Some Elements Of Sustainability Potential Of Two Australian Residential Suburbs Compared, Sumita Ghosh, Lesley M. Head

Lesley Head

No abstract provided.

The (Aboriginal) Face Of The (Australian) Earth, Lesley M. Head

Lesley Head

No abstract provided.

How Well Do Predators Adjust To Climate-Mediated Shifts In Prey Distribution? A Study On Australian Water Pythons, Beata Ujvari, Rick Shine, Thomas Madsen

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Climate change can move the spatial location of resources critical for population viability, and a species resilience to such changes will depend upon its ability to flexibly shift its activities away from no-longer-suitable sites to exploit new opportunities. Intuition suggests that vagile predators should be able to track spatial shifts in prey availability, but our data on water pythons (Liasis fuscus) in tropical Australia suggest a less encouraging scenario. These pythons undergo regular long-range (to .10 km) seasonal migrations to follow flooding-induced migrations by their prey (native dusky rats, Rattus colletti ). However, when an extreme flooding event virtually eliminated …

The Australian Methane Budget: Interpreting Surface And Train-Borne Measurements Using A Chemistry Transport Model, A Fraser, C C. Miller, Paul Palmer, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Nicholas B. Jones, David W. Griffith

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We investigate the Australian methane budget from 2005-2008 using the GEOS-Chem 3D chemistry transport model, focusing on the relative contribution of emissions from different sectors and the influence of long-range transport. To evaluate the model, we use in situ surface measurements of methane, methane dry air column average (XCH 4) from ground-based Fourier transform spectrometers (FTSs), and train-borne surface concentration measurements from an in situ FTS along the north-south continental transect. We use gravity anomaly data from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment to describe the spatial and temporal distribution of wetland emissions and scale it to a prior emission estimate, …

Population And Breeding Trends Of An Urban Coloniser: The Australian White Ibis, John Martin, Kris French, Richard Major

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Context. In the Sydney region, the population of Australian white ibis has dramatically increased from rare observations in the 1950s to a breeding season peak of 8900 in 2008, resulting with human -wildlife conflicts. Within natural habitats across the eastern states, the ibis population has declined, yet within urban environments ibis have been lethally managed for over 30 years. However, limited ecological and no regional population data are available for the Sydney region. Aims. The present study of ibis in the Sydney region aims to (1) establish the abundance of the population during the breeding and non-breeding seasons, (2) determine …

Effects Of Soil Temperature Regimes After Fire On Seed Dormancy And Germination In Six Australian Fabaceae Species, Victor Santana, Ross A. Bradstock, Mark Ooi, Andrew J. Denham, Tony D. Auld, M Baeza

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

In addition to direct fire cues such as heat, smoke and charred wood, the passage of fire leads indirectly to changes in environmental conditions which may be able to break physical dormancy in hard-coated seeds. After a fire, the open canopy and the burnt material lying on the surface alter the thermal properties of the soil, resulting in elevated soil temperatures for long periods of time. We simulated daily temperature regimes experienced at different depths of soil profile after a summer fire. Our aim was to determine whether these temperature regimes and the duration of exposure (5, 15 and 30 …

An Australian Feeling For Snow Towards Understanding Cultural And Emotional Dimensions Of Climate Change, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

In Australia, snow is associated with alpine and subalpine regions in rural areas; snow is a component of ‘natural’ rather than urban environments. But the range, depth and duration of Australia’s regional snow cover is imperilled by climate change. While researchers have considered the impacts of snow retreat on the natural environment and responses from the mainland ski industry, this paper explores associated cultural and emotional dimensions of climate change. This responds to calls to account for local meanings of climate, and thus localised perceptions of and responses to climate change. Accordingly, this paper presents a case study of reactions …

The Use Of Cattle Ear-Tags As Patagial Markers For Large Birds-A Field Assessment On Adult And Nestling Australian White Ibis, John M. Martin, Richard E. Major

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

To test the effectiveness of patagial marking with cattle ear-tags for Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca), 105 adults and 58 nestlings were fitted with tags on each wing. Resighting frequency of adults, survival of nestlings, breeding behavior and foraging movements were monitored. The resighting frequency of wing-tagged adults was compared with resightings of 160 adults marked with colored leg-bands. Survival rates of wing-tagged nestlings were compared with an equal sample of 58 nestlings fitted with colored leg-bands. Over six months, 96% of tagged adults were resighted and there was no indication of impaired flight, with foraging movements ranging up to …

Genetic Structure And Dispersal Patterns Of The Invasive Psocid Liposcelis Decolor (Pearman) In Australian Grain Storage Systems, Katarina Maryann Mikac, N N. Fitzsimmons

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Microsatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic structure among invasive L. decolor populations from Australia and a single international population from Kansas, USA to determine patterns of dispersal. Six variable microsatellites displayed an average of 2.5-4.2 alleles per locus per population. Observed (H-O) heterozygosity ranged from 0.12-0.65 per locus within populations; but, in 13 of 36 tests, H-O was less than expected. Despite low levels of allelic diversity, genetic structure estimated as theta was significant for all pairwise comparisons between populations (theta = 0.05-0.23). Due to suspected null alleles at four loci, ENA (excluding null alleles) corrected F-ST estimates …

Restored Nature, Familiar Culture: Contesting Visions For Preferred Environments In Australian Cities, D. Trigger, Lesley M. Head

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

How are preferences for “native” and “introduced” species of plants and animals given expression in Australian cities? Given the nation's predominantly European cultural heritage, how do urban Australians articulate multiple desires for living environments encountered in everyday life? In examining the cases of inner city parks, backyards, and more general views about flora and fauna appropriate for the city, the paper considers a range of deeply enculturated attachments to familiar landscapes. While residents have considerable interest in the possibilities of urban ecological restoration, our interviews, ethnographic observation, and textual analysis also reveal cultural preferences for introduced species and emplaced attachments …

Just Add Water: Colonisation, Water Governance, And The Australian Inland, Leah Maree Gibbs

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Water has played a key role in the development of the Australian inland and the nation. For European colonists, the dry and variable landscape challenged ideas about nature imported from northern temperate regions. I argue first, that colonists brought with them ideas for ordering nature and tools for transforming landscapes that led to inappropriate and destructive water management and the silencing of local voices and knowledge systems. Secondly, colonial patterns of ordering and transforming landscapes are ongoing, but new ways of governing water, which challenge colonialism, are emerging. In the first section of the paper I discuss colonial relationships with …

Retrofitting The Suburban Garden: Morphologies And Some Elements Of Sustainability Potential Of Two Australian Residential Suburbs Compared, Sumita Ghosh, Lesley M. Head

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Plasma Cholinesterase Characteristics In Native Australian Birds: Significance For Monitoring Avian Species For Pesticide Exposure, Karen J. Fildes, Judit K. Szabo, Lee Astheimer, Michael Hooper, William A. Buttemer

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides are applied throughout Australia to control agricultural pests. Blood plasma cholinesterase (ChE) activity is a sensitive indicator of exposure to organophosphorus insecticides in vertebrates. To aid biomonitoring and provide reference data for wildlife pesticide-risk assessment, plasma acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities were characterised in nine species of native bird: King Quails (Excalfactoria chinensis), Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), White-plumed Honeyeaters (Lichenostomas penicillatus), Yellow-throated Miners (Manorina flavigula), Willie Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys), Australian Reed-Warblers (Acrocephalus australis), Brown Songlarks (Cincloramphus cruralis), Double-barred Finches (Taeniopygia bichenovii) and Australasian Pipits (Anthus novaeseelandiae). Plasma ChE activities in all species were within the range of most …

The Major Toxin From The Australian Common Brown Snake Is A Hexamer With Unusual Gas-Phase Dissociation Properties, Andrew Aquilina

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Asymmetric dissociation of multiply charged proteins assemblies has been frequently reported. This phenomenon, which relies on the dissociation of one or more highly charged monomers, has been shown to provide insights into the structure and organization of large monodisperse and polydisperse assemblies. Here, the process of asymmetric dissociation is investigated using the multi-subunit protein, textilotoxin, which has unusually high structural constraints on its monomers due to multiple disulfide linkages. Initially, it is shown that, contrary to previous reports, textilotoxin is made up of 6, rather than 5 subunits. Furthermore, the hexamer exists as two isoforms, one of which is substantially …

Before And After Climate Change: The Snow Country In Australian Imaginaries, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Safety Culture And Hazard Risk Perception Of Australian And New Zealand Maritime Pilots, Rosa M. Darbra, J.F.E. Crawford, C. W. Haley, R. J. Morrison

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A survey of the safety culture and hazard risk perception has been carried out involving 77 maritime pilots around Australia and New Zealand, representing more than 20% of the maritime pilots in each country, in proportional geographic districbution.

Impact Of Data Uncertainty On The Spatio-Temporal Distribution Of Australian Cyclones, 1906-2006, Marjetta L. Puotinen

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Tropical cyclones (known elsewhere as hurricanes or typhoons) regularly track through Australia’s northern coastal regions (Figure 1).

Data documenting the basic characteristics of cyclones in the Australian region is available from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) as early as 1906. This data set (freely available in ASCII format at http://www.bom.gov.au) records some 41 attributes (most of which are not complete for the entire time series) for 22,645 individual cyclone eye positions. Because cyclones can cause considerable impact to both marine and terrestrial environments, data sets such as this are widely used to reconstruct past cyclone conditions (for example, see Berz …

The (Aboriginal) Face Of The (Australian) Earth, Lesley M. Head

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.