Growth and Nitrogen Fixation of Inland and Coastal Tropical Acacia Species
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ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Lee, Michael Siu Fung (2013) Growth and nitrogen fixation of inland and coastal tropical acacia species. MSc thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/41361/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/41361/ GROWTH AND NITROGEN FIXATION OF INLAND AND COASTAL TROPICAL ACACIA SPECIES Thesis submitted by Michael Siu Fung Lee BSc (Hons). The University of Hong Kong (2005) in January 2013 for the degree of Master of Science by Research in Tropical Plant Sciences within the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University STATEMENT OF ACCESS I, the undersigned, the author of this thesis, understand that James Cook University will make it available for use within the University Library and, by microfilm or other means, allow access to users in other approved libraries. All users consulting this thesis will have to sign the following statement: In consulting this thesis I agree not to copy or closely paraphrase it in whole or in part without the written consent of the author, and to make proper public written acknowledgement for any assistance which I have obtained from it. Beyond this, I do not wish to place any restriction on access to this thesis: Michael S. F. Lee January 2013 - i - STATEMENT OF SOURCES DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university or other institution of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. Michael S. F. Lee January 2013 - ii - STATEMENT ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF OTHERS This research was funded primarily by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF). Part of the research fund also came from the Postgraduate Student Support Fund (PSSF) and the Tropical Vegetation Dynamics Laboratory (TVDL) in JCU. Dr. Robert Congdon and Professor Joseph Holtum from the School of Marine and Tropical Biology (MTB) were my main supervisor and co-supervisor respectively. They provided support and guidance throughout the study period. They also helped review the thesis drafts and lent the equipment necessary for the field surveys and the other three experiments in this study. The former Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM), Queensland Government, approved the collection permit, and kindly shared their habitat map “Regional Ecosystems” for research purposes. The Queensland Herbarium provided the GIS locations of specimens of the target plant species. Climate data was gathered from the online record of the weather stations of the Bureau of Meteorology and a BIOCLIM map provided by Lorena Falconi and Dr. Jeremy VanDerWal of the Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change at JCU. Statistical support was provided by Professor Rhondda Jones (retired from MTB), Dr. Tim Glasby (from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries) and Dr. Yvette Everingham (JCU statistician). Dr. Leone Bielig (retired from MTB) kindly reviewed several drafts of my thesis and contributed valuable advice on proper scientific writing style. Dr. Faye Christidis, also from MTB, helped proof-read the project proposal. Dr. Liz Tynan, from the Graduate Research School, introduced the essential thesis-writing skillset. Field assistance was provided by students of BZ3615 class in 2010 (Edward Tsen, Ian and Phoon Sook Ngoh), Lisa Stevenson, John Marshall, Kristina Krueger, Ryan Enright, Jenell de la Pena, Cassandra Denne, Julia Koburg, Melanie Adams, Ole Petter Orhagen, Ashleigh Proud, Anton Fitzgerald, Jacob Vogenberg, Stephen Zozaya, Caitlin Devor, Theophilus Teo, Dr. Yansen Yansen, Michael Whiteside, Karl-Martin Calestam, Katie Hall, Gina Lonati, Jeremy Day, Lawson Butcher, and Kyle Newton. - iii - Savita Francis arranged technical support to provide a suitable environment within the temperature controlled room for the seed germination experiment. Dr. Yansen Yansen and Katja Bormann offered help on the experiment. Assistance on the provenance experiment was provided by Danni Su, Katja Bormann, Bogna Waters, Karl-Martin Calestam, Melanie Adams, Caitlin Devor and Gina Lonati. I had a fruitful discussion with Prof. Bob Lawn from MTB regarding the appropriate experimental design to remove confounding variables. Dr. Peter Thrall and Dr. Alan Richardson from CSIRO kindly provided useful advice on measures to prevent bacterial contamination and/or methods in preparing sterilised nutrient solutions. The long tubes used in the drought experiment were borrowed from Mike Nicholas of CSIRO. Dr. Chris Wurster, from JCU Advanced Analytical Unit (AAC) in Cairns, undertook isotope analysis of plant samples with a Mass Spectrometer. Autoclaving of soil and sterilisation of nutrient solution / water with ultra-violet radiation were made possible by Heather Veilleux and Blanche Danastasi, the former managers of the Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory in JCU. - iv - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research cannot only be completed without the primary research grant from NCCARF as well as the additional funding from PSSF and TVDL. My supervisors, Dr. Robert Congdon and Prof. Joseph Holtum, have been extremely kind and helpful from day one when I showed up on campus. They were willing to discuss any problems I encountered even though they were already fully occupied by teaching and research-related duties. I always found it interesting to get into their offices because their bookshelves were always stacked with many new books about tropical ecosystems, woodlands, forests and nutrient cycling. Perhaps the most important thing was the relief of getting hints from them on overcoming all sorts of research difficulties. It gives me great pleasure in acknowledging the valuable advice and assistance provided by students, volunteers, administrative staff, and scientists whose names were described in the previous section. Some of them came from different organizations such as Queensland Herbarium, DERM, the Acacia study group, CSIRO, AAC and the MTB in JCU. Prof. Rhondda Jones and Dr. Leone Bielig have already retired so I felt lucky when they kindly agreed to advise on statistics and review my thesis drafts respectively. The depth and breadth of knowledge that I have acquired from my research over the past few years have increased so much that it has surprised many of my friends and even myself. Life has always been a series of journeys to me; the training in one journey prepares you for the next. So I must thank Alan, Clarus, Guillermo, Andy and Agnes for being my colleagues in WWF Hong Kong, where I worked for more than three years before coming to Australia. Alan, Clarus, Guillermo and Andy reminded me of the beauty of science and the importance of upholding scientific principles in protecting our mother nature. Agnes taught me the importance of integrity and how to communicate science effectively with the general public. They were very encouraging upon hearing my plan of coming to JCU. Alan, Clarus and Guillermo, constantly presenting all sorts of challenges as my supervisors, not only introduced me to applied critical thinking but also demonstrated the importance of standing up for one’s own belief, regardless of the difficulty up ahead. I should also thank Captain, a bird ecologist, who has been a good friend and a close working partner from another conservation organization. Also, Dr. Billy Hau from HKU introduced to me the interesting aspects of forest restoration. These experts have trained me well for the challenge of academic research and dragged me out of my frog well. The encouragement by some of my best friends throughout the study is indispensable. They include Man-Yeung who will soon complete his Ph.D degree on cancer cell research in UK, and - v - Gallant and Matthew who regularly listened to my frustration about both personal and academic matters in the past few years. Special thanks go to Michelle, Shirley, Reiko, Aggie, Cinderella, Grace and Bobo for listening to my study problems from the other side of the globe. I will not forget the laughings with my friends from St. Mark’s College – Lisa, Mehrad, Cyan, Stephanie, Donny, Thalia, Christine, Wade, Jacob, Catherine, Caitlin, Ryan, Kathy, Matt, Priscilla, Mini, Mary, Scryley, Mary and Andrew. I am indebted to my girlfriend Jessica Pang for her love and full support. Fortunately, she loves plants as much as she loves me. But still it is very difficult for her to be living in Hong Kong and devoting her love to a person who cannot be touched or hugged. If falling in love is like starting a new research project, it is fortunate for me to deduce that this ongoing research of mine will answer all the questions I have for the rest of my life. There is no need to write phrases like ‘more research is needed’ in the final discussion! Last but not least, this thesis is dedicated to my family. Studying in Australia would not be possible without them supporting my living expenses and tuition fees. Their love is much cherished and recalled from time to time. In return I have equipped myself with the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare for a better future, both for myself and for the nature I am keen to protect. “ It does not matter who teach you, what they teach you and why they teach you. What matters the most is what ideas you can develop from the established knowledge in a logical and coherent manner. Stay foolish and hungry, be open-minded, constantly reflect on learning outcomes and maintain the will to act.