Book of Abstracts

Ecological Society of Australia 60th Anniversary Conference 30 November – 4 December 2020 Page 1 of 134

Once bitten twice shy: Using Taste Aversion to protect wild Freshwater Crocodiles from Cane toads. Miss Abhilasha Aiyer1, Dr. Georgia Ward-Fear2, Prof. Rick Shine2, Dr. Ruchira Somaweera3, Assoc. Prof. Tina Bell1 1The University of Sydney - School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia, 2Macquarie University - School of Biological Sciences, Sydney, Australia, 3CSIRO, Perth, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Abhilasha Aiyer, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: Abhi is an Honours candidate at the University of Sydney with a passion for applied conservation research and threatened species management. Her current project involves designing practical solutions to ecological challenges; namely using animal behaviour to mitigate against invasive species.

In Northern Australia, invasive Cane toads have caused large population declines in anurophagous predators including: quolls, varanids, large elapids and freshwater crocodiles. Conditioned Taste Aversion therapy (where a subject associates the taste of food with nauseous symptoms caused by an imbedded chemical) has been utilised as a conservation intervention to mitigate toad impacts. But to succeed, deployment strategies need to consider the behaviour, physiology and ecology of the target predator (and potential nuisance species).

In a first, we trialled bait deployments with wild Freshwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus johnsoni) in-situ to develop best practice protocols for landscape level training ahead of the Cane toad frontline. We designed a custom baiting apparatus for deployment around waterbodies and investigated how bait placement and timing influenced bait uptake by crocodiles and non-target species.

Of all baits consumed (16%), 70% were taken by off-target species (varanids = 12%, raptors = 22%, meat ants 35%). However, the location of the bait along the apparatus significantly determined species visitation (P<0.0001). Crocodiles favoured baits positioned over the water (80%), versus the water’s edge (15%) or bank (5%) and constituted 84% of all water baits taken by all species. Contrary to expected, crocodiles actively foraged both diurnally and nocturnally, however foraging behaviour differed significantly for other predators (P<0.05). Our results also suggest that local ecological factors including food availability and vegetation cover influence bait uptake, as does bait age.

We discuss the broader implications of our study in developing species-specific baiting strategies for the conservation of vulnerable reptilian predators.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Post-Heatwave Seed Germination: Don't Panic! Miss Philippa Alvarez1,2, Dr Brad Murray1, Dr Cathy Offord2 1University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia, 2Australian Botanic Gardens, Mt Annan, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - Philippa Alvarez, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Philippa has just completed her Masters in Science (Research) at the University of Technology Sydney. She hopes to continue her studies with a focus in ecology and the effects of climate change on plants, specifically seeds.

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Human-induced climate change is the primary source of a global increase in temperature and a global increase in extreme weather events such as heatwaves. Heatwaves are increasing in intensity and frequency causing detrimental changes to plant communities worldwide, with the temperate woodlands in southeastern Australia as no exception. Native plant species in the Cumberland Plain Woodland (CPW) are expected to see an increase in high intensity and frequent heatwaves, leaving the most vulnerable aspect of the plant lifecycle, the seed, at risk of changing the biodiversity of this threatened ecological community. In this talk, I aim to understand the link between the physiological mechanisms behind seed germination and the ecological context of these species to understand the future plant community composition of the CPW region. My results showed that species were more resilient to the heatwaves with no significant effect of treatment on the species, however, I did find a species x treatment interaction and a significant effect of species. A few species were found to be driving the species x treatment interaction and so, with this information, I decided to delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms causing this interaction through a study into the life-history traits of species. I found that life-history traits were related to the interspecific patterns of variation in all three germination attributes with life form having the greatest influence over seed germination, seed mass and dormancy both also influencing germination attributes to a lesser degree and fire response only partially influencing germination attributes.

Soil microbial succession after fire in logged Tasmanian wet eucalypt forests Mr Hans Ammitzboll1, Prof Greg Jordan1, Dr Sue Baker1, Dr Jules Freeman2, Dr Andrew Bissett3 1University Of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Australia, 2Scion, Rotorua, New Zealand, 3CSIRO, Hobart, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - Hans Ammitzboll, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Hans is a current PhD student at UTAS where he is using molecular techniques to study the effects of logging and burn severity on the composition and succession of soil bacterial and fungal communities

We investigated the community composition and abundance of bacterial and fungal soil microbes across a burn severity gradient one-, six-, and twelve-months post-fire in logged temperate wet eucalypt forests in Tasmania, Australia. We used next-generation sequencing and real-time qPCR of bacterial 16S and fungal ITS1 rRNA to calculate the composition and abundance of soil microbial communities. We demonstrate that i) burn severity remains a strong driver of soil microbial community compositions twelve-months post-burn, ii) bacteria and fungi rapidly recover biomass lost due to high-intensity burning, and iii) fungi are more sensitive to the impacts of logging and burn-severity than bacteria. Our research suggests that succession is occurring relatively quickly in bacterial communities, but fungi require more time to recover to a post-disturbance state. Understanding how the recovery of these soil communities relates to the regenerating vegetation will be critical for elucidating links between aboveground and belowground ecology.

Faunal responses to fire in Australian tropical savannas: lessons from field experiments Professor Alan Andersen1 1Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Alan Andersen, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Page 3 of 134

Alan Andersen is a University Professorial Fellow at Charles Darwin University. He has conducted research on fire in Australian tropical savannas for three decades, including playing leading roles in the Kapalga and TWP fire experiments and the Tiwi Carbon Study.

Fire is particularly frequent, complex and contentious in the vast tropical savannas of northern Australia, where declines in many threatened species are associated with fire, and substantial areas are under fire management for greenhouse-gas abatement. Here I present key insights into faunal responses to fire in Australian tropical savannas that have been revealed by controlled field experiments, along with their lessons for fire management. The key insights are: (1) Most faunal groups are remarkably resilient to fire; (2)The most important effects of fire are typically indirect through habitat modification, even when there is substantial direct mortality; (3) Fire intensity is not as important a factor as is widely thought; rather, the most important component of fire regimes appears to be fire frequency; (4) There will always be winners and losers with any fire; and (5) Fire is required for the maintenance of diversity. A combination of frequently (every 2-3 years) and less frequently (every ≥5 years) burned habitat may adequately conserve the great majority of animal species in Australian tropical savannas without a need for complex fire mosaics. Special management attention is required for frequent-fire losers because of an extremely low representation of longer-unburnt habitat. The insights are widely applicable to tropical grassy ecosystems more generally, and some – the importance of indirect effects through habitat change, the trade- off between fire winners and losers, and the overall importance of fire in maintaining biodiversity, are also widely applicable to other fire-prone biomes.

Ecophysiological mechanisms underpinning resilience to climate change in the Northern Jarrah Forest (Western Australia) Mr Nate Anderson1,2, Dr Joe Fontaine2, Dr Lewis Walden3, Dr Wolfgang Lewandrowski1,4, Dr Katinka Ruthrof5 1Kings Park Science, Perth, Australia, 2Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia, 3Curtin University, Bentley, Australia, 4University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia, 5Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Nathan Anderson, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: I am an honours student at Murdoch University and based out of Kings Park. My research focuses on forest responses to disturbance (drought and bushfire) after the 2016 Yarloop fire in Western Australia.

The southwest of Australia is predicted to become drier and hotter in the future. As such, the risk of wildfire extent and severity will also increase. Knowing how our forest ecosystems will respond to drought, wildfire, and a combination of these disturbance events, is critical for underpinning management, mitigation strategies and adaptive decision-making.

The Northern Jarrah Forrest (NJF) comprises over a million hectares of dry sclerophyll forest with over 850 described vascular plant species within the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR) - a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot. In 2016, a wildfire burned through aproximately 36,000ha of the NJF en route to the towns of Yarloop and Waroona.

This project looked at the ecophysiological responses underpinning post-fire recovery (e.g. leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence) on re-sprouting stems of the dominant keystone

Page 4 of 134 species Eucalyptus marginata across sites impacted by drought and fire. Measurements were taken in the summer and winter to establish seasonal variation in plant performance.

Pre-dawn leaf water potentials were significantly lower in high drought sites, while low drought sites experienced little to no variation in pre-dawn leaf water potential between the seasons. Preliminary analysis of the results demonstrate that drought severity has been the primary factor in E. marginata recovery after the fire, with fire severity as a secondary factor. These results suggest a continued warming and drying of the southwest are likely to have adverse impacts on vulnerable portions of forest within the SWAFR.

Modelling the climate limits of plant functional trait strategies Dr Samuel Andrew1, Dr Karel Mokany1, Dr Daniel Falster2, Dr Rachael Gallagher3 1Land and Water CSIRO, Acton, Australia, 2University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 3Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - Samuel Andrew, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Dr Samuel Andrew’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at CSIRO is part of the Environomics Future Science Platform and aims to explore how genomic and phenotypic variation can be used to explain the range of climate conditions plant species can adapt to.

The ability to identify species that are vulnerable to climate change enables proactive management and monitoring of species before they suffer population reductions. Proactive species management could prove more effective and less costly than reactively responding to climate change impacts. However, the ability to estimate the capacity of species to adapt to changing conditions remains elusive when considering large numbers of species, due to limitations in the availability of high-quality data on adaptive capacity. Functional traits are linked to many aspects of species life history and thermal tolerance, with different phenotypes of these traits reflecting alternate strategies for adapting to varied climate. If these functional trait strategies are correlated with the climate range of species, then the viable climate limits of functional trait strategies can be estimated. Using trait data for a large proportion of Australian plant species (leaf size, seed mass and height for 6700 species from 27 Australian plant families), we calculate viable climate limits and use future climate scenarios to model the climate limits of functional trait strategies. We show that species growing in conditions beyond the normal range of climates for their trait strategy are generally found in the most extreme climates. With the exception of minimum winter temperature, the proportion of species that occur in locations beyond their expected climate limits is projected to increase under climate change, though the majority of species will remain within the range of climates expected to be tolerated based on their traits.

Landscape level assessment of tree drought mortality in forests of the Strathbogie Ranges in Australia Dr Stefan K. Arndt1, Benjamin Wagner1, Dr Patrick Baker1, Dr Craig Nitschke1 1The University of Melbourne, Richmond, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (2) - Stefan Arndt, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Stefan is particularly interested to understand how plants respond to environmental stresses like heat or drought and how we can use this knowledge to select plants for future climates. He also investigates how ecosystems respond to changes in climate.

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A very dry autumn in 2019 lead to patchy tree canopy collapse in the Strathbogie Ranges, north of Melbourne. Large patches of eucalypt forest showed signs of tree drought mortality, but it was not clear if this apparent tree mortality was 1) widespread or only a local occurrence; 2) if it was related to harsher weather conditions in certain locations; and 3) if some eucalypt species were more impacted than others. We used a combination of remote sensing data, gridded climate information and ground based plot assessments to investigate these questions. Using Landsat imagery from one year before and shortly after the drought event we calculated the plot difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) for the entire Strathbogie Ranges. This index is used to detect bushfire impact in forests, but was able to detect the drought canopy collapse accurately. However, while the method was slightly too sensitive it accurately predicted all areas with a high degree of drought canopy collapse. Overall the drought canopy collapse was not widespread and was detected in six local areas. Gridded climate analysis revealed that rainfall or temperature in summer and autumn of 2019 was unlikely to have caused the canopy collapse on its own. It is most likely that shallow soils and occurrence of rocky outcrops reduced soil water availability of the impacted trees. Plot based inventories confirmed that tree canopy collapse occurred in all five eucalypt species that are common in the region and there was no difference in the drought vulnerability among species.

Shapes of thermal plasticity vary among trait types in an alpine plant Dr Pieter Arnold1, Ms Shuo Wang1, Ms Alexandra Catling1, Prof Loeske Kruuk1, Prof Adrienne Nicotra1 1The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - Pieter Arnold, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: I am a postdoc interested in evolutionary ecology and physiology of organisms, particularly the responses of functional traits to environmental changes and challenges. My research spans both animals and plants, with recent emphasis on responses and tolerance to temperature extremes.

Our rapidly warming climate poses immense challenges for organisms and understanding the role of phenotypic plasticity in responding to these challenges is now a critical objective in ecology. However, plasticity is often oversimplified as a linear response to environmental variation and is often generalised across traits when the responses of one type of trait are likely to differ markedly from another. Here, we studied an Australian alpine herb, Wahlenbergia ceracea, to determine the shape of reaction norms in 14 traits. We measured responses in germination, allocation, thermal physiology, and fitness trait groups across a thermal gradient of 12 temperatures. Different types of traits showed strikingly different responses to temperature: thermal physiology traits were relatively unresponsive to temperature, whereas germination traits exhibited extreme non-linear plasticity, and growth and fitness traits were also non-linear, peaking at intermediate temperatures. Variance in plasticity among families was lowest for those traits that are most critical for responding or tolerating environmental extremes, such as heat tolerance, suggesting that physiological tolerance traits are canalised because they are so critical to performance. In contrast, variation in means, and plasticity in some cases, among families in germination and fitness traits suggests that these have the potential to respond not only to the environment in the short term, but also to selection over time. Our results illustrate how reaction norms may be highly non-linear and differ greatly between different trait types, indicating that whilst physiology may be more resistant to changing temperatures, growth and fitness are much more strongly affected.

Saving our Species: a framework for conservation action Dr Nancy Auerbach1, Daniel Cain2, Hannah Matthews2, Sally Miller3, Ian Radosavljevic1 1NSW Government Saving Our Species, Parramatta, Australia, 2NSW Government Saving our Species, Coffs Harbour, Australia, 3NSW Government Saving our Species, Jindabyne, Australia Page 6 of 134

POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Dr Auerbach’s present role is with the NSW government’s Saving our Species program, which aims to cost- effectively secure threatened species. Her research in decision theory and prioritisation of spatially-explicit threat management inspired her to support the practical implementation of SoS.

Effectively tracking and communicating management outcomes that demonstrate the benefits of conservation program investment is imperative for transparency and accountability of threatened species management programs. However, scaling reporting from one to many species across a diverse range of taxa requires a flexible framework. The NSW government’s Saving our Species (SoS) program is a large-scale conservation program with the objective of cost-effectively securing threatened species. The SoS program defines practical conservation strategies – including critical actions for mitigating and monitoring threats -- for over 1,000 listed species and ecological communities. These strategies and their resulting action-level outcomes are tracked through a central SoS database. Management strategies are made available to the public through a spatially-enabled, searchable website. The framework of the database guides conservation practitioners in annually evaluating current investment in, and management efforts for, more than 450 diverse conservation projects. Critical details captured through reporting in the SoS database include long and short-term objectives, population estimates, costs, investment and whether population and threat monitoring targets have been met. The framework is flexible and adaptable for stochastic events. Each year, annual report cards summarise key details for the public, making the program outcomes transparent and accessible. Traffic lights on report cards provide a simple visual cue as to whether the project is on track for securing the species or ecological community, based on program logic. The design of the SoS framework, and data from tracking SoS conservation outcomes over time, can inform the design and implementation of other large-scale conservation programs.

Partnerships secure the conservation of Pomaderris walshii Dr David Bain1, Ms Jacqueline Devereaux2, Mr James Beattie3, Ms Sophie Natale4 1Nsw Department Of Planning, Industry And Environment, Wollongong, Australia, 2NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Fitzroy Falls, Australia, 3Wollongong Botanic Gardens, Wollongong, Australia, 4University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers - David Bain, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: David Bain is currently a threatened species officer with the NSW government. David has worked in threatened species conservation for over 15 years in the public, private and NGO sectors in a range of capacities.

Pomaderris walshii is a critically endangered shrub growing in the southern highlands of south eastern NSW. It is restricted to a single wild population of less than 150 individuals. Collaborative research and management has resulted in improved understanding of habitat and species biology, two translocations doubling the wild population size and improved population and land management.

Long-term monitoring showed a lack of recruitment in the population and senescing of older individuals. A conservation plan was developed, bringing together a range of researchers and practitioners from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, University of Wollongong, Wollongong Botanic Gardens and NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. Page 7 of 134

Research was undertaken into seed viability and the germination response to fire. The findings showed high seed predation and a strong germination response to heat. Practical management outcomes include the discovery of a new sub-population and development of an ecological burn plan at known locations of senesced plants.

Due to the poor recruitment and small population size, a genetically diverse ex-situ insurance population was developed. Two translocations have been successfully undertaken at different locations. One includes an experimental focus on understanding microhabitat preferences. Both translocations consider the best opportunity for genetic mixing and the production of viable seed for further recruitment.

The collaborative research and management has provided new understanding of the species ecology, improved species management and strengthened the long term conservation of the species.

Evolving to ecological extremes: A review and meta-analysis of heritability estimates in corals Mr Kevin Bairos-Novak1, Prof Sean Connolly1,2 1James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, 2Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, , Panama

SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Kevin Bairos-Novak, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: I am a PhD candidate in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. My research aims to understand the evolution of thermotolerance in coral populations using results from micro-evolutionary experiments combined with mechanistic modelling of coral demography.

Anthropogenic climate change constitutes a rapidly intensifying selective pressure shaping the world’s coral reefs. With the increased frequency and severity of mass bleaching events, there is a growing need to understand the rate at which coral populations are likely to evolve. However, adaptation can only occur at a rate proportional to the narrow-sense heritability coefficient, h². Here, we review and meta-analyze more than 90 heritability estimates for various coral species across the Indo-Pacific, Pacific, Atlantic, and Red Sea. Of the studies reporting h², most are limited to specific life stages and measured traits, such as larval stages, survival/settlement success, growth, and symbiont abundance. Instead, many studies report broad-sense heritability (H²) using clonal common garden designs; however, these estimates tend to overestimate the adaptive potential of corals through the inclusion of many non-heritable sources of genetic variation such as dominance and epistasis. Finally, we synthesize available heritability estimates in a meta-analysis. We find differential heritability of coral traits, such as lower heritability in measures of gene expression, while traits such as symbiont community composition and survival/settlement success reporting much higher heritability. Interestingly, the relative treatment temperature during experiments had little influence on heritability, suggesting heritability may be a robust quantity to measure and predict evolutionary responses to climate change in corals. Additionally, the contribution of additive genetic effects vs. other genetic effects is compared by contrasting H² vs. h². Our analysis suggests that corals may have higher adaptive potential than previously assumed in recent evolutionary models of coral populations.

Multispecies trends for Australia’s imperilled birds in protected areas Dr Elisa Bayraktarov1, Dr Diego F. Correa1, Dr Andrés F. Suarez-Castro1, Prof Stephen T. Garnett3, Dr Nicholas A. Macgregor4, Prof Hugh P. Possingham1, Dr Ayesha I.T. Tulloch5

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1The University Of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2Griffith Univerisity, Nathan, Australia, 3Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia, 4Parks Australia, Canberra, Australia, 5University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change (1) - Elisa Bayraktarov, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: Elisa Bayraktarov is an ecologist mobilising and interrogating data to solve environmental problems. Elisa worked with eNGOs, academia and governments to develop Australia’s Threatened Species Index. Currently, Elisa is the EcoCommons Program Manager – the go-to portal for environmental modelling.

Protected areas are important for preventing biodiversity declines, yet indicators of species’ trends in protected areas rarely include threatened species. We use data from the first national Threatened Species Index (TSX) developed in Australia to report on trends for threatened and near-threatened birds inside and outside of terrestrial and marine protected areas (PAs). The TSX represents the most comprehensive collation of threatened species population time series and trends ever for Australia. We adopted the Living Planet Index to calculate trends for 39 bird taxa at 16,742 monitoring sites (11,539 inside and 5,203 outside PAs) between 1985 and 2016. At a continental scale, the overall decline in the national index was smaller inside protected areas (66% decrease in average population abundance) than outside (77%), although after 2000 declines were greater within (36%) versus outside (26%) protected areas. Five out of seven jurisdictions showed similar switching in patterns over time. Protected areas initially had a greater net positive effect on trends of more imperilled birds than less imperilled birds, but between 2000 and 2016 declines of the most imperilled birds were greater inside protected areas than outside. The number of monitoring sites inside PAs was double that outside PAs highlighting important gaps in monitoring across space, time and taxa that need to be filled to fully understand the effectiveness of public and private conservation actions at a national level. The results underline the importance of active management plus monitoring to track and report on long-term trends across species.

Gut-passage time and viability of seeds consumed by Australian marsupials Ms Gabrielle Beca1, Ms Bryony Palmer1, Dr Leonie Valentine1, Dr Todd Erickson1,2, Prof Richard Hobbs1 1School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, 6009, Perth, Australia, 2Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, 6005, Perth, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: I am a wildlife ecologist and my main interest is in understanding if digging mammals can assist in restoring disturbed landscapes. I am graduated in Ecology and MSc in Ecology and Biodiversity at São Paulo State University, Brazil.

Many Australian mammals consume seeds, but their role in seed dispersal through endozoochory has not been well explored. Here, we investigated the mean retention time and the post-consumption germination capacity for seeds, under laboratory conditions, of three Western Australian shrub species (Acacia acuminata, Dodonaea viscosa and Gastrolobium calycinum) likely to be consumed by quenda (Isoodon fusciventer) and woylies (Bettongia penicillata). Mean excretion times were relatively rapid; 13 hours for quenda and 23 hours for woylies, but some seeds were retained in their digestive passages for up to 48 and 55 hours, respectively. Viable seeds of all three plant species were retrieved from both species’ scat. There was no consistent pattern in the changes to the germination capacity for consumed seeds compared to unconsumed (control) seeds. However, germination was generally lower for consumed seeds. Only G. calycinum seeds ingested by quenda had a significantly higher germination percentage than control seeds. Our results show that quenda

Page 9 of 134 and woylies have the potential to act as seed dispersers through endozoochory and may play a larger role in seed dispersal than previously thought.

Prescribed burning for multiple objectives – the case for carbon and water Associate Professor Tina Bell1, Ms Danica Parnell1, Dr David Pepper1, Dr Malcolm Possell1, Dr Mengran Yu1 1University of Sydney, Everleigh, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Tina Bell, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Tina Bell is a specialist in fire ecology with experience working in forests, woodlands and heathlands across Australia. Her research investigates the effect of bushfire and planned fire on carbon and nutrient cycling and plant responses to disturbance.

Forests provide a multitude of services including tangible resources such as wood products and recreational facilities to less easily quantified services including biodiversity, supply of potable water and carbon sequestration. A large proportion of southern Australia is forested and represents both valuable water catchments and enormous carbon storage that should be sustained. Depending on forest type, there are major differences in the effects of the type and extent of fire and hydrology and carbon cycling. These differences point to the capability of using different prescribed burning strategies in different parts of forested landscapes to mitigate the risks associated with loss of ecosystem services. While the primary goal of prescribed burning is for removal or reduction of fuel to minimise the risk of bushfire affecting life and property, we are investigating the possibility of refining fire management of forests to encompass other risks. Our current research efforts range from fine-scale analysis of dynamics of carbon in surface and near surface fuels to landscape-scale predictors of change in tree water use after fire. We have collected an extensive set of empirical data from both the laboratory and the field to test predictive models of carbon transformations and hydrology.

Habitat preferences in sympatry and allopatry of two closely-related albatross species Ms Lily K Bentley1,2, Prof Andrea Manica1, Prof Richard Phillips2 1University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Lily Bentley, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: After graduating from the University of Queensland (BA/BSc (Hons)) I began my PhD with the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Cambridge in 2017. I am interested in where and how highly mobile animals travel through their environments.

Foraging habitat choice is likely influenced by both physiological limitations and environmental factors, including inter- and intra-specific competition. By comparing the foraging strategies and habitat use of morphologically-similar species, we can elucidate the flexibility of their behavioural strategies and understand their ecosystem roles across ocean basins. Additionally, identifying the key ecological processes that underpin behaviour in a dynamic marine environment (and presumably drive selection) is made easier by studying multiple populations of the same species, and their close relatives. In this study, we analyse the breeding-season movements and habitat preferences of light mantled (Phoebetria palpebrata) and sooty (P. fusca) albatrosses tracked using GPS loggers and satellite-transmitters from most major sympatric and Page 10 of 134 allopatric populations in the southern oceans. These include Gough, South Georgia, Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen, Amsterdam and Macquarie islands. We examine flight characteristics and spatial overlap of birds in different ocean basins. We also discuss the flexibility in foraging niches of each species and the importance of oceanographic conditions in determining habitat usage and preferences. The results have important implications for the roles of competition and habitat specialisation in the speciation process in albatrosses and other seabirds.

Global environmental pressures on terrestrial biodiversity in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica Dr Dana Bergstrom1 1Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston Tasmania 7050, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery - Dana Bergstrom, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: An applied Antarctic ecologist, working the region for over 35 years.

The Vestfold Hills is a 400 km2 ice-free oasis on the Ingrid Christenson coast, East Antarctica: it is the largest ice free area in Antarctica. Terrestrial vegetation is mainly represented by chasmoendoliths (algae or cyanobacteria growing in rock cracks), sublithics (mainly algae and cyanobacteria under rock), surface flora including lichens, mosses and surface algae. Surface plant assemblages of moss and lichen beds are found in drainage valleys and on lake edges. Lithic lichen assemblages, are found primarily on protected south or west rock faces. In this presentation I will examine what are the current global environmental pressures (in terms of chronic presses and short term pulses) on these assemblages and explore for any evidence of decadal- scale change. In particular, I will describe the impact of the circum-Antarctic heatwave experienced in the summer of 2019-20. In concluding, I will examine how these pressures compare with other locations in Antarctica and consider if ecological responses elsewhere are similar or different.

Above- and belowground impacts of an invasive species vary across landscape Dr Christina Birnbaum

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - Christina Birnbaum, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Christina is a plant ecologist interested in invasion ecology and plant-microbe-soil interactions. She uses field observations, combined with experimental manipulations and molecular tools to explore questions pertaining plant-microbe interactions in native, non-native and modified ecosystems to inform invasive species management, restoration ecology and plant-microbe dynamics.

Invasive plants often successfully occupy large areas encompassing broad environmental gradients in their invaded range, yet how the effects of invasion on ecological communities vary across space has rarely been explored. Furthermore, while the impacts of invasion on plant communities is often well studied, it is not well understood whether aboveground plant communities and belowground soil microbial communities exhibit Page 11 of 134 coordinated responses to plant invasions. Climate change (e.g. rising sea levels) is predicted to exacerbate plant-microbe interactions and facilitate the invasive species. Here we test patterns in Phragmites australis (common reed) invasion in a field survey of eight sites situated across a salinity gradient, ranging from freshwater to saline marsh, in Southeast Louisiana. At each site, we surveyed plant composition and used metagenomic methods to assess soil fungal and bacterial composition in plots within the dense Phragmites stand, in a transition zone of ~50:50 Phragmites:native plants, and in native-only areas. We found evidence that plant and microbial responses to invasion varied with salinity. Plants and microbes exhibited coupled responses to invasion in the magnitude of compositional shifts brought on by Phragmites, but Phragmites’ effects on richness were not coupled. Overall, the variability in Phragmites impacts across the gradient, particularly soil microbial impacts, suggests that it may be difficult to generalize invader effects from single- site or single-ecosystem studies. However, above and belowground communities show some coupled responses to Phragmites; thus understanding plant community responses to invasion gives some insight into impacts occurring belowground.

Assessing Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in a Culturally Diverse Mining Landscape Miss Robyn Boldy1 1The University Of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Managing a cultural landscape and building resilience in a new world reality - Robyn Boldy, November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 15:35

Biography: Robyn is a PhD student within the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Queensland. Her research is based in western Cape York and aims to understand impacts of mining on ecosystem services valued by Indigenous communities.

Mitigating the impacts of mining on ecosystem services is a critical global challenge. While environmental assessments and mitigation plans almost always consider impacts on biodiversity, few extend to the individual ecosystem services valued by local communities. As a result, mine site management, rehabilitation and compensation activities may fail to prevent the loss of some services, particularly those valued by remote Indigenous communities where peoples’ wellbeing is tightly linked to nature. In this study, we consider a region rich in both natural capital and culture – Western Cape York, Australia. We identify the ecosystem services that are most valued by Indigenous communities but also threatened by mining operations. We map the distribution of these services, including the provision of native bush foods, and compare them to areas previously identified as biodiversity hotspots (often linked to riparian vegetation). Using a mining company’s current management plan to avoid impacts on biodiversity by establishing environmental buffers, we determine the extent to which these buffers will also protect ecosystem services. Our results illustrate numerous ways to improve mine site management for both nature and people.

Adapted and adaptable? The genetics of conservation Dr Jason Bragg1, Dr Marlien van der Merwe1, Dr Samantha Yap1, Dr Maurizio Rossetto1 1Research Centre For Ecosystem Resilience, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Sydney, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Jason Bragg, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: Research Scientist at the Botanic Gardens, Sydney, interested in plants and genetics.

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This talk will describe approaches we're developing for the 'design' of ex situ collections of plants with specific restoration or conservation goals. These collections usually require choices about which individuals are planted or maintained. If we have genetic data, we can make these choices according to a simple objective, such as maximizing the genetic diversity of the collection. High genetic diversity is usually desirable, because it helps the population respond to future challenges (these collections are more 'adaptable'). However, there are also times when we might have another objective for the collection, such as increasing the representation of a fit phenotype or allele (we want the collection to be 'adapted' in some specific way). And sometimes, the objectives of increasing overall diversity and selecting for a particular trait conflict with each other, resulting in a sharp trade-off. We are working on approaches to characterizing these tradeoffs, and to figure out when it is possible to design collections that are both adapted and adaptable. The application of the approaches will be illustrated with empirical data from two plant species, Westringia frusticosa and Wilkiea huegeliana, as well as simulations. e-entomology Citizen Science enhances mosquito surveillance in urban areas Miss Larissa Braz Sousa1, Mr Stephen Fricker1, Mr Seamus Doherty4, Associate Professor Cameron Webb2,3, Dr Katherine Baldock1, Associate Professor Craig Williams1 1University Of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, 2Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Sydney, Australia, 3Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia, Sydney, Australia, 4Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (2) - Larissa Braz-Sousa, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: PhD candidate at the University of South Australia. I research the implementation of a citizen science mosquito surveillance program to yield increased information about mosquito populations and enhance public health literacy and education outcomes.

Urban mosquito surveillance in Australia faces many challenges regarding sampling and scale due to limited operational resources. Australia has a diverse mosquito fauna associated with specific ecological niches and environmental drivers of abundance. These species also vary in ecological and medical importance. A citizen science initiative ‘Mozzie Monitors’ has been implemented to assess the feasibility and reliability of data collected from citizen scientists for mosquito surveillance. The Mozzie Monitors program has been running for 2 years, collecting records of over 13,000 mosquitoes from more than 150 Citizen scientists. These citizen scientists use cheap, readily available, and easily operated mosquito traps (i.e. BG-GAT traps) in their yards to routinely collect mosquitoes and take photos of them to email to researchers for identification. The photos received have been processed and data regarding abundance and diversity of mosquitoes have been made available in a free-to-use online platform as well as through regular reports, newsletters, and social media. This citizen science derived data has been compared to formal government coordinated mosquito monitoring programs. Principal Component combined with Dissimilarity Analysis has shown that mosquito species composition was biased by trap type through comparison with historical professional mosquito surveillance dataset. Mozzie Monitors has proved effective to collect container breeding species rather than mainly salt marsh mosquitoes previously collected by a professional surveillance program. The new phase of the program is assessing people’s gain of knowledge, motivations in participating in citizen science mosquito surveillance and perceptions about mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases.

Pushing against thermal limits: Do alpine, desert and temperate species differ in thermal tolerance breadth? Page 13 of 134

Dr Verónica Briceño Rodríguez1, Dr Alicia Cook2, Dr Stephanie Courtney Jones1, Dr Andrea Leigh2, Dr Kristine French3, Dr Adrienne Nicotra1 1Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 2University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 3University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - Veronica Briceno Rodriguez, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Verónica F. Briceño, Postdoctoral Research fellow in Nicotra Lab, ANU, studying plant thermal tolerance in extreme environments in Australian and Chile

All organisms have a characteristic thermal tolerance breadth (TTB): the range between an upper and lower temperature threshold, beyond which critical physiological damage occurs. TTB has been widely studied in animals however, combined measures of low and high thermal limits are scarce in plants. This hampers our ability to predict species vulnerability to forecasted changes in extreme weather events. We measured leaf heat and cold tolerances using chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf freezing resistance determined by ice nucleation temperature in alpine, desert and temperate rainforest species during analogous warm growth seasons. We hypothesized that species from desert and alpine environments, exposed to more variable and extreme climate, would evolve wider TTB than species from more stable environments, such as temperate rainforest, where thermal specialization is expected. As predicted, desert and alpine species showed wider TTB compared to temperate species. Desert species TTB were centered on warmer temperatures reflecting the higher mean heat tolerances whereas the broadness of the alpine species came from higher mean cold tolerances. Interestingly, alpine environments contained a mix of species with narrow and wide TTB, unlike desert and temperate environments. Surprisingly, desert species were more freezing resistant than alpine species, however this pattern was not apparent in photosynthetic cold tolerance, suggesting different mechanisms to cope with freezing in these environments. The level and breadth of thermal tolerance observed exceeds what temperature extremes alpine, desert and temperate species are currently exposed to, however TTB might be surpassed under increased future extreme weather events, particularly in more stable climates.

Remote Technologies reveal Wollongong’s sponge gardens: classification approaches for diversity and ecological assessments Ms Allison Broad1, Ms Lisa Goudie2, Prof. Andrew Davis1 1School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of WollongongUniversity Of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2Sponge Consultant, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Allison Broad, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Allison Broad is a PhD Candidate in Marine Science at the University of Wollongong and an ESA Envoy. Allison’s current research focus is raising awareness of disturbance from anchor scour to benthic marine systems and ways forward for sustainable management.

Sponges often dominate deep (>30m) temperate reefs and contribute vital ecosystem services. Despite their importance, ecological studies often overlook this group due to the challenge of their identification. Scientists have attempted to overcome the hurdles of species-level identification, through development of classification schemes based on grouping individuals by morphological traits eg. CATAMI*. Recent seabed mapping and imagery has revealed extensive sponge gardens near Wollongong. Ships anchor in this region Page 14 of 134 and we are investigating the effects to rocky reef assemblages using two remote technologies; (1) Towed Underwater Video to examine large spatial scales (km’s) using the CATAMI* classification scheme and; (2) a Remotely Operated Vehicle equipped with an arm for the collection of specimens. Preliminary abundance estimates using the CATAMI scheme reveal less erect biota (algae and sessile invertebrates) in anchored versus anchor-free locations. While our collection and subsequent taxonomic classification yielded fifteen Operational Taxonomic Units, only five of these were identified to species level, one of which is yet to be formally described. These samples constituted just five of the thirteen sponge groupings under CATAMI. This work emphasises the importance of using multiple assessments of sponges in ecological studies or risk underestimating the diversity of one of the world’s oldest life-forms.

* CATAMI - Collaborative and Annotation Tools for Analysis of Marine Imagery and Video

Seeing drought from the leaf perspective Professor Timothy Brodribb1, Dr Carola Pritzkow1 1UTAS, Hobart, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (3) - Timothy Brodribb, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 17:30

Biography: My research focuses on the acquisition, transport and loss of water from plants.

Predicting the timing of tree mortality requires a precise understanding of xylem vulnerability to damage and the rate of tree dehydration. Much progress has been made in understanding xylem vulnerability, yet our capacity to monitor tree hydration remains highly inadequate. We introduce a new method for monitoring dynamic leaf water potential and present some results from a heatwave in 2019, showing an important impact of overnight temperature on leaf hydration.

Snow-gum dieback—current knowledge and opportunities to gain unique insights to a widespread phenomenon Dr Matthew Brookhouse1 1Australian National University, Acton, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (2) - Matthew Brookhouse, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Matthew is a Senior Lecturer in the Fenner School of Environment and Society (ANU) with dendrochronological and wood-anatomical research interests. He is leading collaborative research efforts focussed on understanding wood-borer induced dieback of snow-gum woodland in the Australian Alps.

Australia’s high-elevation snow-gum forests play key roles in montane ecological and hydrological processes and are of immense economic and cultural significance. Decline of these stands would have far-reaching direct and cascading impacts. Following preliminary reports of isolated tree deaths in Kosciuszko National Park in 2008, snow-gum stands are now in decline throughout the Australian Alps. Although largely restricted to high-elevation stands of Eucalyptus niphophila and E. debeuzevillei, severe outbreaks are evident in lower- elevation E. lacrimans stands. Field observations and preliminary data indicate this phenomenon—known as snow-gum dieback—is proximally associated with outbreaks of native Cerambycid beetles. In contrast to fire, severe snow-gum dieback affects both above- and below-ground components of affected trees, leaving no capacity for vegetative regeneration. While historic mapping indicates patch-level dieback of snow-gum has Page 15 of 134 occurred previously, the extent of the current outbreak appears to exceed that of earlier events. Although known associations exist between drought stress and the insect genus linked to snow-gum dieback are suggestive, no clear evidence exists linking climate to the phenomenon. The role of disturbance is also unknown. This talk will focus on describing snow-gum dieback and outlining ongoing collaborative research aimed at resolving the extent and drivers of snow-gum dieback, and opportunities for control. In particular, the region within which the outbreak is occurring offers the opportunity to apply dendrochronology, dendrometry and wood anatomy to gain insights not only to the timing of dieback itself, but also to the nature of preconditioning triggers.

Thinking outside the box: a novel nest box design with improved thermal properties Mr Michael N Callan1,2,3, Dr David M Watson3 1Habitech Pty Ltd, Bathurst, Australia, 2Neophema Environmental, Bathurst, Australia, 3Charles Sturt University, Thurgoona, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Animals / Management and mitigation) - Michael Callan, November 30, 2020, 16:00 - 17:55

Biography: Mick Callan is a Director of Neophema Environmental and Habitech Pty Ltd. Mick has recently completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) through Charles Sturt University where he researched novel alternatives to timber nest boxes for arboreal vertebrate fauna.

Tree hollows are a critical resource for thousands of species of birds, arboreal mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates globally. Hollows are a declining resource due to widespread land clearing and the disproportionate loss of large trees, with artificial refuges, typically in the form of nest boxes, used to offset diminished hollow availability. While nest boxes may be an effective solution in some contexts, consistent evidence is emerging that many species of conservation concern will not use nest boxes, which may be due to their highly variable microclimate compared to natural hollows. Here we describe the development of a novel nest box design that is light weight, yet well insulated, providing a stable temperature and humidity. In temperature-controlled laboratory trials, 3D printed, double-walled nest boxes with timber inserts recorded maximum temperatures (range 23.69 – 24.77 °C) that were significantly lower than the ambient maximum temperature of 30.97 °C. Additionally, nest boxes furnished with decomposed heartwood material recorded significantly higher mean humidity values of 76.13 – 91.66% (n = 8) compared with both ambient (32.41%) and a nest box that was unfurnished (33.16%). Across three separate thermal trials, 3D printed nest boxes with timber inserts demonstrated significantly more stable thermal profiles in comparison with ambient temperatures, and markedly less fluctuation than two other nest box designs. These novel boxes are able to provide a stable thermal environment, suitable for hollow-dependent fauna, and critical to their reproductive success, particularly when faced with a warming climate.

The multilevel society of a cooperatively breeding songbird Mr Ettore Camerlenghi1, Dr Carly Cook1, Dr Anne Peters1 1Monash University, School of Biological Sciences, Clayton, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Ettore Camerlenghi, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: Ettore Camerlenghi is a PhD candidate interested in how ecological features of animal populations can affect the social structure of their societies. Page 16 of 134

Many complex social systems exist in nature. The most complex of these are multilevel societies, where social levels are hierarchically nested within each other (e.g. family units inside bands, inside clans, inside troops). To date, these complex social organisations were considered to only occur in humans, primates and a small number of other mammalian species. Yet recent research suggest multilevel societies might also occur within other taxonomic groups. We contribute to this nascent literature by documenting the first case of a multilevel society in a passerine bird - the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus). Over two consecutive years, we investigated social connections among individuals in a population of this cooperatively breeding song bird, during both breeding and non-breeding seasons. Our findings reveal a structured, multilevel society with three hierarchical social levels across a year: multi-male breeding groups (stable across breeding seasons) form into supergroups (a stable but temporary merger between neighbouring breeding groups) and by winter all these form into flocks, in which the supergroups display fission and fusion dynamics. Our results provide evidence that multi-level sociality is more widespread within vertebrates that previous believed and that such complex social organisations might be linked with seasonality in resources availability.

Wanaka Wan’kurra? Biocultural investigation of critical weight range mammal resilience in north east Arnhem Land. Miss Bridget Campbell1, Yirralka Rangers Yirralka Rangers2, Dr Rachael Gallagher1, Dr Emilié Ens1 1Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia, 2Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation, Yirrkala, North east Arnhem Land , Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge 10th Anniversary Symposium - Bridget Campbell, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Bridget recently completed her Masters of Research thesis on combining Yolŋu Indigenous knowledge and Western science to assess the resilience of mammal species undergoing decline. She intends to continue her collaborative research with the Yirralka Rangers with a PhD candidacy.

Recognising the connection between biological and cultural resilience, international and national governing bodies have mandated for engaging Indigenous groups in conservation and land management activities. Nevertheless, in Australia there remains limited research focused on the dual directives of biological and cultural resilience. A collaboration between researchers from Macquarie University and the Yolŋu Yirralka Rangers form north east Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, this research aimed to address this gap. Together we conducted interviews to record Yolŋu knowledge of six critical weight range mammal species in a region considered to represent the current limits of their distribution. Results suggested that four study species have been undergoing declines: two critically endangered species, Dasyurus hallucatus and Mesembriomys gouldii, as well as two listed as least concern, Isoodon macrourus and Trichosurus vulpecula. Insights into population dynamics of Melomys burtoni and Sminthopsis virginiae were limited due to their classificatory grouping by Yolŋu. Yolŋu knowledge holders also maintained more in-depth knowledge of culturally significant species, demonstrating the connection between cultural and biological conservation. For two culturally significant species (wan’kurra (I. macourus) and marrŋu (T.vulpecula)), species distribution models were produced and overlaid with Yolŋu knowledge for increased insights. Our work showcased novel methods to engage Indigenous knowledge holders that could enhance species threat assessments and management, especially at regional scales. Ultimately, we suggest respectful research collaborations with Indigenous knowledge holders will be instrumental to ensure the future resilience and restoration of the biological and cultural, or rather the ‘biocultural’ landscape of Australia.

Knowledge synthesis to guide large-scale species recovery: why we need it and where we're at? Page 17 of 134

Dr Josie Carwardine1, Dr April Reside2, Ms Michelle Ward2, Mr CJ Yong2, Prof James Watson2 1CSIRO, Dutton Park, Australia, 2University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Approaches for detailing threats, actions and management costs for threatened species recovery across broad scales - Josie Carwardine, December 1, 2020, 16:00 - 18:00

Biography: Dr Josie Carwardine is a Research Scientist at CSIRO, specialising in biodiversity decision analysis, including for threatened species and multi-value systems. Dr Carwardine works with diverse stakeholders to support values, goals and outcomes of decisions for nature and people.

The recovery of Australia’s biodiversity requires managing multiple threatening processes across large and diverse regions. Resources for threat abatement are typically prioritised and allocated at state and federal levels, while actions are planned operationally and implemented at regional and local scales, guided by local data, expertise and values. Bringing together the best information for national prioritisation is challenging, but necessary to ensure investments generate defensible, effective outcomes for threatened species and other species and landscape values. We identified the lack of a national scale understanding and information to guide the threat abatement actions required to achieve species recovery at large scales, and sought to redress this gap using a knowledge synthesis approach. Our work brings together leading expertise and data on species, threats, actions to abate threats, and their costs. Our framework for collating and combining information can reconcile national level priorities with local knowledge, with the goal of supporting and building upon current conservation efforts across Australia.

A cool growth environment enhances photosynthetic heatwave resistance and resilience in cool-wet climate region trees Ms Anthea Challis1, Dr Collin Ahrens1, Dr Paul Rymer1, Professor David Tissue1 1Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - Anthea Challis, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Anthea Challis' research interests lie in physiological responses of plants to drought and high temperatures. Her PhD focused on the adaptive capacity of a south west Australian tree species in response to climate change-associated water deficit, warming and heatwaves.

Rising mean temperatures and greater intensity of heatwave events are predicted under climate change. However, it is poorly understood how tree species will respond to these novel heatwave events. Therefore, we fill this gap in knowledge by testing the influence of region, growth temperature, and heatwave intensity on the capacity of saplings to maintain gas exchange processes during heatwaves (i.e. resistance) and the capacity to recover from heatwaves (i.e. resilience). Eight populations originating from contrasting temperature and rainfall regions of the southwest Australian foundation tree species, Corymbia calophylla, were grown under warm and cool growth temperature regimes using a factorial design. Well-watered saplings were exposed to a moderate or extreme 5-day heatwave event followed by a recovery period. Gas exchange processes were monitored throughout the experiment. On the first day of the heatwave, photosynthesis at saturating light (Asat) declined across all saplings relative to non-heatwave control saplings. On the last heatwave day (HWD5) and first day of recovery (RD1), saplings from the coolest-wettest climate region grown in the cool environment exhibited high Asat relative to other saplings. Furthermore, cool grown saplings had significantly higher Asat on HWD5 and RD1 than warm grown saplings.

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The higher performance of the cool-wet climate region saplings grown under the cool growth regime may reflect local adaptation. However, all trees grown in a warm growth regime had reduced resistance and resilience to heatwaves. These findings suggest that C. calophylla trees may be less tolerant to heatwave events as mean temperatures increase under climate change.

Wallabies and wildifre: how fauna and fire interact to shape coastal vegetation communities Mr Matthew Chard1, Dr Claire Foster1, Prof David Lindenmayer1, Assoc Prof Geoff Cary1, Dr Wade Blanchard1, Mr Chris MacGregor1 1Australian National University, Canberra, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Matthew Chard, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: A 3rd year PhD candidate at the ANU, Matt Chard is an upcoming bushfire ecologist. His research aims to quantify how macropods can alter future fire regimes via herbivory pathways. You should offer him a job.

Understanding mechanisms which alter natural fuel sources will be imperative in the management of future bushfires, with fire activity predicted to increase worldwide. Both fire and herbivory have the potential to significantly alter the structure and function of vegetation within an ecosystem. However, it is not often that these two disturbances are analysed in tandem. If large herbivores are present in fire-prone ecosystems, how will that influence forest communities post-fire? By altering the foraging pressure of macropods (Australia's largest native herbivores) in a bushfire effected region, we aimed to compare understorey vegetation communities using open, partial and closed treatments. Our experimental treatment significantly altered macropod presence, with scat numbers (the proxy for presence) highest in sites where macropods had complete access and lowest in the closed sites. Fire frequency was also found to increase macropod scat numbers indicating a preference for recently burnt sites (evidence of pyric herbivory). Herbivory from macropods was found to negatively affect species richness, diversity and evenness which subsequently increased dominance measures. Interestingly, fire frequency was found to positively influence richness, diversity and evenness (decreasing dominance) but only when macropods where excluded from a site. The opposite relationship was observed when macropods were allowed to access burnt sites, resulting in the most depauperate communities. Our results demonstrate the potential for herbivory within fire-prone ecosystems to alter understorey vegetation. Continual monitoring of these sites is needed to highlight long- term implications as potential feedbacks in these ecosystems may shape future bushfire potential and, therefore, shape management practices.

Investigating the determinants of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) range limits in North Queensland Miss Malaika Chawla, Dr Conrad Hoskin, Mr Lorenzo Bertola

POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: She is a part of the Wild Canids-India Project Team and has worked on a poaching threat assessment of golden jackals in India. Her broad research interests lie in understanding human-wildlife interactions, illegal wildlife trade and modelling species' distributions.

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In its invasive range in Australia, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are implicated in the decline and extinction of several native vertebrates, especially small and medium-sized mammals. Foxes were successfully introduced into Victoria in 1855 and they spread to inland southern Queensland in the early 1900s. Since then, foxes have spread through southern and central Queensland. However, there is no clear evidence regarding the eastern and northern limits of the invasive range in Queensland, and whether this range edge is expanding or stable. This knowledge gap is of serious concern because tropical north Australia, including the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, offers important refuges for many endemic small and medium sized vertebrates that would be at threat if foxes were to spread there. In order to conclusively determine the invasive range limits of foxes in north-eastern Queensland, I employ species distribution modelling to predict the potential distribution of foxes in north Queensland. Results from the modelled distribution indicated that moderate to high suitability fox habitats cover much of the extent of the Wet Tropics Bioregion, where fox presence is currently not known in detail. The distribution of these suitable habitats is linked to the cool conditions of the elevated areas. On a continent wide-scale, minimum temperature of the coldest month, precipitation of the warmest quarter and distance to roads has the greatest influence on fox distribution. The management implications of these findings are critical to guide effective pest management strategies in the Townsville region and the southern Wet Tropics.

Tree dieback associated with the 2017-2020 drought in south-eastern Australia Associate Professor Brendan Choat1, Dr Rachael Nolan1,2, Prof. Belinda Medlyn1, Ms Anthea Challis1, Ms Alice Gauthey1, Dr Adriano Losso1,3, Ms Alexandra Pongracz1,4, Mr Shubham Chhajed5, Ms Kathryn Fuller1, Ms Magnolia Song1, Dr Xine Li5,6, Dr Rhiannon Smith7, Associate Prof. Linda Beaumont5, Associate Prof. Matthias Boer1, Prof. Ian Wright5, Prof. Ben Smith1 1Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Penrith, Australia, 2Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, Wollongong, Australia, 3Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, 4Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 5Department of Biological Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, 6Department of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University , Jiangsu, China, 7Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (3) - Brendan Choat, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 17:30

Biography: Brendan Choat is an Associate Professor the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University. He studies tree response to drought with a focus on the physiological mechanisms underlying tree mortality.

South-eastern Australia was subject to a severe drought from 2017–2020, with 2019 being both the hottest and driest year on record across the continent. This extreme drought resulted in massive canopy die-off in forest and woodland vegetation throughout south-eastern Australia. We surveyed canopy dieback at 12 sites in NSW and quantified the level of impairment to the plant hydraulic system in dominant tree species at each site. A more detailed dataset was developed at one site in the New England Tablelands, allowing us to examine the role of hydraulic failure and the influence of tree size on canopy dieback in three Eucalypt tree species. Canopy dieback was observed in the majority of trees growing across the 12 sites. The proportion of canopy dieback in dominate tree species was significantly related to the level of hydraulic impairment across species and sites. At the New England site, we observed: (i) high native embolism (62–100%) and negative leaf water potential (-2.7 to -6.4 MPa) associated with extensive canopy die-off; (ii) minimum leaf water potential associated with hydraulic failure differed significantly among species; and (iii) smaller trees were more vulnerable to canopy die-off. Our results illustrated the widespread canopy dieback in forest and Page 20 of 134 woodland communities in NSW and indicate that hydraulic failure is a strong determinant of canopy dieback during drought. Given the propensity for resprouting in many Eucalypt species, further observations are required to determine levels of tree mortality caused by the drought at each site.

Losing the sub-Antarctic Professor Steven Chown1 1Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery - Steven Chown, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Steven Chown is Director of Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future, a new Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative. His areas of expertise are ecology, macrophysiology, conservation biology, and science and conservation policy for the Antarctic region.

The sub-Antarctic is a globally unusual environment. Some of the world’s most iconic species – such as albatrosses – depend to a large extent on the sub-Antarctic for their ongoing success. And it has some of the strangest terrestrial systems. Nowhere else have so many insects, typically known for flight, given it up. Now, humans are warming and drying much of the region through global actions. We have also been introducing non-indigenous species to the region for >200 years. These two environmental change drivers are interacting. And those interactions mean loss of the sub-Antarctic. Two examples illustrate how. First, non-indigenous soil-dwelling invertebrates have significant advantages over their indigenous counterparts under warm and dry climates. Invaders simply develop faster and are more tolerant of warm and dry conditions than their indigenous counterparts. Thus, they come to dominate. Unique sub-Antarctic assemblages are becoming more like common temperate ones. Second, drying conditions benefit invasive house mice. Their abundances increase and they decimate prey populations. Thus, endemic invertebrates are disappearing, leaving mice hungry. Mice have switched their attention to naïve albatross chicks, with devastating consequences. To stem this loss, both rigorous local biosecurity and active mitigation via eradication programs are required. Both are time sensitive. Biosecurity requires ongoing commitment for mitigation to be worthwhile. Mitigation requires large investments to succeed. Without both, and global action to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the sub- Antarctic will disappear. No other islands lie to the south that can be readily colonised.

Understanding the drivers is crucial to envisaging the future for semi-arid Murray Mallee woodlands Professor Mike Clarke1, Professor Andrew Bennett1 1Dept of Ecology, Environment and Evolution,Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Mike Clarke, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Professor Clarke has studied the ecology and conservation biology of birds, reptiles, mammals, fish and plants. He leads research into the impacts of fire on fauna. He also maintains an ongoing research interest in threatened species and threatening processes.

Semi-arid Mallee ecosystems occupy the interface between arid and temperate regions of southern Australia and are forecast to be subjected to significant climate change by 2050. Historically, fires in mallee ecosystems have often been large (1000s ha) but infrequent at any particular location, with some areas remaining unburnt for more than 100 years. Our research based on several major broadscale studies of the region’s Page 21 of 134 biota over the last 20 years shows the climate, coupled with the composition and structure of the vegetation, contribute to mallee ecosystems exhibiting distinct fire regimes that have a profound influence on the spatial and temporal distribution of resources available to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. We will present a set of hierarchical conceptual models that identify the key drivers and relationships that influence the role of fire in the distribution of biota in the Murray Mallee region of south-eastern Australia. First, we present a regional model as an overview of the major biogeographic, abiotic and biotic drivers operating in this system. We then present models describing post-fire successional changes in two major vegetation types in mallee ecosystems (Triodia and Chenopod Mallee), identifying drivers that change vegetation structure and how these changes affect the abundance and composition of fauna at a site. We consider how these key drivers might be affected by forecast changes in climate, the possible consequences for the mallee biota and opportunities for land managers to ameliorate potential negative impacts, while also identifying knowledge gaps that need to be addressed.

Acclimation to warming increases the thermal limits of leaf photosynthesis among Australian wheat lines Dr Onoriode Coast1,2, Dr Helen Bramley3, Prof Owen Atkin1,4 1Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, United Kingdom, 2ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia, 3Plant Breeding Institute, The University of Sydney, Narrabri, Australia, 4Division of Plant Sciences, The Australian National University, Acton, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - Onoriode Coast, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Dr Onoriode Coast is a Crop Physiologist interested in plant thermal tolerance research and the consequences of acclimation to temperature on crop yield.

Global food security is expected to be threatened by climate change and global warming. Models predict that mean daily temperature could rise by 2–5°C by 2100. We assessed the vulnerability of Australian wheat leaf photosynthesis at anthesis to future warming using a novel high-throughput thermo-fluorometer system to measure Tcrit – the temperature at which minimal chlorophyll a fluorescence rises rapidly, indicating disruption to photosystem II. The degree of acclimation of Tcrit to sustained warming and thermal safety margins (difference between Tcrit and the maximum growth temperature experienced in the field) were also determined for a diverse set of 24–50 wheat lines exposed to different thermal regimes in the field and in climate-controlled chambers. Flag leaf Tcrit ranged from 44.6–46.9°C in the field and from 42.1–44.6°C under climate-controlled conditions. Generally, Tcrit acclimated to warming, increasing by 0.07–0.13 per 1°C increase in mean maximum air temperature at anthesis. Lines with low Tcrit prior to sustained warming (‘basal’ Tcrit) increased more under warming than lines with high basal Tcrit, suggesting an upper Tcrit ceiling beyond which no lines exceeded. Without acclimation, thermal safety margins were exceeded for 60% of the wheat lines under a high-emission Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 IPCC scenario for 2090. This suggests most lines are highly vulnerable to future warming. However, acclimation reduced the number of vulnerable lines by half. While, the degree of acclimation of Tcrit to warming in wheat is quantitatively small, it nonetheless helps minimize the effect of warming on wheat leaf energy metabolism.

Adaptive capacity to climate change: Genomic underpinnings of drought tolerance in threatened eucalyptus species. Mrs Anne-cecile Colin1, Dr Paul D Rymer1, Dr Collin W Ahrens1, Dr Rose L Andrew2, Prof Justin O Borevitz3,4

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1Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond, Australia, 2School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, Australia, 3Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 4Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Anne-Cecile-Colin, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Anne-Cecile Colin is a PhD student at the Western Sydney University. Her research aims to investigate the genomic underpinnings of adaptive capacity to climate change in Eucalyptus with a focus on rare and threatened species.

Drought induced by climate change is negatively impacting natural ecosystems. Theoretically, rare species are particularly vulnerable to novel drought conditions due to their small population sizes and reduced genetic diversity. While rare species are assumed to have limited capacity to respond to rapid environmental changes, adaptive gene variants could confer resilience to future droughts. Current landscape genetics approaches are limited in identifying adaptive variants in rare species, however recent advances in whole genome sequencing and comparative analytical techniques provide opportunities to resolve these complex biological adaptations. The genus Eucalyptus is a reservoir of genetic diversity from introgressive hybridization and ancestral variation retained among lineages with ongoing speciation. However, this shared diversity causes taxonomic ambiguity, resulting in incorrect inference of trait evolution. The innovative ‘phyloGWAS’ approach leverages shared variance among related species to infer trait evolution among species. In this study, we aim to employ the phyloGWAS approach to quantify the adaptive capacity of traits important for drought tolerance in common, rare and threatened Eucalyptus species, by integrating trait, ecological, geospatial, climate and genomic data. We will assess drought response of 200 species from the Currency Creek Arboretum. Our unique application of the phyloGWAS methodology will infer the evolutionary history of drought tolerance traits across species, providing crucial genomic predictions of drought tolerance in rare and threatened species. The outcomes will help prioritize species for conservation actions such as assisted gene migration. For the conference, we aim to present the phyloGWAS approach with predictions of drought tolerance in rare Eucalyptus species.

Sympatric finches use different foraging strategies to overcome resource limitations Miss Sydney Collett1, Dr Tara Crewe1, Dr Ian Radford2, Dr Hamish Cambell1 1Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, Australia, 2Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kununurra, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Sydney Collett, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: Sydney Collett is a PhD candidate in the College of Engineering, IT and Environment and the Research Institute of Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL).

Food resources generally vary across space and time. In response, individuals can either switch their dietary selection or change the areas in which they forage for food. Australia’s tropical savannas show extreme seasonal resource fluctuations. Here we investigated how three sympatric granivorous finch species inhabiting tropical savannas responded to food scarcity in the late dry season. Individual-based movements and site occupancy were recorded using an array of automatous VHF receivers deployed over an area of

Page 23 of 134 around 200km², and dietary selection determined using tissue stable isotope analysis. We found that Masked and Long-tailed finches respond to scarce resources by broadening their diet selection and spending more time foraging within patches and less time moving between patches. Whilst Gouldian finches respond by narrowing the diet niche and and moving between patches more frequently. The study demonstrated how sympatric finch species manage to coexist through periods of low resource availability.

The secrets to finding and growing a Pretty Beard: conservation challenges for Calochilus pulchellus. Mrs Kylie Coutts-McClelland1, Dr Zoe-Joy Newby2, Mr Brian Towle3 1Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Wollongong, Australia, 2Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands, Mount Annan, Australia, 3Ecoplanning, Bulli, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Kylie Coutts-McClelland is a Senior Threatened Species Officer in the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. She enjoys collaborative projects seeking to better understand threatened species ecology, conservation and management, and remains in awe of the natural world.

Calochilus pulchellus is an endangered terrestrial orchid, listed under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Known as the Pretty Beard due to its striking colouration and labellum hairs, all records are within the Shoalhaven LGA. A single leaf emerges in late autumn and a flowering stem lasts (generally) two to three weeks; its cryptic nature makes for difficult detection. In 2011, the known population was 32 individuals from up to five locations. Monitoring between 2015-2018 observed four to eight individuals in any specific year, totalling up to 14 individuals at one site. These extremely low numbers prompted multiple research avenues, seeking to better secure the species’ long-term conservation.

An ecological burn was trialled in May 2017 at the Little Forest site to encourage emergence/flowering. Individuals weren’t observed until 2019, 15 years after the original sighting. It’s unclear whether response to fire might be delayed, or whether fire event specifics (timing, temperature, burn period) and post-burn rainfall may determine whether flowering is enhanced post-fire.

Desktop habitat modelling identified high priority potential habitat, informing targeted surveys during the 2019 peak flowering period. Two new locations, and another one not seen flowering for approximately 20 years, were identified. The surveys almost trebled the known population size, including a small range extension.

The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan are investigating germination/propagation procedures, for possible translocations. Mycorrhizal fungi essential for orchid seed germination, isolated from ex situ soil baiting, recently produced chlorophyllous seedlings. Additional hand pollination, in situ soil baiting, and pollinator trials are underway/proposed.

Supporting communities to meet their fire management goals: the evolution of the Hotspots Fire Project Ms Jennie Cramp1, Ms Kate McShea2 1NSW Rural Fire Service, Sydney Olympic Park, Australia, 2Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Chippendale, Australia

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SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers -Jennie Cramp and Kate McShea, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Jennie brings over 12 years' experience within Local and State Government in bushfire management, fire ecology, climate science, and community disaster resilience. She has a passion for nature and an interest in strengthening the adaptive capacity of communities to fire.

The Hotspots Fire Project has been delivering its unique fire management workshops to communities across NSW since 2005. A core feature of the Hotspots program is its ability to explore the interrelationship of fire with both the natural and anthropological environments. This includes identifying the unique flora and fauna features, exploring how fire interacts with the local landscape, and considering different risk and bush fire mitigation approaches in property planning. The workshops culminate in an experiential demonstration burn for landholders. The program is constructed to recognise the need to support individuals and communities to prepare for extreme events. In doing so, it builds their capacity for using fire as a land management tool. Through these components the project seeks to undertake innovative approaches to the use of fire to retain and restore healthy functional landscapes. This presentation explores the elements of the Hotspots Fire Project that have contributed to its longevity, specifically how the broader delivery model has been tailored to meet the interests of communities, such as weed management, supporting cultural fire knowledge and practice or the needs of communities and landscapes in recovery. Examples of where these collaborations have been maintained though community- led action epitomises resilience through a shared connection of fire management. A new modular delivery design has been evolving in order to target different constructs of engagement and themes to assist communities in navigating the complex decisions of fire management in the landscapes that connect them.

Noongar life on ancient granites: lizard traps and red pools as examples of niche construction Miss Susannah Cramp1, Mrs Sheila Murray2, Mrs Lynette Knapp1, Mr Aiden Eades1, Mr Harley Coyne3, Dr Alison Lullfitz1, Dr Peter Speldewinde1, Prof Stephen Hopper1 1UWA, Albany, Australia, 2Deep Woods Survey Pty Ltd, Albany, Australia, 3Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, Albany, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: I am a PhD student researching cross-cultural ecology in Noongar boodja (country), focusing on Aboriginal peoples use of ancient granite outcrops. The research involves close collaboration with Traditional Custodians, as part of a five year project called Walking Together.

Granite outcrops are ecologically and culturally important and face a range of threatening processes. The Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR), a Global Biodiversity Hotspot, has been home to Noongar people for at least 48,000 years. Granite outcrops, or kaat, the Noongar word for both head and hill, are traditional sources of food, water and spiritual connection. This cross-cultural study explores two little known possible uses of granite outcrops across the SWAFR – lizard traps and red pools. We explore (i) the distribution of lizard traps and red pools, which are found predominantly across Noongar boodja (land); (ii) contemporary Noongar knowledge outlining construction, use, species eaten and roles of lizard traps; (iii) a case study of lizard trap structure and function as artificial reptile habitat; (iv) a microscope study of red pools establishing their colour as likely due to coccoid cyanobacteria (Haematococcus sp.), not red ochre and (v) we infer the potential roles of lizard traps and red pools as human niche constructions predicted from Ocbil Page 25 of 134 theory. Further research is needed to better understand the function of lizard traps as artificial reptile habitat, and Haematococcus red pools in the spiritual care of Country by Noongar people.

Estimating fire impact on koalas – an impact / control design Dr Romane Cristescu1, Dr Riana Gardiner1, Dr Julien Terraube1, Mr Kye McDonald1, Dr Dan Powel1, Ms Alexis Levengood1, A Prof Celine Frere1 1University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Romane Cristescu, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: Romane is a koala ecologist with a passion for developing methods to collect accurate data and inform management decisions. She pioneered the use of conservation dogs to detect koalas scat and co-founded the Detection Dogs for Conservation at USC.

The 2019-2020 bushfires were unprecedented both in extent and intensity, impacting wildlife through direct mortality as well as habitat destruction. In NSW alone, 1.3 million hectares, or 30 per cent, of koala habitat is estimated to have been lost, along with a fifth of the koala population. However, these impact estimates must be viewed cautiously. This is because, usually, accurate data on koala distribution and population size prior to the fires are not available. Acknowledging this weakness, we sought to estimate fire impact on koalas by comparing closely related study sites (based on geography and vegetation) in burnt and unburnt areas. We looked at 1) number of individuals and 2) koala health parameters. We deployed two koala detection methods, drone mounted thermal imagery and detection dogs, in four burnt and four control sites in NSW and Queensland. These were coupled with molecular analyses to estimate minimum number of koalas and their health parameters. We collected 93 scat samples in 4999 ha of burnt areas and 81 scat samples in 1370 ha of control areas in NSW guided by drone detections of koalas. The scat detection dogs found 144 scat samples in Queensland. Genetic analyses for number of individuals are still pending. Our preliminary results show many koalas were present in burnt areas following the 2019-2020 bushfire season and koala density and health parameters will be further analysed in the context of variation in fire severity.

Native microorganisms improve seedling emergence of Acacia inaequilatera but not Triodia epactia during dryland restoration Mr Frederick Asankom Dadzie1, Prof Angela Moles1, Dr Todd Erickson2,3, Dr Miriam Muñoz-Rojas1,2,3 1UNSW, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, 6009 WA, Perth, Australia, 3Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Perth, 6005 WA, Perth, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - Frederick Dadzie, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: My name is Frederick Dadzie. I am a PhD strudent at UNSW Sydney. I am interested in exploring methods of restoring ecological functions of degraded ecosystems. My research considers the use of native microorganisms to restore degraded lands.

Globally, 20% of arid and semi-arid lands are degraded and an estimate of 12 million hectares are being degraded annually. Restoration of degraded lands to ensure sustained ecosystem services is of high importance. However, low seed germination and emergence are critical challenges affecting land restoration

Page 26 of 134 success. In our study, we asked whether native microorganisms isolated from locally sourced natural soils and biocrusts can improve recruitment of two species of native plants, Triodia epactia and Acacia inaequilatera.

We found that soil microbial inoculants increased seedling emergence of Acacia inaequilatera by approximately 50%. Cyanobacteria inoculations showed the highest effect followed by soil bacteria. However, microbial inoculants did not have a significant effect on seedling emergence in Triodia epactia. Surprisingly, a mix of bacteria and cyanobacteria did not have a stronger effect than bacteria or cyanobacteria alone. Overall, our results improve understanding of how native microorganisms can improve seedling emergence for some species in restoration programs.

Differential gene expression under drought between two widespread Eucalyptus species suggests unique adaptive abilities Mr Vaibhav Dagg1 1Western Sydney University, Doonside, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - Vaibhav Dagg, November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00

Biography: My name is Vaibhav Dagg, I am a Master of Reseach Student, interested in Native Australian flora , Drought, Climate change, Evolutionary biology, transcriptomic studies,

Droughts are an important part of Australia’s climatic system, which have and continue to shape the diversity of natural ecosystems. However, climate-change is triggering more severe and frequent droughts leading to loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. It is critical to assess the adaptive capacity in response to climate- change induced droughts in our diverse forests. Here, we aim to test the differential molecular mechanisms that underlie the unique evolutionary responses to drought events using a transcriptomics approach. We conducted a controlled glasshouse experiment with foundation tree species Eucalyptus tereticornis and Eucalyptus grandis, which inhabit the tropic and temperate regions of eastern Australia. Tropic and temperate populations of each species were grown under cool and warm temperature regimes before being subjected to a simulated drought. Sampling was conducted before, during and after the drought event to compare the stress and recovery response among regions and species. Our results show species response to drought through differentially expressed genes (E; plasticity), as well as different patterns among regions and species (G; adaptation). Importantly, genotype-environment interactions (GEI; locally adapted) were detected highlighting underlying differences in the molecular mechanisms used by different regions and species to respond to drought. These findings illustrate the important roles both adaption and plasticity play in the adaptive capacity of natural systems to drought. By understanding these complex changes in gene expression, we can aid the creation of unique, empirically derived conservation and management strategies based on their evolutionary history to support forest resilience to drought into the future.

Aerial surveillance as an ecological tool; data collection with blimps in the wave-swept coastal zone Professor Andy Davis1, Dr Kye Adams1, Mr David Ruiz-Garcia1, Ms Allison Broad1 1University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Andy Davis, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Page 27 of 134

For more than 30 years Andy and his students has been assessing human impacts in temperate marine environments. Technology has revolutionised his research, allowing questions to be examined that were simply not possible just a few years ago

Aerial surveys are a powerful means of collecting ecological data in terrestrial and marine systems that may otherwise be very difficult to acquire. Increasingly aerial observations are made with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) - drones. As this technology has improved in reliability and affordability it has replaced the traditional use of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Drones do, however, have limitations, primarily in their flight endurance (limited by battery life), their potential to disturb wildlife and concerns over safety. Here we introduce an aerostat, a ground tethered blimp, as a logistically simple and economical alternative to drones and other aircraft. Blimps differ from drones in that they use helium to lift sensors, such as a camera, thereby conserving battery life. This technology offers the advantage of near-continuous coverage of locations as well as providing a safe and accessible alternative aerial platform for a range of applications. We demonstrate the viability of blimp-mounted cameras in a challenging environment to conduct research; the high-energy nearshore coastal zone. We were able to identify a variety of marine megafauna, including sharks, seals, stingrays and baitfish, from real-time video streamed from the blimp. The continuous coverage provided by this technology allowed us to observe the foraging behaviour of sharks and seals for extended periods. This demonstrates the utility of this novel technique to improve human safety and enhance ecological research.

Temporal dynamics of plant populations after fire: a tale of Acacias with contrasting life histories Mr Andrew Denham1,2 1Dept Planning, Industry & Environment NSW, , Australia, 2School of Earth, Atmospheric & Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Andrew Denham, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Andrew researches natural systems to inform management decisions for biodiversity conservation. Recently he has been assessing the impact of and recovery from a bushfire in 2013 in the Warrumbungles that burnt over 50,000 ha of bush at varying severity.

Fires strongly influence the demography of many Acacia species: fires often kill above-ground plants and stimulate germination of seeds in the soil seed bank. Our usual perception of acacia life history is based on Auld’s (1986,1987) live fast, die young example documented for A. suaveolens. But not all species show such outrageous behaviour. Here I document the post fire demography of two fire sensitive acacias after the large Wambelong fire of 2013 in Warrumbungle Nation Park. The fire stimulated mass germination of both A. penninervis and A. cheelii. Initial densities of seedlings were high and correlated with fire severity. However, A. penninervis retained a residual soil seed bank, while A. cheelii did not. Initial growth of both species was similar, but A. penninervis reached maximum height after 4 years and is senescent, while A. cheelii is still increasing in stature. The density of A. penninervis has declined dramatically (from 9/m² in year 1 to 0.4/m² in year 7), but A. cheelii remains relatively dense (9/m² to 3/m²). Furthermore, A. penninervis flowered and fruited prolifically within 5 years of fire, but few A. cheelii have flowered and its populations are yet to make substantial contributions to the seed bank. The ‘cheelii’ group of acacias includes several taxa that form important canopy dominants in eastern Australia. The rapid life cycle of A. penninervis and the slowness and vulnerability of A. cheelii leads to potential conflict in fire planning for biodiversity conservation and fuel management where they co-occur in the landscape.

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Grow wider or thicker: variable response of woody plants to increasing dryness Miss Jingyi Ding1, Dr Samantha Travers1, Prof. David Eldridge1 1University Of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (2) - Jingyi Ding, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: My research mainly focus on woody plant dynamics under climate change and rangeland management. I am passionate to combine different method such as field experiment, meta-analysis, modelling, remote sensing data to explore ecosystem dynamics under climate change at different scale.

Woody plants vary greatly from tall trees to branching shrubs with increasing dryness. Variations in plant allometry are driven by both biotic and abiotic factors, reflecting different plant adaption strategies in different environments. However, less is known about how aboveground allometry (e.g. canopy size, height, stems) of woody plants might respond to increasing dryness, limiting our ability to predict changes in woody plants and associated ecosystem functions under forecasted drier climate. Here, we explore how aboveground allometry of different woody genera responds to increasing dryness at 150 sites long an extensive aridity gradient from humid to arid areas. Our results showed that plant height declined, but branching, and canopy width and depth increased with increasing aridity. Woody responses to dryness varied among genera, with increasing aridity associated with wider canopies in Eucalyptus and Callitris, thicker stems in Acacia, but no clear differences in Allocasuarina. Biotic and abiotic factors exerted different effects on the allometry of different genera, with Eucalyptus and Callitris spp. constrained by resource availability, while Acacia and Allocasuarina spp. were regulated mainly by competition. Our results highlight the genus- specific responses in allometric changes and driving mechanisms (resource availability cf. competition) with increasing dryness. Rather than merely shrinking, plants would allocate resources to either canopies or stems to cope with increasing dryness. Under predicted hotter and drier climates, increasing stem or canopy size, and altering branching might be a useful strategy for woody plants to compensate for biomass reduction and maintain ecosystem functions while growing shorter as dryness increases.

Human disturbance causes widespread disruption of animal movement Dr Tim Doherty1, Prof Graeme Hays2, Prof Don Driscoll3 1University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Australia, 3Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Tim Doherty, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: I am a wildlife ecologist specialising in disturbance ecology, invasive species, and predator-prey ecology. Current research focuses on: 1) the impacts of humans on animal movement, and 2) managing the combined impacts of fire and invasive predators on native fauna.

Disturbance and habitat modification by humans can impact animal movement, but the ubiquity and nature of these effects across diverse taxa unclear. Using 208 studies on 167 species from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across the globe, we show that disturbance by humans has widespread and often severe impacts on the movements of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and arthropods. More than two-thirds of 725 cases represented a change in movement of 20% or more, with the mean positive effect being a 70% increase in movement and the mean negative effect a 37% decrease. Disturbances from human activities Page 29 of 134

(e.g. hunting, recreation) had more severe impacts on animal movement than habitat modification (e.g. agriculture, logging). We predict correspondingly massive, but reversed, changes in animal movements during reductions in human mobility.

The 19/20 Queensland Bushfire Season and Post-fire Plant Responses in the Border Ranges (Qld) Mr Paul Donatiu1, Dr Samantha Lloyd1, Mr Craig Welden1 1Qld Fire & Biodiversity Consortium, Healthy Land & Water, Brisbane, Australia, 2Healthy Land & Water, Brisbane, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Paul Donatiu, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: Dr Sam Lloyd has 21 years experience in ecology, entomology, environmental and natural resource management. Graduating from Wollongong University with a PhD in pollination ecology in 2006, Sam has been Manager of the Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium since 2010.

Following a major fire season in 2018 and with over 60% of the state in drought, the extent, significance and impact of the 2019/2020 Queensland bushfire season is recognized as unprecedented. Analysis by Healthy Land and Water (HLW) identified over 155,000 hectares as bushfire affected in South East Queensland (SEQ), with over 60% of the fire footprint covering 12 “endangered” and 54 “of concern” forests.

In the aftermath of this fire season, HLW and the Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium (QFBC) have been engaged to undertake recovery and capacity building works across SEQ. In the Border Ranges, onground works include the removal of transformer weeds (e.g. moth vine, lantana) from the Illinbah Section of Lamington National Park (NP) and Yamahra Creek section of Mt Barney NP. Boundary fencing is being installed to prevent cattle intrusions along sections of the eastern boundary of Main Range NP and at Burnett Creek, Mt Barney NP. The QFBC are undertaking capacity building services, including fire management planning workshops.

Opportunistic surveys have been undertaken of regenerating rainforest and wet sclerophyll flora. It was anticipated that most regenerating species would fall into the pioneer or early secondary classification. To date, this is largely true, although some mature phase species are clearly resprouting. Of the 49 species observed, 39 are resprouting, with the remainder regenerating from seed. Whilst further analysis is required to better understand how observed regeneration modes compare with existing records, field observations provide evidence of rainforest recovery and resilience in the face of wildfire.

Uncovering fundamentals; Mating system and population genetics of Hibbertia spanantha for conservation planning Ms Chantelle Doyle1,3, Dr Samantha Yap2, Dr Jason Bragg2, Mr Andrew Orme2, Dr Maurizio Rossetto2, Dr Mark Ooi1 1UNSW, Kensington, Australia, 2The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 3AMBS Ecology and Heritage, Camperdown, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations - Chantelle Doyle, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography:

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Chantelle is currently undertaking a PhD focused on translocation of threatened flora. Having worked with researchers, consultants, community groups and private landholders she particularly focuses on the practical applications of science for improving long term conservation success.

Conservation of species in highly fragmented and urbanised environments is often contingent on adequate knowledge of species reproductive limitations, particularly breeding systems, population genetic diversity and structure. We examined the breeding system, population inbreeding and kinship of Hibbertia spanantha, a critically endangered long-lived shrub endemic to the Sydney Basin, Australia, to inform future conservation planning including establishment of an ex-situ conservation population. In-situ hand pollination experiments demonstrated the species is preferentially outcrossing, with limited ability to self-pollinate (both autogamously and geitonogamously). Although the known populations exhibit high levels of clonality, where suspected plants clusters were confirmed as ramets, there is currently enough sub-population heterozygosity for successful open pollination, primarily through buzz pollination by Sweat Bees (Lasioglossum [Chilalictus]). Additionally, no differences in seed viability (seed fill) were identified between outcrossing or open pollination. Current taxonomy of Hibbertia spanantha was confirmed, based on genetic variation among other closely related Hibbertia species, prior to examination of breeding and genetic structure. Results have been used to inform a conservation program, collaborating with AMBS, NSW Saving Our Species, NPWS and Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai and Ryde Councils.

How does fire interact with habitat fragmentation? Professor Don Driscoll1, Prof Dolors Armenteras2, Prof Andrew Bennett3, Prof Lluis Brotons4, Prof Michael Clarke3, Dr Tim Doherty1, Dr Angie Haslem3, Dr Luke Kelly5, Dr Chloe Sato1, Dr Holly Sitters6, Dr Núria Aquilué4, Mr Kristian Bell1, Dr Maria Chadid2, Dr Andrea Duane4, Ms Maria Elizalde2, Ms Katherine Giljohann7, Ms Tania González2, Dr Ravi Jambhekar8, Dr Juliana Lazzari9, Dr Alejandra Morán-Ordóñez4, Dr Tricia Wevill1 1Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia, 2Laboratorio de Ecología del Paisaje y Modelación de Ecosistemas ECOLMOD, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Edificio 421, Oficina 223, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Cra. 30 # 45-03 , Colombia, 3Research Centre for Future Landscapes, Dept Ecology, Environment & Evolution, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia, 4CSIC at InForest JRU (CTFC-CREAF), Ctra. Antiga St. Llorenç Km 2, 25280, Spain, 5School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 6School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Australia, 7School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 8Azim Premji University. PES Campus,, Bengaluru, India, 9Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Don Driscoll, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Don Driscoll is Director of the Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University. His research interests include fire ecology, conservation policy, amphibian, reptile and invertebrate conservation, invasive species management, conservation in agricultural landscapes, conservation technology, eDNA, citizen science, and science suppression.

Habitat fragmentation and loss and altered fire regimes are globally important threats to biodiversity, but their interactions have not been systematically evaluated. Here we offer a framework for understanding how fire interacts with habitat fragmentation based on a comprehensive synthesis of the literature. Fire and fragmentation interact in three main ways: (1) fire can influence fragmentation (59% of cases), where fire in relatively in-tact landscapes either destroys and fragments habitat or creates and connects habitat; (2) fragmentation influences fire (25% of cases), where, after habitat is reduced in area and fragmented, fire in the landscape is subsequently altered by suppression or ignition of fires by people and by increased edge

Page 31 of 134 flammability, and; (3) where fragmentation and fire do not influence each other, but fire can interact with fragmentation to affect responses like species richness, abundance and extinction risk (16% of cases). Fire interacts with fragmentation through scale-specific mechanisms; fire creates edges and drives edge effects, fire alters patch quality and fire can alter landscape-scale connectivity. We found only 12 cases that reported the four essential strata for defining an interaction. They highlight a key reason why understanding interactions is so important. When fire and fragmentation act together they can drive populations extinct, whereas their separate effects can be neutral. We will illustrate interactions with examples and highlight some of the unexpected responses to the combined effects of fire and habitat fragmentation and loss.

Bridging the gaps between traditional/western science to support Aboriginal women’s health, wellbeing, and empowerment Ms Bernadette Duncan1 1CSIRO & Atlas of Living Australia, Boggabilla, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge 10th Anniversary Symposium - Bernadette Duncan, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Bernadette Duncan is a Kamilaroi woman, linguist and traditional healer who specialises in local medicinal plants and practices. She is a qualified linguist with over 20 years’ experience in reviving the Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay languages, in both schools and community.

The Garragal Project bridges the gaps between traditional and western science knowledge for plants and animals to support the health, wellbeing, and empowerment of Kamilaroi women. This created opportunities for reconnection to traditional language and cultural knowledge through physical, spiritual, and environmental practices with plants and animals on country.

This project was designed to reconnect and engage Kamilaroi women with their language and cultural knowledge. The practical experience of linking western science names and knowledge for plants and animals to language names and traditional science opened a safe space for women to rediscover and share their personal and ancestral knowledge about these plants and animals.

Women’s language and culture networks, based in Walgett and Boggabilla, NSW, were created and involved Kamilaroi women interested in the use, promotion, development, and protection of their languages and cultural knowledge. Information about each plant and animal was collected through the network and included names in the Kamilaroi languages: Yuwaalaraay, Yuwaalayaay, and Gamilaraay/Gamilaroi/Kamilaroi, and ecological knowledge about its purpose, relationships, and character.

Information deemed suitable for publication was included in the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), Australia’s free national biodiversity database. The ALA now includes Kamilaroi knowledge for more than 300 species, and for the first time directly links Kamilaroi and western science knowledge on a free and high-profile public forum.

This project is on-going, to-date it has proved the catalyst for change in women’s well-being. They are more motivated and committed to share and progress their language and culture through investigating plants and animals.

Resistance and resilience of managed and unmanaged soil bacterial communities to pulse disturbances Page 32 of 134

Dr Eleonora Egidi1,2, Mr Ramesha Jayaramaiah1, Dr Catriona Macdonald1, Prof Megharaj Mallavarapu3, Prof Brajesh K. Singh1,2 1Western Sydney University, Richmond, Australia, 2Global Centre for Land-based Innovation, Penrith, Australia, 3Global Centre for Environmental Remediation, Callaghan, New South Wales

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - Eleonora Egidi, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Dr Eleonora Egidi is a soil microbial ecologist, her research focuses on investigating microbial biogeography, plant-soil-microbe interactions, and the mechanism underpinning microbial responses to environmental stressors.

Environmental disturbances increasingly threaten soil biota and their capacity to maintain essential ecosystem services. To improve the management of these crucial communities and their functions, it is important to know how they respond to environmental pressures. Here, we quantified the resistance and resilience of soil bacterial communities from two differentially managed soils (irrigated vs unmanaged), to two pulse disturbances, i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution and N fertilisation. After 4 months, both PAHs and fertiliser disturbances significantly affected bacterial community composition. Fertilisation had a similar effect on bacterial composition in both soils (23% and 24% of variance explained in managed and unmanaged soil, respectively). In contrast, PAH addition caused twice the variation in bacterial composition of the managed soil compared to the unmanaged one (18% versus 9% of the total variation, respectively), indicating an overall lower compositional resistance to organic pollution of the bacterial community in the managed soil. Lower compositional resistance, however, was coupled with higher rates of PAH degradation and nitrification, suggesting that previous managing (irrigation) increased functional resilience in this soil. Overall, our results indicate that microbial structural and functional response to disturbance depends upon land management legacies, thus suggesting that appropriate interventions can improve soil functional resilience to disturbance.

From natural to social sciences : the multiple values of Citizen Science Miss Anne Eichholtzer1 1Deakin University, Burwood, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (2) - Anne Eichholtzer, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Anne Eichholtzer, France. Cross-disciplinary PhD student at Deakin University (Ecology, IT, Health, Economics, Media) with a focus on Citizen Science. Passionate about combining natural and social sciences to engage citizens in biodiversity issues and environmentally-friendly behaviors.

Habitat destruction and climate change are increasingly pressuring biodiversity and ecosystems in general. To respond effectively, up-to-date knowledge of changes in biodiversity and a solid engagement of society with nature are necessary.

Reptiles and amphibians are difficult to survey and are comparatively under studied in favor of more “charismatic” species. Our study aims to evaluate a novel and non-invasive method to improve the monitoring of herpetofauna: a new video-camera trapping technology combined with artificial intelligence. This evaluation will engage members of the community, called ‘citizen scientists’, in the process. They will directly contribute to the data collection and analysis, for a pilot study on “the effects of time since fire and land management on herpetofauna”.

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On top of the multiple benefits that citizen scientists bring to research, our cross-disciplinary study will seek to investigate the potential impacts and co-benefits of participation for the participants themselves: Do they value nature more? Has their mental health evolved? Has their attitude towards the environment and biodiversity changed? Investigating participants’ outcomes - especially around economics and health - can bring ‘buy-in’ points for people less engaged in conservation matters; with the potential to reach citizens outside of the “already environmentally friendly” bubble.

Vulnerability of urban trees to heatwaves Dr Manuel Esperon-rodriguez1, Prof Sally A. Power1, Prof Mark G Tjoelker1, Dr Renée M Marchin1, Dr Paul D Rymer1 1Hawkesbury Institute For The Environment. Western Sydney University, Richmond, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance), November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Manuel Esperon is a postdoctoral fellow in the Which Plant Where research program. He is interested in understanding how species respond to climate change and extreme weather events, such as drought and heatwaves.

Extreme climate conditions, including more frequent and prolonged heatwaves and droughts, are predicted to increase in Australia. These conditions are exacerbated in cities due to the urban heat island effect with socio-economic consequences. Urban trees can aid at mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change; however, these benefits are limited by the species’ capacity to thrive under heat and drought. To assess tree vulnerability to heatwaves, we established a common garden experiment in Richmond, NSW, with four widely-planted tree species with different climate vulnerabilities; two native evergreen (Elaeocarpus reticulatus and Lophostemon confertus) and two exotic deciduous (Lagerstroemia indica and Liriodendron tulipifera) species. We monitored (1) growth (height, canopy area, diameter at stem base) and (2) performance, measuring midday leaf water potential (Ψmid) and stomatal conductance (gS) from spring 2018 to summer 2020. Additionally, leaf critical temperature (Tcrit) for photosynthesis, osmotic potential (πO) and turgor loss point (πtlp) were measured in summer 2020. The highest and lowest growth rates were found in L. confertus and L. indica, respectively. Species responded dynamically to air temperature changes, with Ψmid and gS decreasing under high air temperature (>35°C), indicating increased physiological stress during summer. We found differences in Tcrit, πO and πtlp related to species’ climate of origin, with the cool-origin species (L. indica and E. reticulatus) more vulnerable to heat than the other species. Our results highlight the impacts of heatwaves on urban trees, whilst providing physiological metrics to inform tree species selection in urban environments

Mega-fires, indicator species and indicator guilds: understanding post-fire ecosystem regeneration across kingdoms Ms Hannah Etchells1, Dr Pauline Grierson1, Dr Alison O'Donnell1, Dr Felipe Albornoz1 1The University Of Western Australia, Mount Lawley, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Hannah Etchells, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography:

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Hannah is the final throes of her PhD, where she studied how catastrophic wildfires impact plants, animals and fungi. Hannah is passionate about cross-continental collaborative research, particularly in applied fire ecology and management, and is currently seeking postdoctoral employment (!).

Despite the increasing frequency of mega-fires, we have little understanding of how post-fire interactions between plants and fungi impact ecosystem regeneration. This is largely due to complexity: assessing hundreds of individual plant species, thousands of fungi taxa and how each interact is unmanageable. A simplified approach is to survey indicator species and/or indicator guilds that are broadly representative of how plant-fungal interactions may have been impacted. This approach requires identifying taxa that are both sensitive to a measurable factor of fire (e.g.; severity) and have close ecological interactions (e.g.; mycorrhizal symbiosis). We sought to determine if certain plant species and fungal guilds could be used as indicators of overall fire impacts on three dominant ecosystem types burnt in a mega-fire in southwest Australia. We undertook flora surveys and sampled soil at unburnt, low and high severity sites in each vegetation type and used ITS2-targeted PCR amplification and sequencing, and FUNGUILD to assign functional guilds. We used permutation tests to identify the plant species and the fungal guild that were contributing most to the differences in community structure at high severity sites for each vegetation type, then applied generalised linear models to determine if their response to fire severity were correlated. For all ecosystem types, EM diversity was most negatively impacted by high severity, and was highly correlated with one or two ectomycorrhizal plant species. We propose that these plant species and fungal guilds could be used as indicators of the broader ecological impacts of fire severity for these diverse ecosystems.

Towards sustainable cities: native plants on experimental rooftops promote higher insect abundance than exotics Dr Maria Silvina Fenoglio1, Dr Julia Tavella2, Dr Hernán Beccacece1, Dr María Laura Moreno3, Dra Adriana Salvo1, Biol Diego Fabian1, Dra Elizabet Estallo4, Dra Ana Calviño1 1Instituto Multidisciplinario De Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), Universidad Nacional De Córdoba (UNC), CONICET. Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016GCA , Córdoba, Argentina, 2Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Botánica General, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Avda. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, , Buenos Aires, Argentina , 3Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA, CONICET - Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Argentina), Av. Bolivia 123, Y4600GNA9, San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina, 4Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIBYT) CONICET- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016GCA , Córdoba, Argentina POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: María Silvina Fenoglio is a scientific researcher at Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) and National Geographic explorer, interested in urban and community ecology, with a focus on arthropod diversity patterns and ecological interactions in urban green spaces.

As urbanization continues growing, green roofs design emerges as a promising alternative to enhance plants and animals within cities. The scarce evidence available, nevertheless, gives no clear advantage of plants’ origin on insect abundance. By using an experimental approach where the origin of the plant species (native- exotic) was manipulated across an urbanization gradient, we evaluated their efficiency as surrogate habitats for insects in Cordoba city, central Argentina. To do so we installed, in each of 30 houses, two blocks of a modular extensive green roof system (3m2 each), with either native or exotic plant species (6 species each). In March 2019 we used pan yellow traps to sample insects, whereas the level of urbanization of each house was estimated by using NDVI and surface temperature in a buffer of 400m. A total of 9024 insects from 10 taxonomic orders were registered, being Diptera (40%), Hymenoptera (21%), Hemiptera (21%) and Page 35 of 134

Thysanoptera (14%) the dominant groups. We found a significant effect (χ2=11.58; p<0.0001) of the origin of plant species on total insect abundance, but non-effect of urbanization degree. Native plants sustained significantly more insects (median= 165,5; q1-q4=78.25-419) than exotics (median=115; q1-q4=78,25-312). This suggests that native plants on green roofs promote a higher abundance of insects than exotics probably due to the first share a greater evolutionary history with local fauna. On the way to achieve more sustainable, greener cities, our results highlight that the origin of vegetation should be taken into account in green roof design to better achieve urban insect conservation.

Testing the impact of Phantom Alternatives on floral choice by Bumblebees, Bombus impatiens Ms Caitlyn Forster1, Dr Ros Gloag1, Prof Dieter Hochuli1, Dr Thomas White1, Assoc Prof Tanya Latty1 1The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Caitlyn Forster, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: Caitlyn is a PhD student at the University of Sydney studying using behavioural economics to understand foraging choice in insects

The presence of a highly desirable but unavailable option can impact consumer choice by influencing the consumer’s preferences of the remaining options. These phantom alternatives can be used to nudge consumers into buying target products. Bumble bees foraging for flowers are faced with many choices and may make decisions in similar ways to people. It is possible they can be influenced by a phantom alternative with through flowers that are empty of nectar. Here we investigate the effect of attractive phantom alternatives on the choice behaviour of groups of Bumblebees, Bombus impatiens. Bees were presented with either a binary choice set containing two feeder types (‘the target’ and ‘the competitor’), or a trinary choice set containing the target, the competitor and one a phantom alternative. Individual bees showed a range of responses to phantom decoys, but no persistent shift in preference. We did not observe an effect at the group-level, rather, individual bees were more likely to visit flowers with other bees present. Our results suggest the importance of social behaviour when applying human consumer behaviour in ecologically relevant settings.

Hey neighbour! Kin-based social interactions in an asocial solitary marsupial, the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) Ms Natalie J. Freeman1, Dr Skye F. Cameron2, Miss Jessica M. Latimer1, Assoc Prof Anne W. Goldizen1, Assoc Prof Diana O. Fisher1, Professor Robbie S. Wilson1 1University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary, Derby, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Natalie Freeman, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Natalie is a PhD candidate of the Wilson Performance Lab of University of Queensland studying the personality and performance of northern quoll on Groote Eylandt, NT.

While most carnivorous marsupials are solitary and display territorial behaviour, some species of Dasyurids exhibit limited social behaviour. Rough play between denning young has been recorded for several quoll species, but few interactions have been observed between adults. The current decline of small mammals in Page 36 of 134

Australia is creating small, isolated populations, decreasing the possibility of social interactions due to low population densities and home range overlap. Once abundant across northern Australia, the endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) is limited to small isolated populations on mainland Australia. Previous research on mainland northern quolls report them to be asocial and solitary, despite home range overlap. However, Groote Eylandt, a natural refuge for this species, has the highest density of quolls in Australia, resulting in large overlap of female home ranges. We describe social interactions between adult northern quolls on Groote Eylandt, NT. Through infra-red video footage, we observed affiliative interactions between females. These interactions were not limited by season, age or genetic relatedness. More than 50% of 31 interactions recorded were between maternal kin. However, we also observed unrelated females engaging in playful behaviour. We suggest that northern quolls can show affiliative behaviours but the absence of observations on the mainland may be a result of low population densities. These findings need to be considered in future conservations efforts such as translocations for this species as they suggest that genetically related females should be introduced to existing populations for possible inclusive fitness benefits.

The effects of elevated CO₂ on plants and the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis Dr Adam Frew1,2, Dr Jodi N Price2, Dr Jane Oja3, Dr Martti Vasar3, Dr Maarja Öpik3 1Centre for Crop Health, University Of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia, 2Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia, 3Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions -, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Dr Adam Frew is a Lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland, previously he was a Research Fellow at Charles Sturt University. His research focusses on plant-soil interactions, particularly relating to mycorrhizal fungi and plant defence.

The effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration (eCO₂) on plants will depend on several factors including their photosynthetic physiology (e.g. C₃, C₄), soil nutrient availability, and their co-evolved fungal symbionts, namely arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. These fungi provide access to nutrients while the plants provide the fungi with carbon. As eCO₂ increases plant photosynthesis and growth, the access to nutrients provided by AM fungi will be critical to meet increasing plant nutrient requirements. Moreover, eCO₂ is also expected to preferentially promote certain fungal taxa more than others. This is important because AM fungal taxa vary in their ability to enhance plant nutrient acquisition.

Using a factorial growth chamber experiment, we investigated how the AM symbiosis affects growth and nutrient concentrations in a C₃ and C₄ grass species grown under ambient (400ppm) and elevated CO₂ (800ppm). Using amplicon-based Illumina sequencing we also assessed the impacts of eCO₂ on the identities of root-colonising AM fungi.

We found that eCO₂ increased biomass allocation towards the roots, but only in plants without AM fungi, potentially associated with an eCO₂-driven increase in plant nutrient requirements. Conversely, this increase in root:shoot ratio was not observed in plants with AM fungi, possibly as the AM symbiosis improved access to soil nutrients. Furthermore, our data suggest a potential shift in the identities of root-colonising fungal taxa under CO₂ enrichment, particularly in the C₄ species. As most land plants associate with AM fungi, their response to global change is likely to have important consequences for ecosystems around the globe.

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Distributions of eucalypt bark traits significant to fire behaviour in SE Australian forests Mrs Kathryn Fuller1, Dr Rachael Nolan1, Dr Michael Aspinwall2, Dr Matthias Boer1 1Western Sydney University- Hawkesbury Institute For The Environment, Richmond, Australia, 2Auburn University, Auburn, United States POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Kathryn Fuller is a PhD candidate working to develop new approaches to modeling bushfire fuels at landscape to sub-continental scales. Her current research aims are to quantify relationships between fuel attributes, stand composition, biophysical drivers and impacts on fire severity.

Eucalypt forests (tree species within the genera Eucalyptus, Angophora and Corymbia) make up some of the most flammable ecosystems on Earth. Eucalypts produce flammable fuels, including a range of bark types that are known to significantly influence fire behaviour in eucalypt forests by altering fuel continuity, intensity of spotting and/or litter fuel ignitibility. Eucalypts that produce flammable bark fuels include stringybarks, trees with fibrous, vertically arranged bark that is retained on the stem, and ribbonbarks, trees that shed their bark in long strips that tend to curl longitudinally. However, no definitive list of species within these broad bark trait groupings currently exists. In this study, we identified eucalypt species that are known to affect fire behaviour in SE Australian forests as a result of their bark type. We modeled the distributions of these species on the basis of statistical relationships between their occurrences and environmental covariates in forests and woodlands. This study represents an important first look at finer-scale variations in bark fuel hazard potential within broad vegetation classes in SE Australian forests. We aim to quantify interactions between environmental variables that influence fuel composition and to generate occurrence probabilities of bark types in remote areas and other places for which vegetation survey data are not available. Through these predictions, we hope to provide fire managers with hitherto unavailable information that will allow them to optimise burn plans for fuel reduction in areas with the greatest risk of dangerous fuel conditions.

Nest ecology in the context of-an intact community: a provocative synthesis of knowledge from dryandra Dr Graham Fulton1 1UQ, St Lucia, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Graham Fulton, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Biography: Dr Graham Fulton has been the Perspectives Editor of Pacific Conservation Biology for almost 20 years. He is currently an Honorary Researcher at The University of Queensland.

Dryandra is a large old growth woodland that retains an intact assemblage of threatened birds in a vast agricultural landscape. This paper discusses research findings (including novel results) from this threatened avian assemblage in the context of its intact community where invasive species have been controlled—since the 80s! At Dryandra, many avian species have increased their abundance over the 54 years from 1953 to 2008, in contrast to a worldwide trend of declining bird numbers. Life history attributes of these woodland birds was studied using cameras, direct observations and an artificial nests (Not so much with the artificial nests). Nest predators formed a heterogeneous group of animals. While specialist nests predators were

Page 38 of 134 present nest success was high. Why? They nested in areas of high productivity typically absent elsewhere. The greater abundance of birds may lead to greater group vigilance and defence of nests. But, is it group selection?

Assessing the impact of the 2019-2020 bushfire season on Australia’s 26,000 plant species Rachael Gallagher1, Tony Auld2, David Keith2,3, Berin MacKenzie2, Mark Ooi3, Tom Le Breton3, Stuart Allen1, Daniel Falster3, Elizabeth Wenk3, Vanessa Adams4, Sam Andrew5, Cory Merow6, Efthymios Nikolopoulos6, Kang He6, Xinyi Shen6, Emmanouil Anagnoustou6 1Macquarie University, , , 2NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment , , , 3University of New South Wales, , , 4University of Tasmania, , , 5CSIRO, , , 6University of Connecticut, , USA SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Rachael Gallagher, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: Rachael Gallagher is an ecologist passionate about plant conservation.

Over the 2019-2020 bushfire season, more than 10 million hectares of Australia burned. To effectively manage the impact of this unprecedented bushfire season, affected species and locations need to be prioritised based on objective criteria which capture inherent risk. We used a continent-wide prioritisation framework with 11 criteria to identify which Australian plant species were most at risk of declines and extinction. This framework uses data on species distribution and traits, coupled to spatial data on threats. We coupled data on species ranges from herbarium occurrences, modelled distributions, and regulatory maps with spatial data on, for instance, the incidence of drought, previous fire history, and weed and feral animal occurrence. Spatial analyses were combined with information on key traits such as species capacity to resprout after fire, obligate seeding, and growth form.

Of the 26,062 species assessed, 255 had 80% or more of their range burnt and were ranked HIGH for one or more criteria. Overall, the interactive effects of fire and drought, damage by feral herbivores and the risks posed to plant populations by short fire intervals emerged as clear factors shaping species potential for recovery. This analysis highlights how cascading hazards combine to inflate risks of population declines and the results have informed the work of the Threatened Species Commissioner’s Bushfire Recovery Expert Panel. Results are also are being used to prioritise conservation actions such as listing affected taxa as threatened under the EPBC Act and state legislation, post-fire conservation survey and actions, and restoration and seed-banking efforts.

Embryonic strategies for surviving heatwaves: evidence of heat shock proteins in zebra finches Mr Lorenzo Galletta1, Dr Meagan Craven1, Prof Tamsyn Crowley1, Prof Katherine Buchanan1, Dr Mylene Mariette1 1Deakin University, Highton, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Lorenzo Galletta, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Lorenzo Galletta is currently enrolled as a PhD candidate in the Centre for Integrative Ecology at Deakin University. His interests concern the impact of climate change projections on wildlife, and the potential adaptive mechanisms wildlife may employ to develop resilience.

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Physiological and behavioural responses to thermal stress are fundamental for determining the ability of species to survive extreme weather events, which are predicted to become more frequent under climate change. Understanding the mechanistic limits of such phenotypic plasticity will help predict changes in avian populations in a warming climate. Heat-calling is a newly described vocalization given by adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) during incubation in hot conditions. Exposure of embryos to such parental heat-calls alters their development and has life-long consequences on reproductive success and thermal preferences. However, the possible transgenerational effects on the phenotype of the offspring they produced are not known. Here, we investigated whether zebra finches exposed prenatally to heat-calls go on to produce embryos which are less sensitive to heat-stress. To that aim, we experimentally exposed 7-day old embryos to an acute heat challenge or to control conditions and measured the expression levels of several heat shock protein (hsp) genes. We found that hsp expression increases in embryos exposed to heat stress. Moreover, we will discuss our results in relation to the transgenerational impacts of heat-calls on embryonic hsp expression, predicting that embryos whose parents were exposed to heat-calls would show different expression levels compared to offspring of control parents. Our work forms the first experimental test of the capacity for transgenerational impacts of prenatal acoustic information on adaptive cellular changes promoting thermal resilience.

Lessons from implementing a spatial conservation action planning tool in Victoria, Australia Mr Billy Geary1, Dr Penny Atkinson1, Dr Ella Kelly1, Dr Jim Thomson2, Dr Matt White2, Dr Tracey Hollings2, Mr David Parkes1 1Biodiversity Strategy & Knowledge, Department Of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, East Melbourne, Australia, 2Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, Heidelberg, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Approaches for detailing threats, actions and management costs for threatened species recovery across broad scales - Billy Geary, December 1, 2020, 16:00 - 18:00

Biography: Billy is from DELWP's Biodiversity Decision Systems team and works on a range of conservation planning and decision support tools to help support biodiversity conservation in Victoria. He is also undertaking a PhD at Deakin University in ecosystem management.

A key challenge in conservation is the efficient allocation of limited resources to maximise benefits for biodiversity. Decision-support tools that account for landscape heterogeneity are needed to identify spatially- explicit actions that will achieve the greatest biodiversity benefits with available resources. In Victoria, Australia, we developed a statewide, raster-based, landscape-scale, spatial conservation action planning tool (SCAP) that offers significant advances for cost-effective prioritization of local and regional scale conservation actions in heterogenous landscapes. The tool, implemented as Strategic Management Prospects, currently covers the terrestrial environment and includes ~4,200 species, 17 threats and the benefits and costs of managing those threats. This tool has been in use since 2017 when the Victorian Government released its biodiversity strategy ‘Protecting Victoria’s Environment—Biodiversity 2037,’ which sets out a 20-year plan and quantitative targets based on the outcome measures used in the tool. In that time, we have iteratively improved the inputs to the SCAP tool, analysis methods, and the wide range of outputs so that the tool can be applied to a broad range of conservation decisions. By using the tool in many decision contexts, ranging from landscape-scale conservation actions to tailored threatened species recovery decisions, we have adapted our approach for communicating and using the tool’s logic and outputs to meet stakeholder needs and desires. In this talk, we will share lessons from applying the SCAP tool at a range of scales, and outline areas for future development to meet ongoing environmental and policy challenges. Page 40 of 134

Combining drones and machine learning technology for rapid coral reef health assessment Ms Anna Giles1, Mr James Davies2, Mr Kevin Ren2, Ms Caitlin Woods1, Prof Brendan Kelaher1 1Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, Australia, 2University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Anna Giles, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: My name is Anna Giles, and I am a PhD student at the National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University. My research interests are in landscape ecology, and the uses of emerging technologies to aid in ecological assessments.

Coral reef communities are increasingly at risk from the impacts of anthropogenic driven climate change. As such, there is great need for novel, practical and rapid techniques to monitor reefs at management relevant scales. However, traditional surveying techniques such as in-situ recordings or satellite imagery are limited by spatial and temporal resolution. Drones offer new opportunities for immediate, targeted and high-resolution information collected at a relatively low cost. Combined with a streamlined data analysis workflow, immediate health assessments of coral reefs are possible. Here, we present a deep learning artificial intelligence algorithm capable of performing immediate coral reef assessment on drone-based imagery. Orthomosaic images were collected at Lord Howe Island Marine Park over a one year period, involving a significant bleaching event. Training classifications such as bleached coral, seagrass bed and algae-covered coral were developed using object-based image analysis, and our neural network was developed in Python. Results of the first classification run through this model indicate high levels of training and validation accuracies (99.74% chance of accurately predicting classification as not present, 63.07% chance of accurately predicting classification as present). Initial tests on subsets of the other classifications have also been successfully predicted. When complete, this algorithm will be an invaluable resource for continued monitoring of coral reef health at Lord Howe Island. We believe this tool can be translated for use at other small to medium scale coral reef sites, for detailed, rapid assessments of reef health.

Improving the protection and recovery of culturally significant species Ms Teagan Goolmeer1 1University Of Melbourne, Port Macquarie , Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge 10th Anniversary Symposium - Teagan Goolmeer, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Teagan Goolmeer is a proud Arabunna descendant from Lake Eyre. She believes the answer to the conservation issues facing Australia lie in the Indigenous-led use of traditional management. She is currently undertaking a PhD with the University of Melbourne.

Increasingly scientists are acknowledging the importance of Indigenous participation in effective biodiversity conservation, however, there is an ongoing trend for government and non-government bodies to consider Indigenous people as stakeholders rather than co-managers. Consequentially, this is crippling true traditional management and Indigenous self-determination to make decisions for Country.

This presentation will focus on culturally significant species, in which Indigenous Australians place tremendous spiritual, cultural and/or symbolic value. While, many government and environmental bodies Page 41 of 134 recognise some species have significant value to Indigenous Australians, currently there is no statuary mechanism to protect these species from threatening processes unless they are already listed.

Traditional management emphasises the importance of holistic, integrated management of landscapes to safeguard species of cultural significance, which is discordant to the current threatened species approach under the EPBC Act. For years, Indigenous Australians have lobbied for relevant laws to be amended to establish co-management as the preferred approach to managing the conservation of species which are of significance to Indigenous people.

To that end, this presentation will explore options for amending the EPBC Act to afford protection for culturally significant species. What is evident is that any adopted option will require a different approach to recovery, protection and a different set of assessment criteria to enable Indigenous-led traditional management of Country. While, the solution for the protection for culturally significant species may be conceivable, the challenge for scientists and governments alike will be supporting and empowering Indigenous Australians and their governance structures to implement the enduring change.

Landscape use in an urban environment by a trawling bat, the large-footed Myotis (Myotis macropus) Ms Vanessa Gorecki1, Dr Monika Rhodes2, Professor Stuart Parsons1 1Queensland University Of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, 2Goolwa, South Australia, , SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Vanessa Gorecki, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Vanessa is an ecologist with experience in major transport infrastructure projects. Vanessa is completing a PhD on roost selection and roosting ecology of the large-footed myotis (Myotis macropus) in concrete culverts in Brisbane.

Urban environments are spatially heterogenous landscapes comprising remnants of the natural environment and features unique to anthropogenic environments. Some species are able to persist and even thrive in urban environments while others are not. The most urban tolerant insectivorous bat species are open and edge aerial foragers and trawling bats with flexible roosting strategies. However, trawling bats are specialist species due to the unique ecological niche they occupy. Little is known about how trawling bats use urban environments. We studied roost use, home range and patterns of land use selection in an urban population of a specialist trawling bat with flexible roosting strategies, the large footed myotis (Myotis macropus). We captured bats roosting in road culverts and radio-tracked 13 non-reproductive females over two seasons. We radio-tracked bats to a total of three day-roost sites: two culverts and a bridge. Bats switched roosts every 4.8 ± 3.7 (1-11) days. Home ranges did not differ between seasons and ranged from 5-277 ha. Core use areas differed between seasons with median winter areas (22 ha) significantly larger than median summer areas (1 ha). Land use selection was investigated by using compositional analysis and M. macropus showed a significant preference for the recreation land use type at the landscape scale and the home range scale. Our results suggest that M. macropus uses behavioural plasticity to exploit food resources available in urban environments. Maintaining spatial heterogeneity in urban planning and design will provide a landscape mosaic for urban adapted M. macropus to persist.

Too little or too much data: citizen scientists may have the answer Dr Aaron Greenville1, Keeley Dart1, Sarah Richter1, Dr Ayesha Tulloch1, A/Prof Tanya Latty1, Prof Glenda Wardle1 Page 42 of 134

1University Of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Aaron is an ecologist at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, who investigates how ecosystems and populations of species respond to disturbance events, like climate change, wildfire, and introduced species, both across landscapes and over time.

Citizen scientists can provide researchers with unique opportunities to collaboratively answer research questions using datasets that were not possible before by individual research groups. Threatened, newly introduced or poorly studied species often have limited data available to assess their conservation status or even their current distribution. Citizen Scientists could provide a valuable resource for providing more ‘eyes on the ground’ to gather data. Alternatively, some researchers are faced with large datasets that are difficult to process in a timely and efficient way. The rapid increase in remote camera trap data has led to millions of images that need to be processed by individual researchers. Citizen Scientist programs have started to address the backlog of data processing, but the level of uncertainty needs to be quantified. Here we illustrate how citizen scientists can provide solutions for ecologists that have limited data, by drawing on an example from a newly introduced species to Australia and how citizen scientists can be efficient at processing camera trap images, while minimising uncertainty in identification of species.

Improving environmental and human health by integrating urban wetland and mosquito research Dr Jayne Hanford1,3, Dr Cameron Webb2,3, Dr Dieter Hochuli1 1The University Of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology, Westmead, Australia, 3Marie Bashir Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Wetland management and restoration in human-dominated landscapes -, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Jayne Hanford is interested in designing and managing urban wetlands to maximise their biodiversity and utility benefits without increasing risks to public health. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Sydney.

The process of urbanisation creates highly modified natural environments that are inherently challenging for animals and plants to survive in. Solving these large-scale environmental challenges requires collaborations across traditional research fields, however connecting distinct fields of research presents many challenges. Mosquitoes and urban wetlands regularly share physical space, yet research into these subjects rarely intersects. Given concerns about mosquito-borne diseases, understanding interactions between these increasingly valuable habitats and significant threats to human health is essential for practice and management in both fields to ensure conservation of urban wildlife and maintenance of human wellbeing in highly modified urban environments. We reviewed urban wetland, urban mosquito and interdisciplinary literature to identify barriers and opportunities for integrating across these fields. There is a critical gap in interdisciplinary research, exacerbated by the inaccessibility of discipline-specific journals. There are numerous economic, biodiversity and epidemiological benefits to be gained through improved integration. These potential benefits are relevant to integration across similar gaps in other interdisciplinary urban research, allowing each field to broaden their research impact and improve environmental and public wellbeing outcomes.

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What characterises successful citizen science? A comparison of community-based freshwater and shorebird monitoring Dr Birgita Hansen1, Mr Patrick Bonney1 1Federation University, Ballarat, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - , December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Birgita has extensive experience in avian ecology, natural resource management and citizen science. Her current research focuses on the conservation of shorebirds, waterbirds and their wetland habitats, with a growing emphasis on achieving ecological and conservation outcomes through technology-enablement.

Citizen science has exploded in recent years in response to changes in government policy and a broader societal recognition of the value of citizen participation in scientific endeavour. In Australia, two of the longest running environmental citizen science programs are Waterwatch and the National Shorebird Monitoring Program. Both programs are similar in having (1) goals to collect long-term data sets for the purpose of identifying trends in environmental condition, (2) encouraging the participation of new and experienced volunteers, and (3) scientifically robust standards for data collection. Despite these similarities, they are starkly different in many other ways. The key differences include their historical and environmental context, key program objectives, and the relative influence of their data on research and government policy. Two new derivative citizen science programs, the National Waterbug Blitz and the Latham’s Snipe Project, hold great promise but are yet to realise their potential in terms of generating scientific discoveries that influence policy. Here we review the major similarities and differences between the two sets of programs to highlight characteristics of a successful citizen science program. Understanding these characteristics will aid the future development of other long-term citizen science projects in Australia, and will be crucial to advancing environmental research and building informed and connected communities.

How the Saving our Species program ensures threatened species monitoring leads to conservation outcomes Dr Nicole Hansen1, Dr Helen Mayfield2 1Department Of Planning, Industry and Environment, Parramatta, Australia, 2School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Brisbane

SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers , December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Dr Hansen is a Senior Project Officer in the Saving our Species, a statewide program for threatened species conservation. She holds BSc&MPhil from University of New South Wales and a PhD in landscape ecology from the Australian National University.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (MER) is essential for effective conservation and management of threatened species and ecological communities. Historically MER for threatened species conservation has been poorly implemented, with criticisms and recommendations in the scientific literature for more examples of consistent and comprehensive threatened species monitoring frameworks. The challenge for a program such as Saving our Species (SoS), which covers a large scale, across multiple tenures and a diversity of species, threats and habitats, is to provide a framework that is scientifically rigorous, operationally achievable, and can document outcomes to track population status and trends and inform adaptive management. Developing a realistic monitoring framework is made more challenging by the fact that Page 44 of 134 information on the ecology, threats and effectiveness of management actions is often lacking or complex for many threatened species. In addition, traits of many threatened species (including boom-bust population dynamics, cryptic behaviour and natural rarity) can make ‘successful’ monitoring challenging. Here, we describe the application of a threatened species MER framework through SoS, a state-wide government conservation program, and implemented across 390+ projects in New South Wales. This framework is underpinned by best-practice processes and knowledge and, built on long-term engagement with a broad range of stakeholders including staff across the organisation and scientists from a range of organisations with expertise across the state. We also highlight opportunities to improve and strengthen MER for the SoS program and encourage collaborations and partnerships to help us continue to achieve conservation outcomes for threatened species and ecological communities.

Understanding the causes of Eucalyptus rudis decline in southwestern Australia Professor Giles Hardy1, Dr Katinka Ruthrof1,2, Professor Treena Burgess1, Dr. William Dunstan1 1Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia, 2Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Giles Hardy, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Giles is a forest pathologist at Murdoch University. He is interested in how biotic and abiotic plant diseases impact on ecosystem functions and services, and the use of intervention techniques to help mitigate declines in forest ecosystems.

Eucalyptus rudis (flooded gum) is a vital component and keystone tree species of riparian areas across the south-west of Western Australia. Unfortunately, E. rudis is in severe decline across most of its range. It has experienced many threatening processes since settlement, such as fragmentation, climate change, weed invasion, understorey removal, fertiliser inputs, water stress, altered water tables, herbicide, increasing salinity, loss of fauna, exotic pests and pathogens, changes in beneficial soil microbes, and soil compaction. We are studying the possible contributions of the above to decline. Preliminary studies show that Phytophthora multivora, P. inundata, P. thermophila, P. elongata, P. cinnamomi, P. pseudocryptogea and a Phytopythium species are regularly isolated from roots of declining trees. Pathogenicity trials show all of these species reduce root and shoot dry weights compared to control trees. At some sites, trees injected with phosphite, and/or nutrient implants have responded favourably, but at others they continue to decline, irrespective of treatment. Where P. inudata is present, trees do not respond to phosphite. P. inundata is highly tolerant to phosphite in vitro unlike the other species which are sensitive. Glasshouse trials are now in progress to determine if E. rudis treated with phosphite are able to contain isolates of P. inundata and the other Phytophthora species. In progress are (i) leaf tissue and soil analyses on healthy and declining trees to determine if outbreaks of the psyllid Creiss periculosa are linked to tree nutrient status, and (ii) surveys on the soil microbiome of healthy and declining trees.

Vulnerability of marine plants to extreme temperature events: a mechanistic approach Miss Rosalie Harris1, Dr Veronica Briceño1, Assoc Prof Andy Leigh2, Prof Adrienne Nicotra1 1Australian National University, Research School of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Canberra, Australia, 2University of Technology Sydney, School of the Environment, Ultimo, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00 Page 45 of 134

Biography:

I’m a PhD candidate with the Nicotra group at the ANU. My recent research was in understanding biodiversity in tropical macroalgae forests. I’m now interested in thermal biology of plants in extreme environments and temperature anomalies associated with climate change.

Temperature is the facilitator of life’s metabolic processes and is one of the major global drivers of species distributions. Thermal environment and evolutionary legacy are correlated with plants thermal limits. Plants and marine macrophytes, for the most part, are sedentary, and thus must cope with whatever conditions their environment provides. Often a number of these environmental conditions are extreme, yet with the addition of global climate change in these already vulnerable habitats, species are likely to be pushed to their thermal limits with some unable to adapt, ultimately leading to human induced biodiversity loss. In marine systems, we’ve already seen a loss of around 90% of the Tasmanian temperate macroalgal forests due to a combination of increased temperature and eutrophication. Thermal triggers of dieback in these forests are reasonably well understood, yet we have a serious lack in understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying the process. Without an appreciation of what those pathways are and how they vary within and among macroalgal species, one cannot effectively predict long term responses to future climate scenarios. Tropical macroalgae experience relatively stable temperatures throughout the year compared to their temperate counterparts, yet are already operating within their thermal safety margins, making them highly susceptible to irreversible damage from events like marine heatwaves. Here I will compare and contrast the thermal tolerance literature in both temperate and tropical macroalgae. I will discuss the possible future outcomes for these crucial habitats and, based on this synthesis, outline priorities for research directions in macroalgal thermal tolerance.

Provenancing strategies to enhance the adaptive potential of forest restoration plantings Dr Peter Harrison1, Dr Dorothy Steane1,2, Dr Joao Costa e Silva3, Dr Tanya Bailey1, Prof René Vaillancourt1, Prof Brad Potts1 1ARC Training Centre for Forest Value & University Of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 2CSIRO, Hobart, Australia, 3Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Peter Harrison, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: Dr Peter Harrison is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow in Restoration Genetics focusing on understanding the selective drivers of local adaptation and the integration of genetic information into the planning and monitoring of restoration plantings.

The advantage of using of local provenance seed sources in ecological restoration is increasingly being questioned. This is because anthropogenic-induced changes to restoration sites (e.g., land clearing, conversion and climate change) may have altered environmental conditions so much that local provenances that evolved in situ over many generations are no longer the best adapted to the local conditions. In addition, in the case of cleared landscapes, seed collected from the remain remnant forest may be inbred or have reduced genetic diversity. Alternative provenancing strategies, to enhance genetic diversity (e.g. composite or admixture provenancing) or improve future adaptation such as climate-adjusted provenancing, have been proposed. The later strategy advocates mixing seed from non-local provenances sampled along an environmental gradient with local provenance seed, to increase genetic diversity and bolster resilience of plantings in the face of future change. Key to this strategy is to understand the extent to which populations are climatically adapted, prediction of the directions of climate change and the successful establishment of Page 46 of 134 translocated provenances. Multiple lines of evidence are here presented to argue for climate adaptation in several eucalypts used for restoration in Tasmania, Australia. We demonstrate how genetic-informed climate models can be used to delineate adaptive seed zones for guiding restoration decisions and using a network of field trials present early performance comparisons between local and translocated provenances.

Collaboration bolsters efforts to conserve an Endangered lizard in the face of increasing disturbances.

Ms Renée Hartley1, Ms Mel Schroder2, Mr Nick Clemann3, Dr Chloe Sato1,4, Dr Benjamin Scheele1, Prof David Lindenmayer1 1Australian National University, Acton, Australia, 2National Parks and Wildlife Service, Jindabyne, Australia, 3Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Heidelberg, Australia, 4Deakin University, Burwood, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers - Renée Hartley, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Renée is a PhD Candidate with the Fenner School at the Australian National University. After working in threatened species and ecosystem management for more than 15 years, Renée hopes that her research will improve understanding and management of subalpine ecosystems.

Ecosystems in the Australian alpine region are facing increasing pressures, including human disturbance, fire and climate change. These unique, sensitive ecosystems support a number of endemic and threatened species. One of these, the Endangered Alpine She-oak Skink (Cyclodomorphus praealtus), is largely dependent on subalpine grasslands, which are key grazing habitat for invasive herbivores. Over recent years, land managers, researchers and the community have observed the severe and sustained impacts caused by invasive herbivores as they establish throughout the region. Directed by the needs of state government practitioners, this research addresses important knowledge gaps for managing the Alpine She-oak Skink and invasive herbivores in alpine national parks. We quantified the impacts of native and invasive herbivores in treeless vegetation communities across Kosciuszko National Park through extensive surveys. Results show that grazing is associated with differences in vegetation and soil compaction that may influence the Alpine She-oak Skink. Concurrently, we measured habitat characteristics and detectability of the Alpine She-oak Skink to inform occupancy modelling for the species. I will discuss how the partnership has created flexibility within the project, enabled sharing of resources and data, and established the foundations for a long-term, rigorous study to inform adaptive management.

Mission: long-term, state-wide population monitoring of the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax fleayi) Dr Clare Hawkins1,2, Mr Andrew Hughes3, Dr Joanne Potts4, Dr Stuart Newson5, Dr Angela Dean6, Dr James Lovell1,2, Mr Nicholas Mooney7 1Bookend Trust, Hobart, Australia, 2School of Natural Sciences, University Of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 3Adventure Learning Australia, Woodbridge, Australia, 4The Analytical Edge, Blackmans Bay, Australia, 5British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford, UK, 6Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, 7BirdLife Australia Raptor Group, Carlton, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - Clare Hawkins, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography:

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Based at the University of Tasmania, threatened species zoologist Dr Clare Hawkins is citizen science coordinator for the Bookend Trust. She manages the NatureTrackers program (currently comprising Where? Where? Wedgie! and Claws on the Line) and the Extinction Matters BioBlitzes.

Where? Where? Wedgie! was launched in 2018 by the Bookend Trust, to monitor state-wide population trends of the endangered Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, and thereby the overall effectiveness of efforts to control its numerous threats. Additional aims are to improve public understanding of the science and unite recovery efforts. In this low-cost, long-term citizen science project, volunteers record presence/absence of all raptors and 'white cockatoos'. A dedicated website (naturetrackers.com.au) coordinates the annual six-day effort across regularly spaced squares, and provides training in the point-count method and species identification. Additional training and promotion are achieved through media, school visits, online lessons, and community talks - assisted by local stakeholders. The 2018 pilot found sufficient, capable participants available to enable detection of significant (>40%) between-year changes in wedge-tailed eagle population size. Further, of 196 respondents to a social survey of participants, a majority reported subsequently being more likely to take at least one action for eagle conservation. The initial survey method was successfully adjusted for more even geographic coverage in 2019. This refined method was repeated in 2020, allowing - after significant error-checking and data-cleaning - comparison of abundance indices (generated through occupancy modelling) for the two years. Future analytical approaches will also detect subtler, longer term changes and overall trends. Both in 2019 and 2020, over 100 teams contributed good quality data (lone individuals, groups of friends, families and school classes) - many travelling widely, surveying for multiple days and in multiple squares. We review challenges and factors contributing to success.

From CBD to glacier edge: moss colonisation and climate change Ms Alison Haynes1, Senior Professor Sharon Robinson1, Professor Kristine French1 1University of Wollongong, Austinmer, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery - , December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Alison Haynes' PhD focuses on the ecology and physiology of urban moss but collaborated on King George Island in 2020 with researchers from Brazil. She worked in publishing before taking a degree in conservation biology, with conservation genetics for honours.

We like to think of Antarctica as wild and pristine, and urban environments as the apex of anthropogenic disturbance, but while these habitats are extreme in different ways, they also share certain characteristics. As glaciers melt in Antarctica and hard surfaces are laid down with urbanisation, moss is one of few plants that are pre-adapted to exploit the resulting new substrates - some cosmopolitan species have tolerances that allow them to colonise and survive in both places. Whether polar or urban, colonisation is by a succession of microorganisms, culminating in a community of taxa such as algae, lichen and moss. Antarctic moss experiences excessive light, which invokes defenses such as sunscreens, while desiccation tolerance allows survival between snow melts. These traits are also useful in cities, where the light regime is dramatically altered as well as hydrology. In both environments, microtopography and microclimate are key, since they result in fine scale differences of temperature, moisture and light and therefore rates of photosynthesis and metabolism. Climate change alters microclimate, leading to turnover in community assemblages as different species' range tolerances are challenged. Understanding colonisation at glacier retreat is important for climate change modelling since carbon storage changes with vegetation type. On the other hand, understanding how man-made surfaces are colonised may enhance efforts to mitigate urban heat island effects using vegetation and help reduce carbon emissions. Antarctica is not immune from the anthropogenic

Page 48 of 134 processes evident in cities - but understanding biological processes in both environments will help navigate global climate change.

Investigating the resilience of upland swamp communities to extreme events with environmental DNA Mrs Natalie Hejl1, Associate Professor Adam Stow1, Dr Rachael Dudaniec1, Dr Anthony Chariton1 1Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: I am a PhD Candidate at Macquarie University, studying the use of environmental DNA to monitor and assess the resilience of ecological communities in threatened upland swamps to environmental change. This research has been a continuation from my Masters Degree.

Swamp ecosystems carry out essential services including nutrient cycling, hydrological functions, and carbon sequestration. As upland swamps are typically less connected than those charged by surface water, they are especially vulnerable to a variety of stressors, including extreme environmental events. Measuring the impact of threatening processes with traditional methods are typically constrained to representative taxa. Thus, the combined impact a stress can have on community structure is often missed. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has been shown to be a powerful tool for simultaneously characterising different taxa from ecological communities, resulting in a comprehensive biodiversity survey. For this research we use eDNA approaches, standardised surveying protocols and a range of physical- chemical analysis to investigate the health and resilience of upland swamp ecosystems over time. We aim to assess the resilience of upland swamp ecosystems within the Sydney Basin to the devastating bushfires that occurred during the summer of 2019-20 and subsequent heavy rain events that followed. Sediment samples were collected before and after the fire event, from both burnt and unburnt swamps within the Blue Mountains and Upper Nepean Conservation Area. Here, we will present biodiversity data on several taxonomic levels (prokaryotes, metazoans and eukaryotes) to assess the changes in communities over time. The data generated from this research will help assess both the impacts of fire on individual taxa and community structure and allow us to evaluate the implications of these stressors to critical ecosystem functions.

Quantifying the spatial extent of the 2018-19 drought on canopy health in NSW north-coast forests Dr Samuel Hislop1, Dr Angus Carnegie1, Dr Christine Stone1 1NSW Department of Primary Industries, Parramatta, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Samuel Hislop, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Remote sensing specialist, particularly with regards to the temporal analysis of satellite imagery. Recently completed a PhD that investigated forest disturbance and recovery dynamics, principally in relation to fire in Victorian forests.

Extremely low rainfall across much of NSW in 2018 and 2019 was a contributing factor in the extent and severity of the 2019-20 wildfires. While the destruction caused by the fires received much attention, the impacts on forest health from the drought extended beyond areas burnt. Anecdotally, widespread canopy Page 49 of 134 collapse was observed across vast areas of unburnt forest. In this research, we used Sentinel 2 satellite imagery to quantify the spatial extent of the drought impacts across 6 million hectares of NSW north-coast forests. Our time-series analysis found that almost 560,000 ha (9.4%) of forests were substantially impacted by the drought between September 2019 and January 2020. This is in addition to the 2 million ha of forests in the area that were burnt. We also found that within the burnt areas 340,000 ha of forests showed evidence of drought induced canopy collapse prior to being burnt. While it is anticipated that much of the forest will recover, repeated disturbance events of this magnitude could threaten the resilience of forests. Satellite remote sensing is ideally placed to monitor forest disturbance and recovery at this scale.

A machine learning method for detecting forest change events and interpolating missing satellite image data Ms Jacinta Holloway Brown1,2, Dr Kate Helmstedt1,2, Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen1,2 1School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, 2ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Jacinta Holloway Brown, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Jacinta Holloway Brown is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Her current research focuses on machine learning and spatial analysis of remote sensing data for environmental monitoring, specifically forest monitoring.

Forest cover is an indicator of species habitat and biodiversity that can be monitored effectively using satellite images. The benefits of using satellite images for large scale forest monitoring are that they are freely available globally and frequently updated, which reduces the need for extensive field data collection that can be prohibitively costly. A challenge of working with these images is missing data due to clouds, particularly in tropical regions where forest monitoring is essential.

Existing methods for interpolating missing data based on only past observations, such as compositing, are effective for stable land cover but inaccurate for dynamic and substantially changing landscapes. We present our new machine learning method Spatial Stochastic Random Forest (SS-RF) which accurately interpolates missing forest and land cover under simulated forest clearing scenarios. Our method takes spatial relationships in the landscape and past and current data into account to produce probabilities of land cover classifications. This is essential because monitoring changing landscapes and modelling missing data are highly uncertain problems.

In our preliminary results we found SS-RF accurately detected land cover change under both clear felling (0.83 average overall accuracy) and tree thinning (0.85 average overall accuracy) simulations. Our method was also substantially more accurate than compositing, offering 39% and 12% increases in average overall accuracy for clear felling and tree thinning simulations respectively. Overall we found that our SS-RF method offers highly accurate and robust estimates with associated measurement of uncertainty when modelling noticeably changing landscapes under significant change scenarios.

That Glossy looks familiar! - Photo identification of female Glossy black- cockatoos by citizen scientists. Ms Lauren Hook-Walker1 Page 50 of 134

1Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Wollongong, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (2) - Lauren Hook-Walker, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Lauren Hook is an ecologist and Saving our Species, Threatened Species Officer working with the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. Lauren manages a suite of threatened flora and fauna in the Illawarra and Southern Highlands.

To raise the conservation profile of threatened glossy black- cockatoos (GBC), the Saving our Species, Glossies in the Mist project provided identification training to the Southern Highlands community and invited citizen scientists to submit sightings of GBCs. Glossies in the Mist (GITM) teamed up with community champions to co-create a photo identification project focusing on cataloguing individual female GBCs using their plumage patterns. This data examines species dynamics and distribution whilst providing an enriching way for the broader community to get involved with GBC conservation.

The Great Western Wildlife Corridor spans the Southern Highlands linking large wilderness areas and falls predominantly on private land. Traditional methods for estimating GBC populations including dam counts and transects were unsuitable in this landscape. The female glossy (flossy) identification project has delivered the most accurate population count with 96 individual females recorded and reached over 455 community members.

GITM builds mobile collector forms providing an easy way for the community to submit sightings of GBCs and active habitat. The launch of flossy profile lookbooks amplified awareness and community monitoring.

The Flossy identification project provided interesting post-fire data. A flossy named Winifred was repetitively sighted travelling 33km, a large distance for a female GBC. Another flossy named Sunset was photographed in Buxton two days before the fire swept through and again a week later.

Engaging citizen scientists to run the Flossy project has extended the reach of GITM, increasing our species knowledge whilst engaging the community in GBC research and habitat conservation.

Soil fungal responses to the stacked disturbances of drought and wildfire in a Mediterranean-type forest Dr Anna Hopkins1, Dr Joseph Fontaine2, Mr Aaron Brace1, Dr Katinka Ruthrof2,3 1Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia, 2Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia, 3Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Dr Anna Hopkins is a fungal ecologist and senior lecturer whose research interests include understanding the impact of disturbances on microbial ecology and ecosystem health, and the application of molecular ecology tools in conservation biology.

Globally, drought-induced forest dieback and wildfire are garnering increasing concern and prominence. However, little is known about the longer-term responses of Mediterranean-type forests to repeated disturbances of this type and the ability of forests to maintain biodiversity. In particular, below-ground

Page 51 of 134 organisms have received less attention, despite their essential contributions to plant growth, survival, recruitment, and ecosystem function. We investigated soil fungal communities in forests affected by a combination of global-change-type drought and wildfire in a Mediterranean climate-type ecosystem in southwestern Australia. Fungal DNA was extracted, amplified and subjected to high throughput sequencing from soils beneath living trees across 16 forest sites affected by factorial combinations of severe drought and wildfire. We quantified how fungal richness, composition and functional groups varied following individual or multiple disturbance events. Disruptions to soil fungal communities, such as altered functional groups, can have serious implications for tree regeneration, recruitment, and more broadly for ecosystem persistence and function, particularly in regions projected to experience multiple disturbance events in the future.

Does developmental switching of zygotes play roles in the evolution of the alternation of generations? Dr Yusuke Horinouchi1 1Marine Biosystems Research Center, Chiba University POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Unlike animals, plants exhibit life cycles with multicellular haploid ( gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte) generations. The evolution of this type of life cycle, the alternation of generations, underlies the diversification of developmental programs and reproductive strategies in extant plants. The alternation of generations may evolve from an ancestral life cycle with a gametophyte and a single-celled diploid phase; the acquisition of the sporophyte generation is a key to the evolution of the alternation of generations. However, little is known about how this developmentally novel and ecologically distinct phenotype is acquired. The acquisition of such novel phenotypes may be intermediated by intraspecific phenotypic variations that adapt to changing environments. In this study, we report that a green seaweed ( Monostroma angicava) with an ancestral-like life cycle exhibits an intraspecific variation of life cycle, where some zygotes develop into multicellular sporophytes, as well as a single-celled diploid phase. This developmental switching appeared to occur stochastically and the sporophytes showed potential fitness benefits, indicating this phenotypic variation adapts to environmental fluctuations. Based on these data, we tested whether the phenotypic variation can facilitate the acquisition of sporophytes under fluctuating environments using a mathematical model.

Is drone technology the cost-effective solution for koala monitoring? Mr Lachlan G. Howell1,2, Associate Professor John Clulow1,2, Mr Chad T. Beranek1,2, Miss Shelby A. Ryan1,2, Emeritus Professor John C. Rodger1,2, Dr Neil R. Jordan4,5, Dr Adam Roff1,3, Dr Ryan R. Witt1,2 1School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Biology Building, University of Newcastle, Newcastle , Australia, 2FAUNA Research Alliance, Kahibah, Australia , 3Science Division, Department of Planning and Environment, Newcastle , Australia , 4Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of BEES, University of New South Wales , Sydney , Australia , 5Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Lachlan Howell, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Lachlan G. Howell is a PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle. His research draws on Australian public policy and funding issues for fauna conservation and attempts to find the most cost-effective outcomes based tools using modelling and cost analysis.

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Remotely piloted aircraft system thermal imaging technology (RPAS) has recently emerged as a powerful monitoring tool for koalas for which no standardised monitoring approach exists. Before novel technologies can be confidently employed by government, conservation practitioners and researchers, evidence of increased efficiency and cost-benefit compared to traditional established methods is required. We provide the first comprehensive cost analysis of RPAS against two traditional methods, systematic spotlighting (Spotlight) and the refined diurnal radial search component of the spot assessment technique (SAT), and we provide an additional practitioner-friendly decision-making tool. RPAS surveys encountered much higher start-up costs (>AU$48k) against traditional methods, however, detected more koalas per dollar spent (n = 0.111 koalas/dollar) and required considerably lower mean ongoing survey effort cost inputs per successful koala detection (AU$87) and per hectare (AU$3.84). Theoretical modelling suggested RPAS requires lower survey effort to detect koalas at all publically available population densities (~0.006 – 16 koalas/ha). In comparative theoretical ten-year koala monitoring programs, RPAS operated at competitive or lower costs and exceeded the number of potential direct detections against traditional methods (>1200 and >1800 additional koala detections against Spotlight and SAT respectively). Our results and decision-making tool estimate survey effort or total program costs for each method at any koala population density. Our novel approach offers a means to compare available survey techniques and should influence investment decision making towards developing standardised koala monitoring. Our results may support stakeholders to achieve optimal conservation outcomes for koalas with standardised data collection through evidence-based and cost-effective monitoring programs.

Nest boxes boost Red-rumped Parrot population at Sydney Olympic Park Dr Tina Hsu1 1Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Sydney, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Ecology and Sustainability Coordinator at Sydney Olympic Park Authority; responsible for managing the Park’s nest and roost box program - developed to support possums, microbats and Red-rumpred Parrots - since 2010.

Sydney Olympic Park’s Red-rumped Parrot population is considered regionally significant as it lies near the eastern limit of the species’ distribution. Breeding habitat in the form of tree hollows is restricted to a small remnant forest located within Newington Nature Reserve. A study on hollow usage within the Reserve found intense competition for hollows and constant displacement of Red-rumped Parrots by Rainbow Lorikeets, which likely contributed to the parrots’ population declining by more than half between 2004 and 2011. Eight customised nest boxes were installed in May 2012 adjacent to a known feeding area outside the Reserve to provide the parrots with nesting sites. The parrots used both hardwood and PVC boxes for breeding in the season following installation; however, usage of PVC boxes stopped after 2 years, while hardwood boxes continue to be used to date with evidence of successful breeding each season. Successful recruitment has boosted the Red-rumped Parrot population from just over 30 birds in 2013 to more than 80 birds in 2018. As nest boxes are less well insulated compared to tree hollows, future breeding success is likely to be impacted by predicted increase in temperature and extreme weather events. To investigate the relationship between temperature and breeding success, temperature and humidity data loggers were installed in used and unused nest boxes in June 2019; the Authority is also trialling new nest boxes in different material and thickness (double ply vs hardwood) as well as colour (unpainted vs painted in a light colour).

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The Australian Threatened Species Index: Inaugural Threatened Plant Index and Future Directions

Dr Micha V. Jackson1, Dr Elisa Bayraktarov2,1, Dr Ayesha I. T. Tulloch3,1, Dr Diego F. Correa1, Dr Felipe Suarez- Castro1, Prof Hugh P. Possingham1 1National Environmental Science Program’s Threatened Species Recovery Hub and Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University Of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2eResearch Services, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 3School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Approaches for detailing threats, actions and management costs for threatened species recovery across broad scales - Micha Jackson, December 1, 2020, 16:00 - 18:00

Biography: Micha Jackson is a conservation biologist employed through the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub. She has engaged in wildlife monitoring for over a decade, and is passionate about achieving improved environmental outcomes through evidence-based research and strong collaborative partnerships.

Understanding whether, and where, species are declining is crucial for monitoring progress towards national and global biodiversity conservation targets, justifying management resourcing, and informing policy responses. Yet accessible reporting tools for time series data on Australian species are rare. To address this gap, we developed the first Threatened Species Index for Australia to inform the public and decision-makers about changes in threatened and near-threatened species populations in the same way that stock market indices or unemployment rates inform us about economic health. The Threatened Species Index aggregates standardised monitoring data and applies the Living Planet Index method to produce a single multi-species composite trend for major taxonomic groups. It can also report on trends for different functional groups and regions, indicating which may have suffered greater relative declines. A publicly available web-visualisation tool enables anyone to interrogate and visualise the Threatened Species Index, and to download data. After confirming its usefulness as an indicator for Australia’s imperilled birds and mammals, showing overall average decreases of 60% and 39% since the reference year of 1985 respectively, we have now developed the first index for Australia’s imperilled plants, which includes over 100 species from all states and territories. In this talk, we will present results from the inaugural Threatened Plant Index, and discuss future directions for the Threatened Species Index, including increasing its integration with national research infrastructure and expanding it to include other taxonomic groups. The new 2020 Threatened Species Index will be released to the public after the talk.

Leaf hydraulic vulnerability and gas exchange strategies of pasture species under drought Mr Vinod Jacob1, Prof David Tissue1, Prof Sally Power1, Prof Belinda Medlyn1, Prof Brendan Choat1, Dr Haiyang Zhang1, Dr Amber Churchill1 1Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Vinod Jacob, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: PhD candidate investigating the physiological mechanisms behind the response of pasture species to drought and warming. I'm especially interested in the hydraulic vulnerability of pasture grasses and understanding their drought response strategies.

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Drought is one of the most limiting factors to plant productivity worldwide, and climate predictions forecast increasing drought frequency, duration and intensity in the future. The integrity of a plant’s water transport (hydraulic) system plays a vital role in its ability to deal with drought stress, and the analysis of its function is a powerful tool in predicting a species’ response to the challenges of the future.

While numerous studies have analysed the hydraulic function of woody and crop species, little research has been conducted on grasses. Furthermore, there are large discrepancies among studies owing to disagreements among methods, some of which are prone to measurement artefacts.

Here we investigated the hydraulic properties of five widely cultivated pasture grasses and determine the link between hydraulic function and productivity. We measured hydraulic vulnerability using the non-invasive optical vulnerability technique. We also measured the response of gas exchange traits to declining soil moisture for each species, and investigated relationships between hydraulic function and photosynthetic productivity.

We found that all species studied had highly resistant xylem, especially when compared to other herbaceous angiosperms. We observed little correlation between stomatal regulation and hydraulic vulnerability, with most species completely closing their stomata before the onset of hydraulic damage. Species with higher photosynthetic capacity had less resistant xylem suggesting a trade-off between growth capacity and drought resistance. Our results present new insights into the hydraulic properties of grasses and may provide a more mechanistic understanding for modelling the response of pasture systems to a drier future.

Community-based Monitoring to Assess Revegetation Outcomes Dr Sacha Jellinek1, Prof Andrew Bennett2, Mr Tim O'Brien3 1University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 2La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia, 3Arthur Rylah Institute, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers - Sacha Jellinek, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Sacha has worked in the ecology field for over 20 years and has experience working for government and non- government agencies undertaking conservation activities, in collaboration with community groups. He is currently based at Melbourne University and Melbourne Water.

Practitioners undertaking conservation activities, such as Landcare members, staff from government and non-government agencies and private landholders, play a vital role in undertaking land management actions such as revegetation. Practitioners can also play an important role in learning how revegetated areas change over time by carrying out monitoring. Monitoring allows us to learn what actions are most effective in restoring vegetation to individual properties and whole landscapes, how well plant species survive, and the quality of habitat it provides for animals. In Victoria, practitioners have been working alongside researchers from La Trobe University and the Arthur Rylah Institute (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning) to assess how effective revegetation outcomes are after the first year of planting. The monitoring aims were to assess the outcomes of revegetation in terms of the survival of planted trees, shrubs and understory plants; and to determine the factors that affect variation in survival among different species, and different regions. The program also assessed how useful community members found the monitoring methods, any factors that limited their ability to undertake monitoring, and ways in which the monitoring could be improved. This presentation will outline the revegetation monitoring methods undertaken by community groups in Victoria, the revegetation outcomes from this monitoring, and the perceptions of

Page 55 of 134 participants on the monitoring methods and their outcomes. The results highlight the importance of researchers and community groups collaborating to better understand the benefits of conservation activities through monitoring.

How the pipes fail: xylem failure spreads by single-conduit embolisms in three dry-forest angiosperm stems Ms Kate Johnson1, Associate Professor Craig Brodersen2, Dr Madeline Carins-Murphy1, Associate Professor Brendan Choat3, Professor Tim Brodribb1 1Discipline of Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart,, Australia, 2School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven,, USA, 3Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith,, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Kate Johnson, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Kate is a PhD student studying failure of the plant water transport system under drought conditions, with a focus on Australian tree species.

As drought leads to increasing forest mortality across the world, it is critical that we understand the mechanisms which lead to tree death in drought conditions. Failure of the plant water transport system (xylem) due to breakage of the water column (xylem cavitation), resulting in air bubbles (embolisms) is a major cause of drought-induced plant death, yet how emboli propagate through the plant water transport system is poorly understood. We used optical visualization (cameras) and X-ray micro-computed tomography imaging (microCT) to capture embolism spread in stems of three drought resistant Australian trees, Allocasuarina verticillata, Acacia mearnsii, and Eucalyptus globulus. These species have similar degrees of xylem network connectivity with largely solitary (unconnected) vessels. The high temporal resolution of the Optical Vulnerability Technique (OVT) revealed that, >80% of the cavitation events were discrete, temporally separated events in single vessels. This suggests that in xylem networks with low connectivity, embolism spread leading to cavitation in multiple conduits is uncommon. A. mearnsii showed both the highest number of ‘multi-vessel’ cavitation events and the highest degree of vessel connectivity, suggesting a link between vessel arrangement and embolism spread. Knowledge of embolism spread will help us to uncover the links between xylem anatomy, arrangement, and the path of water flow in the xylem. This will ultimately allow us to understand the drivers of cavitation and plant vulnerability to drought, knowledge which could inform species selection for revegetation and forestry and enable us to predict and manage for tree dieback in both native and commercial systems.

Current state of Antarctic biodiversity monitoring Miss Shae Jones1, Dr Diana King2, Professor Sharon Robinson1,2, Dr Dana M. Bergstrom2,3, Dr Melinda Waterman1 1Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2Global Challenges Program, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 3Australian Antarctic Division, , SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery - Shae Jones, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Long term monitoring is considered to be an essential component of ecological research, allowing key scientific questions for species and communities to be answered. In a time of rapid global changes and

Page 56 of 134 ecosystem modification this monitoring becomes increasingly important. Antarctica is known for its unique flora and fauna, however, the current rate of change being experienced across the continent may place many of these species under threat. Therefore, knowing how these organisms are responding to environmental changes is vital in understanding community resilience and resistance and predicting regime shifts, in addition to providing essential information for management and policy development. This review investigates the limitations and gaps in existing long-term biodiversity monitoring of Antarctic near-shore and terrestrial zones. Here, we focus on studies of three or more years of non-consecutive monitoring. As a whole, biodiversity monitoring in Antarctica was found to be limited, especially those spanning time scales of ten years or more. As previously highlighted by both Antarctic and global findings alike, there is a stark bias towards monitoring charismatic species, such as penguins and mammals; with more than 60 percent of published monitoring studies being focussed on charismatic species. The varied accessibility across the continent is evident in the scarce spread of monitoring programs. Additionally, inconsistencies in methods limits the capacity for comprehensive comparisons between studies. This review demonstrates the many organisms and communities which have remained under studied in Antarctica, as well as emphasises the need for harmonised protocols and data sharing.

Recovering the gene pool of Eucalyptus morrisbyi following rapid dieback Dr Rebecca Jones1,2, Magali Wright3, Robert J. E. Wiltshire1, Rowena Hannaford4, James Wood5, Peter A. Harrison1,2, Declan Reeves1, Blake Lane1, Nicola Potter1, Brad M. Potts1,2 1School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart TAS 7001 Australia., , , 2ARC Training Centre for Forest Value, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart TAS 7001 Australia, , , 3Enviro-Dynamics Pty. Ltd. 2 Edward Street, Glebe TAS 7000 Australia., , , 4Parks and Wildlife Service, GPO Box 1751, Hobart TAS 7001 Australia, , , 5Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre, Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Queens Domain, Hobart TAS 7000 Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (2) - Rebecca Jones, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Dr Rebecca Jones (University of Tasmania) works on various aspects of eucalypt genetics, including conservation and restoration genetics, phylogenetics, developmental genetics, and evolution and speciation.

Severe canopy dieback has been recorded for many Tasmanian eucalypt species, including one of Australia’s rarest eucalypts, Eucalyptus morrisbyi. This species, naturally restricted to two main populations near Hobart, has experienced a recent dramatic decline, and the species is now considered functionally extinct in the wild. One population of around 100 individuals at Risdon Hills has not produced seed in 30 years, and regeneration is only by lignotuber resprouts, with clonal patches several metres in diameter. Until 2013, the population at Calverts Hill was healthy, with around 2,000 adult trees. However, over a five-year period, coinciding with an extended dry period and strong native browsing pressure, the adult trees at this site suffered a dramatic decline, with only seven surviving by 2018. Intervention by government agencies, environmental consultants, community volunteers and university researchers has begun to reverse this decline in situ, improve ex situ genetic resources including genetically diverse seed banks and plantings, and increase the species range through assisted migration. Wildlife-proof fencing and possum trapping and relocation has reduced browsing pressure on adult and juvenile trees in situ: the remaining adult trees are now showing improved health and there has been substantial regeneration of previously supressed juveniles. Genetic analysis of existing ex situ conservation plantings determined their provenance and diversity. Seed from these stands has been used to supplement the existing seed banked material and establish plantings, both in situ to supplement the existing population, and ex situ embedded in large-scale translocation projects within the predicted future climate range of the species.

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Fuel structure responses to severe wildfire in mixed eucalypt forests: implication for flammability Mr Yogendra Karna1, Dr Trent Penman1, Dr Cristina Aponte1, Dr Lauren Bennett1 1School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Yogendra Karna, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Yogendra Karna is a Forester with plenty of experiences in forest resource inventory, forest structural quantification and ecological understanding. He wants to become a forest research scientist who can apply remote sensing and GIS knowledge to solve real-world forestry problems.

Fires and forest fuels interact to influence fuel recovery and thus the behaviour of subsequent fires. Understanding such interactions to predict forest flammability patterns and feedbacks is critical to improve prediction of fire behaviour and to effectively prescribe fuel treatments, but very few studies have quantified post-fire fuel structure in south-eastern Australia. In this study, we quantified the fuel structural arrangement in fire-tolerant eucalypt forests as it is influenced by wildfire severity, pre-fire understory vegetation structure, and the environment in a fire-prone, topographically variable landscape in south-eastern Australia. We used high-density airborne lidar data to estimate fuel metrics representing the horizontal and vertical continuity of understory fuel in 1084 lidar plots of different wildfire severities at landscape scales. Random Forests regression models were used to examine the relative importance of fire severity, pre-fire understory fuel metrics, and environmental factors to predict fuel structure representing the horizontal and vertical fuel connectivity at three different understory strata. High-severity sites had a 3-fold increase in understory cover at midstorey strata (3 m to 7.5 m) and a 50% decrease in understory height resulting in greater gaps to the canopy. Recent fire severity had the greatest influence on understorey fuel measures, with fuel recovery being slowest at the driest sites. Our study provides quantitative evidence of less fuel structure at low severity sites similar to the unburnt level, but highly burnt areas have higher fuel load or structure and more likely to burn after seven years of fire.

Developing robust data management for ecosystem images Dr Siddeswara Guru1, Mrs Wilma Karsdorp1, Mr Andrew Cleland1, Mr Gerhard Weis1 1University Of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (1) - Wilma Karsdorp, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Wilma Karsdorp is a senior software engineer working for TERN. She develops innovative solutions to some of the challenging ecosystem data management problems. She builds systems to make TERN's ecological data discoverable and accessible for the wider community.

Advancement in technology has enabled ecosystem science researchers to sense the environment through audio, video and sound. The use of technology has enhanced the frequency of data capture, expand the spatial extent of data collection. However, effective on-time end-to-end management of sensed data is paramount to leverage the value of data and derive knowledge. TERN uses imaging technologies to detect the environment in different sites across Australia. The images collected are from photopoints, phenocams and cameras to estimate LAI. Effective management of these images is essential to leverage the long-term

Page 58 of 134 usability and to study the changes in the environment. We will present a web-based TERN Ecoimage platform specifically designed to discover and access different image types collected at TERN Ecosystem sites. The Ecoimage platform includes a robust onboarding method to bring data from various sources into single storage using cloudStor and Apache Airflow workflow for automation. Main workflow processing steps include harmonising the file naming convention, creating image thumbnails for a quick view at the browser, indexing all images and related information in the elastic search for better search and discovery. The web- based dashboard enables users to search images based on where, when and what types of images collected. Users can also download small to large Ecoimage collections for further reuse.

Loss of resilience after longwall mining leads to post-fire collapse of peatland ecosystems Professor David A. Keith1,2, Dr Martin Krogh2, Mr Doug Benson3, Ms Laura Watts1,3, Mr Christopher Simpson1,2, Dr Tanya Mason1,2 1University Of Nsw, Sydney, Australia, 2NSW Dept of Planning, Industry & Environment, Parramatta, Australia, 3Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Sydney, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - David Keith, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: David has a long-term interest in ecosystem dynamics and fire ecology. His role is to undertake strategic research to support the conservation and management of biodiversity.

Peatland ecosystems are restricted within Australia due to the climatically marginal conditions for their development, yet they are critical to sustaining unique biodiversity, landscape hydrological functions and provisioning ecosystem services. Upland peatlands in Australia are fire-prone and typically produce the first flush of post-fire growth in a landscape, with associated shelter and food resources for a range of fauna. In the Sydney Basin, a national hotspot of peatland occurrence, longwall extraction of underground coal strata initiates hydrological changes. The consequent ecological response is difficult to quantify due to spatio- temporal variability and potential lags in equilibration to new hydrological regimes. We hypothesised that bushfires provide a catalyst for rapid expression of mining impacts. We compared early post-fire vegetation responses between peatlands with, and without recent longwall mining beneath them on the Newnes plateau, Blue Mountains. We found strong evidence that greater pre-fire drying associated with mining (cf. no mining) resulted in fires of higher severity, greater peat consumption, lower cover and biomass, lower plant survival, recruitment and species richness, and markedly different plant species composition in the vegetation of peatlands subjected to longwall mining relative to unmined controls. We conclude that longwall mining led to a loss of resilience to fire and post-fire ecosystem collapse, while unmined peatlands remained resilient and exhibited rapid post-fire recovery. Application of the mitigation hierarchy, with greater emphasis on impact avoidance in mine planning, could help maintain the natural capital closely linked to these unique ecosystems.

Monitoring East Antarctic vegetation in a time of change Dr Diana King1,2, Dr Jane Wasley1,3, Dr Michael Ashcroft1, Ms Ellen Ryan-Colton1,4, Sen. Prof. Sharon Robinson1,2 1University Of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2Global Challenges Program, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 3Antarctic Conservation and Management, Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Australia, 4Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery - Diana King, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00 Page 59 of 134

Biography: Diana is interested in using technology to assist with environmental monitoring and ecological studies. She is currently working on Antarctic biodiversity monitoring methodologies and protocols for the Antarctic Near- shore and Terrestrial Observing System (ANTOS).

Recent heatwave events show that climate change is now affecting more of the Antarctic continent than previously thought. The impacts of this change are unknown for many of the unique ecosystems across the continent. Long term monitoring of these ecosystems is thus vital to detect biodiversity trends and understand how change is affecting these communities.

We developed a long-term monitoring system for assessing the health and biodiversity of vegetation in East Antarctica. Sixty permanent quadrat locations at two sites were monitored at seven time points between 2000 and 2014. Vegetation cover and moss health were assessed using semi-automatic object-based image analysis (OBIA) to classify digital RGB photographs of quadrats. Species composition was assessed by identifying nine microsamples of moss within each quadrat.

Overall moss health and species composition changed over the period of study at both sites. A marked increase in stress and decline in health was observed across both sites in 2008, followed by recovery to baseline levels of health by 2014 at one site, but with significantly more stressed or moribund moss remaining within the two communities at the other site. This was associated with a decrease in Schistidium antarctici and an increase in Ceratodon purpureus at both sites. These results indicate a drying trend in East Antarctica, as a result of changes in winds around the continent. These resilient Antarctic vegetation communities are potentially important proxies for monitoring coastal climate change in Antarctica and further ongoing monitoring is required to ensure their appropriate management and protection.

Digging Deeper: Investigating Temperature Effects on the Behaviour of the Burrowing Mud Shrimp, Trypaea australiensis Miss Renae Kirby1, Mr Adrian Plummer1, Dr Marian Wong1 1University Of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Renae Kirby, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: I am a current PhD student at the University of Wollongong, researching the behaviour, social structure and mating system of an Australian endemic burrowing shrimp. Hopefully providing one of the first insights into this species' behaviour and other cryptic organisms.

Estuaries are subjected to extreme environmental fluctuations that are frequent and could heavily impact its resident species. These extreme fluctuations include variations in temperature, oxygen and daily tidal cycles. With climate change already causing temperature increases globally, it is further expected that estuarine habitats will experience even greater environmental fluctuations in the future. Despite this, much of the aquatic life that resides in these environments are understudied, particularly cryptic species that live within the soft sediment. The burrowing mud shrimp, Trypaea australiensis is an endemic species found primarily along the East Coast of Australia. These ectothermic animals are considered ‘ecosystem engineers’ through their action of generating burrows in the soft sediment, on which they rely for food and shelter from predators and harsh conditions. However, little is known about shrimp burrowing behaviour and how and whether it is modulated in response to temperature variation in an extreme environment. In this study, we Page 60 of 134 conducted laboratory experiments to ascertain the effects of elevated temperature on burrowing depth and burrowing behaviours of T. australiensis. We show that T. australiensis burrow depth and burrow maintenance behaviours were significantly influenced by temperature. Therefore, providing a key insight into not only the behavioural changes exhibited by these ectothermic shrimp, but also the potential impacts of elevated temperature on the wider mudflat ecosystem.

The value of restoration plantings for birds, invertebrates and mammals of the Tasmanian Midlands

Mr Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol1 1University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Kawinwit is an Honours student at University of Tasmania who is passionate about wildlife conservation. His thesis establishes baseline monitoring of restoration plantings in Tasmania's Midlands Biodiversity Hotspot. He hopes to do a PhD after finishing Honours thesis.

Monitoring of effectiveness in restoration efforts is crucial in evaluating how successful a project ultimately is in restoring the habitat for wildlife. We established baseline faunal monitoring effort for Tasmania's Northern Midlands Biodiversity Hotspot restoration project to measure community differences between restoration plantings (5 year-old sites) and their surrounding pre-restoration sites (bare paddocks and remnant woodlands). We established 12 sites for woodland restoration and 10 sites for riparian restoration. In woodland sites, we compared restoration planting plots (n = 4) to bare paddocks (n = 4) and remnant woodlands (n = 4). However, in riparian habitats, due to the lack of intact remnant sites, we compared between restoration plantings (n = 5) and bare paddocks (n = 5). We used cross-fence comparison approach to compare each paired sites. We surveyed for mammals, birds and ground-dwelling invertebrates at each site. Multivariate statistical modelling to compare wildlife communities between habitat types and test for relationships with structural habitat and landscape variables. The communities were compared between each habitat type to assess the trajectory of the restoration efforts. According to our preliminary results, we found an intermediate values of plantings for fauna when compared to bare paddock and remnant sites. We believe that the young restoration plantings are providing shelter for small insectivorous birds. The goal of establishing this baseline monitoring in the Northern Midlands Biodiversity Hotspot is to provide long-term monitoring guideline to track the changes in faunal communities and inform practitioners future directions through adaptive management.

Prescribed burn severity has minimal effect on common bird species in a fire-prone forest ecosystem Dr Diana Kuchinke1, Dr Julian Di Stefano2, Dr Holly Sitters2, Dr Richard Loyn3,4, Prof Peter Gell1, Dr Grant Palmer1 1Federation University, Mt Helen, Australia, 2University of Melbourne, Creswick, Australia, 3Eco Insights, Beechworth, Australia, 4La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Diana Kuchinke, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography:

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I am a sessional lecturer. So, a year of chaos and lockdown has created an opportunity to write up and send off manuscripts. My presentation this year is on a paper published by Forest Ecology and Management during this time.

Prescribed burning is widely used to mitigate the effects of severe fires across the landscape and to maintain biodiversity. Just like wildfires, the severity of prescribed burns can vary; this study was an opportunistic investigation. In one fortnight during autumn months of 2012, several prescribed burns were carried out in heathy-dry forests of central Victoria. We used measurements of canopy scorch, bark burn and ground cover burn to calculate a severity score for each site. The scores ranged from low (2.5) to high (10). A BACI design was utilised to model the potential impacts of fire and fire severity on birds. We used GLMM’s, and incorporated first- and second-year post-fire spring/summer observations from 2012 to 2014, against bird data from observations carried out in 2010. The total combined abundances of individual species showed that broadly, bird abundance rebounded to pre-burn levels by the second spring post-fire. There was little response detected in either species richness or turnover. The muted turnover result aligns to other studies that indicate a scarcity of early-successional-stage species in eucalyptus forests and woodlands that rapidly regenerate post-fire. Ten individual species were also examined, and only the White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaea) responded to both fire and its severity. The BACI design illustrated that while the forest birds were resilient to small-scale prescribed burns of any severity, abundances in general may have been in decline, a result aligning with the years of reduced rainfall in the region. Federation University acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Wadawurrung land (Ballarat).

Tips for designing environmental engagement programs Dr Alex Kusmanoff1, Professor Sarah Bekessy1, Dr Georgia Garrard1 1ICON Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Alex's research is mostly directed towards how to frame messages for better biodiversity conservation engagement, though he also works in government across a range of policy areas.

There are many reasons an organisation may embark on environmental engagement initiatives, including to increase environmental issue awareness, promote pro-environmental behaviours, directly contribute to enhancing the natural environment, or build social capital and promote community health and well-being.

Environmental engagement includes an array of approaches ranging from the passive dissemination of information to actively facilitating environmental education, citizen science or volunteer conservation programs.

There are a range of ways in which programs can lead to biodiversity benefits. For example, tree-planting and weeding associated with conservation volunteering may directly improve habitat and increase species diversity, while contributions to datasets collected through citizen science activities provide benefits by helping inform conservation research and management.

Other benefits may result from increased environmental literacy, and promotion of specific or general pro- environmental behaviours. This can include, for example, greater environmentally sensitive behaviour within parks themselves (e.g. keeping to tracks, not feeding animals, etc.) as well as more general behaviours such as in purchasing sustainably-sourced food and other consumer products, donating to conservation causes, and voting based on conservation issues. Page 62 of 134

This means that many of the potential biodiversity benefits which may result from environmental engagement initiatives rely on a program’s influence on participants’ subsequent behaviour. As such, not only are lessons from the environmental engagement and education literature informative for designing engagement programs, but so too are insights from the behaviour change literature.

Here, we draw on key lessons from across this literature to provide practical recommendations for designing environmental engagement programs to deliver biodiversity benefits.

Conservation genetics of the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) on Groote Eylandt Ms Jessica M Latimer1, Ms Natalie J Freeman1, Dr Andrew Mather1, Dr Jaime Heiniger1, Dr Skye F Cameron2, Dr Nick Smith1, Dr Dean Brookes1, Prof Robbie S Wilson1 1The University Of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Mornington Wildlife Sanctuary, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: My name is Jessica Latimer, a recent honours graduate from the University of Queensland in the Wilson Performance lab. I am interested in the use of genetics in conservation and the field of wildlife forensics.

Islands can provide refuge for species under threat from pressures experienced on the mainland, such as introduced species. Island populations, however, tend to have an increased likelihood of extinction due to their isolation and typical small population size, resulting in reduced genetic diversity. This is especially pertinent for the endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus). Mainland populations have contracted by more than 75% in the last century, making island populations which are free from the threats of the mainland, vital for the conservation of this species. The northern quoll population on Groote Eylandt has not experienced these declines and may prove to be an essential insurance population, however, their level of genetic diversity yet to be evaluated. Using nine microsatellite markers, this population was shown to have a stable level of genetic diversity between 2012 and 2018, despite large fluctuations in population density. The genetic stability of this population, combined with no evidence of inbreeding and high effective population size, suggests that Groote Eylandt is a refuge for the northern quoll. Overall, this population appears to be a vital insurance population, providing a source of individuals for translocation programs should the need arise. This assumes, however, that Groote Eylandt continues to be protected from the major threats of northern quolls, such as cane toads.

Conserving Antarctic biodiversity with priority threat management Dr Jasmine Lee1 1Monash University, Clayton, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery - December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Jasmine is a postdoctoral researcher in the Chown lab at Monash University. She is an Antarctic conservation scientist and her research interests include spatial analysis, modelling, climate change and conservation prioritisation.

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Terrestrial Antarctic biodiversity faces multiple threats, including pollution, invasive species, increasing human activity and climate change. Prioritising effective management strategies in the face of these threats is essential for progressing biodiversity conservation in the region. We utilised priority threat management, a structured elicitation approach, to identify cost-effective and complementary strategies for conserving Antarctic biodiversity. We found approximately 65% of taxa are likely to decline by 2100 if no new management strategies are implemented, though comprehensive strategies could benefit the majority of taxa. Here I will discuss the trade-offs in cost, feasibility and benefit of these strategies to identify which conservation actions will be most effective in securing Antarctic biodiversity in a rapidly changing world.

Using citizen science and trait data to measure recolonization of birds after Australian 2019-20 megafire Mr Joshua Lee1, Dr Corey Callaghan1, A/Prof William Cornwell1,2 1Centre for Ecosystem Science; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2Ecology & Evolution Research Centre; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Joshua Lee is an undergraduate student at the University of New South Wales school of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science. His research interests include avian ecology, ecosystem and disturbance ecology and using quantitative tools to answer ecological questions.

The 2019-20 Australian bushfire season was among most catastrophic fire events on record. Over 18 million hectares were burnt displacing and killing unprecedented numbers of native fauna. In this study, we used citizen science data from eBird to examine the recovery of 85 bird species in SE Australia, along with the bird traits associated with a speedy recovery. We used generalized additive modelling, accounting for season and effort, of data from before and after the fire within burnt areas to model any change in proportion of checklists each species was present. 25 species decreased in occurrence after the fire; 33 species increased; and no significant effect was found for the remaining species. We used the results from this analysis to test if bird sedentism, size, or the specialism/generalism of diet and habitat could explain species recolonization and use of recently burned habitat. Results suggest that diet generalism and size were positively correlated with recolonization after fire. However, no significant relationship was detected between habitat generalism and recolonization. Sedentism was more likely to be associated with lower rates of recolonization. This study shows that physiological and life history traits of bird species can be important indicators of a species’ response to large scale disturbance events. Our findings indicate the species and the general type of species that are absent from recently burned areas and thus at greater risk from large fire events. These species should therefore receive more conservation attention in the wake of and in preparation for fire events.

Using genetic tools and climatic models for planning the conservation translocation of Eucalyptus sp. Cattai

Dr Enhua Lee1, Professor Maurizio Rossetto2, Dr Samantha Jia-Yee Yap2, Dr Jason Bragg2, Dr Trevor Wilson2, Dr Susan Rutherford2, Mr Graeme Errington3, Ms Daniella Pasqualini3 1Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Parramatta, Australia, 2National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia, 3Australian PlantBank at Australian Botanic Gardens, Mt Annan, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Enhua Lee, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

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Biography: Enhua delivers threatened species conservation projects under the NSW Government’s Saving our Species conservation program. She also provides threatened species conservation advice and is involved in the strategic planning process for biodiversity conservation in the Greater Sydney region.

Translocation was included in the Saving our Species conservation project for Eucalyptus sp. Cattai as an essential management action required to conserve the species. The species has an extremely restricted distribution at a small number of sites in north-west Sydney and a small total population size. To inform the translocation, we undertook a genetics study to test the species concept of E. sp. Cattai; investigate the extent of clonality, kinship and diversity within and between populations; and assess the diversity and hybrid status of seed-derived wild-sourced seedlings. We also used environmental niche modelling to investigate the species’ habitat availability under climate change scenarios centred on 2050. Our study found the species was distinct and represented an early diverged Eucalyptus lineage. There was considerable genetic diversity in populations, but clonality was high. Hybrid output in seedlings was large. Modelling predicted that current habitat would be reduced but would become available in the south of Sydney in the future. Given our findings, we selected a subset of seedlings for translocation that maximised existing diversity, minimised kinship, and excluded hybrids. We secured permission to translocate into National Park where habitat for the species would become available. Our study demonstrates the importance of using molecular tools and climatic models in planning translocations. The selection of seedlings based on their genetics provides the best opportunity for population stability, to build resilience, and improve the long-term viability of the species. Monitoring of plants following their introduction will provide further insight into the success of the translocation.

What does thermal tolerance tell us about life and death? Associate Professor Andy Leigh1 1University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Andy is a plant ecologist at the University of Technology Sydney. A key research theme in Andy's lab is plant temperature tolerance, with a focus on extreme environments, particularly arid regions.

You’ve determined thermal tolerance for your species – but what exactly does that mean? Of all the forecast changes in environmental phenomena with rising atmospheric CO₂, increased average and extreme temperatures are predicted with the greatest certainty. Thermal tolerance is a growing focus for research into species decline, with the logical assumption generally being that a given level of temperature stress will lead to death. Biological processes unravel beyond certain thresholds, which are mediated by temporal and spatial factors and vary among species. Thermal tolerance thresholds are measured and defined in various ways, differing within a single species or taxonomic group, but most notably between animals and plants. An animal threshold may be represented by a particular physiological indicator or by death. However, as animals are more or less mobile, survival may depend more on the extent to which they can escape temperature stress via refugia. Plants are not only sessile, but also modular, allowing researchers to determine stress responses for plant organs, usually leaves, rather than the whole organism. A plant thermal threshold can represent non-lethal damage or leaf death. But whole plant death might not be the outcome of breaching a plant’s thermal threshold, at least in the short-term. With these issues in mind, can thermal thresholds tell us anything meaningful about species future survival? This talk will explore circumstances under which the answer could be yes!

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Effect of increased temperature and drought conditions on early seedling stages of Geijera parviflora Dr Ganesha S. Liyanage1, Dr Amelia J. Martyn Yenson1, Dr Cathy A. Offord1 1Australin Plantbank, Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00

Biography: Ganesha Liyanage is a Conservation Scientist at the Australian Plantbank, researching on seed dormancy in order to facilitate the ex situ conservation of Australian native species.

Early seedling stages are critical in understanding ecosystem resilience to future climatic conditions. However, knowledge of this stage for most plant species is still limited, as most extreme climate experiments are conducted on established plants. Geijera parviflora is one species that has been identified with adult plants capable of withstanding both high temperatures and drought conditions. Geijera parviflora is a key species in several Endangered and Critically Endangered Ecological Communities in north west NSW. In this current study, we looked at the effect of increased temperature and drought conditions on seedling emergence and early seedling growth characteristics of G. parviflora. We sowed seeds with 1-2 mm radicle emergence in pots and placed them in two different temperatures and watering levels; (i) hot (35°C)+ wet(>20% VWC); (ii) hot + dry; (iii) cold + wet (control treatment) and (iv) cold (26°C)+ dry (7.5-10% VWC). Water level ‘wet’ and temperature level ‘cold’ were considered as the current environmental conditions and ‘dry’ and ‘hot’ conditions were used to simulate future climate conditions. Seedling emergence was significantly lower in drought treated pots within each temperature treatment (iii and iv) and twice as many germinants were found dead in the treatment (ii). Differences were also apparent in time taken to emerge, cotyledon opening and first leaf emergence. Interestingly, these results indicate that early seedling stages are negatively affected by predicted high temperatures and lower rainfall, though the adult plants may resilient to the same conditions.

Spider brain size and behaviour in cities Dr Lizzy Lowe1 1Macquarie University, Ryde, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Lizzy Lowe, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Dr Lizzy Lowe is a postdoctoral researcher in the Behavioural Ecology Lab at Macquarie University. She studies insects and spiders and their responses to urbanisation.

In order to survive in urban areas, animals must cope with a range of novel conditions, including changes to habitat structure, interactions with introduced species and exposure to new resources. Comparing the functional traits of urban exploiters and avoiders can identify the mechanisms driving urban community structure. Increased brain size has been shown to facilitate novel environment exploration in both birds and mammals, therefore, one hypothesis is that having a larger brain helps a species to inhabit urban area by increasing their capacity to respond to novel situations. My research uses jumping spiders to see how brain size differs among urban and rural populations. We are working to measure the size and structure of spider brains to look at associations with the habitat in which they were collected and their behavioral responses to novel environments. Page 66 of 134

Mating system and diversity in seed collections for restoration/conservation Dr Patricia Lu-irving1, Dr Jason Bragg1, Dr Marlien van der Merwe1 1Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Patricia Lu-Irving, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: Pat Lu-Irving is part of the Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience in Science & Conservation at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, investigating the evolutionary ecology of flowering plants in the context of biodiversity management amid global change.

Flowering plants employ a diversity of mating systems, which vary widely among species, and may also vary within species across space and time. The extent to which plants reproduce via outcrossing versus selfing has important implications for restoration and conservation practices, e.g., by influencing patterns of genetic diversity, local adaptation, and reproductive success. An ideal goal in restoration and conservation is to optimise the trade-off between capturing maximum genetic diversity (evolutionary potential) and preserving local adaptation, while ensuring reproductive compatibility. Plant mating systems are thus a critical element in the success of restored populations, but they are generally poorly understood in most species. We investigated the relationship between mating system, genetic diversity, and local adaptation in two species of Hakea (Proteaceae), asking (1) is outcrossing rate consistent with patterns in genetic and trait diversity and the extent to which seedling diversity represents source; (2) how might optimal collecting strategy differ between species with contrasting mating systems in order to maximise the value of seed collections? We collected seeds and reared seedlings from 6-7 populations of each species, genotyping seedlings and mother plants via DArTseq, and measuring seedling germination and drought tolerance. We used a combination of approaches to infer outcrossing rates, including developing a novel machine-learning approach. The two species had contrasting mating systems, despite their congeneric status and ecological/morphological similarity. Patterns of genetic and trait diversity varied consistently with mating system, with consequent implications for restoration and conservation.

Recovery by bulldozer – collaboratively managing the survival of endangered species that require disturbance. Dr David Mackay1, Prof Caroline Gross1, Mr Shane Ruming2, Ms Gerry McGilvray2, Mr Scott Filmer2, Mr Andrew Steed2, Ms Kersten Tuckey2, Dr Paul Meek2 1UNE, Armidale, Australia, 2NSW Department of Planning Infrastructure and Environment, Coffs Harbour, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations - between practitioners and researchers - David Mackay, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: David Mackay is an early career researcher/casual academic at UNE. Current projects include ‘pollinator responses to different fire-frequency regimes’, ‘understanding and enhancing the reproductive ecologies of targeted endangered plant species’, ‘recovery of disturbance-specialist plant species in altered environments’.

Climate change is shifting the ranges of many species. However, new, climatically-suitable regions may not provide other elements of former habitats that species require. Our group at UNE has been working with staff at the NSW state environment department (currently the Department of Planning Infrastructure and Environment, DPIE) for over two decades on understanding and developing ways to provide the needs of

Page 67 of 134 disturbance-specialist plant species, in particular, in a changing world. The Dorrigo Daisy, Olearia flocktoniae, is a species that has shifted its range over the last 100+ years, and is a disturbance specialist like many others that requires management to ensure its continuing survival. Disturbance trials conducted in a collaboration between UNE and the NSW environment department have culminated in our most recent disturbance-trial by bulldozer in a power-line easement that has resulted in our most successful recovery response to date. This ‘recovery by bulldozer’ is a major step forward in our species management – it has resulted in not simply a one-off recovery event, which we have achieved in the past, but in ongoing recruitment by the species in this site. We believe the lessons learned from this species could enhance our success in the management of other threatened species that require periodic disturbance or the sort of pioneer habitat provided by regular anthropogenic disturbance. Power-line easements require ongoing vegetation management/disturbance. We are now up-scaling our work to other power line easements in a three-way collaboration between UNE, DPIE and the managers of electrical distribution infrastructure.

Persistence of Wollemi Pine under contemporary fire regimes: impacts and insights from the 2019-20 bushfires Mr Berin Mackenzie1,2,3, Mr Steve Clarke3, Dr Tony Auld1,2,3,4 1Science, Economics and Insights Division, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Parramatta, Australia, 2Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia, 3Wollemi Pine Recovery Team, 4School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Berin Mackenzie, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: Berin Mackenzie is a plant ecologist with DPIE and is completing his PhD on fire seasonality impacts at UNSW. His research underpins evidence-based management and conservation of native flora and encompasses fire and seed ecology, threatened species and extinction risk.

A much-lauded fire-fighting operation to protect the iconic Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) during the 2019- 20 fire season successfully prevented significant losses of larger, mature trees. However, the population was still impacted by fire to varying degrees, providing the first opportunity since the species’ discovery to observe how wild Wollemi Pines respond to fire.

Most trees < 8m tall suffered 100% canopy scorch. Many of these have commenced basal resprouting (coppicing) with post-fire height reduced to near zero. A juvenile bank comprising several hundred individuals < 1m tall is yet to resprout and may have been eliminated. Prolonged basal charring (fuelled by accumulation of the species’ own highly flammable litter) and impacts with falling rocks and trees have caused trunk damage and loss in several individuals. In extreme cases, this has reduced formerly large adults to small, functional juveniles.

Slow growth rates in conjunction with contemporary fire regimes appear to be preventing seedlings and coppices from attaining the minimum escape heights required to avoid total canopy loss during subsequent fires. Large stumps succeeded by significantly smaller trunks on mature trees suggest a long-term, continuing decline in tree size and structure consistent with the cumulative impacts of repeated, frequent fires.

Hence, despite some capacity to resprout, long-lived, slow-growing species with large primary juvenile periods such as Wollemi Pine require extended fire-free intervals spanning many decades for post-fire recovery, recruitment and persistence. This presents significant challenges for conservation managers in the current climate where wildfires are expected to increase in frequency and severity.

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Daily Temperature Fluctuation Alter Host-Parasitoid Interaction Mrs Mukta Mala1 1University of New England, Armidale, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: 3rd year PhD student at the University of New England

Rearing insects at constant temperatures has been one of the cornerstones of entomological research. However, the impacts of fluctuating temperature regimes on the life history of insects and their parasitoids and how they interact under this environment are not well understood. The fluctuating temperature should enable host insects and their parasitoids to perform more ‘naturally’ compared to constant temperatures and also impact on the host/parasitoid interactions. This present study assesses the impact of constant and fluctuating temperature on the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) development and reproduction. Furthermore, we investigate how these constant and variable temperatures can effect on the interaction between pea aphid and parasitoid, Aphidius ervi. We use a control temperature of 25°C, four fluctuating temperature regimes (increased by +0°C, +2°C, +4°C and +5°C from field-recorded, diurnally fluctuating base temperatures) and four constant temperature (19°C, 21°C, 23°C and 24°C) as treatments. Fluctuating temperature regimes significantly increase the total lifespan of the pea aphids. Nymphal period, adult longevity, fecundity, mean generation time, intrinsic rates all increased in diurnally fluctuating temperature compared to constant temperature treatments. Whereas, in host-parasitoid interaction, mummy production is higher in base + 0°C regime than other treatments. Therefore, our findings show that providing insects with a more natural thermal regime can substantially alter their biological responses compared to constant temperatures, and also changing interactions among trophic levels, which has implications on the way future work assessing insect responses using thermal regimes should be carried out.

Keywords: Acyrthosiphon pisum, Aphidius ervi, fluctuating temperature, host-parasitoids interaction

Fire in Gondwanan Rainforests, impacts and recovery of range restricted threatened flora, north east NSW. Mr Justin Mallee1 1Project Officer Threatened Species, Saving our Species, North Coast Branch, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment., Alstonville, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Justin Mallee, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: Justin Mallee is a Threatened Species Project Officer for NPWS with the NSW Saving our Species program. His area of interest is the ecology and management of range-restricted threatened flora of subtropical Australia.

North east New South Wales (NSW) contains the highest number of threatened species in the state. The epicentre of this diversity is the Nightcap Range, which supports the densest concentration of rainforest species of Gondwanan origin in NSW. The ecology and demography of many threatened flora species of Gondwanan origin is well studied, with baseline plots and census data. However, the effect of fire on these species and their ecosystems is poorly known owing to a lack of recent fire events.

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The 2019–2020 fires provided the opportunity to compared pre-, immediately post-, and 6-month post-fire full floristic abundance weighted quadrats (five 20×30m) and transects (two 20×2m). An additional five quadrats (20×30m) were compared directly post-fire and 6 months post-fire. Quadrats and transects focused on five target threatened rainforest flora species: Uromyrtus australis (Peach Myrtle), Eidothea hardeniana (Nightcap Oak), Elaeocarpus sedentarius (Minyon Quandong), Corokia whiteana (Corokia) and Symplocos baeuerlenii (Small-leaved Hazelwood). A full census of fire impacts on Nightcap Oak was also recorded.

Results immediately post-fire indicated that small to medium stems of all target species were killed by fire. Reassessment 6 months post-fire shows reshooting from some Nightcap Oak, Peach Myrtle and Minyon Quandong in areas of low fire intensity. Mortality occurred where fire intensity was higher or only smaller stems were present. Most Corokia and Small-leaved Hazelwood were killed by fire, with only occasionally reshooting after fire. The results of this study will be used to direct future fire planning, priorities for ecological restoration and species translocations.

Urban tree responses to heat and drought: which species can survive future climate conditions? Dr Renée Marchin Prokopavicius1, Dr Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez1, Prof Mark G. Tjoelker1, Prof David S. Ellsworth1 1Western Sydney University, Richmond, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - Renee Marchin Prokopavicius, November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00

Biography: Dr. Renée Marchin Prokopavicius is an ARC DECRA Fellow at Western Sydney University. Her research aims to better understand how plants respond to extreme heat and to identify functional traits that allow heat- tolerant species to survive under changing climates.

As climate change progresses, urban plantings in Australia are increasingly exposed to hot and dry climate extremes, posing new challenges for the health of urban vegetation. Warmer, longer, and more frequent droughts in the future will require adjustment of current planting practices to favour selection of more heat- and drought-tolerant plant species. We tracked patterns of crown dieback and recovery for 23 commonly planted tree/shrub species in western Sydney during the record-breaking 2019-2020 summer to determine which species were susceptible to extreme drought and heatwaves. A set of morphological and physiological traits were collected to characterize species drought strategies to better understand the factors that contribute to species vulnerability to extreme climates. Drought-induced crown dieback (>15%) was observed in 15% of 150 study trees at the beginning of summer, but after 12 cumulative days of extreme heat (>40°C), the number of damaged trees increased to 50%. Only 40% of damaged trees recovered (27 out of 73) within the same growing season, despite high rainfall in late summer and autumn. Both native and exotic species were vulnerable to the combination of heat and drought stress. Crown dieback was significantly correlated with heat tolerance (leaf critical temperature of photosynthesis) and drought tolerance (wood density as proxy) across species, with the most vulnerable species having the lowest heat and drought tolerances. Of the 23 study species, tolerant species included five native and five exotic species, which represent climate- resilient options for urban plantings that are likely to continue to thrive under future extreme climates.

Coping with heat and competition: songbird embryos cue on sounds in the nest

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Dr Mylene Mariette1, Prof Katherine Buchanan1 1Deakin University, Geelong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Mylene Mariette, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: Mylene Mariette is a DECRA fellow working on heat adaptation and avian acoustic communication. In particular, she studies the impact of prenatal sounds on developmental plasticity, and the physiological and behavioural adaptations of arid-zone birds to cope with climate extremes.

As global change accelerates, understanding animals’ strategies to respond to rapidly changing environments and climate is crucial. The prenatal environment, and particularly the maternal provisioning of hormones and nutrients, is well known for shaping offspring development to current conditions. Recently, we revealed that prenatal sounds could play the same function. In wild-derived zebra finches, we demonstrated that parents produce a peculiar “heat-call”, when incubating at high ambient temperatures. Sole exposure of embryos to this heat-call altered nestling growth in a temperature-dependent manner, with life-long positive fitness effects. Here, we investigated whether zebra finch embryos can optimize hatching time to current environmental conditions signalled by prenatal sounds. Using playbacks to artificially incubated eggs, we tested whether exposure to sibling begging calls or parental heat-calls accelerates hatching, compared to control parental calls. As expected under sibling competition, we found that embryos exposed to begging calls hatched earlier than controls, and were more likely to hatch during playback sessions. By contrast, exposure to parental heat-calls had no effect on hatching time. Furthermore, heat-calls and begging calls tended to have contrasting effects on hatchling feeding and growth. These findings demonstrate that embryos are capable of adjusting their developmental rate using relevant acoustic information about the external environment. Our study therefore suggests that acoustic development programming may be a so far neglected mechanism for species to cope with unpredictable extreme environments.

A new framework for biodiversity threat abatement in Australia Professor Helene Marsh1 1James Cook University, Townsville , Australia SYMPOSIUM: Approaches for detailing threats, actions and management costs for threatened species recovery across broad scales - Helene Marsh, December 1, 2020, 16:00 - 18:00

Biography: Helene Marsh is a marine conservation biologist with some 40 years’ experience in research into species conservation, management and policy, with particular reference to tropical coastal and riverine megafauna, especially marine mammals. Helene chairs the Australian Threatened Species Scientific Committee

The abatement of threats to protected species and ecological communities has been unsatisfactory in Australia for multiple reasons including limited resourcing, a lack of appropriate prioritization methodology, the difficulties of addressing cumulative threats at appropriate ecological scales and the inefficiencies of uncoordinated abatement across threats and taxa. We propose a new framework for threat abatement adapted from the current Intergovernmental Agreement for Biosecurity and current proposals for redesigning the architecture for environmental protection at the Commonwealth level. The high-level threats that impact the largest numbers of species have been identified through a series of expert workshops informed by quantitative data on the threats to each of the species listed as threatened at a national scale obtained using expert elicitation and relevant literature. We propose that these ~10 high-level threats should be candidates for national strategic plans. Nested within these high-level threats, we define a set of more specific threats suitable for threat abatement planning. We identify the threats that adversely affect the Page 71 of 134 largest number of species with a high level of impact, highlighting top candidates for threat abatement plans to guide coordinated threat abatement across threats and taxa in regional plans. The success of the new mechanism would depend on agreed standards of delivery and resourcing that could be reflected in high- level agreements between the Commonwealth, states and territories, and national strategic plans. Some aspects of this framework could be implemented now but resourcing would likely continue to impede successful abatement unless a new framework is adopted.

Beyond habitat compensation in biodiversity offsetting: do species-based metrics improve species persistence? Ms Erica Marshall1,2, Mr Roozbeh Valavi1, Dr Casey Visintin1, Dr Dave Wilkinson1, Dr Darren Southwell1,2, Prof Brendan Wintle1,2, Dr Heini Kujala1,3 1University of Melbourne Melbourne , Australia, 2National Environmental Science Programme's Threatened Species Recovery Hub , , , 3Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change (1) - December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: I recently finished my PhD at the University of Melbourne in the Quantitative and Applied Ecology group. I am interested in understanding how developments impact threatened species persistence. My PhD aims to identify ways we can improve offset outcomes.

Biodiversity offsets are a popular method for mitigating disturbances through conservation actions designed to compensate for development impacts on biodiversity. Offsets currently rely on habitat- or condition-based metrics to measure development impacts. This ignores disturbances to ecological processes that will likely influence long-term persistence of species. In this study, we compared the effect of species-specific process driven metrics compared to habitat- and condition-based metrics on long-term persistence. We simulated development impacts and restorative offset actions for four species in the Hunter Region, NSW: squirrel gliders (Petaurus norfolcensis), northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus), tiger quolls (Dasyrus maculatus) and yellow-bellied gliders (Petaurus australis). We calculated offsets using six metrics - 1) vegetation area, 2) vegetation condition 3) habitat suitability, 4) abundance 5) metapopulation connectivity, and 6) rarity weighted richness - and predicted long-term persistence using population viability models. All metrics except vegetation area and vegetation condition achieved a no net loss or net gains in terms of habitat suitability. When outcomes were assessed in terms persistence through time, no net loss in abundance could be achieved using all six metrics if developments strategically avoided high suitability areas. However, when developments removed high quality habitats all metrics failed to consistently account for species’ declines. Metrics that more directly accounted for species patterns and population processes (e.g. species richness, species abundance and metapopulation connectivity) show some evidence of reducing population declines. However, offset success was species-specific, requiring a nuanced interpretation of results that is likely to present significant challenges if implemented in practice.

Application of the mitigation hierarchy: a case study of underground mining impacts on peatland ecosystems Dr Tanya Mason1,2, Martin Krogh2, Dr Gordana Popovic1, Associate Professor William Glamore1, Professor David Keith1,2 1UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Lidcombe, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Wetland management and restoration in human-dominated landscapes - December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30 Page 72 of 134

Biography: I am a community and vegetation ecologist. My research spans conservation biology, environmental management and invasion biology. Recently my research has focused on hydrological disturbance of freshwater wetlands in coastal upland swamps and inland semi-arid floodplain wetlands.

The mitigation hierarchy, where development impacts are sequentially avoided, minimized, restored and finally offset, provides a regulatory framework for policymakers. However, the mitigation hierarchy may fail if the evidentiary standards to diagnose impact severity and justify investment in impact avoidance are disproportionately higher than standards to assess tractability of restoration and offset proposals. We examine a case study in which multiple lines of logical and observational evidence have demonstrated hydrological impacts on endangered peatlands following underground mining. Here we present new designed empirical evidence that verifies earlier qualitative observations of serious, persistent impacts from underground mining. Accelerated Failure Time models showed that mined peatlands were persistently drier, retained water for shorter durations and exhibited less spatial differentiation than unmined peatlands. To date, all reported restoration efforts following underground mining disturbance have been unsuccessful. Evidence of severe and irreversible impacts have important implications for biodiversity and supply of drinking water to Australia’s largest city. If Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) outcomes and effective implementation of the mitigation hierarchy are to be achieved, our results highlight the need for more emphasis on impact avoidance and minimisation than restoration or offsetting to protect water and biodiversity values. More balanced appraisal of evidence throughout each tier of the mitigation hierarchy, and emphasis on peatland avoidance at the mine design and planning stages, offer realistic opportunities for an improved outcome. Such an approach may assist peatland conservation and provide recognition of these communities as irreplaceable public assets.

Local weather, microclimate and nest-scale drivers of shy albatross chick mortality and breeding success Ms Claire Mason1, Dr Alistair Hobday2, Dr Rachael Alderman3, Assoc Prof Mary-Anne Lea1 1Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 2CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, Australia, 3Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Animals / Management and mitigation) - Claire Mason, November 30, 2020, 16:00 - 17:55

Biography: I am a PhD student at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. My research explores the influences of climate variability and change on shy albatross populations to inform climate adaptation conservation strategies.

Shy albatross are an endemic Australian seabird, with three breeding colonies off the coast of the island state of lutruwita/Tasmania. Like many species, climate change is a significant future threat, however, the specific impacts remain unclear. As well as macro-scale environmental changes, we expect local weather and microclimate at the breeding colony to influence breeding success from our observations of spatial and temporal clumping of breeding attempt failures. Our data show high-quality nests significantly increase breeding success and we capitalised on this discovery by trialling artificial nests as a climate adaptation intervention strategy, to great success. To further explore the fine-scale variation across the colony and which factors drive breeding success, we use six seasons of data from a robotic gigapixel remote-monitoring camera providing daily observations of over 100 nests. We analyse spatial and temporal patterns of chick

Page 73 of 134 mortality and breeding success to understand the environmental, physical and intrinsic factors at an individual nest-scale to inform the potential and implementation of future climate adaptation interventions.

Fire and Politics: What a Typology of Indigenous Burning Discourses Reveals Mr Daniel May1 1Australian National University, Acton, Australia, 2Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Managing a cultural landscape and building resilience in a new world reality - November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 15:35

Biography: Daniel May is a non-Indigenous environmental historian researching the historical and contemporary politics of fire. He has published on the politics of prescribed burning, bushfire history, and bushfire prediction. He can be reached on twitter: @DJMay19

A warming planet is a planet turning to Indigenous burning for solutions. Yet while public awareness of Indigenous burning is broad, as government interest and public debate following recent bushfires makes clear, it is not deep. In this paper I will outline the historical development of distinct discourses of Indigenous burning: identifiable patterns of speech and ideas, as expressed in scholarly research and public debate. Changes in these discursive patterns offer insights into changes in Australian society more broadly. These discourses also reveal the enduring influence of problematic settler colonial and wilderness ideology. Perceptions of Indigenous burning have inspired policy-making and they have also been appropriated for political point-scoring, with profound consequences for cultural politics and ecological communities. This talk will demonstrate how shallow fire literacy hinders robust fire policy, and offer some suggestions for a richer and more nuanced language of fire.

Assessing immaturity risk to alpine ash forests under climate change and future fire regimes Miss Sarah McColl-Gausden1, A/Prof Lauren Bennett1, Dr Gillis Horner2, Mr Shaun Huguenin3, Dr Hamish Clarke4,5, Mr Dan Ababei1, A/Prof Trent Penman1 1The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Australia, 2Greening Australia , Melbourne, Australia, 3Parks Victoria, Bright, Australia, 4University of Wollongong , Wollongong, Australia, 5Western Sydney University, Penrith , Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Sarah McColl-Gausden, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Sarah’s PhD uses fire simulation modelling to examine changes to the fire regime under a changing climate in south-eastern Australia. Her project looks at the implications for biodiversity under the joint threats of altered fire regimes and changing climate.

Fire is an essential part of the regeneration cycle for many species globally. However, fire-dependent plant species such as fire-sensitive obligate seeders—species killed by fire that recruit from seed—are particularly vulnerable to altered fire frequencies. Alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) is one such species and is endemic to the Australian Alps. As alpine ash only reliably produces seed after about 20 years, it is extremely vulnerable to a second high-severity fire killing regenerating stands before they reach reproductive maturity. Increases in the frequency of severe fire weather predicted for south-eastern Australia under climate change could thus represent increased risk of landscape-scale alpine ash loss. We use climate change projections Page 74 of 134 combined with a Fire Regime and Operations Simulation Tool (FROST) to examine current and future risk to alpine ash forests. We identify alpine ash areas at greatest risk of landscape-scale loss and areas with the greatest likelihood of persistence into the future. We also examine those factors associated with the greatest and least risk to population persistence across the alpine ash distribution in Victoria.

Developing cross-cultural knowledge (‘right way’ science) to support Indigenous cultural fire management Mrs Michelle McKemey1,2, Ms Lesley (Maureen) Patterson3, Banbai Rangers3 1Melaleuca Enterprises Environmental Consultancy Services, Guyra , Australia, 2University of New England, Armidale, Australia, 3Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area, Guyra , Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Managing a cultural landscape and building resilience in a new world reality - Michelle McKemey and Aunty Lesley Patterson, November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 15:35

Biography: Michelle McKemey is an award-winning ecologist, researcher, guest speaker and best-selling author whose work appears in international scientific journals and popular media. Michelle has 25 years experience, works as a consultant and will complete her PhD at UNE in 2020.

Lesley is a Banbai Elder and Ranger at Wattleridge & Tarriwa Kurrukun IPAs. Lesley has extensive knowledge and leads cross-cultural research on her Country. The Banbai Rangers have won many awards, co-authored scientific publications and are sought-after guest speakers.

Aboriginal cultural fire management has been practiced in Australia for thousands of years. Northern Australia’s Aboriginal rangers are world leaders in savanna burning. In south east Australia, cultural burning is being revived and has garnered worldwide attention following the bushfire crisis of 2019-20. Research into cultural burning in SE Australia is also increasing, however the majority of studies to date are qualitative. In NSW from 2014 – 2020, Banbai rangers and ecologists worked together to monitor quantitative changes related to cultural burning, hazard reduction and wildfire. We undertook B.A.C.I. studies of vegetation, habitat, fuel loads, a cultural keystone species (short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus) and threatened Backwater grevillea (Grevillea scortechinii subsp. sarmentosa). Our results showed that cultural burning did not impact echidna foraging or habitat while hazard reduction burning decreased echidna habitat and foraging behaviour. For the Backwater grevillea, we found that cultural burning resulted in lower mortality and lesser impact on reproductive output than wildfire. Both fires stimulated a mass germination event but the cultural burn preserved a multi-aged population while the wildfire killed 99.6% of large shrubs. Comparison of fuel load changes resulting from cultural burning, hazard reduction burning and wildfire indicated that fuel loads were reduced by all fire treatments even though the cultural burn was less severe than other fires. The ecological benefits of cultural burning are complemented by a broad array of socio- cultural benefits. Most importantly, it is imperative that mutually beneficial and respectful partnerships are developed in the cross-cultural interface of landscape fire management.

Restoration success of Sphagnum Bogs after fire Dr Nina McLean1, Trish Macdonald, Chris Malam1, Wade Young2, Nathan Kay2, Julian Seddon1 1ACT Government, Conservation Research Branch, Canberra, Australia, 2ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Canberra, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Wetland management and restoration in human-dominated landscapes - , December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography:

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Dr. Nina McLean is the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Conservation Research Branch within the ACT Government. Nina’s interests include evidence-based conservation management, effects of environmental change on animals and plants and long-term ecological monitoring.

Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens is a listed endangered community in Australia and is highly vulnerable to human impacts, notably climate change and associated increases in bushfires. In January and February 2020, fire impacted 148 bog and fen complexes across the Australian Capital Territory, with many bogs losing near 100% of vegetation cover. Arguably, the most common management technique to promote resilience and restore bogs after fire are leaky weirs (commonly coir logs, straw-bales or rock). In fire- impacted peatlands leaky weirs have three specific objectives; (1) prevent or reduce erosion and incision of the peat, (2) spread water throughout the peat, and (3) promote rapid recovery of vegetation. However, our understanding of how effectively they meet these objectives or whether some might be more successful than others (e.g. due to slope, fire severity, number of weirs) is lacking. Following the installation of coir logs across multiple bogs by ACT Parks and Conservation Service staff, we investigate the coir logs’ effect on the degree of erosion, peat moisture and vegetation re-growth after fire. We present some initial findings on the extent that surface and sub-surface peat moisture increases surrounding coir logs and detail the ongoing monitoring to understand long-term effects. Using an adaptive management framework, this ongoing monitoring will not only provide annual feedback to land managers on the success of individual coir logs, but also answer important questions about their long-term effectiveness to improve our evidence-based decision making around post-fire recovery in bogs in the future.

Parasitic shrubs provide important ecological processes for fauna in Australia’s rangeland ecosystems. Mr Richard Mclellan1, Dr Michelle Hall2, Prof David Watson1 1Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia, 2Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Richard McLellan, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Richard McLellan, PhD candidate, Charles Sturt University. Investigating the ecology of hemiparasitic Santalaceae species in the WA rangelands: their ecosystem functions; ecological impacts of key threats; & benefits to be gained by land managers in maintaining their existence.

In this study we explore the ecological functions of three root parasitic shrubs in the Santalaceae (Exocarpos aphyllus, Santalum acuminatum, Santalum spicatum). The functions being investigated are: (i) Enhanced species diversity – the variety and number of vertebrate species visiting the subject plant species; (ii) The provision of structure, e.g., for habitat, shelter and shade; and sites for resting, roosting, foraging; (iii) The provision of food – from foliage, nectar, flowers, fruit, seeds. The results are drawn from multiple one-hour timed observations and camera-trap images collected over 12 months at three locations across a 500- kilometre arc in the semi-arid rangelands of Western Australia. By comparing overall visitation rates and particular patterns of usage for individual species between the three parasitic species, and nearby non- parasitic species of comparable dimensions, we tested the hypothesis that parasitic plants act as facilitators in arid ecosystems. Specifically, that the structural and nutritional resources provided by these plants attract disproportionate numbers of animals. Of the hemiparasites, Leafless Ballart (Exocarpos aphyllus) received the highest number of visits by fauna, along with the non-parasitic Inland Rosewood (Alectryon oleifolius)–– which is also characterized by dense canopy, abundant litter and consistent shade. This work is underpinning subsequent research into the microclimatic refuge attributes of parasitic plants in the Santalales which will be increasingly critical for fauna being able to cope with climate change. Conducted in partnership with Bush Page 76 of 134

Heritage Australia, this research will assist land managers in their understanding of landscape ecology and challenges for impact mitigation, and potential conservation action.

Seed and Soil Microbiomes for Natural Ecosystem Restoration

Ms Allison Mertin1,2, Dr. Marlien Van Der Merwe1, Dr Edward Liew1, Dr Maurizio Rossetto1, Dr Douglas Brumley3, Professor Linda Blackall2 1Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Australia, 2School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, 3School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Allison Mertin, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: I am a PhD candidate with the University of Melbourne and the Royal Botanic Gardens. I am interested in the hidden microbial diversity of natural ecosystems and how seed microbes interact with soil communities to influence the microbiome of seedlings.

Microbes such as fungi and bacteria can be endophytes of seeds and are major functional players in the soil existing as free-living entities, as well as being associated with seed germination and plant root development. These microbial species play an important role in maintaining ecosystem function and resilience, although they are rarely integrated into ecosystem restoration projects. When microbial communities are utilised in restoration, often the aim is to restore the functioning of the soil microbial community using microbial inoculations or soil amendments at the restoration site. Sometimes the microbial community is used as an ‘indicator’ for measuring restoration success. These approaches have varying levels of success and do not take into consideration the interacting role that soil microbes, seed endophytes and seed exudates may play in regulating the microbiome of the developing plant. Here we present current knowledge of the field and suggest how understanding the diversity and interactions of both soil and seed microorganisms in natural ecosystems can be used to inform restoration practice. We also address how knowledge of the interactions between soil and seed microbiomes can be applied to managing and assessing the effectiveness of the restoration of natural ecosystems.

Expecting the unexpected – planning for extreme events Dr Dan Metcalfe1 1CSIRO, Brisbane, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change (1) - December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: Dr Metcalfe is a landscape ecologist specialising in the sustainable management of natural landscapes. He is author of the extreme events compendium for SoE 2021, building on his experience in bushfire and cyclone impact research.

Extreme events are defined by the IPCC as those events near the ends of the range of observed values of the relevant variable. Short-term extremes at the upper end of their ranges (cyclonic windspeed, maximum temperature, rainfall intensity) are typically of greatest concern, though extreme low temperatures are also environmentally significant. The impacts of longer periods of extreme weather, such as droughts, or of coincident, consecutive or compounding events may also have enormous impacts on the environment – for example bushfires after prolonged dry periods, or storm-surges accompanying cyclones on king tides.

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These are natural events, and their infrequent occurrence has shaped Australian ecosystems and species, from pyrophytic plant communities to mass breeding events in flood years in the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin. However, their impacts in managed landscapes are often termed ‘natural disasters’, and habitat fragmentation, species’ isolation and disruption of ecological processes can also exacerbate their impacts on species and communities. Modelled climate trends suggest that many of these extreme events will become less infrequent over coming decades, and potentially more extreme. We have the opportunity now to strengthen our infrastructure, adapt our processes and build resilience in the human communities that are likely to be affected. We also have an opportunity now to assess how increasing frequency and intensity of climate and weather extremes will affect our environment, and what are the most effective resilience measures we can adopt to support and facilitate adaptation. SoE provides a mechanism for regularly assessing our progress and addressing SDG targets.

Explorations of the plant virosphere Mr Jonathon Mifsud1, Dr Jemma Geoghegan2,3, Dr Rachael Gallagher1 1Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Grose Vale, 3bd451d9-7c66-48b5-a952-7c028d63dee7, 2Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 5a5a8a69-955e-434f-8053-8512d2206e71, 3Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Wellington , 5a5a8a69-955e-434f-8053-8512d2206e71 Barbara Rice Memorial Poster Session at ESA2020, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Jonathon is a final year Masters of Research Student at Macquarie University interested in the diversity of plant viruses that can be found across the plant kingdom and the ecological factors that shape their composition.

Plant viruses are near-ubiquitous across natural and managed ecosystems and are known to cause significant economic damage, influence host phenotype and modulate host-insect and microbial interactions. Metagenomic surveys of plant species have recently revealed the enormous diversity of viruses that inhabit plants, though we know little about how these may affect ecological processes such as competition or the maintenance of range boundaries. Despite the discovery of a large cohort of plant viruses, this new knowledge has predominantly come from a small and bias subset of the plant kingdom - cultivated plants. As next-generation sequencing technology has become more accessible the amount of available transcriptomic data has exploded, providing numerous untapped sources of viral information. Here, we surveyed the transcriptomes of 1053 plant species to gauge the diversity and abundance of plant viruses across 422 plant families. Using the extensive trait databases available for plants we examined whether plant functional traits were associated with virome composition. We revealed that plant virus abundance is driven by both host growth form and phylogenetic history. In total, 3974 plant virus transcripts were found in 456 plant species across the breadth of the plant kingdom. This work dramatically expands our knowledge of the phytovirosphere across the entire plant kingdom and is the first to examine the associations between plant functional traits and virome composition. By doing so, we have resolved long-held questions about the origins and diversification of the plant viruses and hope this work will aid in the surveillance of emerging plant viruses.

Impact and recovery of ground dwelling mammals from the epicentre of the 2020 Currowan bushfire Dr Katarina Mikac1, Ms Ana Gracanin1, Ms Monica Knipler1

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1University Of Wollognong; School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences; Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Katarina Mikac, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: Katarina is a teaching and research academic at the University of Wollongong and the Director of Team Quoll. Katarina’s research interest is in wildlife ecology, and techniques that help her understanding of the dispersal dynamics of invasive and threatened species.

Here we report on data generated to examine the impact and recovery of ground dwelling mammals from Monga National Park, Buckenbowra State Forest, Currowan State Forest and Bolaro State Forest in south eastern New South Wales; the origin and epicentre of the 2019-2020 Currowan bushfire. The study was undertaken using baited remote camera trap data collected before and after fire. Pre-fire, from June to November 2019, 14 sites were surveyed. Post-fire, from February to September, 50 sites were surveyed. The total area surveyed pre-fire was 4 810 ha and post-fire was increased to 21 000 ha. The survey sites were expanded post-fire to include sites that experienced a range of fire intensities (low, medium, and high intensity). Preliminary analyses post fire suggest that the mammal community consists of: Antechinus species, long nosed bandicoot, Rattus species, wombat, fox, swamp wallaby, red necked wallaby, eastern grey kangaroos, spotted tailed quoll, wild dogs, deer, and feral pigs. To better understand the recovery and ecology of these species we will undertake community occupancy modelling post-fire and as a function of fire intensity. We will also examine species richness over time and as related to fire intensity. Finally, to estimate demographic parameters (population size and density) of key species within the community (eg. spotted tailed quolls), spatial capture-recapture modelling will also be undertaken.

Understorey shrub has improved resilience but suffers under compounded extreme heat and drought in summer. Ms Elizabeth Morison, Professor Kristine French1 1University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - Elizabeth Morison, November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00

Biography: Liz completed a Bachelor of Conservation Biology (Dean’s Scholar) in 2020 with a first class thesis on ecophysiological responses of plants to heat wave and drought stress. She is passionate about interdisciplinary approaches to climate change solutions, and science communication.

When droughts and heat waves interact to become compound extreme climate events (CECEs), they expose plants to both water and thermal stress. We investigated physiological and ecological responses of the shrub Goodenia ovata in a simulated heat wave (39 °C maximum temperature) under low water availability (5 days droughting) during Austral spring 2019 and summer 2020. Heat wave and drought CECE conditions caused considerable mortality during spring. During spring, plants that survived the CECE stress continued to assimilate carbon, while during summer all plants respired. All plants lost leaves and flower buds during the experiment, however during spring some flower buds became flowers while during summer, all were abscised. Plants experiencing their second exposure to heat wave and drought CECE stress were better at retaining water than plants experiencing these stressors for the first time. While spring CECEs can cause mortality, surviving plants appear to function, identifying variability in individual tolerance as important. Summer CECEs were more deleterious to plant function with decreased growth and abortion of Page 79 of 134 reproduction. Overall then, despite some inherent tolerance to heatwaves in individuals and some capacity to improve thermal tolerance by plants as the weather warmed, summer CECEs were still overall more stressful for plants. Both mortality and low growth will cause significant changes to plant communities under increases in highly stressful heat wave events in spring and summer in the future.

Goldilocks and the three sheep and cows: Optimizing grazing for wetland biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Dr Kay Morris1, Dr Ashley Sparrow1, Dr Michelle Casanova2,3, Mr Bryan Mole1, Dr Lyndsey Vivian1, Mr Dylan Olser4 1Arthur Rylah Institute For Environmental Research, Department Of Environment Land Water And Planning, Heidelberg, Australia, 2Charophytes Services, Lake Bolac, Australia, 3Federation University Australia, Mt Helen, Australia, 4Ecological Perspective, Bend of Islands, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Wetland management and restoration in human-dominated landscapes - December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Kay is an aquatic ecologist whose research focuses on understanding responses of aquatic vegetation to threats including nutrient enrichment, salinisation and altered water regimes. Kay is also interested in how plant and animal dispersal functionally connects wetland across the landscape.

Human mediated environmental impacts are now so great that a broader range of conservation strategies have been called for, including those that enhance biodiversity in cultural landscapes. Currently 27% the earth surface is used for livestock production. Many wetland types are nested within these grazed landscapes and are subject to various levels of grazing pressure. There is an urgent need to identify grazing regimes that enhance biodiversity that are compatible with livestock production. Vegetation responses to grazing can be represented by the intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH). This posits that under low grazing pressure, competitive species dominate and exclude less competitive species resulting in low diversity. Under high grazing pressure, only the most grazing-tolerant species persist, also resulting in low diversity. Somewhere between these extremes is the Goldilocks zone, an optimal level of grazing that maximises diversity, related to disturbance regimes prior to agricultural intensification. To provide appropriate grazing guidance we established 28 sets of fenced-ungrazed and open-grazed plots (≥0.25 ha) in temporary freshwater wetlands with different grazing regimes and vegetation communities. Early results suggest grazed wetlands can retain important biodiversity values and that responses to changed grazing is variable and influenced by local context. Consequently, grazing management needs to be tailored to site conditions and adjusted as conditions change. We argue that biodiversity values of grazed wetlands should be given greater recognition to prevent their loss to more intense agricultural practices.

Global change impacts on soil microbial diversity and function: implications for soil and ecosystem restoration

Dr Miriam Muñoz-Rojas1,2,3, Dr Todd E. Erickson2,3, Dr Mark K.J. Ooi1, Dr David J. Merritt2,3 1Centre for Ecosystem Science; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2School of Biological Sciences; The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia, 3Kings Park Science; Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kings Park, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - Miriam Munoz-Rojas, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

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Dr Miriam Muñoz-Rojas is an ARC DECRA Fellow and Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney (Australia). Her current research is focused on exploring the functioning of natural and restored biodiverse ecosystems and developing innovative technologies for ecosystem restoration using soil microorganisms.

Global environmental changes such as drought, intense fire and land degradation are rapidly transforming the structure and functioning of ecosystems worldwide. These changes are leading to a severe loss of above and belowground biodiversity and increased soil degradation. Soil microorganisms control important ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, plant productivity and climate regulation. Thus, microbially assisted conservation and restoration has the potential to reconnect above and belowground dynamics, creating functional ecosystems that are more resilient to climate change impacts. In this research, we (i) assessed the responses of soil microbial communities to disturbance, e.g. severe fire, and extractive activities such as mining, and (ii) developed bioinoculants composed of locally sourced soil bacteria from the rhizosphere and biocrust cyanobacteria, to promote plant growth and soil fertility and enhance ecosystem capacity for global change adaptation. This presentation will showcase some key findings of these studies that include the benefits of combining diverse native plant species and using indigenous microbes for promoting soil and ecosystem functions. We will also discuss the potential applicability of these approaches in landscape-scale conservation and restoration programs.

The Biodiversity Outlook Report: Status and trends in biodiversity and ecological integrity across NSW Dr David Nipperess1, Laura Babian1, Dr Kristen Williams2, Dr Daniel Faith3, Dr Michael Drielsma1, Dr Becky Schmidt2, Jamie Love1, Dr Alana Burley1, Dr Mark Littleboy1 1NSW Department Of Planning, Industry & Environment, Parramatta, Australia, 2CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia, 3The Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change (1) - David Nipperess, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: David Nipperess is an ecologist, biogeographer and statistician with experience in higher education, scientific research and conservation project management. His career has included roles as an academic, a consultant and a public servant.

Biodiversity is fundamental to a healthy and resilient natural environment. In 2017, the NSW Government implemented new measures for biodiversity conservation and land management through the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The Act aims to conserve biodiversity across the state, including genetic and species diversity; maintain the quality of ecosystems and enhance their capacity to adapt to change; and slow the rate of biodiversity loss.

The Biodiversity Indicator Program meets a statutory requirement under the Act to establish programs for the collection, monitoring and assessment of information on biodiversity. We collaborated with CSIRO, the Australian Museum and Macquarie University to publish a peer reviewed technical method. This method has been used to create a baseline for reporting on future trends for biodiversity in New South Wales. The first assessment of the Biodiversity Outlook Report was published in 2020.

We present key insights from the published indicators for habitat effectiveness, genetic diversity, ecosystem diversity, and the expected survival of vascular plant species, threatened species and ecological communities.

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The Biodiversity Outlook Report establishes a baseline for biodiversity across the State. The indicators are designed to be reassessed in the future and provide ongoing biodiversity information to determine if the purposes of the Act are being met. They allow us to detect and measure the status and trends of biodiversity in future assessments and in response to environmental events. Indicators also inform conservation activities to protect and restore biodiversity in New South Wales.

Climate change drives habitat contraction of a nocturnal arboreal marsupial at its physiological limits Mr Benjamin Wagner1, Prof Patrick Baker1, A/Prof Craig Nitschke1 1The University of Melbourne, Hawthorn East, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Animals / Management and mitigation) - Craig Nitschke, November 30, 2020, 16:00 - 17:55

Biography: Craig is a forest and landscape ecologist working predominantly in forest landscapes. He is interested in interactions between ecological processes, climate variability and management on the conservation of biodiversity, provision of ecosystem services, and on sustainable livelihoods.

In Australia, recent climate change has caused population declines in some native fauna. A projected increase in mean annual temperature by up to 4°C by the end of the century may exacerbate these trends. The greater glider (Petauroides volans), has recently experienced drastic declines in population numbers. Fires and timber harvesting have been identified as threats to the species. Greater gliders have disappeared however from areas that have experienced neither, raising questions about the role of other factors in their decline. A unique physiology and strict Eucalyptus diet make them vulnerable to high temperatures and low water availability. Climatic conditions may drive habitat selection and recent climate trends may be contributing to population declines. Using presence and absence data from across its distribution in Victoria, coupled with high spatial and temporal resolution climate data we tested the influence of climatic, topographic, edaphic, biotic, and disturbance variables on greater glider occupancy and habitat suitability. We found that climate variables, particularly those related to aridity and extreme weather conditions, were highly significant predictors of greater glider occurrence. Climatic conditions associated with habitat suitability have changed over time, with increasing aridity and hot nights across much of its south-eastern distribution. These changes in climate are closely aligned with observed population declines. In some higher elevation areas, conditions have become wetter, which may have maintained habitat quality. These areas are of increasing significance to greater glider conservation and act as important climatic refugia as Australia continues to warm over the coming decades.

The role of bark attributes and drought in fire resistance in resprouting tree species Dr Rachael Nolan1,2, Ms Simin Rahmani2,3, Miss Stephanie Samson2,3, Miss Harriet Simpson-Southward2,3, A/Prof Matthias Boer1,2, Prof Ross Bradstock2,3 1Hawkesbury Institute For The Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia, 2NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, Wollongong, Australia, 3Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Rachael Nolan, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography:

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Rachael Nolan, Research Fellow. I’m interested in the role of disturbances in ecosystems, in particular: understanding how ecosystems respond to disturbance; and developing models of forest flammability due to dynamics in fuel loads and fuel moisture content.

Predicting the impact of wildfires on ecosystem services and habitat values requires quantifying rates of post- fire tree mortality and topkill. For those species that resprout epicormically (i.e. from above-ground buds), rates of post-fire topkill (death of aboveground biomass) can vary considerably among species. Here, we present the results from post-fire tree mortality surveys in Royal National Park and the Pilliga in New South Wales. These two study areas were subject to wildfire 18 months prior to measurements, with one site characterised by a semi-arid climate, and the second site (located 400 km south-east) characterised by a humid climate. We show that species with thick bark and a low bark density are most resistant to topkill. We also observed higher rates of post-fire topkill in the Pilliga, which had been subject to a more severe drought than the mesic site (Royal National Park), suggesting that climate and/or drought may also have influenced rates of post-fire topkill. We discuss these results in the context of Australia’s recent Black Summer fires in 2019/20, and the severe drought that preceded those fires.

Keeping up with the crayfish: Radio-tracking the movement patterns of native and invasive freshwater crayfish. Ms Sarah O'Hea Miller1 1University of Wollongong, Keiraville, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Sarah O'Hea Miller, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: Sarah completed a Bachelor of Marine Science in 2018 followed by an honours thesis investigating the role of habitat complexity in aggression between native/invasive freshwater crayfish. She commenced a PhD in 2019 to continue her studies of freshwater crayfish.

Of the 50 described species within the freshwater crayfish genus Euastacus, 80% of these are listed under one of the IUCN’s threatened categories. The Fitzroy Falls Spiny Crayfish, Euastacus dharawalus, is one of the 16 members of this genus listed as critically endangered. This species is found only within an 8.3km stretch of Wildes Meadow Creek located above Fitzroy Falls in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales. Euastacus dharawalus is at threat from multiple angles, most notably the invasive Cherax destructor (the common yabby) that has proliferated throughout the creek since its introduction. This highly invasive species has long been assumed to have a significant detrimental impact on E. dharawalus, however this has yet to be formally assessed. This study aims to use radio telemetry to detect the movement, dispersal and habitat use patterns of C. destructor and E. dharawalus to determine the degree of overlap between the two species. Radio transmitters were adhered to six C. destructor and 15 E. dharawalus and individuals were actively tracked hourly over four 24-hour periods. Preliminary analyses of the data indicate both species of crayfish exhibit high site fidelity with ranges less than 15 metres and are most active throughout the day and move very little at night. Further, both species differed in the type of sediment and bank habitat they associate with. The outcomes of this study will play an integral role in the management decisions made to secure the future of Euastacus dharawalus.

Can learning from invasion syndromes inform multi-disciplinary environmental indicators for threatened species?

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Dr Jasmin G. Packer1 1Environment Institute, The University Of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia, 2School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change (1) - Jasmin G. Packer, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: Jasmin is passionate about protecting threatened communities and species as they adapt to global change. Her transdisciplinary research aims to understand mechanisms underpinning ecosystem responses to disturbance - and how to better detect and manage these.

To help improve the effectiveness of (sub-)bioregional assessments for detecting changes and informing protection mechanisms for threatened species and other State of Environment indicators, this presentation will explore bioregional planning at two nested scales:

(1) small island communities globally since inception of Australia’s bioregional system (1997–2020), and (2) one of the world’s most biologically diverse small islands, Kangaroo Island (2022–2025).

Digging mammals like bandicoots and echidnas provide important ecological functions such as fire risk reduction, yet limited understanding of the economic value of their most beneficial ecosystem services for humans may be hindering conservation efforts.

Echidna and bandicoots are dynamo diggers and collectively turn over considerable amounts of soil each year; the holes left behind by the bandicoots, for example, reduce runoff and retain soil moisture. Quantifying these ecosystem services, through extending our ‘Invasion Syndromes’ conceptual framework for ‘Protective Syndromes’, could contribute to the development of integrated bioregional planning mechanisms by testing drivers that encourage a broader range of stakeholders, including farmers, to protect more native vegetation habitat for digging mammals. Bioregional plans are proposed as major instruments for management (e.g. current review of EPBC Act), but are largely untested. Getting the science right is therefore fundamental for ensuring these meet conservation outcomes that can be detected and further developed in this period of unprecedented environmental change.

The CAUL Urban Wildlife App: Engaging citizen scientists with nature in the city Professor Kirsten Parris1 1The University Of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Kirsten Parris leads the NESP Hub for Clean Air and Urban Landscapes (CAUL) and is a Professor of Urban Ecology at the University of Melbourne. She loves frogs and science communication.

The CAUL Urban Wildlife app is a mobile app that enables urban-dwellers to become citizen scientists by monitoring native wildlife in Australian cities. It is designed to encourage closer engagement with urban nature, but also to capture valuable data that are contributing to the hub's 'Shared Urban Habitat' project. The app includes four modules, each with a different taxonomic focus: bell frogs, beneficial insects, flying- foxes, and possums and gliders. The frog and beneficial-insect modules each allow users to conduct timed

Page 84 of 134 surveys to gain presence-absence data, while the mammal-focused modules facilitate observations of feeding, roosting and other behaviours. Users can upload photos, videos and acoustic recordings. To date, more than 3,500 records have been created using the app. I will discuss uptake of its various modules, results so far, and lessons learnt on how to engage different audiences with citizen science, including community groups, students and lone enthusiasts.

How well does legislation protect mature trees in residential developments? Miss Cara Parsons1, Prof. Philip Gibbons1, Dr Darren Le Roux2, Assoc. Prof. Samantha Capon3 1Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 2ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Canberra, Australia, 3Griffith University, Nathan, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: First year PhD Candidate at the Australian National University, studying from Brisbane. Current research focuses on the conservation of mature trees in urban areas. Also interested in wildlife conservation, carved hollows, and the ecological interactions between wildlife and their habitats.

Mature eucalypts are keystone structures in the Australian landscape. They provide habitat for a range of fauna through the provision of hollows, exposed perches, peeling bark, large volumes of nectar, pollen and seed and coarse woody debris. Most eucalypts that provide these resources are of pre-European age and thus if cut down they cannot be replaced within one human generation. Despite regulations intended to protect mature trees in several states and territories, there is evidence that mature trees are continuing to decline in wood production and agricultural landscapes across Australia. However little research has documented the loss of mature trees in urban areas - alarming given Australia’s high rates of urbanisation. In this study I aim to test the effectiveness of regulations that protect mature trees from residential development. Utilising historic aerial imagery, the number of trees (of crown width > 2m) present before and after residential development will be sampled at each site. I will quantify the proportion of mature eucalypts cleared for residential development and whether this differs in jurisdictions with, and without, regulations that protect mature trees. Preliminary results from South East Queensland indicate that 73% of all eucalypts were removed for greenfield residential developments, with a positive association between the probability of removal and tree size (average canopy width). These findings form part of a larger study examining the retention and management of mature trees in urban areas.

Island ecosystem function recovery through an isotopic lens Ms Penelope Pascoe1, Dr Justine Shaw2, Dr Rowan Trebilco3, Professor Mark Hindell1, Associate Professor Holly Jones4 1Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Australia, 2Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3CSIRO, Hobart, Australia, 4Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, United States

SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Penelope Pascoe, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: I am a PhD candidate at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. I am investigating the use of stable isotope analysis as a cost and time-effective post eradication ecosystem recovery assessment tool.

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Australian and New Zealand islands have been and continue to be the focus of some of the most ecologically and logistically complex invasive mammal eradication projects globally. Assessing post-eradication ecosystem recovery can be challenging and costly. We are investigating the use of stable isotopes as a novel technique for quantifying the recovery of island ecosystems following invasive mammal eradications. Seabirds are ecosystem engineers. They are a major source of nutrients in many island ecosystems, delivering marine derived nutrients to the terrestrial environment via guano deposition. Invasive mammals greatly impact seabirds which in turn affects island ecosystem structure and function. We are investigating the suitability of stable isotope analysis as a means for quantifying the role of seabird derived nutrients on a range of invaded, eradicated and never invaded islands from around Australia, New Zealand and the sub-Antarctic. By examining islands at various times since invasive mammal eradication, never invaded and still invaded islands, we are investigating the progression of ecosystem function recovery on islands from an invaded to a never invaded state. Preliminary analysis indicates that island size influences seabird derived nutrient signatures in an island’s terrestrial environment. We are investigating if there is a threshold of island size for seabirds driving nutrient flow in island ecosystems. We aim to investigate the potential use of stable isotope analysis as an additional time- and cost-efficient tool in the post-eradication monitoring toolkit and ultimately better understand how islands recovery from invasion.

Mangrove rehabilitation requires multifactorial and multidimensional thinking Dr Swapan Paul1 1Sopa, Sop, Australia, 2Adjunct Researcher, Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Wetland management and restoration in human-dominated landscapes - December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Dr Paul has been working in the Park since 1997. As a practicing ecologist he is responsible for planning and managing projects and programs targeting superior management of wetlands at SOP, especially estuarine wetlands. He is a PWS.

Mangroves are on the edge – edge of the land, the sea, sediment load, bed slump, impacts of Sea Level Rise, Climate Change and public interferences. These put mangroves under tremendous pressure and risk of damage and potential loss. Mangrove rehabilitation is often taken as a casual approach and many of the above aspects are not taken in to account, whether in isolation or in conjunction. As a result their rehabilitation attempts are largely unsuccessful. It is suggested that for successful and lasting rehabilitation, multilevel thinking, multiple factors, and most importantly, multidimensional approach is taken. Examples of mangrove rehabilitation in Sydney Olympic Park will be discussed that contain successful rehabilitation involving design and construction of new drainage channels and weirs, and with careful consideration of water level, bed elevations and sea level rise.

Detecting management responses in box gum grassy woodland offsets Ms Belinda Pellow1, Dr Mitchell Lyons2 1AMBS Ecology & Heritage, Camperdown, Australia, 2University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers - Belinda Pellow, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography:

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Belinda Pellow is a Senior Botanist/Executive Advisor with AMBS Ecology & Heritage Pty Ltd. Her interests span ecological and taxonomic research, and environmental consulting. She is a past President of the Ecological Consultants Association of NSW.

Offsets are increasingly used as a means of mitigating environmental impact, but often criticised, in part because performance evaluation is deficient and progress towards required goals is rarely demonstrated. We evaluated the response of White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland ecological community to management actions intended to offset vegetation clearing at a development site on the north western slopes of NSW. Monitoring was established at replicated control, reference and management action sites across offset properties. Effect sizes in species richness and abundance were evaluated with generalised linear mixed models (GLMM) to account for complex ecological survey designs with plots as random variables to account for spatial variation. A multivariate latent variable model with Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation was used to construct an ordination of plots, with compositional change relative to reference sites measured with Euclidian distance. Accounting for the effect of environmental covariables we found that ecological burning increased the number and frequency of native species, and the removal of grazing resulted in and increased in native species richness and decreased in exotic species richness. We also demonstrated that compositionally, most managed sites were moving towards reference state to varying degrees. A well-designed, site- and task-specific monitoring program can identify early trends in the response of vegetation to offset management actions. This is crucial to inform managers of progress and problems, allowing them to adapt their strategies to improve outcomes.

Can we explain eucalypt drought vulnerability from species climate-origin and life-history traits? Mrs Victoria Pérez-Martínez1, Dr Dean Nicolle2, Prof Belinda E. Medlyn1, Prof Brendan Choat1, Prof David T. Tissue1, Dr Paul D. Rymer1 1Hawkesbury Institute For Environment, Penrith, Australia, 2Currency Creek Arboretum, Melrose Park, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Victoria Perez Martinez, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Victoria Pérez-Martínez is a PhD student at Hawkesbury Institute for Environment. Her areas of research and expertise are Plant Physiology, Seed Conservation and Restoration Ecology. Currently her thesis encompass understanding drought vulnerability integrating climate/range distribution, functional traits, and physiology.

Drought events associated with climate change are impacting ecosystems all over the world. Understanding species drought response and predicting vulnerability is urgently needed to prioritize conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Although species climate-origin is associated with hydraulic vulnerability to drought, there is substantial variation potentially related to different strategies to tolerate or avoid drought. In addition, this may be related to species regeneration strategy (e.g. re-sprouting) which is linked to plant recovery from fire, but not generally tested in response to drought. In this study, we analysed drought vulnerability and recovery in over 800 eucalypt taxa (Corymbia, Angophora and Eucalyptus) growing for up to 27 years in a common garden in South Australia (Currency Creek Arboretum). Drought vulnerability was classified as non-evident, slight, moderate, severe or extreme after drought events in 2006, 2019 and 2020. Climate-origin (mean, variance and extremes of temperature and rainfall) were retrieved from Worldclim for all species and provenances, and life history traits (habit, maximum height, and regeneration strategy) were compiled from the literature. Drought vulnerability was explained in terms of climate-origin and life-history Page 87 of 134 traits through Linear Mixed Effect Models incorporating location within the arboretum and individual age as random variables. Species and provenances from cooler and wetter climates had higher drought vulnerability, regardless of their regeneration strategy. A predictive model is being developed to estimate the vulnerability of species and geographic regions to future drought events, which will inform the prioritization of conservation efforts.

What is the threat of drought-induced hydraulic failure in Australian forests? Dr Jen Peters1,2 1Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge, United States, 2Western Sydney University, Richmond, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Jen Peters, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Currently at Oak Ridge National Lab studying plant ecophysiology with a specialty in plant hydraulics at the whole ecosystem warming x CO2 SPRUCE https://mnspruce.ornl.gov/. Previously, at Western Sydney University investigation plant hydraulic strategies and vulnerability to drought of Australian trees.

Tree dieback and forest mortality is on the rise – and time and again drought is implicated. Hydraulic dysfunction is garnering attention as a key mechanism of drought triggered dieback. And with an eye toward future climates, a movement is taking shape to compile data and incorporate hydraulic traits and thresholds into predictive models. We can also design empirical studies to utilize environmental gradients to improve our understanding of the plant drought response across communities. We conducted a continental-scale study of native Australian forests to disentangle the intricacies and complexities of plant drought resistance strategies. We found divergent strategies employed by species within and across ecosystem. By leveraging the environmental breadth of the Australian landscape and a national network of research sites (Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network), we were able to identify large- scale trends in hydraulic traits for forests species from contrasting environments - shedding light on the risk facing Australian forests.

Influence of surface types on surface temperature reduction through tree shading Ms Thilini Kaluarachchi1, Prof Mark Tjoelker1, Dr Sebastian Pfautsch1 1Western Sydney University, Parramatta, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Thilini Kaluarachchi is a second year PhD candidate in Urban studies, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University. Her doctoral research investigates the use of urban trees to mitigate the urban heat island effect in Western Sydney.

Urban trees play a vital role in surface cooling and latent heat removal through evapotranspiration and shading. Here we tested if key canopy characteristics related to tree shade can be used to predict the cooling potential across a range of surface materials. During summer from November 2018 to March 2019 we collected canopy characteristic data from more than 450 healthy trees; belonging to 13 tree species across the Sydney Metropolitan Region. Surface temperatures

Page 88 of 134 were also recorded between noon to 3:00 PM under the canopy of each tree in shade and in full sun to calculate the temperature differential between sunlit and shaded surfaces (DTs). Among all surface types, tree shade resulted in DTs of 19.6°C (±5.8; 1 SD), demonstrating the cooling potential of tree shade in Sydney. Analyses revealed that no systematic relationship existed among canopy characteristics and DTs for any surface type. However, highly significant differences (p <0.001) in DTs existed among surface materials. The largest cooling potential was found by shading bark mulch (DTs = -24.8°C ±7.1), followed by bare soil (DTs = 22.1°C ±5.5), bitumen (DTs = 20.9°C ±5.8), grass (DTs = 18.5°C ±4.8) and pavers (DTs = 17.5°C ±6.0). Results indicate that tree shade, but not the tree species matters when cooling urban surface materials.Moreover, shading bark mulch, bare soil or bitumen will generate larger temperature reductions compared to shading grass and pavers. This refined understanding of the capacity of trees to reduce thermal loads in urban space can increase the effectiveness of urban cooling strategies.

The contribution of citizen science in building ecological literacy Dr Sheryn Pitman1,2 1Inspiring South Australia, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia, 2University of South Australia, Adelaide, Auistralia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - Sheryn Pitman, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Sheryn’s multidisciplinary background includes environmental management, community engagement, education and communication, with current focus on science engagement and communication. She's managed sustainability, living infrastructure, landscape and habitat restoration programs, and worked as a creative writer. Sheryn’s doctorate explores ecological literacy.

Citizen science is valuable: for physical, mental and social health; for fostering a sense of worthwhile contribution to society; for illuminating career possibilities; for learning interesting new things about the world; and for contributing to scientific research. However, in addition, there is something about citizen science that makes it especially valuable in today’s world.

The sustainability of human life on Earth depends upon the integrity of the relationship between humanity and nature. Nature supports humanity, and knowledge and understanding of how nature works form the foundation of ecological literacy. It is ecological literacy that underpins our capacity as humans to make well- informed decisions about how to live in sustainable ways.

Science literacy in general has become a necessity, not only for employment and economies but for an informed citizenry able to understand public policy issues. Every day governments, industries and citizens are required to make decisions that impact the well-being and sustainability of communities and of the world at large. Unfortunately, however, there is concern that no major industrialised nation in the world has a sufficiently scientifically literate population.

Citizen science makes a critical contribution to improving the science literacy of communities. It generates a basic appreciation of how scientific evidence is generated and fosters ability to think critically about information. It demonstrates how science is a systematic and collaborative way of thinking and building knowledge. And perhaps, even more importantly, citizen science helps us learn how nature works and grows the ecological literacy that underpins our quest for sustainability.

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Forecasting heathland plant population persistence under changing fire regimes, climate and land-fragmentation: A trait-based approach Ms Ella Plumanns Pouton1, Associate Professor Trent Penman1, Dr Matt Swan1, Dr Luke Kelly1 1University Of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Ella is a PhD student at the University of Melbourne investigating the persistence of heathland plants to changing fire regimes, land-use, and climates. Ella has a background in monitoring and evaluation, and a keen interest in socio-political systems.

Anthropogenic changes to fire regimes, climate and land-use are causing population declines of plant populations around the world. Heathland ecosystems are global hotspots of plant diversity, making up 25% of Australian plant species. There is a need to understand how interactions between fire, climate change and fragmentation shape the persistence of plants in species-rich heathlands. A promising approach is to use plant functional types to make predictions on how ecosystems might shift based on specific plant traits.

We are developing a trait-based approach to predict how different plants persist under environmental change, using field studies and experiments to test our predictions. Specifically, we ask :1. How will species richness and plant persistence shift according to variations in fire regimes, climates and fragmentation gradients? 2. Will there be interactions between processes in driving species richness and plant persistence? 3. Does plant persistence vary according to plant functional types?

The study is across 200 sites in South-Western Victoria. Sites have been selected to represent variation in fire regime measures, as well as gradients in climate and fragmentation. This project on plants is part of a wider project investigating the effects of fire on the resilience of plants and animals in heathland ecosystems. We will measure species occurrence and relative abundance, species richness and demographic parameters such as reproductive maturity. With this data we hope to identify at-risk plant types and the characteristics of the processes that threaten them. These predictions will assist in managing these plant communities to minimize population declines.

Saving an endangered bettong with fire Mr Christopher Pocknee1, Assoc. Prof. Diana Fisher1, Dr Jane McDonald2, Prof Sarah Legge3 1University Of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane, Australia, 3Australian National University, Canberra, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Christopher Pocknee, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Chris Pocknee is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, researching the impacts of fire and predation on the northern bettong. His main research interests are threatened species conservation and finding solutions to threatening processes.

The northern bettong (Bettongia tropica) is an endangered macropod, restricted to a small area of the Australian Wet Tropics. There is uncertainty around the drivers of the bettong’s decline, although one suggested factor is fire. The species appears to be fire-dependent, as much of its preferred wet sclerophyll habitat may be lost to rainforest encroachment in the absence of fire, but fire of too high an intensity may Page 90 of 134 deprive the bettong of shelter, exposing individuals to heightened predation risk. I undertook mark-recapture surveys and fitted GPS collars to bettongs prior to a planned burning event, obtaining location data for approximately three weeks each before and after fire, before repeating mark-recapture surveys and retrieving collars. The data from the GPS collars give us the ability to observe any changes in the home ranges of these individuals, and whether they favour different microhabitat features before vs. after fire. I will present results of this GPS collaring study, documenting the home ranges and habitat use of northern bettongs pre-, during and post-fire. This will show which habitat features are important for the survival of individual bettongs as a fire goes through their home range and in the aftermath, with context provided through burn intensity mapping, and the ability to make recommendations for fire management in northern bettong habitat going forward.

Night warming is more influential than daytime warming and heatwaves in driving wheat respiratory acclimation Mr Bradley Posch1, Dr Onoriode Coast1, Ms Deping Zhai2, Dr Andrew Scafaro1, Dr Helen Bramley3, Prof Owen Atkin1 1ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology - The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, 2School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences – East China Normal University, Shanghai, China, 3Plant Breeding Institute, Sydney Institute of Agriculture & School of Life and Environmental Sciences – The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00

Biography: Brad Posch studies the impacts of high temperature, particularly night warming, on respiration and photosynthesis in wheat as a PhD candidate in Prof. Owen Atkin's lab at the Australian National University.

Ongoing increases in average global temperatures have been disproportionately driven by night warming. This has been linked to ecosystem-level changes in vegetative growth and carbon sequestration, as well as substantial yield losses in major crops. Biomass accumulation generally declines under high temperature, via decreased photosynthetic carbon gain and increased respiratory carbon loss. The ability of plants to acclimate these processes to high temperature can help to minimise these negative impacts on growth. However, the extent to which respiration and photosynthesis acclimate to night warming, and how this compares to acclimation to daytime temperature increase (warming or heatwaves), remains unclear. We examined these questions during two controlled-environment experiments by tracking dark respiration in wheat leaves and roots; use of the alternative respiratory electron transport pathway; thermal acclimation of photosynthetic electron transport; the expression of heat shock proteins; and whole plant biomass. Following 5°C night warming, dark respiration of leaves and roots decreased by up to 40%, and whole plant biomass fell by 20%. Use of the alternative respiratory pathway also increased by 10% with 7°C night warming. In contrast, day warming of 6°C and a 38°C heatwave each had comparatively little impact on these traits, while the high temperature tolerance of photosynthetic electron transport increased by 1-2°C with both day and night warming. These results indicate that night temperature is the dominant factor driving thermal acclimation of wheat respiration, thus demonstrating the importance of incorporating night warming in any predictions of plant performance and vulnerability under future warming scenarios.

Sex differences in thermal acclimation across ectothermic animals: a meta- analysis

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Mr Patrice Pottier1, Ms Samantha Burke1, Dr Malgorzata Lagisz1, Dr Szymon Drobniak1,2, Prof Tracey Rogers1, Prof Shinichi Nakagawa1 1The University Of New South Wales, Sydney, Kensington, Australia, 2Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Animals / Management and mitigation) - Patrice Pottier, November 30, 2020, 16:00 - 17:55

Biography: Patrice Pottier is a PhD student at the University of New South Wales. His research uses meta-analytic methods to investigate the importance and limitations of thermal plasticity for reducing negative impacts of changing temperatures on ectotherms’ fitness.

Climate change profoundly modifies the thermal environment of animals and challenges remain to determine the extent to which natural populations will be impacted. Ectothermic animals’ body temperatures directly follow ambient temperatures, and thermal changes might exceed the temperatures these animals can tolerate. Yet, plastic responses to chronic exposures to new temperatures are widely observed, a process referred as thermal acclimation. This mechanism might enable ectotherms to continue exploiting environments that exceed their current thermal limits. Therefore, investigating the importance and limits of thermal acclimation in buffering climate change impacts is primordial. Surprisingly, although males and females differ in a wide range of physiological, behavioural and developmental traits, no systematic review aimed to quantify differences in thermal plasticity between sexes. This knowledge is imperative because heterogeneities between males and females’ acclimation capacity might impact sex ratio and population dynamics. Not accounting for such differences in populational models could result in inaccurate forecasting of climate change impacts on the persistence of ectothermic animals in a changing world. We performed a systematic review spanning >4000 publications. Based on pilot studies, we will meta-analyse between 20 and 100 studies reporting acclimation responses of thermal tolerances and/or preferences of both sexes. We hypothesized that males would be overall more plastic than females. Indeed, males tend to have a faster pace-of-life, which is associated with aggressive, bold and explorative behaviours – likely exposing males to highly-fluctuating thermal environments. As of November 2020, we will present preliminary data and discuss the under-representation of studies reporting sex-specific effects.

Size and spatial positioning of embolized conduits under natural drought Dr Carola Pritzkow1, Dr Madeline Carins-Murphy1, Dr Brendan Choat2, Dr Patrick Mitchell3, Dr Craig Brodersen4, Dr Timothy Brodribb1 1University of Tasmania, School of Biological Sciences, Hobart, Australia, 2Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Penrith, Australia, 3CSIRO Land and Water, Hobart, Australia, 4Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, USA SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (2) - Carola Pritzkow, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: I finished my PhD on phenotypic plasticity in plant hydraulic 2019 and deep dive since then into the impacts of natural drought on hydraulics. In summary, I am all about the hidden secrets of drought, hydraulics, plant growth and survival

Much is unknown of how repeated, natural drought exposure impacts on the water transport system of mature forests trees. In contrast to fast dehydration in potted or excised plant tissues, natural droughts develop slowly and may impact on the composition and spatial orientation of embolized conduits. Here, we use CT imaging to study the size and spatial positioning of embolised conduit along branches of three species, Page 92 of 134 grown under natural drought conditions in a dry sclerophyll forest. We observed differing degrees of circumferentially oriented, clustered embolism in all trees. The degree of xylem embolism was positively related to the species vulnerability to embolism (P50). We further observed no consistent pattern of wider conduits being more embolised, suggesting that natural drought induced embolism is unrelated to conduit diameter. The often clustered, circumferential oriented embolism suggests that connectivity between conduits may play a central role in how embolism spreads through the xylem and potentially enables an understanding of past drought and recovery.

Combating the threat of Sambar Deer through a science-practitioner partnership Dr Stephanie Pulsford1, Louisa Roberts2, Mark Elford2 1Conservation Research, ACT Government, Australia, 2ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers - Stephanie Pulsford, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Stephanie Pulsford works as a fauna ecologist for the Conservation Research unit in the ACT Government. She works on both overabundant and pest species as well as threatened species.

The six introduced deer species that have established in Australia are increasingly becoming a threat to ecological values, including threatened communities, species, and ecosystems. They also place socio- economic threats to agricultural industries and a risk to human life. In the ACT, Sambar Deer in the sub-alpine wetlands are an increasing threat to these sensitive ecosystems. This increasing threat was also amplified by the recent fires in the 2019-2020 summer resulted in drastic changes to most of subalpine wetland systems and surrounding ecosystems, which are likely to change the deer population density and spread. There is an urgent need to couple emerging scientific evidence with public policy actions to manage the increasing threat of deer to socio-ecological systems in light of increasing fire and extreme weather event uncertainties. The ACT Government has formed a collaborative partnership to examine and develop adaptive management strategies to the problem of deer in sub-alpine systems. This multi-sectorial partnership includes science users and practitioners (Parks and Conservation Service rangers) and science producers, such as ecologists (Conservation Research and NRM units). This partnership is working towards greater ecological understanding and methods to manage these threats, to ensure a resilient ecosystem in the future. This partnership based project is using emerging scientific methods to monitor the deer and their impact including using camera trapping grids to determine deer density as well as using drones and remote sensing to map deer impact. These techniques are being used to inform the adaptive management of this invasive species and its impact.

Effects of 38 years of wildfires on tree density in the Blue Mountains, Australia Mrs Simin Rahmani1 1University Of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography:

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Simin is a PhD student in the field of wildfire risk management at Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires of UOW. She has been doing research in this field as a master student, volunteer researcher and a casual employee.

Forests are vital for biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecosystem services, but can be potentially threatened by fires. Given the significance of forests and fire in a changing climate, research into the long-term effects of fire on forests plays an important role in understanding the global carbon cycle by the forests functioning as a large terrestrial carbon sink or source. In this study, we used aerial photography from 1975 and 2013 to count the change in the number of trees in 560 dry sclerophyll plots (40 × 40m) in the Blue Mountains of Australia. We analyzed the relationship between the number of fires and severe fires in that period on the change in numbers of trees. We found that the average response was an increase of 1 tree per plot over 38 years. The number of fires had a small positive effect on tree numbers; plots with 2 or 3 severe fires had 1 and 2 extra trees respectively than those without fire. One exception was a severe fire in 2001 that did not show this positive effect, probably because it corresponded with extensive drought. Our findings suggest that number of forest canopy trees is resilient to number of fires and number of severe fires.

How does prescribed fire shape bird and plant communities in a temperate dry forest ecosystem? Mr Fred Rainsford1, Dr. Luke Kelly2, Prof Andrew Bennett1, Dr Steve Leonard3 1La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia, 2University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 3Tasmanian Government Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Fred Rainsford, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Fred has 10-years experience as an ecologist. He as worked at the University of Newcastle on restoration ecology projects and in the private sector as a consultant. He has recently completed his PhD in fire ecology at La Trobe University.

To mitigate the impact of severe wildfire on human society and the environment, prescribed fire is widely used in forest ecosystems to reduce fuel loads and limit fire spread. It is imperative to understand how prescribed fire affects a range of taxa beyond the short-term impacts of burning. We examined the effects of prescribed fire on birds and plants across a 36-year post-prescribed-fire chronosequence in a temperate dry forest ecosystem in south-eastern Australia, and by making comparison with long-unburnt reference sites (79 years since wildfire). We examined how individual species, species diversity and functional groups of species differed between sites with different fire history. The relative abundance/cover of most bird and plant species modelled, as well as measures of alpha diversity at sites subject to prescribed fire did not change significantly with time since fire or differ from that of long-unburnt vegetation. When species were pooled into functional groups, time since fire had strong effects on birds that forage in the lower-midstorey, facultative-resprouting shrubs and obligate-seeding shrubs. The prevalence of bird species with broad habitat and dietary niches, plant regeneration through resprouting, and the characteristics of prescribed fire, make bird and plant communities in these temperate dry forests relatively resilient to the type of prescribed fire they have experienced to date. Application of prescribed fire will be most compatible with maintaining biodiversity by taking a landscape approach that plans for a geographic spread of stands with a range of between-fire intervals to ensure provision of suitable habitat for all taxa.

A knowledge synthesis to inform a national approach to fighting extinction

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April Reside1,2, Josie Carwardine3, Michelle Ward1,2, CJ Yong1,2, James Watson1,2,4 1Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University Of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3CSIRO, Land and Water, Dutton Park, Australia, 4Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, USA SYMPOSIUM: Approaches for detailing threats, actions and management costs for threatened species recovery across broad scales - April Reside, December 1, 2020, 16:00 - 18:00

Biography: April is a research fellow at UQ with an unhealthy obsession with threatened species recovery, and in particular, the flying vertebrate kind. April is a member of the Black-throated Finch Recovery Team and Birdlife Australia’s Research and Conservation Committee.

Despite Australia’s unfortunate track record of biodiversity declines, we still lack a stocktake of key information on our threatened species: their threats, actions required to recover them, and an understanding of what this would cost. Our project, funded by the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub, has synthesised existing information and expert knowledge on every threat and corresponding actions for all threatened species, subspecies and populations listed under the national Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999). For each listed entity, we have detailed the impact of each of its threats, and assigned appropriate high-level actions for threat mitigation. Using these species-threat-action combinations, we have estimated costs per action, and how these costs vary across different contexts. This work has provided a view to the scale of the problem and scale of the response required. Our analysis identifies cost- sharing opportunities for conservation actions, and highlights actions with far-reaching benefits. For example, protecting habitat from clearing and degradation, and restoring degraded habitat, can address insufficient habitat extent as well as many other threats. These include far-reaching threats such as change in water flows, salinisation, sedimentation and run off, and in some cases disease, which can often be mitigated through habitat protection and restoration. Where possible we will estimate the feasibility of successfully mitigating the impact of each threat on each species (provided the mitigating action is fully funded), and identify non-biodiversity co-benefits. This work will facilitate planning for a threatened biodiversity recovery at multiple scales.

Using citizen science to enable meaningful participation in bushfire recovery Peter Brenton1,2, Alex Horvat1,2, Dr Erin Roger1,2, Matilda Stevenson1,2, Andre Zerger1,2 1Altas of Living Australia, 2CSIRO, , SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - Erin Roger, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Erin Roger is the Citizen Science Program Lead for the Atlas of Living Australia (based in CSIRO Sydney).The Citizen Science Program aims to deepen existing partnerships and build new collaborations, delivering a strategic approach to citizen science nationally

There has been extensive community interest in participating in bushfire related citizen science projects since the 2019/20 bushfires earlier this year. Participation in citizen science projects has been supported via the CSIRO and the Australian Citizen Science Association’s Citizen Science Bushfire Project Finder. The Project Finder is a one-stop resource that makes it easy to search for vetted projects that can contribute to our understanding of bushfire recovery. Already these projects are demonstrating lasting impact through Page 95 of 134 augmentation of both data quantity and quality of research. Here we provide case studies of where citizen science is having impact. For example, across two discreet digital application projects alone, hundreds of citizen scientists have recorded and validated more than 10,000 observations and have documented over 1300 species in bushfire impacted regions. Citizen science also has huge capacity to scale biosecurity efforts for bushfire recovery. Already citizen scientists are undertaking surveys for new weed or pest incursions in fire impacted regions. Despite these examples, there remains significant untapped potential for greater public involvement in recovery efforts. The report on Climate and Disaster Resilience recognises the importance of citizen science in complementing traditional research-led monitoring campaigns, and in sharing locally specific advice. One component of the response also brought together national stakeholders, to develop a series of more detailed recommendations regarding the critical role of citizen science. With that in mind, the task now moves to improving integration of the ‘professional’ scientific capability with the citizen science effort, to better harness the potential of citizen science.

Climate vs. Environment vs. Biogeography: principle drivers of soil invertebrate distribution and evolution Mr Giles Ross1 1Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Giles is a PhD student at the HIE after having completed his MPhil in 2016.

Soil invertebrate diversity and distribution are influenced by a complex range of interacting factors: climatic, environmental and biogeographic in nature. However, the relative influence that each factor has on ordering soil faunal populations remains unclear. Here, we attempt to capture phylogeographic patterns within soil invertebrate assemblages across large climatic and environmental gradients. Phylogenetic diversity of mite and springtail populations using COI and nuclear markers linking patterns of gene flow with alternate methods of isolation (biodispersal, geodispersal). This can provide insights into the evolutionary processes that shaped their distribution. Samples collected from broad transects off the Antarctic Peninsula (60º-74ºS) and Australian Eastern Seaboard (23º-41ºS) show how shared responses to the latitudinal gradient between the two regions can detail the fundamental factors influencing soil invertebrate distribution. Such empirical evidence is essential for accurate models predicting soil faunal responses to changing environmental conditions.

Cross-scale investigation of declining forest cover in southwestern Australia Dr Katinka Ruthrof1, Mr Richard van Dongen1, Mr Jaume Ruscalleda-Alvarez1, Mr David Tarrant1, Dr Jatin Kala2, Dr Joe Fontaine2, Prof Giles Hardy2, Dr George Matusick2, Prof David Breshears3, Dr Lachie McCaw1 1Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Perth, Australia, 2Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, 3University of Arizona, Tucson, USA SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Katinka Ruthrof, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Katinka is a forest ecosystem scientist with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in Western Australia. She has interests in forest ecology, climate change and the use of management intervention techniques to increase resilience of our forest ecosystems.

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Tracking and understanding tree health in response to stressors is critical for predicting how forests will respond in the future, and for developing evidence-based, proactive management intervention techniques. Preliminary work indicated a decline in forest cover over the last 15 years in particular regions of southwestern Australia. Thus, in our current project, we asked: what are the spatial and temporal changes in forest cover, and what are the factors involved? To answer this, we examined forest cover across landscape, stand and tree scales with a multidisciplinary team. Using estimates of vegetation cover derived from Landsat (i35 index), we identified declining and stable forest areas. Then, we investigated factors potentially contributing to forest decline and validated remote sensing data with ground-based, stand and site-level measurements. Landscape-level measurements suggested a decline in vegetation cover of particular ecosystem types, such as those located in isolated sandy basins, surrounding swamps and surrounding rocky outcrops. Various stressors, such as drought, heatwaves, and fire are thought to be associated with vegetation cover change in these areas. In other sites, other stressors, such as insect attack, are thought to be involved. Different forest ecosystem types may be more vulnerable to, and may recover at different rates, following stress events, and this could be influencing the overall trend of forest cover. These nuances in the range of forest responses are being investigated and incorporated into trend analysis. Such cross-disciplinary work with diverse ecological data will provide insights into developing management intervention techniques.

Variation in xylem vessel plasticity associated with climate-origin provides adaptive capacity to drought Dr Paul Rymer1, Dr Collin Ahrens1, Prof David Tissue1 1Western Sydney University, Richmond, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (1) - Paul Rymer, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Paul combines classical and novel ecological and molecular techniques to address outstanding questions in evolutionary ecology. His research focuses on the ecology and evolution of organisms in natural populations, and is applied to understanding adaptation to climate change.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts threatening the function and resilience of forests throughout the world. It remains unclear which species and regions will be will be able to persist through enhanced tolerance and/or plasticity. It is generally assumed that trees being long lived with rigid woody structures are genetically determined (with limited plasticity) in the traits that determine drought tolerance. Here we quantify the adaptive capacity of a common, foundation, tree found in the Mediterranean-type climate of the southwestern Australian forests. Populations (10) sourced from across major, orthogonal, temperature and rainfall gradients were grown under chronic water limitation and well- watered conditions over a six month summer period. Growth, physiology, functional traits, and wood xylem anatomy were quantified. While sapling growth showed clinal variation among populations, the majority of the variation in growth was explained by differences among the water treatment. Differences in biomass allocation were detected among water treatments in specific leaf area, wood density, leaf biomass fraction, and Huber value. Xylem vessel diameter in the basal stem was similar among populations under water- limitation, however significant differences were detected among population in saplings grown under well- watered conditions (GxE). Populations from warmer and more arid climates were more conservative having consistently narrow vessels, while cool/wet origin populations showed enhanced plasticity where vessel diameter increased under well-watered conditions. Our findings highlight adaptive capacity within a foundation tree species that may facilitate the persistence of natural populations under climate change.

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Are handheld thermal cameras effective for detecting threatened mammals in a semi-arid environment? Mr Asitha Samarawickrama1, Dr José Lahoz-Monfort1, Prof Brendan Wintle1 1Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Asitha Samarawickrama, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: Asitha is an environmental scientist who is passionate about threatened species conservation. He has worked as a wildlife guide, ranger and consultant. He also volunteers with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Australia where he is involved in environmental education.

Conservation practitioners rely on effective wildlife monitoring techniques to assess the health of species’ populations. Developing techniques that can provide accurate data while accounting for variances such as imperfect detection is vital when monitoring threatened species. Many of Australia’s threatened mammals have restricted ranges and are cryptic in nature. Using novel technology such as thermal imaging cameras may increase the probability of detecting these species compared to traditional methods. We conducted a pilot study in a semi-arid environment to compare the performance between spotlighting and a handheld thermal camera to detect critical-weight-range threatened mammals. We carried out driving transect surveys and used a distance sampling model to analyse and compare our findings. Our results show a large increase in detection probability when using the handheld thermal camera compared to the spotlight. The flat and open landscape enabled the thermal camera to detect animals over long distances. Spotlighting failed to detect animals at distances beyond 25 metres, compared to the handheld thermal camera, which detected animals up to approximately 55 metres away. A key benefit of using the handheld thermal camera is that detection does not rely on an animal’s eye shine, unlike spotlighting. Our study provides evidence that thermal imaging technology can be effective for monitoring some of Australia’s rare and cryptic threatened mammals, aiding their conservation. It is recommended that similar studies are conducted in different habitats to evaluate the generality of our findings.

The influence of landscape-scale pattern on the genetic diversity of an Australian skink. Mr Alex Santiago1 1University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Alex Santiago, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: Alex Santiago has undertaken this research under the supervision of Dr Holly Sitters as part of a Bachelor of Science honours degree. Alex is interested in the use of genetic data to determine the impacts of disturbance on ecosystems.

Biodiversity decline worldwide is driven by the modification of landscapes through altered fire regimes and fragmentation of native vegetation. Variability in the gene pool of populations (genetic diversity) is a key component of biodiversity, underpinning the ability of populations to adapt and persist in changing environments. Genetic markers reveal information about population health, which can inform timely and effective conservation management. While previous studies have examined the influence of fire history and Page 98 of 134 native vegetation cover on the genetic diversity of reptiles at a site scale, no studies have been conducted at a landscape scale. My primary aim was to determine the influence of landscape scale pattern in fire history and native vegetation cover on the genetic diversity of an Australian skink (Lerista bougainvillii). Cover and configuration of fire history and native vegetation were calculated across 5-km diameter landscapes. I used linear mixed models to determine the influence of landscape spatial pattern variables on the genetic diversity of L. bougainvillii. Genetic diversity was most influenced by an interaction between cover and configuration of early successional vegetation, with increasing genetic diversity in patches with greater edge to area ratio. Interactions between late successional vegetation cover and configuration, and native vegetation cover and successional stage diversity were also significantly associated with genetic diversity. These results highlight the importance of edge habitat for reptile persistence. Management efforts should promote irregularly shaped planned burns to maximise genetic diversity of L. bougainvillii, improving the ability of this species to adapt and persist in changing environments.

A synthesis of fire-driven declines of threatened mammals in Australia Ms Julianna Santos1, Dr Bronwyn Hradsky2, Prof David Keith3, Dr Kevin Rowe4, Ms Katharine Senior2, Dr Holly Sitters1, Dr Luke Kelly1 1School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 2School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia, 3School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia, 4Museums Victoria, Carlton, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Julianna Santos, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: I'm a Biologist, Conservation Ecologist and currently a PhD candidate at the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, the University of Melbourne. My research is focused on mammal movement ecology, genetic diversity and population dynamics in landscapes shaped by fire.

Many policy documents and research papers describe ‘inappropriate fire regimes’ as one of the biggest threats to mammals in Australia. However, less attention has been paid to the characteristics that make a fire regime ‘inappropriate’ and the mechanisms by which they cause mammal decline and extinction. Here, we develop a conceptual approach to go beyond ‘inappropriate fire regimes’ as a generic descriptor of a threatening process and synthesise how contemporary changes in fire regimes can drive mammal population declines. Our demographic framework – based on how fire influences mammal survival, reproduction and dispersal – identifies six primary mechanisms through which modification of fire regimes can drive population decline. We completed a systematic review of 99 Australian mammal species listed as threatened under the EPBC Act and applied our framework to identify the mechanisms of population decline, characteristics of fire regimes in play and key interactions with other processes such as predation, grazing and changing climate. Our results show that the most common inferred fire-driven mechanism of decline is related to survival after fire: depletion of food and shelter by fire is reported for more than 80% of the threatened mammal species across different taxonomic groups. Our review also evidences the role of fire characteristics in influencing demographic processes. For instance, too frequent fires or long periods without fire are associated with habitat alterations that influence mammal survival, reproduction and dispersal. Finally, we highlight the importance of other interacting threats, particularly predation, that may limit mammal resilience to altered fire regimes.

Drones & Wildlife: evaluating applications of drone technologies for ecological data collection Dr Debbie Saunders1 Page 99 of 134

1Wildlife Drones, Canberra, Australia, 2Australian National University, Canberra, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Debbie Saunders, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: Dr Debbie Saunders

Conservation Ecologist (Australian National University), CEO & Chief Remote Pilot (Wildlife Drones)

Research interest: Technology for conservation and wildlife management

Debbie is the Founder and CEO of Wildlife Drones, and a Conservation Ecologist at the Australian National University. Her extensive conservation research experience focuses on improving our understanding of threatened species and protecting the complex ecosystems they depend on. The challenges and frustrations of manual radio-tracking small birds led her to envision the use of drones to help track wildlife. She has since built a diverse and highly capable team to turn her ideas into reality, resulting in the establishment of Wildlife Drones. Her multi-award-winning technology startup has now developed the world’s most advanced, yet simple to use, drone radio-tracking technology. This technology is being used to improve outcomes for wildlife and invasive species managers across Australia and internationally.

There are a wide range of drone platforms and onboard sensors now readily available that can provide unique perspectives and increased data collection capabilities for ecological researchers. However, keeping up with the latest technological advances, understanding the costs, benefits and ethics of different options, and knowing which ones will provide the greatest value to a research project can be a daunting task. This includes understanding the specific research questions that can be asked; the types of drones and sensors that can be used to address these; the characteristics of the species and habitats being studied; and how the data is collected and analysed. We evaluate the pros and cons of using these rapidly evolving technologies based on ecological research and monitoring programs from across Australia and internationally. This includes examining the types and extent of ecological data collected, and how they can contribute to our understanding of the resilience and recovery of our wildlife in an increasingly extreme world.

Warming alters floral resource provisioning in a critically endangered woodland community Ms Lena Alice Schmidt1, Dr Amy-Marie Gilpin1, Prof James M. Cook1, Dr Paul Rymer1, Dr Paul Gibson-Roy2, Prof Sally A. Power1 1Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia, 2Kalbar Resources, Perth, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - Lena Alice Schmidt, November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00

Biography: Lena Alice is a PhD candidate interested in pollinator responses to floral resource availability within disturbed or highly transformed landscapes. Current project: 'Selective floral enhancement of native flora for healthy and diverse pollinator populations in Australian agro-ecosystems under climate change'.

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Climate models predict temperature increases of up to 4°C by 2100 in south eastern Australia. Warmer temperatures have been shown to alter flowering phenology and relative plant allocation of resources to vegetative and reproductive growth. Yet, varying patterns in plant communities from different ecosystems highlight that changes in phenology are complex and there is still limited knowledge of how floral traits might respond to climate change. Nectar reward is thought to be a plastic floral trait that depends on environmental conditions, such as temperature and soil water availability. Our study investigated how plant communities, with diverse floral traits, respond to warmer temperatures, focusing on plant investment in nectar and pollen quality and quantity, as well as flower numbers and flowering phenology. We assessed these responses in 12 species from a critically endangered Australian plant community, the Cumberland Plain Woodland. Following temperature manipulations in a climate-controlled glasshouse experiment, we undertook phenology surveys, nectar and pollen chemical analyses and biomass measurements. We found that, under elevated temperature (+4°C), resources are allocated towards increased plant reproductive growth, accompanied by enhanced floral resource availability. Preliminary analysis indicates that warmer temperatures drive plants to produce both more nectar per flower, and a higher number of nectar-producing flowers. We demonstrate which plant species in this threatened ecological community are more resilient to warming and likely to be better floral resource providers for insect communities in the face of ongoing climate change.

Integrating the 2021 Australian State of the Environment and environmental-economic accounts Dr Becky Schmidt1, Ms Mary Milne2, Dr Alison Cowood2, Mr Terry Hills2, Dr Kristen Williams1, Norman Mueller3, Dr Jane Stewart2, Jonathon Khoo4, Peter Meadows4 1CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia, 2Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra, Australia, 3Geoscience Australia, Canberra, Australia, 4Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change (1) - Becky Schmidt, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: Dr Becky Schmidt is a Senior Environmental Scientist at CSIRO. She connects scientists and decision makers, by translating and packaging interdisciplinary scientific information to meet user needs and maximise adoption. She collaborates with partners to build Australian environmental-economic accounts.

The 2016 Australian State of the Environment (SoE) report recommended further development and implementation of innovative approaches to provide comparable, comprehensive, reliable, re-usable, aggregated and timely data that would lead to better decisions and policy outcomes. Environmental- economic accounting is one such approach, linking environmental and economic data to provide more consistent and comparable information to support a better understanding of the environment’s contribution to human wellbeing and a clearer understanding of the implications of economic growth for the environment.

Subsequently, Commonwealth, state and territory governments committed to produce a core set of national environmental-economic accounts to inform decision-making, through the Strategy and Action Plan for a common national approach to environmental-economic accounting. New priority accounts under development include national experimental land and waste accounts, and site-scale case studies for ecosystem and ocean accounts. These are in addition to national environmental-economic accounts already implemented by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Bureau of Meteorology.

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Here we explore opportunities for integrating the 2021 SoE and environmental-economic accounts. Data and outputs from accounts are identified that can form inputs into SoE themes. By way of example, we show how the national experimental land accounts can be used in the SoE land theme. New national datasets on land cover, tenure and use will underpin the land accounts, guided by close engagement with states and territories on data validation and co-design of products. The new datasets and accounts support understanding of economic activities and environmental processes in the Australian landscape.

Evolution of acoustic communication in two species of frogs in the Litoria lesueuri species group Mr Andrew Schwenke1, Dr David Hurwood1, Associate Professor Susan Fuller1 1Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Andrew Schwenke, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Andrew Schwenke is a final year PhD candidate at QUT, within the School of Biology and Environmental Science. Areas of research interest include bioacoustics and behavioural ecology, with a focus on anurans.

The focus of this project is to investigate the evolution of signalling strategies within two species from the Litoria lesueuri species group; L. wilcoxii, distributed along eastern Australia, and L. jungguy, found in north Queensland. Where their distributions overlap, hybridisation has been reported. These species lack a vocal sac and produce a soft mating call. Nevertheless, they may call beside streams that produce a high amount of environmental noise. Environmental noise can create a masking effect, potentially reducing the efficacy of acoustic communication. Negative impacts on calling can result in wasted resources and increased predation risk, reducing fitness of individuals and populations.

The currently unexamined calling properties of L. wilcoxii and L. jungguy, as well as the influence of fine-scale ecological constraints on call evolution in these species, will first be discussed. Call feature analysis shows some variation in certain call characteristics between both study sites and species. Using a combination of DArTseq and mitochondrial DNA analysis, the relationship between hybridisation and the evolution of acoustic communication will also be determined, and analysis is currently underway. The potential influence of extraneous noise, including environmental and anthropogenic noise, on hybridisation will also be discussed.

This research will contribute to an overall increased understanding of the evolution of acoustic communication in Australian anurans. As anurans are one of the most threatened groups of fauna in the world, investigation into their communication strategies is essential, particularly due to increasing anthropogenic noise and modification of soundscapes and environments, which may further threaten their biodiversity.

A field experiment to test how mammals and reptiles respond to characteristics of planned burning Ms Katharine L Senior1, Dr Katherine M Giljohann1, Professor Michael A McCarthy1, Dr Luke T Kelly1 1The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Katharine Senior, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

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Biography: Kate's PhD research focuses on understanding the impact of fire on mammals and reptiles in mallee landscapes of south-eastern Australia. She aims to conduct applied research that can inform environmental management, with a combination of field experiments and ecological modelling

Planned burning can be used to generate different types of pyrodiversity – including variation in the amount and configuration of unburnt patches in the landscape – but experimental tests of alternative forms of pyrodiversity remain rare. We used a large planned burn in semi-arid mallee woodlands to test different mechanisms underpinning how pyrodiversity might affect fauna. We monitored native fauna and invasive predator populations using live-trapping and camera traps at 8 control and 12 burnt sites immediately after fire and for 12 months afterwards. Six variables were used to measure fire-driven variation: burnt status, distance to unburnt areas, amount of remnant (unburnt) vegetation, aggregation of unburnt patches, size of the largest unburnt patch and amount of hummock grass. We used regression models to quantify the influence of these variables on abundance of three small mammal and 11 reptile species, species richness of native fauna and red fox activity. Reptile assemblages varied between burnt and unburnt sites but, overall, species richness of reptiles increased at sites with more unburnt vegetation and decreased with distance from unburnt areas. Small mammals, including the common dunnart and little pygmy-possum, did not have clear relationships with characteristics of planned burning, despite fox activity increasing after the fire at all sites. Our experiment shows that prescribed burns that are patchy, and configured within larger unburnt areas, will retain high reptile diversity. Small mammals recorded in the present study appear resilient to planned burns that retain relatively large areas of unburnt vegetation.

Effects of climate change on resilience of fire prone eucalypt communities Miss Harriet Simpson-Southward1, Dr Meaghan Jenkins2, Dr Rachael Nolan3,4, Dr Hamish Clarke1,3,4, Professor Ross Bradstock1,3 1Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2NSW Rural Fire Service, Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia, 3NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 4Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Harriet Simpson-Southward, PhD Candidate. I am interested in helping to understand different ways in which eucalypt species respond to climate change, as well as what impacts this may have on their rates of survival and distribution patterns.

The capacity of eucalypts to adapt to climate change is uncertain, which could have drastic consequences on their prevalence and that of many coexisting organisms. They may have adapted to have specific bark traits that enable them to survive differences in climate, fire, and topography. We aim to investigate whether certain combinations of bark traits, climatic parameters, fire regimes and topographic positions increase the likelihood of mortality in some eucalypt species in south-eastern Australia and hence make them more vulnerable to range shifts under climate change. At each site, bark type and thickness are being determined in 10 individuals per species. Bark cores are being collected to determine bark density. The presence or absence of fire scarring is being recorded for all individuals found within a 10 m radius plot. Species with thicker, less dense bark types are expected to be more commonly found with increases in fire frequency, severity, or both. Those with bark traits that make them better suited to warmer, drier sites are expected to expand toward ridges with time. Those with contrasting traits are expected to contract toward gullies. So far, we show that bark type is significantly related to relative bark thickness and bark density. Furthermore, we Page 103 of 134 show that mean annual precipitation has a significant, positive relationship with relative bark thickness and a significant, negative one with bark density. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of eucalypt bark traits will enable better prediction of eucalypt responses to increases in fire frequency and severity with climate change.

Leaf thermoregulation among congeners across elevation gradients from wet tropical rainforests of Far North Queensland Mr Arun Singh Ramesh1, Dr Alexander Cheesman1, Prof Darren Crayn2, A/Prof Lucas Cernusak1 1Center for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia, 2Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Tolerance) - Arun Singh Ramesh, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Arun Singh Ramesh is currently pursuing a PhD at the James Cook University, Cairns on the topic, “Assessing thermal adaptation and acclimation potential of tropical montane tree species and lowland congeners in the wet tropical rainforests of Far North Queensland”.

Leaf temperature (Tleaf) is an important determinant of plant physiological functioning, and leaf-level functional traits can influence leaf-to-air temperature difference (ΔT). Here, we investigated factors that influence leaf thermoregulation by studying ΔT among a tropical mountaintop restricted tree species, Flindersia oppositifolia, and its lowland (F.iffliana) and widespread (F.brayleana and F.bourjotiana) congeners. We grew seedlings of these species from the Australian Wet Tropics under controlled thermal regimes [T- growth; Ambient, Elevated (~ +8 °C) and Cold (~ –10°C)]. We further evaluated intra and inter-specific ΔT among plants grown in nutrient rich (NR) and nutrient poor (NP) soil types, and studied leaf traits to better interpret this variation. We hypothesized that leaf thermoregulation would be influenced by leaf traits that vary among species, T-growth and soil conditions, and that the mountaintop restricted species may show different thermoregulation in comparison to its congeners. We observed differences in fundamental leaf- traits associated with T-growth and soil conditions: leaf width and length displayed a positive relationship with mean Tleaf and a negative relationship with length:width ratio. Large ΔT values were observed among the widespread species F. brayleana (18.51°C - NR; 13.37°C - NP ), F.bourjotiana (12.8°C-NR) and lowland F. iffliana (15.12°C-NP; 14.47°C-NR) under cold Tgrowth conditions; part of this variation was explained by direct sunflecks during daytime (when PAR >700 µmol/m²/ s¹). We present some of these results from our ongoing experiments and discuss whether tropical montane species reflect higher than anticipated leaf thermoregulation capacity in comparison to their lowland and widespread congeners.

Regarding the impacts of climate change on dryland ecology Ms Claire Sives1 1UNSW, Sydney, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Animals / Management and mitigation) - Claire Sives, November 30, 2020, 16:00 - 17:55

Biography: Claire Sives is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Ecosystem Science (UNSW). Tiny aquatic organisms are her true love, but she also cares for the bigger picture- such as catchment management and community engagement around aquatic ecosystems.

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An ode to zooplankton heatwave resilience

In the dried sediments of empty dryland lakes, zooplankton egg banks lay waiting under the hot sun. After months or years, lakes fill and dormancy breaks, zooplankton hatch and emerge many, all, or some.

Under climate change their resilience may be tested, dryland temperatures to increase more than the global mean. Zooplankton survival could be impacted or arrested, will they survive this ecological extreme?

To understand the impacts of heatwaves on hatching, current conditions should be known and relative. Are the temperatures of ground and air matching? These were measured to make research representative.

Climate change projections were added to the new data, creating heatwave treatments to mimic extremes. Lake sediments were “cooked” for a starter, then water added, zooplankton hatchlings counted once seen.

The zooplankton triumphed, their survival is protected, hatching after 66°C heatwaves an amazing feat, and discovery. Climate change impacts currently projected, are within zooplankton mechanisms of resilience and recovery.

Landscape genetics and simulation approach to understanding connectivity in small mammals in the Pilbara, WA Ms Ebony Skey1, Dr Robyn Shaw1,2, Dr Kym Ottewell2, Dr Peter Spencer1 1Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia, 2Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Kensington, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Ebony Skey is currently an honours student at Murdoch University. Her thesis investigates the habitat connectivity of three small mammal species in the Pilbara, with an emphasis on landscape genetics and the use of simulations to validate results.

Australia has lost 10% of its native mammal species and mammal populations are likely to become further fragmented through climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities. To avoid inbreeding, local extinctions and loss of adaptative genetic diversity, it is imperative to elucidate species patterns of dispersal and connectivity to aid species’ resilience to ecosystem and climatic changes and effectively inform management decisions. The Pilbara region of arid north-west Western Australia comprises a vast 200,000 km2, with rich mammal diversity. Identifying habitat connectivity has proven challenging with only a limited number of genetic studies currently available.

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I used museum collections and high-resolution SNP data to investigate patterns of genetic structure and connectivity across a dasyurid (Ningaui timealeyi) and two native rodents (Pseudomys chapmani and Pseudomys hermannsburgensis). Genetic clustering analyses provided little evidence for landscape barriers affecting these species, despite significant landscape heterogeneity, with weak genetic structuring present within Ningaui timealeyi and undetectable structure in the rodents. This indicates that despite the sizeable distances and diverse habitats, these species remain relatively permeable to them. To further test whether certain landscape features facilitate or impede movement, I will use landscape resistance modelling and validate these findings using spatially explicit simulations. Simulations will help to understand how sensitive these analyses are to sampling regimes and marker type. Moreover, simulation modelling is vital for determining if opportunistic sampling can be employed to ask fine-scale landscape questions, and to explain mechanisms underlying dispersal that will ultimately be used to inform conservation management.

Trialling seawater as an effective sand cooling method to combat feminisation in green turtles Miss Caitlin Smith1, Dr David Booth2, Miss Anne Crosby2, Miss Melissa Staines2, Miss Hayley Versace3, Miss Christine Madden-Hof1,4 1WWF-Australia, Brisbane, Australia, 2The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3The Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative, Panasesa Island, Papua New Guinea, 4The University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Animals / Management and mitigation) - Caitlin Smith, November 30, 2020, 16:00 - 17:55

Biography: Caitlin Smith is currently the ‘Marine Species Conservation Officer’ for WWF-Australia and a PhD student with the University of the Sunshine Coast. Her research interests include how climate change affects marine turtle sex ratios and the ecotoxicology of microplastics.

Due to rising sand temperatures, an increase in female hatchlings is expected from marine turtle rookeries, skewing hatchling sex ratios. Common sand cooling methods used to combat feminisation in hatchlings are often impractical in remote rookeries due to a lack of resources. This novel investigation into the use of seawater irrigation as a sand cooling method using green turtle, Chelonia mydas clutches aimed to determine the optimal seawater application needed to lower sand to a male producing temperature, and whether the application of seawater affects hatching success. During the 2019/2020 turtle nesting season at Heron Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef, 12 clutches were relocated and 120 mm of simulated rainfall in the form or either seawater and freshwater was applied at the beginning of the sex determining period. Data loggers were also deployed in artificial eggless nests on Panasesa Island, Papua New Guinea and Heron Island with various simulated rainfall events applied using seawater. We found that (1) the effectiveness of simulated rainfall events were variable and nesting site dependent, (2) the application of both freshwater and seawater on incubating C. mydas clutches during the sex determining period increased hatching success (83.8% ± 10.1 and 71.6% ± 10.1 respectively), compared to control clutches (63.5% ± 10.1), and (3) seawater application had the greatest mean cooling effect at nest depth (1.3 °C decrease). The application of seawater as a sand coolant may be an effective sand cooling management solution in remote rookeries where freshwater and shading is not possible.

Temporal and spatial influences on foraging behaviour and hunting success in female AUFS

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Ms Cassie Speakman1, Dr Andrew Hoskins2, Prof Mark Hindell3, Prof Daniel Costa4, Prof John Arnould1 1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Clayton, Australia, 2CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Townsville, Australia, 3Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 4Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, USA SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Cassie Speakman, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: PhD candidate investigating environmental threats to a marine top predator.

Understanding how individuals respond to changes in their environment, particularly in relation to foraging behaviour, is crucial to predicting how their populations may respond to environmental change. While its population is still recovering from over-exploitation of the commercial sealing era, the Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus, AUFS) represents the greatest marine predator biomass in south-eastern Australia. The area is currently one of the fastest warming oceanic regions in the world, with changes to oceanographic conditions already impacting the distribution and abundance of prey species. Adult female AUFS forage almost exclusively on the seafloor of the shallow continental shelf of Bass Strait. Furthermore, adult female AUFS must return to land regularly to provision offspring and are, thus, highly susceptible to fluctuations in prey availability within this restricted foraging range, with direct consequences for reproductive success. Therefore, knowledge of how female AUFS adapt to changes in their environment is central to predicting how the species’ population may respond to further environmental change. The present study analysed 13-yrs of GPS track records from 96 females and 21-yrs of dive behaviour records from 138 females to identify how females adapted behaviourally, through changes in habitat use and foraging behaviour, to changing conditions. We then investigated how these changes in behaviour influenced hunting success and efficiency to understand how AUFS are likely to be impacted under anticipated changes to their environment.

Functional biogeography of floral traits in Australian plant communities Ms Ruby E. Stephens1,2, Dr Rachael Gallagher1, Dr Hervé Sauquet2 1Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, 2Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Ruby E. Stephens is a research student at Macquarie University. Ruby has worked as a plant ecologist since completing honours in native bee behaviour and ecology. She is fascinated by flowers, pollinators and the selective pressures that shape ecological communities.

Functional biogeography explores the variation in traits across species distributions and environmental gradients. For plant traits such as tree height and leaf size, for example, global studies have found that trees are taller in the tropics and leaves larger in warm and wet environments. Floral traits – such as flower size, symmetry or nectar concentration - affect plant reproductive success and play a key role in the interaction of flowering plants with pollinators and floral visitors. Despite this, floral traits have rarely been considered in studies of plant functional biogeography, in part because of a lack of standardised floral trait data in plant trait databases. Our project examines how floral traits vary across the Australian landscape by targeting two specific floral traits which are fundamental to plant function: (i) duration of flowering; and (ii) zygomorphy (flower bilateral symmetry). We combine TERN’s AusPlots plant composition and abundance data from sites across Australia with data on species zygomorphy and flowering duration from established databases and primary literature. We then use environmental variables such as temperature, rainfall, soil and elevation to Page 107 of 134 assess whether the distribution of floral traits in Australia is shaped by productivity. We predict a relationship between site productivity, which may affect the availability of pollinators in the landscape e.g. in arid vs tropical areas, and flowering duration. Further, we hypothesise a functional relationship between flowering duration and zygomorphy, whereby zygomorphic flowers, which typically experience more efficient pollen transfer, may open for a shorter duration than less specialised flowers.

Increasing virus diversity in an acidifying world Dr Erinne Stirling1,2, Dr Xiaofeng Tan1, Prof Bin Ma1 1Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, 2The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Erinne is an Australian postdoctoral researcher at Zhejiang University, China, currently working in the soil ecology and biogeochemistry of acidified landscapes and wet soils. She is particularly interested in the effects of drought and water management on wetland soils.

Soil viruses are vectors of change in the soil environment; they drive microbial turnover and enhance microbial mutation rates. In soil environments undergoing significant environmental changes, such as acidification, viruses add an additional selection pressure to the microbial biomass while also enabling rapid adaptation to environmental pressures. In this study, we used soil metagenomic data to explore soil microbial and viral responses to long term nitrogen fertilizer induced acidification. Soils were collected from long term field trial sites using nitrogen and liming treatments to produce a pH range from 4 to 8. Shotgun metagenomics were used to extract organism and virus taxonomic and gene classifications from the soil samples. The results show divergent responses in microbial community and function at low pH values, potentially due to secondary limitations imposed by site differences. Virus diversity was significantly higher in soils with pH <5.6 and viral cluster abundances were strongly negatively correlated with pH. Unfortunately, this research highlights a number of important research gaps in soil virus research, with the vast majority of viral OTUs unidentifiable with current database resources; understanding the influence of viruses on ecological processes requires an improvement in our classification resources. While it is still unclear at this stage how soil viruses are affecting soil ecological processes, soil microbial communities obviously face changed selection pressures in acidified landscapes due to increased viral diversity and increased viral abundance at low pH in addition to pH mediated nutrient limitations and energy requirements.

Nightlife of a threatened frog: Molecular pedigree uncovers cryptic behaviours in Litoria Littlejohni

Miss Sarah Stock1, Dr Kaya Klop-Toker1, Miss Samantha Wallace1, Prof Matthew Hayward1, Prof Michael Mahony1 1University Of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (2) - Sarah Stock, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Sarah is a PhD candidate employing molecular approaches to study the threaten frog, Litoria littlejohni. Her work includes studying patterns of gene flow at regional and local scales with a focus on whether habitat disturbances alter gene flow.

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The Australian frog Litoria littlejohni is of significant conservation concern due to widespread local disappearances over the last ten years. Despite this concern, little is known regarding the ecology of L. littlejohni, particularly reproductive behaviours. One challenge to studying L. littlejohni is the cryptic nature of the female frogs, which are captured considerably less often than their male counterparts (1 � to 8 �). This sex ratio makes assessing reproductive behaviours near impossible using traditional capture recapture methods. Advances in genetic technologies provide ecologists with the opportunity to generate molecular pedigrees to assess when, where and how many frogs have bred. These pedigrees provide invaluable insight into population persistence by elucidating demographic processes and patterns of genetic diversity. This study employs single nucleotide polymorphisms to construct molecular pedigrees for L. littlejohni to establish an understanding of reproductive behaviours and determine effective population size for this cryptic species. Initial pedigree construction indicates that some individuals breed multiple times and in multiple ponds, while others breed only once within a breeding period. Many ponds are used by multiple breeding pairs, with some ponds being used by over fours pairs. However, some ponds within 100m transects are not used for breeding, suggesting selection for partiucular pond features. Additionally, we estimated effective population size for a breeding period, prodiving the first true estimate of the number of females present at our sites. This study helps to understand the drivers of population persistence at undisturbed sites and may help inform habitat mitagtion in other areas.

The costs of Saving our Species: from planning to implementation and back again Dr Stephanie Stuart1, Alex Carey1, Dr Nancy Auerbach1, Dr Chuan Ji Yong2, Dr Josie Carwardine3 1Department Of Planning, Industry And Environment, Parramatta, Australia, 2Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 3Conservation Decisions Team, CSIRO Land and Water, Dutton Park, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Building resilience and recovering communities: collaborations between practitioners and researchers - Stephanie Stuart, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Dr Stuart is a Principal Project Officer in the Saving our Species program, a flagship framework which maximises the security of NSW’s threatened biodiversity. She holds an AB from Harvard University and a PhD in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley.

The costs of management actions are a key consideration in conservation decision making, but few large- scale datasets exist to inform cost predictions. This hinders prioritisation and planning, as it is unclear which actions are most cost-effective, or whether a project will be feasible given the planned budget. Efforts have previously been made to gather data through expert elicitation. In the NSW Saving our Species programs, experts readily specified their knowledge of threats to listed species and the actions necessary to address them, but found it more difficult to accurately predict the costs of carrying these actions out over time. Following implementation of the SoS program over 2015-2019, we extracted actual expenditure data on the costs of 103 distinct management actions to recover 317 species at 785 sites across the state of NSW. We compare actual costs with the costs predicted for these actions at the outset of the program, highlighting differences, challenges and lessons on costing categories to be considered in conservation planning. This dataset is a key resource supporting local, state- and commonwealth-level conservation projects. We discuss the implications of applying this data and future potential priorities for improving available information on the costs of conservation actions.

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Fish and chips: tracking the movements of juvenile fish in a temperate marine park Mr Daniel Swadling1 1University of Wollongong, Kieraville, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Daniel Swadling, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong interested in seascape ecology, fish movement patterns and marine conservation.

Understanding the movement of fish across the seascape is essential for implementing fisheries management and conservation strategies, such as Marine Protected Areas. Many species of fish are known to use nursery areas and migrate to reefs as adults. Few studies, however, have tracked the movement patterns of juvenile fish within their nurseries and the subsequent ontogenetic migrations to reefs. This is largely due to the difficulties associated with acquiring detailed information on the movements of small fish within the marine environment. Recent major technological advances and the miniaturisation of acoustic transmitters means this is now possible. Gaining a better understanding of juvenile fish movements will help understand patterns of connectivity and guide the size and placement of “no-take” marine reserves to conserve fish throughout their life-histories. We used acoustic telemetry to track the juvenile movements of two species targeted in recreational and commercial fisheries, luderick (Girella tricuspidata) and yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis), in Jervis Bay Marine Park, NSW. Preliminary results indicate that both species show strong site fidelity to nursery areas and have small activity-spaces. Luderick were regularly observed to migrate to adjacent rocky reefs while these movements were less common for bream. For the fish tagged within an established marine reserve, only one luderick and one bream were recorded crossing the reserve boundary into fished areas. These findings suggest that marine reserves may be an effective tool in conserving populations of these two species, particularly those with nursery areas (e.g. seagrass) and reefs in close proximity.

Angriest summer on record: assessing plant responses and economic costs of an extreme climatic event Dr Samiya Tabassum1, Dr Alessandro Ossola1, Dr Anthony Manea1, Prof Michelle Leishman1, Dr Buyani Thomy2, Dr Dominic Blackham3 1Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, 2Nature Capital Economics, , , 3Mosaic Insights, ,

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Thermal Extremes) - November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 16:00

Biography: Dr Samiya Tabassum is a post-doctoral research fellow at Macquarie University with diverse interests in plant ecology. Currently, she is part of the Which Plant Where project and is focused on identifying drought strategies of horticultural species.

Last summer, the western Sydney LGA of Penrith experienced a consecutive 13 day heatwave, which culminated in the highest temperature on record at 48.9°C. Extreme heatwaves have been shown to have significant effects on plant species’ survival, thus it is increasingly important that species for urban applications are selected to be able to withstand such conditions. In early 2020, we conducted a visual field assessment of heat damage on Penrith’s street trees following the recent summer heatwaves. We assessed

Page 110 of 134 the health of over 5,500 trees and classified them as healthy, lightly damaged, heavily damaged or defoliated based on visual assessment of canopy damage from heat. We found that more than 10% of all the trees assessed displayed some level of heat damage, with exotic deciduous species showing the greatest proportion of damage. Logistic regression revealed that for exotic deciduous species, the probability of having sustained no heat damage was almost 80% lower than that of native evergreen species. Using this data, the economic costs for councils to replace heat-damaged trees was calculated using two scenarios that incorporate the lifetime costs of tree planting: high cost (replacing all heavily damaged trees with advanced trees) and low cost (replacing all heavily damaged trees with juvenile trees). We also assessed recovery capacity of the most heavily damaged species in a follow-up survey in late spring. This research will help to improve species selection for urban forestry, particularly in cities already experiencing the deleterious effects of extreme heat and climate change.

How seed traits define seed fates in fire-prone ecosystems. Dr Ryan Tangney1 1University Of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Temperature Extremes: impacts, resilience and mitigation (Animals / Management and mitigation) - Ryan Tangney, November 30, 2020, 16:00 - 17:55

Biography: Ryan Tangney is currently employed as a post-doctoral research fellow at UNSW. Ryan is aiming to compare changes in fire season across Australia to understand the effects of fire season on plant recruitment, reproduction and survival

Many plant species in fire-prone ecosystems maintain persistence through fire via soil seedbanks. However, seeds stored within the soil are at risk of mortality from elevated soil temperatures during fire. Seeds may be protected from fire-temperature impacts by burial, however those buried too deeply may germinate but fail to emerge. Thus, successful post-fire seed regeneration is contingent upon a trade-off between burial depth and survival through fire. We examined how seed traits influence seedling emergence behaviour and seed survival and tested these responses under a range of soil temperatures during fire, using a range seeds from woodland species of South Western Australia. Our approach synthesised data from experimental fires, controlled glasshouse experiments, and seed and plant traits relevant to regeneration following fire. We show that seeds of Banksia woodland species fall into three groups with varying sensitivity to fire severity: seeds which can only survive fires in areas that experience low soil temperatures due to shallow emergence depths and low lethal temperature thresholds: seeds which may survive fires producing higher soil temperatures, but only if buried deeply enough to avoid lethal exposure, or; seeds able to survive fire and emerge irrespective of fuel load and burial depth. The functional variation exhibited by these species is driven by inter-specific variation in seed lethal temperature thresholds and emergence depth. The variation in seed survival and emergence may result in a disparity in plant recruitment patterns within a single fire event as or changes in plant populations if changes to fire regimes persist.

Poetry in First Languages is saving the glossy black-cockatoo Ms Kirli Saunders3, Ms Melissa Wiya2, Mr Simon Tedder1 1Dept. Planning Industry & Environment, Wollongong, Australia, 2Wingecarribee Shire Council, Moss Vale, Australia, 3Red Room Poetry, Sydney, Australia

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SYMPOSIUM: Managing a cultural landscape and building resilience in a new world reality - Kirli Saunders, Mel Wiya and Simon Tedder, November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 15:35

Biography: Kirli Saunders is the 2020 NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year. A proud Gunai Woman and award-winning children’s author and poet, Kirli leads 'Poetry in First Languages'. Simon Tedder supports project like Glossies in the Mist to reach important stakeholders

Whilst investigating authentic participation opportunities for local Aboriginal communities, the Saving our Species Glossies in the Mist project teamed up with Wingecarribee Shire Council and Gundungurra Aboriginal Heritage Association to offer First Nation students the opportunity to participate in Red Room Poetry’s Poetry in First Languages (PIFL) Project. Advised by community Elders and drawing on Gundungurra language and Culture, the project aimed to bring about awareness of local threatened species, educate in traditional and contemporary conservation practices and foster the exchange of Cultural Knowledge of Country, building the capacity of First Nations people to strengthen their role in land management decision making processes. First Nations students created poems in Gundungurra Language about black-cockatoos and their relationship to country. Elders shared their knowledge about black-cockatoos, country and language. Glossies in the Mist shared their knowledge about the glossy black-cockatoo, its habitat, why it was threatened and the actions needed to help it survive. The resulting poems were the focus of the Wingecarribee Council NAIDOC event in 2019 with hundreds of people attending. The poems were also reproduced on the backs of three Southern Highlands buses. The project was successful in achieving cultural connection outcomes for the Gundungurra Nation and broader Aboriginal community in the Southern Highlands, as well as increasing the profile of the glossy black- cockatoo. The resulting increase in understanding and respect for Country has been mutually beneficial for project participants and facilitators; demonstrating the need for government, and commitment from conservation scientists, to support intergenerational and cross-cultural knowledge exchange.

What signals time to breed? Citizen science reveals exogenous influences to frog calling across Australia Other Maureen Thompson1 1UNSW, Kensington, Australia, 2The Australian Museum , Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (2) - December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Maureen is a Ph.D. student working at the nexus of citizen science and frog ecology, using existing data to learn about frog breeding, human behavior, and how the data we have on one is influenced by the other.

Understanding what influences breeding is important because it impacts survival, and many frogs are in danger of extinction. Amphibians are particularly susceptible to environmental stressors because of their permeable skin and biphasic life cycle. The loudest, most informative signal frogs make is the male mating advertisement call. Still, conducting a well-timed, broad-scale survey effort is difficult given the size of Australia, and the fickle timing and cryptic behavior of many frogs. The dataset of a continent-wide citizen science program, now in its third year, offers us a unique opportunity to better understand not just where frogs live, but where they intend to breed.

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First, we use random forest modeling to understand the strength of the relationships between environmental and meteorological factors and calling behavior of 90 Australian frogs (37% of species known in Australia) using citizen science data. Second, we repeated our analysis with a focus on the core calling periods for each species that exhibited a strong seasonal signal, investigating the relationships between environmental and meteorological variables within the core calling period. Third, we define breeding season and detection probability for the subset of seasonal species throughout their range.

Understanding drivers within the breeding season is essential to well-timed, efficient surveys and interpretation of results, making efficient use of limited resources available for conservation and research. They are particularly important to understand as historically coupled weather features -like rainfall and photoperiod- may become uncoupled in the changing climate.

Flying in the face of fire: the influence of fire edges on mallee birds Miss Eliza Thompson1, Dr Holly Sitters1, Dr Luke Kelly1 1The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Eliza Thompson, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Eliza is currently a masters student at the University of Melbourne. Her research focusses on the effects of fire edges on mallee birds through which she hopes to assist with future decision making and conservation efforts.

Fire is a major disturbance shaping Australian landscapes. While many bird species have evolved in fire-prone landscapes, and rely on fire to generate habitat and food resources, some are sensitive to changes in fire regimes. Indeed, modification of fire regimes is one of the biggest threats to birds in areas such as the Murray Mallee region of south eastern Australia. A widely promoted idea is that resources at fire edges, such as combinations of older and recently burnt vegetation, may provide critical habitat for bird species. Our research aimed to test two hypotheses: 1) that the relative abundance of individual bird species increases at fire edges and 2) that species richness of bird communities is higher at fire edges. We completed an empirical test of these hypotheses by surveying birds at 96 sites across two large and recently burnt fires; a prescribed burn in Victoria and a wildfire in New South Wales. Sites were established in three fire history categories; ‘burnt’, ‘unburnt’ or ‘fire edge’. Using point counts and transects, we detected 1414 observations of birds comprising 54 species. We then used regression modelling to test the influence of fire variables (fire history and burn percentage) on species presence. Our research indicates that most common mallee bird species do not occur at higher abundance at fire edges. Although many species require unburnt vegetation to persist in the landscape we found evidence that unburnt patches in the burn perimeter may provide valuable habitat for mallee birds.

Season of fire impacts flowering in Lambertia formosa Miss Alexandria Thomsen1, Dr Mark Ooi1 1Unsw, Sydney, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Alexandria Thomsen, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Alex is a first year PhD candidate at UNSW researching the impacts of changing fire regime on Australian native plants. Alex’s interests include Australian native flora, conservation, and fire ecology.

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Fire is a major factor in shaping plant communities. Plant species have evolved to persist through a fire regime, broadly characterised by the frequency, intensity and season of burns typical of their region. However, historical fire regimes are shifting with changing climate and other factors, including increased ignition sources and implemented fires, producing more frequent burns of varying intensity. As such, seasonality of fire is shifting and despite the effects of fire on plant persistence being well studied, there is still little understanding on the effects of fire season. In this study, I used a space-for-time design to investigate the impacts of autumn and spring burns on Lambertia Formosa, a basally resprouting pyrogenic flowerer in southeastern Australia. Linear and Generalised linear mixed models were constructed for each measured trait and model selection was conducted to identify the most important predictors. These predictors included fire season, age of regrowth, and short-term rainfall as fixed variables and size class and severity of fire accounted for as a random variable. Fire season was found to impact Lambertia formosa with 69% more flowers seen on plants after autumn burns compared to spring burns. Initial resprouting was more vigorous after spring burns compared to autumn burns, however no difference was found in vegetative growth after one year post-fire. This study highlights the impact of season of fire and that it should be considered when making species management decisions, particularly for facultative pyrogenic flowerers.

Challenges of monitoring Antarctic lichen communities using photo digitisation Miss Isabella Todd1, Dr Diana King1,2, Prof Sharon Robinson1,2 1University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2Global Challenges Program, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery -, December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Isabella Todd is an undergraduate student studying Conservation Biology at the University of Wollongong. Isabella is interested in interdisciplinary approaches to conservation, sustainable development, science outreach and communication, and environmental justice. She intends to pursue Honours in Conservation Biology.

The effects of climate change are beginning to be felt in areas of continental Antarctica, with potentially negative implications for the unique, undisturbed vegetation communities in this area. Little is known of the impact of changing climatic conditions on lichen communities in continental Antarctica. Long-term monitoring of changes in these communities is vital to understanding how they are responding to climatic change. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of manual digitisation of digital RGB photographs for estimating changes in cover of different cover types in lichen communities. Changes in cover were assessed for four quadrats from two sites in the Windmill Islands, East Antarctica at four intervals between 2003 and 2013. As predicted for these slow-growing communities, no significant change in mean percent cover was observed for any cover type across the study period. The study demonstrated that manual digitisation is effective in producing accurate estimates of percent cover. However, this method is time intensive and dependent on the resolution and quality of digital photographs collected in the field. Due to the low resolution of images used, this method of digitisation may be insufficient to detect fine scale changes in these slow-growing communities or may take many decades of monitoring. While manual digitisation may not be a scalable solution to the issue of monitoring lichen communities in the long-term, this method could be combined with high quality imagery from Unmanned Aircraft Systems and semi-automated methods of digitisation to increase the speed and accuracy of cover estimates for future studies.

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Tree mortality: could genetic variation select for drought resistance in Eucalyptus viminalis? Ms Vanessa Tonet1, Dr Madeline Carins-Murphy1, Prof Timothy Brodribb1 1University Of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (2) - Vanessa Tonet, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Vanessa Tonet is a PhD candidate at the University of Tasmania. Her research focuses on linking drought and plant damage through hydraulic failure in Eucalyptus trees. She is interested in how heat stress is triggering tree mortality.

Recent increases in the severity and intensity of drought events are causing massive tree dieback worldwide, with major impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. As eucalypts dominate most forest ecosystems in Australia, we chose E. viminalis, one of the main eucalypt species used for woodland restoration, to investigate the genetic variation of drought vulnerability and to improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying forest mortality.

Seeds of six different provenances were collected in sites representing a rainfall gradient and grown in a common garden. We measured the temporal and spatial failure of the plant water transport system in whole E. viminalis trees by tracking drought-induced air bubble formation (using a non-invasive technique). We did not find any significant differences in vulnerability to drought-induced death among the provenances. This suggests that there is little genetic variation in drought vulnerability in E. viminalis, and therefore the capacity of this species to adapt to future climate change scenarios is limited.

Here we present a mechanistic approach for quantifying the drought-vulnerability of forests and provide information about the intraspecific variability of drought susceptibility in a widespread Eucalyptus species. This information will enable us to further our understanding of how cavitation spreads in trees during drought, with implication for future forest species distribution and restoration plans.

Saving our Spectacled Flying-fox – citizen science project to engage communities in conserving Spectacled Flying-foxes Ms Maree Treadwell1, Miss Sera Steves1 1Bats and Trees Society of Cairns Inc, Kuranda, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (2) - December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Maree and Sera are ecologists and founding members of the incorporated association, Bats and Trees Society of Cairns, which works to conserve the spectacled flying-fox through community education, on-ground activities and liaison with governments to affect policy and planning.

The Spectacled flying-fox is an endangered species under the EPBC Act and Qld Nature Conservation Act. Despite a documented national population decline of 80-85% since 2004, including the loss of 23,000 animals (~32%) in a single heat stress event in November 2018, management activities are still focused on control of the species rather than conservation.

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While major threats to the population are habitat loss, particularly of foraging habitat, cyclones and climate change, spectacled flying-foxes can still be dispersed from most camps without referral to the EPBC Act, and illegal harassment and shooting are known to occur.

Past and current management activities have not only contributed to the population loss but also hinder conservation efforts. Indeed, public perception may be the biggest threat to the conservation of this threatened flying-fox.

This project aims to improve perceptions and educate the community to promote a public will for the species’ conservation by engaging people in a citizen science project recording observations of where they see flying-foxes feeding and roosting. Data collected from the surveys will be entered into the Living Atlas of Australia and will add to our knowledge of the species, complementing the CSIRO monitoring. This will help identify critical roosting habitat for rehabilitation and restoration to reduce the impacts of future heat-stress and other climatic events.

Maree and Sera will outline the project, its progress, challenges and desired outcomes and describe how this will complement scientific research and feed into the work of the newly established Spectacled Flying-fox Recovery Team.

2021 State of the Australian Marine Environment: a seascape of change Dr Rowan Trebilco1,2, Ms Mibu Fischer1,2, Prof Alistair Hobday1,2, Dr Karen Evans1 1CSIRO Oceans And Atmosphere, Hobart, Australia, 2Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change (1) - December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: Rowan is lead author for the marine theme of SoE 2021 and a Team Leader with Marine Resources and Industries at CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere. His work focuses on marine systems modelling and assessment to support effective stewardship and adaptation.

The Marine theme of the 2021 State of the Environment report (SoE 2021) is framed in a landscape (seascape) of change. Since the last SoE report in 2016, this has included striking environmental change, as well as considerable change in the context of national and international initiatives that frame environmental reporting for the marine environment. Key national initiatives include (among others) the review of the EPBC act, the 2020 refresh of the National Marine Science Plan, and the commencement of NESP 2.0. Internationally, SoE 2021 coincides with the first year of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – the decade in which nations globally are charged to deliver ‘the oceans we need for the future we want’, supported by science and guided by environmental reporting activities such as SoE.

The purpose of this presentation will be to explain how the marine theme of the 2021 report has evolved since the 2016 report in response to these drivers, to provide a ‘sneak peek’ of emerging messages from the 2021 marine report, and to stimulate discussion on the role of multi-disciplinary environmental reporting in supporting environmental stewardship.

The effects of increased aluminum levels on seagrass species, Z.capricorni: A foundational assessment Miss Holly Trim1, A/Prof. Jesmond Sammut1,2, Dr. Debashish Mazumder3, Dr Damon Bolton4 Page 116 of 134

1Centre for Marine Science and Innovation School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; UNSW , Sydney, Australia, 2Centre for Ecosystem Science School School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; UNSW , Sydney , Australia , 3Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Meni, Australia, 4Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science; UNSW , Sydney, Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Holly Trim is currently undertaking her honours research at the the University of New South Wales school of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science. Her interests include aquatic-plant and invertebrate ecology, conservation management and the use of innovative technologies in research.

Seagrasses are an ecologically valuable foundation species that propagate in reefs and estuaries along highly populated Australian coastlines. Anthropogenic pollution, run off from land development and farming practises, pose an elevated risk of altering the quality of water and sediment in estuarine ecosystems. Coastal Lowland Acid Sulphate Soils (CLASS) pose a threat to estuarine ecosystems, with the potential to release acidic water and heavy metals into nearby environments. Aluminium is one of the most abundant metals in CLASS and when mobilised can bioaccumulate at rapid levels in macrofauna. In this study we aimed to quantify the effects of aluminium on the physiology and elemental profile of the common seagrass species, Zostera capricorni. An experiment was conducted in which a collection of seagrass mesocosms were acclimated to lab conditions, then assigned one of eight different treatments in a fully crossed design. The experiment was to run for six weeks, however at day 14, seagrass in the mesocosm tanks exposed to aluminium and/or low pH levels had no securely attached leaves and deteriorated rhizomes, indicating they had perished. Seagrass growth measurements and samples of water, plants and sediment were taken from their respective tanks at day 0 and day 14. Samples were then prepared for ITRAX analysis. This analysis determines elemental composition and abundance, a new technology when it comes to the examination of biological tissue. The results of this study are still being processed and if chosen to present, the results and subsequent impacts of the findings will be discussed.

How citizen science promotes and is enriched by connection to place Dr Eren Turak1, Dr Katharine Haynes2, Dr Matalena Tofa3 1Department of Planning Industry and Environment, Sydney, Australia, 2University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 3Macquarie University , North Ryde, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (1) - December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Dr. Eren Turak is a Principal Scientist at NSW DPIE. His primary area of research focusses on the development of tools, methods and concepts to improve biodiversity monitoring and assessments at local to global scales.

This presentation will explore the relationship between citizen science and connection to place. It is a collaboration between the University of Wollongong, Macquarie University and the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. Citizen science projects create interactive learning spaces for non-scientists to increase environmental stewardship. While providing opportunities for public education and engagement, this stewardship also increases a sense of local awareness, attachment and connection to place. However, the depth of this stewardship, how it can be best supported, and the socio-ecological benefits of what this connection to the more-than-human world brings remain little understood. This project has engaged a team of students to conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with both the volunteers collecting data, and those who utilise it, to explore connection to place. While the wellbeing benefits of connection to nature are well documented in the literature, this research is also exploring the benefits that a strong connection to place

Page 117 of 134 can have on the quality of the monitoring undertaken - specifically species sightings. Early trials of a new locally-based biodiversity monitoring framework in reserves across NSW indicate that participation of non- experts with strong connections to the reserve can greatly increase the spatial and temporal specificity and representativeness of incidental species occurrence records. This can lead to better assessments of past biodiversity change and predictions for the future. The insights gained from the interviews will help to develop strategies for optimising such participation.

Climate Change & Regeneration: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis from High-Altitude and High-Latitude Ecosystems Other Jerónimo Vázquez-Ramírez1, Dr Susanna Venn1 1Deakin, Melbourne , Australia POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography: Jerónimo Vázquez Ramírez is a Ph.D. Student at Centre Integrative Ecology of Deakin University. His research is focused on the effects of climate change in early life history-stages of alpine plants.

The early life history-stages of plants, such as germination and seedling establishment, depend on favorable environmental conditions. Changes in the environment at high altitude and latitude regions, as a consequence of climate change, will significantly affect these early life history stages and may have profound effects on species distribution and survival. This research aims to review the current knowledge of the effects of climate change on the seed germination and seedling establishment of treeline, tundra, and alpine plants. We systematically searched the available literature on this subject up until February 2020. We found 41 studies that matched our search criteria and created a database with 475 specific observations. We perform a qualitative-analysis and a meta-analysis of the climatic effects likely to change in these regions, including projected drought, frost, early snowmelt, warming, and nutrient availability and their effects on seed maturation, seed dormancy, germination, seedling emergence, survival and establishment. Results showed a high variation in species and life form responses during different life stages. For example, warming temperatures have a positive effect on mean germination time and seedling emergence, but a negative effect on seedling establishment, and these effects were larger when an increase in water availability was present. For some life stages or environmental factors, data within the available literature was too limited to identify a precise effect. There is a crucial need for studies that increase our understanding in this field and allow us to predict the effects of climate change on these ecosystems.

The relationship between whole-tree level trait combination, tree water use and tree water sources

Adriana Vega Grau1, Prof John Herbohn1,2,3, Prof Susanne Schmidt1, Prof Jeffrey McDonnell4,5 1The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 2University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia, 3Tropical Forests and People Centre, , Australia, 4University of Saskatchewan, , Canada, 5Global Institute for Water Security, , Canada POSTERS at ESA20, December 1, 2020, 18:00 - 19:30

Biography:

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Adriana Vega (PhD candidate at The University of Queensland) is investigating tropical tree water use through stable water isotopes and tree traits. She has a B.Sc. in Environmental Science (University of Puerto Rico) and MSc. in Tropical Ecology (Erasmus Mundus).

Understanding tropical tree water use patterns and the trait combinations that determine them in response to environmental conditions and water availability is key to better manage ecosystems and more accurately inform plant response models of drought and climate change. Stable water isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) allow the identification of plants’ soil water sources and can provide crucial information about species’ water use. Here, we aim to understand how whole-tree hydraulic trait combinations regulate water use (sap flow and stem water storage) in response to environmental conditions (rainfall, vapour pressure deficit and soil moisture), and how they determine the actual water sources used by trees in a highly diverse rainforest. In Danbulla State Forest, North Queensland, completely opposite water use patterns found in two species- high storage water use, low sap flow rate and shallow soil water use in Dendrocnide photinophylla; and low storage water use, high sap flow rate and deep soil water use in Argyrodendron peralatum- were set as ‘extremes’ of a water use gradient. Based on trait combinations (size, height, wood density, wood anatomy, SLA), and water uptake depths- estimated through stem xylem water isotopic composition- from >80 individuals of 46 species, trees will be fit along this water use gradient, assessing individual responses to environmental conditions. Within this gradient, tree water status and isohydric-anisohydric behaviour will be assessed through leaf and stem water potential measurements. Findings will contribute to understanding trait-based water use responses in tropical rainforest communities and better inform drought, climate and growth models.

The effect of fire intensity and soil moisture on bacterial secondary succession in soil mesocosms. Mr Joshua Vido1 1La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Soil microbial responses to climate extremes: mechanisms, patterns, interactions - November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Role: PhD student at La Trobe University, Melbourne. Focus area: Currently examining the role of soil microorganisms within both an agriculture and ecosystem ecology setting. Particular focus area is exploring the interconnected relationship between microorganisms, plant growth and soil structure.

Wildfires are a fact of life within Australian forests and play an essential role in shaping Australia’s terrestrial ecosystems. Due to the potentially devastating impact of wildfires on human settlement, prescribed burning during cooler conditions is used as a management strategy to reduce wildfire probability at the height of summer. Soil microbial communities are critical for the health and functionality of terrestrial ecosystems and vary seasonally mainly to soil moisture. Understanding the secondary succession of soil microbial communities after wildfire or prescribed burn events will assist in developing a holistic understanding of the impact of fire management regimes on ecosystem processes, as microbial regeneration can impact the reestablishment of vegetation. This study utilised 16S rRNA meta-barcoding and soil mesocosms to track the regeneration of bacterial communities for up to 56 days following conditions designed to replicate wildfires and prescribed burns. Both fire intensity and soil moisture were determined to be influential elements in bacterial secondary succession post-fire and the magnitude of disturbance bacterial communities received. The bacterial community composition of all treatments was determined to not differ significantly at 56 days post-fire compared to pre-

Page 119 of 134 fire, suggesting recovery of the original taxonomic composition within this timeframe. Fire exposure was also shown to displace the pre-fire bacterial community, subsequently resulting in a shift in the dominant bacterial taxa. This study demonstrates the secondary succession of soil bacterial communities and highlights the response of particular bacterial taxa which may be utilised as indicators to determine the recovery progress of the soil environment post-fire.

Gliding for gliders: Using commercial UAV and multispectral technology to identify greater glider foraging habitat Mr Benjamin Wagner1, Prof Patrick Baker1, A/Prof Craig Nitschke1 1The University of Melbourne, Hawthorn East, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Benjamin Wagner, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: Benjamin is a PhD Candidate at Uni Melbourne interested in remote sensing and spatial modeling. He has a background in forestry and forest ecology and wants to understand how we can improve forest management to conserve Australia's vulnerable wildlife

Populations of the greater glider (Petauroides volans) are in decline. Population decline have commonly been attributed to fires and timber harvesting, and more recently to climatic change. Changes in foraging quality may also be contributing to the decline. Greater gliders are heavily reliant on Eucalyptus leaves as their primary source of protein and water, preferring tree species expressing higher foliar nitrogen content. Mapping foraging habitat based on foliage nutrition at broad spatial scales is critical for identifying high conservation value habitat for greater gliders. Using a combination of drone-based multispectral remote- sensing, field validation and spatial modelling, we tested if leaf reflectance and vegetation indices could be used to predict tree-level foliar nutrition and plot-level foraging habitat. A multirotor drone was used to survey a total of ~600 ha of southeastern Australian mixed-species Eucalyptus forest from coast to high- country. Here, ground surveys of forest structure, leaf sample collection of canopy trees, and spotlighting for greater gliders was undertaken. A robust model was developed that could predict tree level canopy nitrogen based on crown reflectance- and index-averages. A supervised classification approach was used to successfully map foraging habitat at the stand level. Our approach provides a robust method for mapping foraging habitat at the stand-level which can be used to inform conservation planning for this threatened arboreal folivore.

Between bedrock and a hard place: discovering the impact of longwall- mining on Littlejohn’s tree frog. Miss Samantha Wallace1, Dr Kaya Klop-Toker1, Miss Sarah Stock1, Associate Prof Matthew Hayward1, Prof Michael Mahony1 1The University Of Newcastle, Callaghan, Newcastle, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Behavioural response to ecological challenges (1) - Samantha Wallace, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:05

Biography: Samantha Wallace is a PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle. Sam’s PhD research investigates the influence of longwall coal mining on the conservation ecology of Littlejohn’s tree frog. Sam has a keen interest in herpetology, conservation biology, and ecology.

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Longwall coal mining contributes considerably to the steel production industry both globally and across Australia. However, this form of underground coal extraction can initiate disturbance in the above-ground environment via subsidence. Subsidence (the cracking and shifting of the ground surface) can divert surface water underground through fractures in the bedrock. Subsidence may therefore pose a threat to stream- breeding frogs, including Littlejohn’s tree frog, Litoria littlejohni – a patchily-distributed and cryptic frog species. To investigate the impact of longwall coal mining on L. littlejohni and their habitat, we conducted a two-year study involving mark-recapture and auditory surveys for adult L. littlejohni, and dip-net surveys for tadpoles. We divided streams into four experimental treatments: 1) Directly undermined streams within an active mine-lease area, 2) Streams exposed to downstream mining-related impacts within the mine-lease area, 3) Non-mined streams within the mine-lease area (‘mine controls’), and 4) Control streams in national parks where no mining has occurred. Our study revealed that undermined streams had significantly fewer ponds, which were smaller and more ephemeral. Ponds in downstream-impacted and undermined streams had less fringing vegetation, and supported fewer L. littlejohni tadpoles. Litoria littlejohni tadpoles were also absent from streams affected by iron flocculent (clumping of particles in iron enriched water). Our results indicate that longwall mining has the potential to disrupt breeding habitat for L. littlejohni and other stream- dwelling frogs. Further understanding the effect of longwall mining on the persistence of L. littlejohni and the quality of stream habitats will be crucial for developing effective mitigation.

Using e-DNA to better understand the effect of fire on the diets of small mammals Ms Saumya Wanniarachchi1, Dr Matthew Swan1, Prof Alan York1, Dr Paul Nevil2 1The University of Melbourne, Creswick, Australia, 2Curtin University, Perth, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Saumya Wanniarachchi, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Saumya Wanniarachchi is currently a PhD Candidate in Fire Ecology and Biodiversity group at School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne. Her PhD research involves identifying mechanistic relationships between resources and small mammals in fire mediated environments.

Species response after a fire will vary depending on the biological and structural resources left behind in habitats. Usage and partitioning of these resources will act as a driver for future faunal assemblages. Food is one such resource that influences species persistence and resilience. Thus, faunal conservation in flammable landscapes requires a greater understanding of food availability and usage to create effective management strategies. What animals eat in post-fire environments has previously received little attention due to the time-consuming methodologies and low-resolution results of food taxa. Recently, molecular techniques have been developed to identify food DNA in scats giving enhanced resolution. The aim of this study is to obtain a thorough understanding of the food resource selection of three small mammal species (Yellow-footed Antechinus (YFA), Heath Mouse (HM) and Bush Rat (BR)) within different post-fire growth stages using e-DNA metabarcoding technology. DNA was extracted from scats collected in Elliot traps of captured small mammals. Massively parallel sequencing was then carried out using the insect assay ‘mzarp’ and plant assay ‘rbcl’ / ‘trnL’. Obtained DNA sequences were searched against the NCBI GenBank database to identify food organisms. The three species utilise fundamentally different food resources, and for two species this changed temporally. YFA and HM have a completely different diet while the BR diet is somewhat intermediate. BR diet changed continuously with time since fire however for the YFA, diet changed after about ten years then remained similar. HM did not show any changes to its diet with post-fire age.

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What threatens Australian biodiversity and how do we assist recovery after catastrophic fires? Mrs Michelle Ward1 1UQ, Brisbane, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Approaches for detailing threats, actions and management costs for threatened species recovery across broad scales - Michelle Ward, December 1, 2020, 16:00 - 18:00

Biography: Michelle Ward is a PhD Candidate at UQ and research assistant for NESP. Her research centres on combining remote sensing technology with economic instruments and systematic conservation planning to achieve the best solutions for threatened species.

Australia is in the midst of an extinction crisis, having already lost 10% of the terrestrial mammal fauna since European settlement and an additional 1,800 species at high risk of extinction in the near-term. The decline of the continent’s threatened species is a result of an array of threatening processes, but species-specific threats and their relative impact remains undocumented at a nationally comprehensive scale. In this talk, I will describe a dataset we compiled this year which contains each threat for each terrestrial and freshwater taxon listed as threatened under the EPBC Act. This dataset has been generated via a NESP synthesis project and involved state and federal government departments and taxonomic experts. Using an expert elicitation approach, we applied the IUCN threat categories and threat impact scoring system to identify the highest impacting threats. The matrix has a range of potential applications, from estimating the impacts of development activities to informing investments in threat abatement actions for species recovery. I demonstrate this using a case study of one of the most frequently listed threats: inappropriate fire regimes, which was further amplified by the 2019-20 mega-fires. I outline the likely impact of these megafires on Australian faunal species and discuss a framework for prioritizing post-fire conservation management, including information on the cost of bushfire recovery.

Sharper eyes see shyer lizards: Collaboration with indigenous peoples alters the outcome of conservation research Dr Georgia Ward-Fear1, Prof Rick Shine1 1Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge 10th Anniversary Symposium - Georgia Ward-Fear, November 30, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Georgia is a conservation scientist and invasion biologist working across northern Australia to mitigate cane toad impacts on apex reptilian predators. Georgia engages widely with Indigenous communities and created the Cane Toad Coalition, a collaboration of organisations from multiple sectors.

Collaborations between researchers and Indigenous communities are becoming more prevalent in ecology. Together with the Balanggarra people, we trialled a novel conservation method (Conditioned Taste Aversion) to mitigate the impacts of toxic cane toads on Yellow-spotted Floodplain Monitors (Varanus panoptes) in the Kimberley Region of Australia. The project was successful in increasing longevity and overall survival of animals that had been trained with taste aversion (50%) versus a control group (3%). However, our study also revealed a direct benefit to collaboration with local indigenous people.

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Whilst Western scientists and Indigenous rangers worked in pairs to catch animals, the rangers demonstrated significantly better spotting abilities across a range of factors limiting animal detectability (vegetation cover, distance, light conditions: all P < 0.05). Subsequently these lizards also had different behavioural phenotypes (“personalities”). The resultant broader sampling of the lizard population enabled us to detect positive effects of our conservation management intervention that would not have been evident from the subset of animals collected by Western scientists. In a world first, we demonstrate that involvement by researchers from both cultures critically affected the conclusions of our research project. I discuss this study and the implications for cross-cultural collaborations in the future, including our petition for academic authorship structures that are more inclusive of indigenous communities. I propose standardised protocols for inclusion of all collaborators, which we hope will be widely adopted and championed by academics.

Dieback of snow gums in Perisher Valley, NSW: symptoms and drivers Miss Jessica Ward-Jones1 1Australian National University, Acton, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Tree dieback in Australian Ecosystems (3) - Jessica Ward-Jones, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 17:30

Biography: Jess a research student at ANU while also working in ecological consulting.

High-elevation snow-gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora subs. niphophila) woodlands dominate the subalpine areas of the Australian Alps Bioregion. These stands contribute to landscape hydrology by entraining moisture from the air, trapping snow, affecting infiltration and evapotranspiration, benefitting associated ecosystems, as well as downstream agriculture and communities. Widespread decline and death of high-elevation snow-gum stands have become evident in Kosciuszko National Park. Observations indicate that this phenomenon is associated with an outbreak of native Cerambycid beetles (genus Phoracantha) which are known to target stressed trees. Quantitative data linking evidence of infestation to dieback are lacking, as is an understanding of the association between landscape attributes and dieback occurrence. This study aimed to test whether indicators of Phoracantha infestation are consistent with dieback and to identify candidate landscape drivers. Vegetation surveys confirmed that Phoracantha infestation does lead to canopy decline and dieback. Further spatial and statistical analysis found that trees established at lower elevations and on steeper slopes were found to be more likely to be affected by dieback. These positions likely induce increase relatively greater water stress. Succession dynamics of post-fire stands appear to generate favourable conditions for reduced likelihood of being dieback affected. Larger trees were more likely to be dieback affected, likely due to hydraulic stress. Previous and/or disturbance inside ski resort boundaries may be contributing to increased stress of existing trees, suppression of recruitment, and subsequent dieback. These finding have potential to inform remote sensing efforts to predict dieback across a larger spatial extent as well as direct targeted management.

Old-growth moss forests as proxies for microclimates in coastal Antarctica Dr Melinda Waterman1, Dr Jessica Bramley-Alves1, Dr Angélica Casanova-Katny2, Prof Gustavo Zúñiga3, Dr Quan Hua4, Prof Sharon Robinson1,5 1Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Earth, Atmosphere and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2Laboratorio de Ecofisiología Vegetal y Cambio Climático, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco, Chile, 3Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile, 4Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, Australia, 5Global Challenges Program, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

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SYMPOSIUM: Ecological Extremes in Antarctica, mechanisms of resilience and recovery , December 2, 2020, 10:00 - 12:00

Biography: Dr Melinda Waterman is an associate research fellow at the University of Wollongong, Australia. She is an early career biotechnologist investigating protective mechanisms and chemical signatures of moss species that live in Antarctica.

Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts) dominate the terrestrial flora of the ice-free regions located on the coastal fringe of Antarctica. Local environmental factors that drive growth, distribution and survival of these Antarctic plants are influenced by shifts in wind, precipitation, temperature and radiation patterns. Antarctic flora are at their ecological extremes in this water-limiting environment and use innate and/or adapted mechanisms to survive the harshness of their surroundings. However, Antarctic flora and fauna are responding to changes in climate, in particular to ozone depletion and global heating. Therefore, it is fundamental to identify how environmental drivers have affected organisms in the past to infer how they may respond in the future. Additionally, climate records are sparse and/or limited in areas where the Antarctic flora grow and so there is increasing need for local climate proxies. As resilient plants with simple structures, mosses are suitable candidates for proxy development as they can preserve long-term records of their immediate microclimate in their biochemical signatures; for example, stable isotopes preserved in the cellulose of their cell walls. We aim to develop and use living mosses as biological proxies for climate around the Antarctic coast. This includes analysing stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of a range of continental and maritime Antarctic mosses that have been dated using the radiocarbon method. Long-term regional climate records, such as moss water availability and temperature, could be locked away as chemical signatures within old-growth moss shoots of up to 500 years old.

Impacts of the 2020 wildfires on an endangered snake: insights from a 29 year study Professor Jonathan Webb1 1School of Life Sciences, The University Of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Jonathan Webb, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: Jonathan is the Environmental Science Discipline Leader at the University of Technology Sydney. His research focuses on mitigating the impacts of invasive species, conserving and restoring habitats for threatened fauna, and elucidating the ecological consequences of developmental plasticity in lizards.

The 2019-2020 Australian wildfires were unprecedented in their intensity and extent. In NSW, the fires burned forests throughout most of the geographic range of one of Australia’s most endangered snakes, the broad-headed snake Hoplocephalus bungaroides, a species restricted to sandstone rock outcrops within 200 km of the city of Sydney. Because adult broad-headed snakes shelter inside tree hollows during the summer months, adults may have suffered high mortality rates during the fire. To assess the effects of the 2019-2020 wildfire on a population of broad-headed snakes from Morton National Park, my team and I carried out surveys for snakes in May and September 2020. Analysis of the long-term mark-recapture data collected from 1992 to 2020 revealed that the population in Morton National Park declined by 60% after the wildfire. Unexpectedly, survival and recapture probabilities of snakes were influenced more by human disturbance to rock outcrops than past wildfires. I discuss the broader implications of these findings in my talk. Future studies to quantify the effects of the 2020 wildfires on additional populations of broad-headed snakes would be valuable, and would facilitate a better understanding of the current status of this threatened species.

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Urban estuarine wetlands and the challenges of managing mosquitoes of pest and public health importance Associate Professor Cameron Webb1,4, Dr Suzi Claflin2,3 1University of Sydney, Westmead, Australia, 2Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Hobart, Australia, 3Cornell University, Ithaca, USA, 4NSW Health Pathology, Westmead, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Wetland management and restoration in human-dominated landscapes - December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Associate Professor Cameron Webb is a Medical Entomologist with over 25 years experience providing expert advice on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease to government agencies with specific interest in wetland construction and rehabilitation.

The pest and public health risks associated with mosquitoes are a major concern for local authorities. Notwithstanding mosquito-borne disease, the nuisance-biting of mosquitoes has the potential to adversely impact the health and well-being of the community. The key pest and vector mosquito is Aedes vigilax, a severe nuisance-biting pest that disperses widely from saltmarsh and mangrove habitats. Mangrove forests within urban landscapes in Sydney have been identified as highly productive habitats for Ae. vigilax with seasonal abundance strongly associated with surrounding urbanisation and its direct and indirect impact on habitats. Comparisons of mosquito communities associated with mangrove forests along the Parramatta River identified the abundance of this species was linked to poor environmental health of mangrove habitats where disturbance inhibits tidal exchange and enhanced conditions for immature stages of mosquitoes. Where degraded mangroves have been rehabilitated, through the restoration of tidal flushing, mosquito abundance has declined. Increasing human population density in close proximity to estuarine wetlands increases potential exposure of the community to nuisance-biting mosquitoes, reducing amenity of parklands. Similarly, estuarine wetland construction and rehabilitation projects have the potential to further increase mosquito risk if appropriate planning and policy is not implemented. Through the presentation of case studies investigating mosquito communities associated with urban mangrove forests and their rehabilitation, in conjunction with an assessment of spatiotemporal pest impacts, this presentation will highlight future research needs and recommendations for planning and management of these wetlands

Cross-tenure Collaborative Fire Management: Building Capacity and Healthy Landscapes Mr Craig Welden, Dr Samantha Lloyd1 1Qld Fire & Biodiversity Consortium, Healthy Land & Water, Brisbane, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Craig Welden, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Craig is Coordinator of the Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium, administered by Healthy Land and Water. Craig has an Applied Science degree in Protected Area Management (Queensland University) and over 25years experience in Natural Areas Management, specializing in fire management.

Significant bushfires, as with other natural disasters, affect landscapes and communities, not arbitrary lines constructed on maps. Improved coordination and cooperative cross-tenure planning at appropriate landscape levels is required to improve preparedness, response, resilience and recovery to bushfire. Emergency response agencies and government land management agencies need to collaborate more with each other, Traditional Owners, private landholders (including NGOs, utility providers and individual Page 125 of 134 landholders) and research partners to improve bushfire preparedness, response and recovery. In particular, Traditional Owner cultural burning practices are acknowledged as having played a critical role in structuring Australia’s ecology over many tens of thousands of years. This presentation showcases several well-respected capacity building and bushfire management programs and networks that engage with stakeholders and community to support improved fire management, whilst supporting biodiversity outcomes. These programs provide an essential brokering role, providing education, training and facilitating relationships between government agencies, research and freehold landholders/managers. Established in 1998, the Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium is a network of land managers and stakeholders committed to improving fire and biodiversity management outcomes by supporting fire ecology research, facilitating partnerships between stakeholders and building the capacity of land managers and landholders in SEQ and across Queensland. Well-established collaborative programs, such as the Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium, NSW Hotspots Project and the Interstate Fire Alliance provide respected and targeted capacity building services to landholders and stakeholders, facilitate partnerships and collaborations that build resilience, and support active engagement in fire planning to reduce risk and improve fire and land management outcomes.

Citizen and community-group based surveillance of invasive species using FeralScan for improved pest management Mr Peter West1 1NSW Dept of Primary Industries, Orange, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Citizen Science: a tool for ecology, conservation and science communication (2) - December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:30

Biography: Peter West is a Research Officer with NSW Dept of Primary Industries and a Project Leader with the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. He is responsible for managing and co-creating FeralScan with community groups, pest controllers, and biosecurity organisations Australia-wide.

Citizen scientists potentially provide a large network for surveillance and management of new and established invasive animals, but they require tools to expedite and encourage broader community participation. Community-based invasive species surveillance tools have evolved substantially. Mobile apps now offer many opportunities to raise public awareness, engage more effectively with the community, and improve community participation in surveillance for biosecurity threats.

The FeralScan pest animal web-mapping program (www.feralscan.org.au), with a free Apple and Android app, contains >230,000 records of established pest animals, their impacts, local control actions and photographs supplied by >20,000 Australians. These include landholders, Landcare groups, private contractors, pest control groups, local governments, regional land managers, researchers and biosecurity authorities (including regional Biosecurity organisations) and State Government agencies. New community group features enable user groups to collectively record information about pest animals, track changes in their local area, and work with local biosecurity groups to improve management.

The FeralScan project has been trialling methods for providing early warnings, rapid communication between community and government organisations, and sharing real-time information about established invasive animals problems. FeralScan also now provides people the capacity to report new incursions of major pests and other exotic animals (such as Tilapia fish, red eared slider turtle, and America corn snake). The next steps involve using FeralScan in new surveillance campaigns for exotic animals, investigating rates of adoption, contrasting FeralScan with traditional wildlife monitoring tools, and investigating the motivations and

Page 126 of 134 attitudes around reporting introduced animals to enhance engagement with further segments of the community.

Adaptation of foundation red gum Eucalyptus species to climate Mr John W Whale1, Dr Collin W Ahrens1, Dist. Prof. David T Tissue1, Dr Paul D Rymer1 1Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - John Whale, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: John is a PhD candidate at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, at Western Sydney University

Climate change is altering temperature and precipitation regimes globally. These climatic shifts are driving trees, including eucalypts, toward mortality leading to declines in forest productivity and ecosystem services. Indeed, the decline of eucalypt species is becoming more common, and understanding their adaptive potential is paramount to maintain healthy forests and ecosystems. The red gums (Section: Exsertaria) are common across eastern Australia, traversing temperature and precipitation gradients throughout their native distributions. In this study, we use a comparative framework to identify and characterise the adaptive genomic variants in two closely-related widespread species: Eucalyptus blakelyi and Eucalyptus tereticornis. We test whether (i) both species will harbour similar adaptive variants and gene functions associated with climate; and (ii) the adaptive variants detected are unique to each species due to variation between their climatic space.

Generally, while we identify mostly divergent mechanisms (different gene and gene ontology (GO) functions), we do uncover significant shared GO terms (oxidoreductase activity and tetrapyrrole binding) that are known to be important for climate adaptation. However, that is where the similarity ends, as these functional GO terms have evolved very different signatures of selection to climate. At the single-species level, we identify enriched stress, hormone, reproductive, and photosynthetic pathways.

Our findings provide evidence for independent adaptation to climate in widespread eucalypts, highlighting the shifts of putatively functional genomic variants across the landscape. These data can be implemented to inform management of Australia’s diverse forests and critical ecosystems through selecting the suitable genotypes in restoration efforts.

How does extent, configuration and diversity of fires shape mammal populations in heathy woodland ecosystems? Ms Lily Wheeler1, Dr Julian Di Stefano1, Dr Luke Kelly1 1The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Lily Wheeler, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Lily is a masters student at the University of Melbourne. Her research is focused on the effect landscape scale properties have on native small mammals within heathy woodland. She hopes her study will to aid biodiversity conservation in the future.

Globally, we are facing a biodiversity crisis. With Australia’s rate of mammal extinctions being the highest in the world, we are currently at the forefront of this emergency. Two of the main drivers of our native mammal Page 127 of 134 extinctions are altered fire regimes and habitat loss. These drivers shape entire landscapes and it is essential that both research and management consider the influence of these drivers on mammal populations at this scale. While many studies have been influential in advancing knowledge of mammals’ association with fire, the role of the spatial dimensions of fire regimes remains poorly known. We completed a ‘whole-of- landscape study’ to determine how landscape mosaics of fire and vegetation affect small ground dwelling mammals in the heathy woodlands of western Victoria. Specifically, we asked if the configuration and diversity of fire within 2827 ha landscapes affects mammal occurrence and diversity. Study landscapes were selected to represent variation in the amount of native vegetation and diversity of post-fire age classes. Camera-traps were deployed at 138 sites across 23 landscapes. We recorded nine small mammal species, including yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes), heath mice (Pseudomys shortridgei), bush rats (Rattus fuscipes) and silky mice (Pseudomys apodemoides). Preliminary results indicate that the threatened heath mouse occurred more frequently when treeless heath vegetation was present. By determining the landscape conditions required for species to persist we hope to promote conservation management in Victoria’s heathy woodland into the future.

Please tell me your story: Community experiences of bushfire Dr Katharine Haynes1, Dr Joshua Whittaker1, Dr Matalena Tofa2, Ms Carrie Wilkinson1 1University Of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia, 2Macquarie University, North Ryde, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (1) - Josh Whittaker, December 1, 2020, 10:00 - 12:15

Biography: Dr Josh Whittaker is a Research Fellow with the Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at the University of Wollongong. His research focuses on the vulnerability and resilience of human communities to bushfire.

Since the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, post-bushfire research has generated thousands of detailed accounts of people’s bushfire experiences. This research has focused on issues of interest to emergency services, including how people understand bushfire risk, how they prepare, and how they respond to warnings and the fires. This presentation will draw on interview data collected after Black Saturday 2009; Sir Ivan 2017; Tathra 2018 and the Black Summer fires of 2019-20. Using a qualitative methodology has enabled people to ‘tell their story’ and focus on the issues they feel are most important. This has enabled reflections and other issues to emerge through the interviews, such as views on land-management and hazard reduction activities and dilemmas of how to live safely with and near the bush. Many interviewees describe their grief at losses and changes in the environment and how their sense of place and community are entwined with the landscape. For many, the post-bushfire socio-environmental landscape is one that is forever changed, necessitating a reorientation of their ‘place’ within it.

Near-term decision tree for fire management using trends in degradation condition scores for threatened ecosystems Mx Andy Wiechnik1, Dr Ayesha Tulloch1 1University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Andy Wiechnik, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Andy Wiechnik is a research assistant at the University of Sydney. They completed a UQ Masters of Conservation Science with a systematic review of the focus and methods of global fire ecology research suitable for informing community-level fire management. Page 128 of 134

Fire management for the conservation of threatened ecological communities (TECs) needs to integrate knowledge of optimal fire regimes as well as observed fire histories specific to each TEC, and there is a need for guidance on how to operationalise this knowledge. We generated a near-term decision tree for the use of a previously proposed rapid assessment regional-scale metric for assessing landscape condition with respect to a single disturbance type, in this case fire. We calculated condition scores at five-year intervals from 2000- 2020 to determine both current TEC condition and the change in condition over time with respect to divergence away from ideal fire regimes in order to be able to identify and prioritise TECs experiencing the largest or most rapid degradation in condition. The condition scores are generated by calculating the summed shortfall between observed and expected age-class distributions, given ideal minimum and maximum fire frequencies as determined by expert elicitation. Then, for any given TEC or management unit, we demonstrate the use of these scores to inform fire management actions over an operational timeline of 1 year maximum. The decision tree is demonstrated using selected New South Wales TECs, and degradation benchmarks from the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Guidelines, however managers can tailor this process to their needs.

Reframing Land in Australia’s State of the Environment: DPSIR indicators through LDN and ESD lenses Dr Kristen J Williams1, Prof Graciela Metternicht2 1CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia, 2University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Our National State of the Environment – Key issues during a time of change - December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:30

Biography: Dr Kristen Williams is a principal research scientist at CSIRO with extensive experience in research management, coordination and delivery. She specialises in the integration of ecosystem and landscape sciences to generate data and knowledge products informing ecologically sustainable land management.

The 2021 National State of the Environment (SoE) Report is coincident with growing industry and societal awareness of the need to achieve balance with environment and, with growing adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a reporting framework, provides an opportunity to take a fresh look at how we monitor, measure and report on Land resources that sustain us.

The Land theme in past SoEs report on state of soils and vegetation, pressures that reduce their productive capacity, and management responses to mitigate those pressures to inform how we are tracking toward sustainability. Since the last report in 2016, scientific frameworks and technologies for Land monitoring have significantly advanced.

Here we propose reframing Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) indicators for Land monitoring and reporting through the lenses of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). Drivers and pressures determine the State of Land resources, the State impacts on stocks and flows of natural capital, and degradation of stocks affects capacity for ecosystem services that ‘flow’ from it. We can ‘respond’ to tackle drivers and pressures, with a set vision on maintaining the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security within specific ecosystems and temporal and spatial scales. This is the concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) included in SDG 15 - Life on Land. We show how LDN aligns with ESD, which is central to environmental planning legislation across Australia, to inform a modified DPSIR indicator framework for streamlined, multi-purpose reporting.

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Location is a better predictor of time since fire than vegetation type Ms Jane Williamson1, Dr Jennifer Taylor1, Mr Murray Ellis2 1Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, Australia, 2NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Hurstville, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Jane Williamson, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Jane is a terrestrial ecologist and a PhD student, who's research is focused on the impacts of fire regimes on fauna habitat

Our study examined predictors of distribution of time since fire for extant native vegetation in New South Wales, in south-eastern Australia. In 2018, time since the most recent fire (TSF) varied from 0 to 92 years. Time since the most recent fire was not evenly distributed within vegetation types. In eastern NSW distributions were skewed to shorter times since fire. In western NSW, distributions were uneven but skewed to longer TSF than in the east and were heavily driven by one or two large fire events. Distributions in Alpine vegetation in eastern NSW followed the same trend as western vegetation types. Within eastern NSW distributions of TSF were synchronous between fire-prone and fire-sensitive vegetation types. Within broad vegetation types that spanned large geographic areas, distributions of TSF were not synchronous. At a finer scale, distributions of TSF were similar in vegetation in close proximity, regardless of vegetation type. Within areas managed for biodiversity conservation, distributions of TSF were skewed to even shorter times since fire than in general for the vegetation type. We used latitude and longitude, regional locations, broad vegetation types, population density and land use to test as predictors of time since fire. The strongest predictors at a broad scale were a combination of longitude, regional locations and temperature of the warmest month. At a finer scale, a combination of regional locations and temperature of the warmest month best predict fire time since fire.

Interactive effects of logging and wildfire on forest carbon stability. Mr Nicholas Wilson1 1University Of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Short-term impacts of the 2019-20 Fire Season - Nicholas Wilson, December 3, 2020, 10:00 - 12:40

Biography: PhD student with the Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at the University of Wollongong studying carbon and disturbance dynamics in Eucalypt forests.

The carbon dense Eucalypt forests of the New South Wales South Coast are an important terrestrial carbon pool. Unlike other fire prone forests around the world, above ground carbon in Eucalypt forest is considered relatively resistant to fire due to the capacity of the dominant species to survive fire through epicormic resprouting. However, logging may interact with fire to destabilise carbon pools in these forests. We conducted extensive space for time surveys of above ground carbon stocks in forests stratified by the time since they were last logged and burnt. Most of these sites were subsequently burnt during the 2019/20 fire season, providing a unique opportunity to directly measure carbon losses associated with wildfire. Most sites experienced relatively small losses of above ground carbon owing to low mortality of trees, which contribute the most to above ground carbon stocks. However, carbon losses tended to be greater in recently logged sites compared to longer unlogged sites. Surprisingly, fire history had no effect on above ground carbon losses. Our findings support the hypothesis that fire presents a relatively low risk to carbon stored in Eucalypt

Page 130 of 134 forests, however this risk may be elevated by the occurrence of logging. These findings provide new insights into the unique and interactive effects of logging and wildfire disturbances on forest carbon and disturbance dynamics.

Overestimation of species presents complications for conservation Maurizio Rossetto, Dr Trevor Wilson1, Dr. Jia-Yee Yap1, Dr Peter Weston1, Dr Peter Wilson1, Prof Maurizio Rossetto1 1Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Australian Institute of Botanical Science, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Trevor Wilson, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: Dr Trevor Wilson is an ABRS postdoctoral research fellow and studies evolutionary biology, systematics, taxonomy, pollination ecology and conservation.

Conservation decision makers face an increasing number of 'conserve or let die' scenarios as a result of the finite resources available for threatened species. Consequently, a conservation strategy of triage is used whereby phylogenetic diversity is prioritised over number of species. This strategy must therefore be informed by a sound taxonomic framework. Unfortunately, not all endangered species concepts have been rigorously tested, and some assume that morphological variation is reliably indicative of genetic diversity. This presents a problem for the strategy above, and we demonstrate this using the critically endangered Banksia vincentia. This taxon is a single population recently recognised from the morass of species and morphotypes that constitute B. spinulosa sens. lat. To inform its conservation, we used high quality genome scans for over 600 individuals and a plastome alignment to evaluate infraspecific genetic diversity and interspecific relationships. Contrary to the existing species hypothesis, coalescent and phenetic analyses provided support that Banksia spinulosa sens. lat. consists of two distinct clades. In one clade, the placement of B. vincentia rendered B. neoanglica and B. cunninghamii paraphyletic, and high gene flow and an isolation by distance trend supported they are a single species. Genetic structure of this clade also indicated partitioning by biogeographic barriers and that southern populations of B. cunninghamii are the most genetically distinct. These results support that B. vincentia is not a distinct species, thereby obviating its conservation priority. Furthermore, this shows how recognising numerous species from a morphological continuum can be destructive through disproportionately prioritising degraded populations.

Predicting patterns of biodiversity in the World Heritage listed Lord Howe Island Marine Park Ms Caitlin Woods1 1University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Windows into resilience and recovery: technological advances and the acquisition of data in ecological systems (2) - Caitlin Woods, December 2, 2020, 14:00 - 15:40

Biography: Caitlin is a PhD candidate with the University of Wollongong, working remotely from Lord Howe Island where she has spent the past six years studying, working and learning about the unique and globally renown local ecology

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Intertidal reefs on remote islands have high conservation value – supporting unique and diverse assemblages of organisms including many endemic species with highly restricted distributions. Information on the distribution of diversity across these reefs is therefore important for conservation management, but often not available, including within the World Heritage listed Lord Howe Island Marine Park. Because it is impossible to document biodiversity across entire reefs, one of the best tools for determining the distribution of biodiversity is to identify abiotic surrogates which can be mapped across large areas using remote sensing. This research aims to identify whether abiotic surrogates can be used to predict patterns of diversity across intertidal reefs in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park, and which habitat characteristics best explain these patterns. Drone aerial photography was used to construct digital elevation models of reefs, from which precise measurements of geophysical habitat characteristics were extracted. Biodiversity surveys recorded the identity and abundance of solitary macro-invertebrates across a total of 15,600 square meters of corresponding habitat. Biodiversity was modelled as a response to habitat characteristics using a range of multivariate statistical techniques, with results confirming that habitat characteristics can successfully predict patterns of biodiversity on intertidal reefs.

Why is Indigenous knowledge important to Indigenous people? Learnings from Our Knowledge Our Way Guidelines Dr Emma Woodward1 1CSIRO, Perth, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Managing a cultural landscape and building resilience in a new world reality - November 30, 2020, 14:00 - 15:35

Biography: A research scientist/geographer with the CSIRO, Emma has extensive experience co-developing methods, tools, protocols and guidelines that facilitate understanding and inclusion of diverse knowledges, values and interests in natural resource planning and management, and enterprise development.

A new set of guidelines, Our Knowledge Our Way in caring for Country: Indigenous-led approaches to strengthening and sharing our knowledge for land and sea management, were recently created with input from over 100 Indigenous contributors. The guidelines are founded upon experiences articulated by Indigenous land and sea managers, via 23 Australia-wide case studies. They reveal how strengthening Indigenous knowledge; strong partnerships; sharing and weaving knowledge; and Indigenous networks, all support learning by Indigenous peoples, and their partners, about good ways of engaging with Indigenous knowledge to look after Country. NAILSMA, CSIRO, and the ACIUCN facilitated the guidelines as part of NESP NAER Hub research. In this paper we delve further into the rich Indigenous-led case studies by drawing on Indigenous-authored academic literature to build an analytical framework through which we explore why Indigenous knowledge is important to Indigenous people - mindful that significant literature to date has considered IK via a scientific lens focused on its supplemental-value (Whyte, 2017). We test the case studies against the framework and explore key themes including how knowledge exchange is occurring between Indigenous peoples’ knowledge systems, and the significance of Indigenous knowledge systems for Indigenous governance today (Whyte 2017).

Whyte, Kyle Powys, What Do Indigenous Knowledges Do for Indigenous Peoples? (January 27, 2017). Forthcoming in Keepers of the Green World: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Sustainability, edited by Melissa K. Nelson and Dan Shilling., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2612715

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Assessing evolutionary potential loss in rare species and solutions to recover or maintain diversity Dr Samantha Yap1,2, Prof Maurizio Rossetto1,2, Dr Peter Wilson1, Dr Jason Bragg1 1Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 2Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation, St Lucia, Australia

SYMPOSIUM: Improving the adaptive potential of restored communities - Samantha Yap, December 2, 2020, 16:00 - 18:05

Biography: Samantha Yap is a scientific officer at the Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Her topic of interests are conservation genomics, plant ecology and bioinformatics.

Environmental disturbances (natural or anthropogenic) threaten the existence of rare species. These disturbances lead to reduction in population size and overall diversity, affecting species’ genetic health which can compromise fitness and long-term adaptive potential to climatic and environmental changes. Empirical evidence to evaluate the impact of disturbance on genetic diversity is limited, and existing studies show differential impacts on plants. Applying genomic research to conservation work will be important as it provides foundational knowledge about the rare species that is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. There is motivation to study rare species under New South Wales’ Saving Our Species initiative. As such, conservation genomic research was conducted on several rare species using the genomic framework developed by Restore and Renew at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Because the studies were conducted before the disturbances took place, our sampling of each rare species included specific individuals we could identify as affected by the disturbance, thereby allowing a genomic-based assessment of the impact of disturbance. In this talk, we describe the genomic patterns for each rare species to indicate the factors and mechanisms that enable species resilience thus far. Then, we show the impact of the disturbances on each species, using a novel genomic-based quantification method that we developed, and determined the magnitude of the loss of genetic diversity (ie. species evolutionary potential). Lastly, we explore genomic-based solutions to maintain or improve genetic diversity for the rare species, that will be important for developing conservation methods involving population translocation and augmentation.

How to save the world without knowing how much it costs? CJ Yong1,2, April Reside1,2, Michelle Ward1,2, Josie Carwardine3, James Watson1,2,4 1Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 3CSIRO, Land and Water, Dutton Park, Brisbane, Australia, 4Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Program, New York, U.S.A.

SYMPOSIUM: Approaches for detailing threats, actions and management costs for threatened species recovery across broad scales - CJ Yong, December 1, 2020, 16:00 - 18:00

Biography: CJ is currently working as a research assistant and comes from a background in statistical modelling and finance. CJ is interested in translating biological & environmental data into decision-making insights, some other past projects involved landscape genomics and biotelemetry data.

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The success of broad scale conservation planning demands realistic estimated costs of management actions. Australia has 1,700+ EPBC listed threatened species that require numerous actions to abate threatening processes, but we lack baseline costs of national level threat abatement for species recovery. Cost-data in Australia is lacking at the relevant spatial scales that management occurs, and when available is not easily applicable due a lack of transparency and consistency in how it was collated. In this study we have addressed the knowledge gap by creating transparent models for threat abatement actions required to recover Australian threatened species populations. We defined an overall cost structure and cost components involved with each action, to estimate the costs for generic threat abatement actions by projecting it across the threat extent and an 80 year time period, accounting for geographic and habitat variation where appropriate. Our hope is a final output being a set of consistent, national-level cost models and cost estimates for threat abatement actions. These cost models can improve conservation outcomes through providing a starting point for budget planning and informing policy-making, and can be adapted to other scales and challenges as needed.

Detecting the effects of Prescribed burning using generalised additive modelling Dr Mengran Yu1, Associate Professor Tina Bell 1The University Of Sydney, Eveleigh, Australia SYMPOSIUM: Perspectives on a changing landscape of fire (2) - Mengran Yu, December 1, 2020, 14:00 - 15:45

Biography: Dr Yu completed her Ph.D in 2019, her research was focused on the effect of fire on soil carbon, evapotranspiration and catchment water quality. Mengran is currently working as a research assistant on the CRC project.

In Australia, investigation of the impact of bushfire on the hydrological cycle has increased in recent years. However, studies examining changes due to prescribed or planned fires are under-represented. Planned fires are typically much less severe than uncontrolled bushfires, they mostly affect understorey vegetation and, presumably, have lesser effects on forest hydrology compared to bushfires. A generalised additive model (GAM) was used in conjunction with satellite imagery in this study to detect the effect of prescribed burning on forest hydrology in southeastern Australia. Evapotranspiration (ET) was selected as an indicator of a change in hydrology due to the direct effect of fuel reduction burning on the removal of understorey vegetation. Variables included in the ET GAM were site details (location, elevation, aspect, slope), soil properties (total carbon and nitrogen), climate (short-term and long-term rainfall, maximum and minimum daily temperature, solar radiation) and vegetation (enhanced vegetation index (EVI)). Results from this modelling suggested a change in ET due to prescribed burning was more obvious for sites in Victoria than in NSW. Variables representing vegetation and climate were the best predictors for changes in ET due to prescribed burning, and soil and terrain variables were least important. Limitations of this methodology, due to temporal and spatial differences in sampling unburnt and burnt plots, and future potential are discussed.

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