EcoTAS17: Conference Handbook

ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

EcoTAS17 The joint conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the New Zealand Ecological Society 26 NOVEMBER – 1 DECEMBER 2017

CYPRESS LAKES CONFERENCE CENTRE HUNTER VALLEY • NSW

WELCOME You are warmly welcomed to the 2017 Joint Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the New Zealand Ecological Society.

EcoTAS17 EcoTAS17 is a 4-day scientific program plus workshops, field trips and networking events. It is an opportunity to interact with world-leading ecologists and to experience the biodiversity hotspot of northern New South Wales, Australia.

Understanding the origins and maintenance of biological diversity has interested ecologists ever since the first natural historians took to the seas to catalogue the great variety of organisms on earth. Diversity has been credited with unifying evolutionary biology, biogeography and ecology as each discipline contributed to understanding of the processes responsible for global and regional patterns of diversity. More recently, shifts in diversity patterns in response to global change has given momentum to basic questions regarding species interactions especially questions with implications for biodiversity conservation. Recent research is fuelled by technological advances including new molecular tools and increased capacity to model complex interactions.

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PUTTING ECOLOGY TO WORK The biodiversity hotspot of Hunter Valley provides the ideal setting to explore current understanding of diversity patterns and processes and the prospects for future diversity. Six keynote speakers will address one or more of the theme topics with examples from their studies of plants, animals and soil organisms growing in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The conference will feature symposia on regionally relevant issues such as indigenous ecological knowledge, urban ecology, restoration ecology, refugia in ancient landscapes, and climate change. Field trips will offer delegates the opportunity to experience the unique and remarkable biological diversity that the valley has to offer.

Welcome to the Hunter Valley and we hope you enjoy EcoTAS17!

Local Organising Committee for EcoTAS17

ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

COMMITTEE Dr Scott Johnson, CHAIR , Community Ecologist, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University Dr Cate Macinnis-Ng, Senior Lecturer, Rutherford Discovery Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland Dr Rose Andrew, Molecular Ecologist, Lecturer, University of New England Dr Chris Bycroft, Senior Ecologist and Botanist, Wildland Consultants Rotorua

Ecologist, Senior Lecturer, Western Sydney University Jonathan Finch, PhD Student, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University Dr Jane DeGabriel, Program Manager, Office of Environment and Heritage’s Saving our Species Program Dr Brad Murray, Senior Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Ben Moore, Chemical and Nutritional

CO N TENTS

2 . . . . Welcome 4 . . . . ESA President’s Welcome 5 . . . . NZ ES President’s Welcome 6 . . . . About the Ecological Society of Australia 7 . . . . About the New Zealand Ecological Society 8 . . . . Sponsors and Exhibitors 10 . . . Information and Logistics

11 . . . Information for Presenters and Session Chairs 12 . . . Keynote Speakers 24 . . . Conference Program at a Glance 28 . . . Symposia 37 . . . Awards and Grants Presentations 37 . . . Social and Networking Functions 38 . . . Field Trips 40 . . . Workshops EcoTAS17 3

ESA PRESIDENT’S WELCOME ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

Don Driscoll President, Ecological Society of Australia Welcome to EcoTAS17 ‘Putting ecology to work”. And there is no shortage of work to be done. For example, how can we assess risks to ecosystems; when is assisted migration useful in the face of climate change, and; how can we better manage the micro-sphere to improve the macro-sphere? These issues and many others will be the focus of symposia, highlighting the latest progress and raising unanswered questions. The many unanswered questions that we will learn about this week emphasise the urgent need for ecological knowledge and our ecological expertise. And while the EcoTAS17 theme may seem especially applied, putting ‘pure’ ecology to work has never been more important. One way to do that is through communicating discoveries to a broader audience; engaging society in how their natural heritage works. Not sure how to do that? Get yourself to the communicating ecology symposium!

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Into this feast of ecology I particularly welcome our New Zealand colleagues to Australia for our joint conference.

Our shared conferences are wonderful opportunities to learn more about how ecology is put to work differently in our two countries, countries which face similar challenges and are coming up with novel solutions. I think of our countries as being parallel universes, the same experiment run in different places with similar, but not the same outcomes.

We both have mainland-islands, but with different mesh size, we both have possums but love them to different extents, and we both have stop signs, but with different fonts. That’s a clear sign that it’s time to stop reading this and go and talk with an ecologist you haven’t met yet. Have fun, learn new things, then tell people about it.

NZ ES PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

Clayson Howell President, New Zealand Ecological Society Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.

On behalf of the New Zealand Ecological Society, it is my pleasure to welcome delegates to EcoTAS17, the 6th joint conference of the New Zealand Ecological Society and the Ecological Society of Australia. Joint conferences across the Tasman Sea provide an excellent opportunity to discover new research and strengthen connections between the people that make up our societies.

Many thanks to the conference organisers for putting together a comprehensive programme that looks as though it will be difficult to choose between sessions. I am sure that the theme of ‘putting ecology to work’ will be a catalyst for many animated discussions.

I am looking forward to the conference, see you all in the Hunter Valley.

Join us in BRISBANE for

ESA18 Sunday 25 to Thursday 29 November 2018 At the Royal International Convention Centre

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ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

ABOUT THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA The Ecological Society of Australia Incorporated (ESA) is the peak group of ecologists in Australia, with over 1500 members from all states and territories. The Ecological Society of Australia has an impressive 50-year history supporting ecologists, promoting ecology and ecological research. We aim to create a community of knowledge and understanding amongst ecologists, and reach out to those working in related fields. We invite you to join us in our efforts to promote the scientific study of all organisms in relation to their environment, and encourage the application of ecological principles in the developments, use and conservation of Australia’s natural resources.

SEE MORE AT

www.ecolsoc.org.au

Membership applications are invited from any student or qualified professional working in ecology or a related field. All new membership applications must be supported by a one-page CV and will be

ESA

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assessed on the basis that the applicants career activities or qualifications are consistent with the objectives of the Society. ESA is an open organisation and encourages a broad membership.

Members are encouraged to use the Society to connect with ecologists and facilitate activities that improve our ecological knowledge. Below are some of the possible ways that you might interact with the rest of the ESA membership: •• Join a research chapter •• Attend conferences to share your research; organise a symposium or run a workshop •• Suggest a hot topic •• Volunteer to organise an event •• Join one of our initiatives.

There are often committees or working groups that organise particular events or programmes. Please contact us if you feel that you would like to become involved or have a particular skill that could be used to support the society’s activities.

ESA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2017 The ESA invites you to attend the Society’s AGM Tuesday 28 November | 1815-1845 | Cypress 2

•• 2017 AGM Papers available for download at www.ecolsoc.org.au •• Proxy voting forms are available at the ESA booth.

•• Complimentary drinks for voting members.

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ABOUT THE NEW ZEALAND ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY The New Zealand Ecological Society was formed in 1951 to promote the study of ecology and the application of ecological knowledge in all its aspects. Through its activities, the not-for-profit society publishes ecological research in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology, increases awareness and understanding of ecological principles and promotes sound ecological planning and management of the natural and human environment. The society also aims to foster collaboration and communication among ecologists.

The New Zealand Ecological Society encourages high standards both within the profession of ecology by those practicing it, and by those bodies employing ecologists.

SEE MORE AT

www.newzealandecology.org

The Society has over 550 members, and membership is open to all with an interest in ecology. There is a small membership fee, with discounts for unwaged members (including students) and members of the Ecological Society of Australia.

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AGM 2017

Members are encouraged to use the Society to connect with ecologists and facilitate activities that improve our ecological knowledge. Below are some activities that you might wish to join to interact with the rest of NZ ES members.

•• An annual conference comprising symposia, contributed papers and workshops, field trips and social functions.

•• A scientific journal, New Zealand Journal of Ecology, published twice a year, containing refereed articles on both fundamental and applied ecological research.

•• A regular newsletter, to inform members of society activities and ecological news, and foster debate on current ecological issues.

•• Awards, grants and prizes for New Zealand ecologists and students.

•• Preparation of submissions on government policies relating to the NZ natural environment.

•• Involvement in ecological education at schools and universities.

•• Other special-purpose publications.

NZ ES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2017 The ESA invites you to attend the Society’s AGM Tuesday 28 November | 1815-1845 | Cypress 3

•• Complimentary drinks for voting members.

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SPONSORS AND EXHIBITORS Many thanks to the following organisations for their support

O F F I C E O F E N V I R O N M E N T A N D H E R I TAG E SAVING OUR SPECIES

NSW is home to unique animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. The NSW Government, as part of its Saving our Species program, is investing $100 million over five years, to reverse a decline in threatened plants and animals.

Unlike other conservation projects, Saving our Species prioritises between threatened Australian native plants and Australian animals and draws up specific management actions necessary for the survival of each of them. Over the next 12 months, conservation projects for over 300 threatened species will be undertaken.

Conservation programs like this one only succeed as a collaborative effort. As such, the Saving our Species program involves NSW businesses, research organisations, schools, landholders, government agencies, land conservation groups and various other members of the community. To find out how more, or how you can be involved please visit www.environment.nsw.gov.au/sos

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND Environment

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The University of New England Life, Earth and Environment research theme is a highly active community of academics engaged in discipline-based and interdisciplinary research that spans ecological and built landscapes. Our purpose is to undertake high quality research that improves our understanding of ecosystem, earth sciences and biodiversity, as a means to advance ecosystem resilience, and to inform management practices that contribute to ongoing sustainable landscape use and restoration. Join us to advance your studies in one of our focus research areas.

TERN TERN is the national observatory for Australian terrestrial ecosystems, delivering data streams that enable environmental research and management. TERN’s infrastructure is designed to examine Australian terrestrial ecosystems and ecosystem processes at different scales from targeted monitoring at the local level, through to surveillance monitoring at regional scales, through to continental scale observation and modelling. TERN’s infrastructure encompasses every major vegetation group, ecoregion, and agro-climatic zone across the country ranging from deserts to coasts, rainforests, grasslands, and alpine regions.

INFORMATION AND LOGISTICS Conference Venue Cypress Lakes Conference Centre 15 Thompsons Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320

Registration The registration and information desk is located at the main entry to the Conference Centre.

Please note ALL attendees to EcoTAS17 must be registered. Conference name badges are required when attending sessions and social functions.

Conference Materials To maintain an environmentally sound approach to resource management, the Book of Abstracts is available as an electronic PDF file only. The conference handbook and program is available for all attendees.

The conference app contains all program details, presenter biographies and all abstracts. The app can be downloaded by scanning the QR code above or at the following url: https://kaigi. eventsair.com/attendeeapp/ecotas2017/ attendee/ Conference Secretariat Kaigi Conferencing and Events Level 1, The Realm 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 T 02 6198 3218 | M 0488 445 029 E esa@kaigi.com.au

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Internet Access We are pleased to offer complimentary wi-fi access throughout the conference venue.

The password is ECOTAS. #EcoTAS17 Tweeting Etiquette Content of all presentations is open to be shared on social media unless stated otherwise by the presenters.

•• Do not tweet slides or sensitive information that presenters publicly ask to be kept off social media.

•• Apply good social manners when tweeting.

•• Do not tweet rude comments.

•• Have fun and stay reasonable.

Parents Room For attendees with small children, we are pleased to offer the use of a parent’s room during the conference hours. Please see staff at the Registration Desk for further information and access.

Disclaimer EcoTAS17: the 2017 Joint Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the New Zealand Ecological Society, including the Conference Secretariat, will not accept liability for any damage of any nature sustained by participants or their accompanying persons for loss or damage to their personal property as a result of the 2017 conference and exhibition or related events.

All details contained in this Conference Handbook, the accompanying Book of Abstracts and the conference app are correct at the time of printing.

Privacy Information provided during the conference registration will be used to administer the Conference, including accommodation, catering, transport, support and exhibition. Data obtained will remain the property of Kaigi Conferencing and Events, The Ecological Society of Australia and The New Zealand Ecological Society.

INFORMATION FOR PRESENTERS AND SESSION CHAIRS Oral Presentations All presentations must be uploaded via Speakers’ Preparation, and not individual rooms.

Speakers’ Preparation is located in Cypress 5 and will be open during the following times: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

26 November 27 November 28 November 29 November 30 November

1400-1800 0800-1800 0800-1800 0800-1700 0800-1300

Please note that with over 400 presenters at this conference, there is likely to be congestion at Speakers’ Preparation, In order to avoid inconvenience we advise you to upload your presentation well in advance of your session.

Posters Posters are on display in the Event Centre.

Poster presenters are to ensure their posters are: •• Set up (by morning tea) Monday 27 November •• Pulled down (by the end of lunch) Thursday 30 November The Barbara Rice Memorial Poster Session •• Monday 27 November, 1745-1930 Poster presenters are requested to be by their posters at this time, to discuss the content of their poster with delegates.

ESA’s famous ‘sticky dot’ system will be used – poster presenters will be able to reward delegates with ‘sticky dots’ if they ask questions, which can be redeemed for beverages at the bar. (2 dots = 1 drink).

Guidelines for Session Chairs Presenters will report to their session room 20 minutes prior to the start of the session to confirm their presentation is correctly loaded and to meet with the Session Chair.

All presentations will be preloaded.

Session Chairs should request that presenters sit in the front row.

At the start of the session, the Session Chair will introduce themselves, the topic and general format for the session.

Oral presenters are allocated 15 mins, which includes strictly 10 mins for presentations and 5 mins for questions or changeover. It is unlikely that there will be an opportunity for questions during the speed talks.

All presenters will be introduced as per their details in the program.

Session Chairs will be responsible for ensuring the session runs strictly to time as delegates may wish to move between rooms to listen to different presentation.

Each presentation room has a timer and a bell.

Oral presenters will receive a time warning at 8 mins to indicate 2 mins remaining. The floor will then be open to questions from the audience. Speed talk presenters will receive a time warning at 3 mins to indicate 1 min remaining. It is important that Session Chairs ensure that presenters strictly adhere to the allocated time, the Session Chair has authority to end the presentation.

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Jamie Ataria Co-Deputy Director Centre of Research Excellence

Tēnā koutou (greetings). James is a Māori descended from the Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Raukawa tribes of the East Coast and Central North Island of New Zealand. He is currently employed part-time at the Bioprotection Research Centre (Lincoln University) as a Senior Lecturer where he leads lead a research project entitled ‘Mātauranga Māori (Māori traditional and contemporary knowledge) characterisations of NZ’s biodiversity.’ James began his career as an ecotoxicologist completing his PhD and continuing research into biological effects-based testing as an approach to understand the effects of contaminants on organisms present in the receiving environment. This interest continues today particularly on the topic of emerging chemical contaminants and the management of biowastes. James enjoys conducting his research within multi-disciplinary/multi-organisational programmes that are firmly embedded in Māori issues and process but with strong linkages to end-user organisations. This approach interfaces between science and mātauranga Māori and explores mechanisms that promote mutual understanding in a research context and equality of uptake in environmental

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resource management policy and decision making. James also has interests in Māori development through business and education. He is a Trustee of a Māori Ahuwhenua Land Trust with commercial interests in energy generation, food production and communication, a Māori business development manager at the Cawthron Institute, and Co-Deputy Director at Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga (Centre of Research Excellence). James is also a founding member and Trustee on the Establishment Board of Trustees for Te Pā o Rākaihautū (Designated Special Character School in Christchurch) which employs a Māori education philosophy.

Keynote presentation 1000-1030, Monday 27 November 2017

Professor Luciano Beheregaray Professor of Biodiversity; ARC Future Fellow, Flinders University, SA

Luciano Beheregaray is a Professor of Biodiversity and an ARC Future Fellow at Flinders University, in Adelaide. His research interests are in conservation and evolutionary genetics and genomics of aquatic animals.

His work illustrates how natural history can stimulate public interest about the importance of biodiversity. He has worked in several remote ecosystems around the world and his research has featured in >3,200 media releases. In Amazonia, he pioneered the combination of genome scans with landscape genetics to clarify adaptive divergence and speciation. In the Galápagos, he produced groundbreaking findings about the evolution of one of the world’s most fascinating radiations. In Australia, he coordinates a multi-institutional team that is linking the distribution and adaptive potential of marine and freshwater biodiversity with key environmental and anthropogenic factors. Luciano received his BSc and MSc in Biological Oceanography at University of Rio Grande (Brazil) and PhD at Macquarie University (Sydney, 2001).

He worked at Yale University as a ‘Gaylord Donnelley Environmental Research Fellow’ before starting a tenure position at Macquarie in 2003, followed by a move to Flinders in 2009. In the last ten years his lab produced 170+ papers and he graduated 16 PhD students. He is the head of the Molecular Ecology Lab at Flinders University and is currently an Australian Research Council Future Fellow with a focus on ecological genomics of adaptation in fish.

Ecological genomics of adaptation to environmental change 0900-0945, Tuesday 28 November

Understanding whether natural populations will be able to adapt to selective pressures associated with rapid environmental and climatic change is a research priority. In this talk I will present results (and unresolved challenges) from three research programs that study adaptation across the ranges of several marine and freshwater species. These research programs explore natural replicates of the adaptation process by comparing closely related species and populations in geographically separate environments or in shared environments. Our framework to study population adaptations integrates information from population genomic datasets with environmental mapping, trait phenotyping and experiments in wild and captive populations. Some of our results allowed testing general ecosystem-level theories relevant to climatic adaptation and vulnerability; others challenged paradigms in conservation biology.

Our key findings include: (i) environmental heterogeneity and natural ecological disturbance influenced levels of adaptive divergence in highly connected metapopulations; (ii) variance in global gene expression (a surrogate for phenotypic plasticity) might contribute to the evolutionary potential of small populations; (iii) populations from more variable habitats showed higher adaptive resilience to climate change.

Strategies for cataloguing adaptive resilience to environmental change in ecologically important non-model organisms are presented.

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Dr Peter Bellingham Landcare Research, New Zealand

Te Tohu Taiao Award Presentation

Peter Bellingham is a plant ecologist, who works at Landcare Research (a government research institute) in Lincoln, near Christchurch, New Zealand. His research has focused on long-term (decadal) dynamics in forests and effects of disturbances such as hurricanes and earthquakes. He has a long-standing interest in the ecological consequences of biological invasions, and the interactions between biological invasions and natural disturbance, aboveand below-ground. He also has a research focus on the ecological restoration of island and coastal ecosystems, often working with the Māori communities that own them.

He has been involved in the development and implementation of inventory and monitoring systems for terrestrial biodiversity for New Zealand’s national and international reporting and for evaluating the effectiveness of policy and management.

Most of his research has been carried out in New Zealand, but he has also conducted studies in Jamaica, Japan, Puerto Rico, Tonga, and Australia.

How well is New Zealand doing in reporting the state and trends of its biodiversity?

0900-0945, Tuesday 28 November 2017

New Zealand is a global biodiversity hotspot with high endemism (e.g., 85% of the vascular flora). Its biodiversity is

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under pressure from biological invasions, land use changes, and climate change.

Central and regional government agencies in New Zealand have developed terrestrial biodiversity indicators in response to national and international requirements to report status and trends in biodiversity. Since 2011, concurrent measurements of indicators of plant communities, bird communities, and of some non-native mammals have been implemented across 8.6 million ha (onethird of New Zealand’s land area, public land designated for conservation) at sample points located systematically at the intersections of an 8-km × 8-km grid superimposed across New Zealand. A current challenge is to extend implementation of terrestrial biodiversity indicators across private land, including agricultural landscapes, plantation forests, and urban ecosystems. The same indicators used on public conservation land have been implemented since 2014 in one region. New environmental-DNA-based indicators of belowground biodiversity and plant communities have been implemented.

Results of state and trends in components of biodiversity will be presented. There is general agreement for evidence-based decisions and a stated need for better information about trends in biodiversity in New Zealand.

Current efforts span multiple agencies and the research community and this talk will also address the need for coordination and sustainability of current efforts.

Richard Fuller University of Queensland

Australian Ecology Research Award (AERA) Presentation

Richard Fuller is an Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow at the University of Queensland. He studies how people have affected the natural world around them, and how some of their destructive effects can best be reversed. To answer these questions, the lab group works on pure and applied topics in biodiversity and conservation. Much of the work is interdisciplinary, focusing on the interactions between people and nature, how these can be enhanced, and how these relationships can be shaped to converge on coherent solutions to the biodiversity crisis. See www.fullerlab.org and www.facebook.com/fullerlab

Conserving mobile species 1400-1445, Tuesday 28 November 2017

The distributions of many species are dynamic in space and time, with movements ranging from regular and predictable migrations to enigmatic, resource-driven nomadism. Conserving mobile species is challenging because they ignore political boundaries, and the impact of threats or conservation actions at one site depends on what is happening at other sites that may be thousands of kilometres away or in another jurisdiction.

I will cover some of the theoretical underpinnings of mobile species conservation, and illustrate some of the ecological and institutional challenges of conserving mobile species with case studies including the latest research on nomadic birds in Australia’s interior, the global coordination of protected area designation, and the collapsing populations of shorebirds that migrate between the Arctic and Australasia. I conclude by outlining how progress can be made to achieve smart, joined up conservation for mobile species, emphasizing the need for improved international collaboration, smart protected area planning, and strategies for dealing simultaneously with multiple threats.

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Dr Chris Green Technical Advisor – Threats, Department of Conservation

2016 NZ Ecology in Action Award presentation

Dr Chris Green has worked for the Department of Conservation for 30 years after gaining his PhD in entomology through a study of tortricid leafroller pests. His current role is as a technical advisor, threats, involving advice into pest eradication programmes within New Zealand and beyond. Chris has led a 16 year programme to successfully eradicate Argentine ants from Tiritiri Matangi Island, and been an advisor to Argentine ant eradication programmes on Santa Cruz Island, California, and Norfolk Island. He has also designed and implemented island pest surveillance programmes to identify new pest incursions. Chris has considerable experience as a member of many Technical Advisory Groups set up to guide eradication of new to New Zealand pests including successful campaigns against Painted Apple Moth, Red Imported Fire Ant, Fall Webworm, Asian Gypsy Moth and most recently Large White Butterfly. Chris has demonstrated the positive outcome of rodent eradications on islands through measurement of the ground invertebrate fauna. As part of island restoration programmes Chris has restored threatened invertebrate species to islands following rodent eradication.

This includes the successful 12 year programme to re-establish two new populations of the Little Barrier Island Giant Weta on two islands within its previous range.

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Pest eradication and returning lost species leads to successful island restoration 0945-1030, Thursday 30 November

New Zealand is a world leader in island pest eradications and subsequent transfer of fauna species to restore island ecosystems. These programmes have been important contributions to the recovery of threatened endemic species. The eradication of Argentine ant (Linepthema humile) and reintroduction of wetapunga, a giant weta (Deinacrida heteracantha) have contributed to the ongoing restoration of Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, New Zealand. Argentine ant was first discovered in March 2000 and delimiting surveys revealed a 10ha infestation, extended to 11ha in 2009 after a second incursion.

An eradication programme commenced in February 2001 with paste baits (a.i. 0.01% fipronil) spread manually in a 2 x 3 metre grid over the entire area. The second year employed a 1 x 3 metre spacing. The same toxic bait was used throughout the programme to kill residual colonies and a non-toxic version used to intensively monitor progress. Eradication from the island was declared in 2016 after absence for three consecutive years.

Wetapunga were previously distributed throughout Northland and Auckland regions including islands in the Hauraki Gulf. Habitat loss and exotic predators resulted in a decline in distribution to just Te Hauturu-o-Toi / Little Barrier Island. To secure the species a recovery programme aimed to set up additional island populations. Small numbers were collected to breed and provide progeny for release onto Tiritiri Matangi. Releases in 2011, 2014 and 2015 to three separate release sites have been monitored visually and with tracking tunnels to verify establishment.

Professor Sue Hartley Professor of Ecology, University of York, UK

Sue Hartley is Professor of Ecology at the University of York, UK and Director of the York Environmental Sustainability Institute. She is a community ecologist recognised internationally for her work on the interactions between organisms, particularly plants and their herbivores.

She has studied plant-herbivore interactions from the sub-arctic to the tropical rainforest, published over 130 papers and trained over 30 PhD students.

Currently, her research is focussed on using natural plant defences, particularly silicon, as a sustainable way to protect crops against pests.

Sue studied Biochemistry at the University of Oxford and has a PhD in Ecology from the University of York. She joined the University of Sussex in 2001, where she began her research on the use of silicon to increase crop resilience to drought, disease and insect pests. In 2010 she moved back to the University of York to become Director of the York Environmental Sustainability Institute, an innovative research partnership bringing together leading researchers from a broad range of disciplines to tackle key global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and threats to food security.

Sue is a member of the BBSRC’s Strategic Advisory Panel on Agriculture and Food Security and Chair of their Sustainable

Agriculture Research Innovation Club. In 2009 she delivered the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, only the 4th woman to do since they were started in 1825.

She is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, a trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and President of the British Ecological Society.

Pests, pathogens and unpredictable rainfall: using ecology to address global challenges in food security 0945-1030, Tuesday 28 November 2017

Globally around a quarter of crop yield is lost to pests and diseases, even with the use of modern methods of crop protection, whilst the production of sufficient food is also increasingly threatened by unpredictable and extreme weather. Given the projected increase in global demand for food and the impacts of a warmer climate on the spread and abundance of current and emerging pest species, we urgently need new sustainable ways to protect crops, ones which are not dependant on scarce resources to produce and which do not harm the beneficial organisms in agricultural ecosystems. We also need to make crops more resilient to drought as temperatures rise and weather patterns change. The ability of crops to defend against pests and survive drought has EcoTAS17 17

been reduced because we have selected varieties with high yield at the expense of other beneficial traits, but it remains in wild ancestors, offering the possibility of restoring these capabilities to our crops in future.

This talk explores the inter-disciplinary approaches which may provide new sustainable methods of crop protection and resilience to climate change. It will focus on the benefits of plant silicon, which accumulates to high levels in most food and forage grasses and provides protection against herbivore

and pathogens, as well as mitigating the impacts of abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. The talk presents recent findings on the environmental, phenotypic and genotypic determinants of silicon levels in plants: climate, levels of herbivory, plant traits such as stomatal density, and plant gene expression are key drivers, whilst crop domestication has had a relatively small impact. These advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the uptake and deposition of silicon-based defences could drive new ways of maintaining crop yields in the face of current threats.

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01/09/2017 15:56

Dr Steve Morton

ESA Gold Medal Winner

Steve is an Honorary Professorial Fellow with Charles Darwin University in Alice Springs. He studied at the Universities of Melbourne, California at Irvine, and Sydney. He joined CSIRO in Alice Springs to work in the desert environment that has long been his focus. Subsequently, from 2000 until 2011, he helped lead CSIRO as Chief of Division and Executive Team member. In 2011 he returned to live in Alice Springs, from where he serves on a variety of boards and committees relating to environmental science and natural resource management.

Reflections on long involvement in Australian ecology 1445-1515, Monday 27 November 2017

The honour of receiving ESA’s Gold Medal prompts reflection, condensing into three topics. Firstly, of course, I want to talk about the challenge of doing ecology in the Outback, and its stuttering progress with few people and vast landscapes.

This is not a complaint, for the situation is explicable; and yet sometimes I wish it were otherwise. Second, ecology is very much a human activity, although our disciplinary culture seems to highlight only occasionally the importance of colleagues, collaborators, mentors and role modellers. I might mention some people important to me. Finally, ecology is in an interesting space as our continent and the globe continue experiencing the great human acceleration. Our discipline is at its core a science, a dispassionate search for facts unaffected by sentiment – and yet simultaneously it is an expression of a value system favouring greater weighting for the environment in human decision-making. I fear that we are struggling to straddle this contrast.

Resolution of the dilemmas lies in future, as the next scientific generations think more deeply about the intersection of ecology and values, and about how the discipline might best contribute to societal need. I leave you with my thanks.

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Leah Talbot Indigenous Researcher, CSIRO

Leah Talbot is currently employed by CSIRO as an Indigenous Researcher.

She is a descendant of the Kuku Yalanji People, Indigenous people from Far North Queensland, Australia. Leah has recently completed her PhD, exploring the integration of conservation management and Indigenous knowledge and governance systems. In particular she investigated the conditions that enable Indigenous knowledge to be recognised and supported by Indigenous governance in Protected Areas and undertook a comparative study between the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in Australia and the Laponia World Area in Sweden.

Leah has many years of experience in conservation and environmental management, high level Indigenous negotiations and developing collaborative Indigenous research methodologies and participative planning with Indigenous communities. She also has experience in International forums particularly in environment policy, community engagement and Indigenous involvement.

Generally, her interests have always included social justice issues, Indigenous peoples rights and responsibilities, environmental issues, protection of cultural and natural resources, and finding ways and methods to develop a better future for our planet and people.

Leah is also a current Board Director

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with the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and member of the Indigenous Advisory Committee to the Minister for Department of Environment and Energy.

Leah has a Masters of Science (with a Thesis: Indigenous Land Management Techniques) and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies.

How can … Indigenous governance and the application of Indigenous knowledge – support ecology being put to work …

0930-1000, Monday 27 November

Carol West Honorary Research Associate, Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand

Carol West is an Honorary Research Associate with the Department of Conservation based in Wellington, New Zealand. She has recently retired from her role as Director of the Terrestrial Ecosystems Unit in the Science and Policy Group of DOC’s National Office. In her roles as a scientist and team leader within DOC over the past 25 years, she has conducted or facilitated research to understand what management interventions might be necessary to conserve Aotearoa/New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage. Her research has focussed on plant ecology, primarily forest dynamics, island ecology, and the impacts of invasive plants. She has undertaken research throughout the NZ archipelago from subtropical Raoul Island to subantarctic Campbell Island, providing advice to managers not only in New Zealand but also in Australia (Lord Howe Island) and Japan, where she was based in 2004-2005 as Visiting Professor in the Centre for Research on Wild Plants, Utsunomiya University. Her knowledge as a plant ecologist has provided fundamental contributions to weed eradication strategy and the classification of naturally uncommon ecosystems, as examples.

Putting ecology to work: improving biodiversity outcomes in the Pacific 1400-1445, Monday 27 November

Research underpins achievement of outcomes and is the basis for advice. A solid understanding of ecological principles along

with wide experience of ecosystems and keeping abreast of new knowledge enables general provision of advice.

Underpinning the revegetation of Tiritiri Matangi and subsequent reintroduction of numerous native animals, primarily bird species, was research on the potential for regeneration of native forest on this largely deforested island.

Seed rain and native seedling establishment were investigated alongside known successional pathways but a natural pathway that would ultimately result in native forest recovery was not described in NZ at the time. Nonetheless, advice on revegetation could be provided to enable people to enjoy the unique birdsong of Aotearoa/New Zealand and understand just how altered the mainland ecosystems are today.

Native ecosystems often benefit from the removal of invasive plant species but knowing whether an invasive plant species needs management depends on an understanding of species biology and plant succession. While there will be biodiversity benefits, there are also usually economic and sometimes human health benefits. New Zealand has been at the forefront of practice, public policy, and legislation to manage invasive species, all of which has been based on ecology. I will describe some of that journey as it relates to invasive plant species.

Advice and support in the wider Pacific has facilitated weed, rat and mongoose eradication from islands in Japan, weed eradication on Lord Howe Island, and sought to improve protection of coastal wetlands and mudflats in the Yellow Sea region.

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Dr Martin Westgate Australian National University

ESA Next Generation Ecologist Award Presentation

Martin Westgate is a Postdoctoral Fellow in ecology and conservation biology at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University. Following a background in quantifying change in biotic assemblages, his research now focusses on the role of synthesis in supporting scientific development and evidence-based ecosystem management Mainstreaming text mining for rapid synthesis of biodiversity science 1345-1430, Thursday 30 November

Modern science produces thousands of peer-reviewed articles every year.

How can scientists hope to condense this vast quantity of information into usable evidence for improved policy and management? This question is particularly important for ecologists, given the central role of ecosystem science in helping to manage critical societal needs such as clear air, water, and carbon abatement, and informing ways to avert biodiversity loss. Recent developments in computer science provide a set of tools that can make the synthesis process more efficient, sometimes reducing project times by up to 97% in the (predominantly medical) applications where they have been

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trialed. Many of these tools remain poorly tested in ecology, however, meaning that there remains a risk of reducing effort only at the cost of increased bias.

Further, this bias may be exacerbated in ecological and conservation applications due to the diversity and complexity of the problems being investigated, and the evolving nature of the language used to describe them. In this talk, I will outline a range of new and existing software tools that can increase efficiency and rigor of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

More importantly, I will discuss the risks of uncritically drawing on complex decision-support software, both in terms of potential bias within individual synthesis projects, and in relation to the influence of text-mining algorithms on the process of scientific learning and discovery. I conclude by outlining how future research can address these issues by drawing together computational and ecological expertise in a structured way.

Persoonia pauciflora, Nathan Emery, BGCP

Brush-tailed rock wallaby, Michael van Ewijk, OEH

NSW is home to unique animal and plant species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. The NSW Government, as part of its Saving our Species program, is investing $100 million over five years, to reverse a decline in threatened plants and animals.

Unlike other conservation projects, Saving our Species prioritises between threatened Australian native plants and Australian animals and draws up specific management actions necessary for the survival of each of them. Over the next 12 months, conservation projects for over 300 threatened species will be undertaken.

Conservation programs like this one only succeed as a collaborative effort. As such, the Saving our Species program involves NSW businesses, research organisations, schools, landholders, government agencies, land conservation groups and various other members of the community.

To find out how more, or how you can be involved please visit www.environment.nsw.gov.au/sos

CONFERENCE PROGRAM AT A GLANCE Sunday 26 November 2017 0900-1700 1730-1830

Post-Graduate Day Welcome Drinks & Conference Registration

Cypress #2 Conference Centre lobby and lawns

Monday 27 November 2017 0630-0730

Morning Yoga

Plenary Session One 1000-1030

Welcome to Country and Conference Opening KEYNOTE ADDRESS Leah Talbot KEYNOTE ADDRESS Jamie Ataria

1030-1100

MORNING TEA

0905-0930 0930-1000

1100-1300

Insect Ecology Research Chapter – insects punching above their weight (Part 1) SYMPOSIUM Tree Mortality – When, Where, and Why Do Trees Die? (Part 1) SYMPOSIUM Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Urban Ecology Agro Ecology Conservation Biology

1445-1515

Dr Carol West KEYNOTE ADDRESS Dr Steve Morton, ESA Gold Medal Winner

1515-1545

AFTERNOON TEA

1545-1745

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

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Wattagan Room Sugarloaf Room Bimbadeen Room Cypress #2 Cypress #3

The Convention Centre

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

SYMPOSIUM Insect Ecology Research Chapter – insects punching

1745-1930

Brokenback Room

LUNCH

Plenary Session Two 1400-1445

The Convention Centre

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

SYMPOSIUM

1300-1400

Bistro lawns

Brokenback Room

above their weight (Part 2) SYMPOSIUM Tree Mortality – When, Where, and Why Do Trees Die? (Part 2) Wattagan Room Sugarloaf Room Open Session Bimbadeen Room Urban Ecology Cypress #2 Conservation Biology The Event Centre Barbara Rice Memorial Poster Session

Tuesday 28 November 2017 0630-0730

Morning Yoga

Plenary Session Three

0900-0945 KEYNOTE ADDRESS Professor Luciano Beheregaray 0945-1030 KEYNOTE ADDRESS Professor Sue Hartley 1030-1100 1100-1230

1330-1530

The Convention Centre

Morning tea CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Functional roles of plant silicon: how plants get it and what they use it for Socio-Ecological Interactions Ecological Modelling Open Session Landscape Ecology Open Session Lunch SYMPOSIUM

1230-1330

Bistro lawns

Brokenback Room Wattagan Room Sugarloaf Room Bimbadeen Room Cypress #2 Cypress #3

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

SYMPOSIUM Microscopic Interactions with Macroscopic Effects (Part 1) Brokenback Room SYMPOSIUM Novel methods for identifying and managing refuges

1530-1600

across scales and ecosystems Ecological Modelling – Plants Restoration Ecology Landscape Ecology Community Ecology Afternoon tea

1600-1800

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Wattagan Room Sugarloaf Room Bimbadeen Room Cypress #2 Cypress #3

SYMPOSIUM Microscopic Interactions with Macroscopic Effects (Part 2) Brokenback Room SYMPOSIUM Invertebrate Ecology of Managed Grasslands –

1700-1800 1800-1815 1815-1845 1900-2000

addressing the new challenges SYMPOSIUM Putting Ecology to Work at the Land Development Frontier Restoration Ecology Marine and Freshwater Ecology Disturbance Ecology - Fire EcoEd: training and skill development for the EcoScience community ESA Photo Competition (Announcement of Winners) ESA AGM NZ ES AGM Holsworth Alumni Event

Wattagan Room Sugarloaf Room Bimbadeen Room Cypress #2 Cypress #3 Brokenback Room Cypress #2 Cypress #2 Cypress #3 Brokenback Room

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Wednesday 29 November 2017 0630-0730

Morning Yoga

Plenary Session Four 0900-0930 0925-0950 0950-0955 0955-1010 1010-1025 1025-1040 1040-1100 1100-1300

ESA President’s Address 2016 TNC Applied Conservation Award Winner Presentation Presentation of 2017 Jill Landsberg Trust Fund Scholarship 2016 Jill Landsberg Trust Fund Scholarship Presentation 2016 Wiley Fundamental Ecology Award Winner Presentation 2017 Applied Forest Ecology Presentation

Bistro lawns The Convention Centre

MORNING TEA

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

SYMPOSIUM Vulnerability and Resilience of Grasslands in Oceania to Brokenback Room

Climate Change SYMPOSIUM Communicating Ecology to a Broad Audience – novel ideas and approaches SYMPOSIUM Effectiveness Monitoring (Part 1) Forest Ecology Invasion Ecology

Wattagan Room Sugarloaf Room Bimbadeen Room Cypress #2 Cypress #3

1300-1400

LUNCH

Plenary Session Five

1530-1600

AERA PRESENTATION Dr Richard Fuller THE NEED FOR SPEED Featured Speed Talks OEH/ESA Outstanding outreach award recipient 2016 presentation Afternoon tea

1600-1800

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

1400-1445 1445-1520 1520-1530

SYMPOSIUM Assisted Migration Under Climate Change

The Convention Centre

Brokenback Room

SYMPOSIUM Novel Management Interventions for Threatened Species Wattagan Room

1900-2300

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SYMPOSIUM Effectiveness Monitoring (Part 2)

Sugarloaf Room

Global Change Invasion Ecology – Plants Open Session

Bimbadeen Room

Conference Dinner Poolside Marquee

Pool Marquee

Cypress #2 Cypress #3

Thursday 30 November 2017 Plenary Session Six 0900-0945 0945-1030 1030-1100 1100-1300

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Te Tohu Taiao Award Presentation

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

2016 NZ Ecology in Action Award Presentation

Peter Bellingham Dr Chris Green

The Convention Centre

MORNING TEA

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

SYMPOSIUM Assessing Risks to Ecosystems – research and

Brokenback Room

SYMPOSIUM Changing Australia – emerging trends, trade-offs and synergies of landscape transformation in rural Australia SYMPOSIUM Enabling Ecosystem Surveillance Monitoring across Australia – putting ecology to work Ecological Modelling Conservation Biology Forest Ecology Lunch

Wattagan Room

applications

1300-1345

Plenary Session Seven

Next Generation Ecologist: Martin Westgate

1345-1430

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

1430-1500

Prizes and Awards Conference Close Afternoon tea Movie night - TERRA (2015)

1500-1500 1500-1530 1800-2000

Sugarloaf Room Bimbadeen Room Cypress #2 Cypress #3

The Convention Centre

Brokenback Room

Friday 1 December 2017 Workshops (Additional Costs) 0900-1100 1000-1200 1000-1600 1000-1600

Media Skills Training Data Science in Monitoring Programs – empowering management and conservation Innovative Tools for Mapping and Modelling Species Distributions Nature Journaling – a practical way to combine art and science

Cypress #3 Cypress #5 Cypress #1 Hotel lobby

Field Trips (Additional Costs) 0730-1700

0800-1300 1000-1400

Upper Riparian and Equine Industry Vegetation Rehabilitation Projects Indigenous Cultural Field Trip Wine and Cheese in the Hunter Valley EcoTAS17 27

SYMPOSIA

Tree Mortality: When, Where and Why do Trees Die?

MONDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2017

Belinda Medlyn

Insect Ecology Research Chapter: insects punching above their weight Heloise Gibb and Nigel Andrew This intentionally broad symposium presents a starting point for the Insect Ecology research chapter. Insects and other invertebrates make up the vast majority of terrestrial biodiversity.

They also make up a large component of animal biomass and are critical for ecosystem function. Despite their importance, the majority of insects remain undescribed and their ecologies poorly understood. Further, the public understanding of their value is limited.

We showcase the diversity of insect-focussed ecological research, starting with fundamental ecology, physiology and behaviour and moving to applied research, including topics such as restoration, conservation and ecosystem services. We also consider the popular perceptions of insects and how they might be changed to encourage greater understanding of the value of insects.

This is a broad and inclusive symposium, which has the primary aim of bringing together the diversity of ecologists who study insects. While it is taxonomically focused, our symposium provides opportunities for cross-pollination among sub-disciplines of ecology: we will cover ecological, behavioural, physiological, and community dynamics.

Our aim is to provide an overview of the immense diversity of work that is being done with insects.

The symposium addresses key issues in relation to the use of insects in ecological research (pure and applied), management, conservation, and outreach contexts.

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This symposium is affiliated with the new ESA chapter “Theory of Australian Ecosystems”. This symposium aims to bring together researchers working on tree mortality – a key process in forest ecosystems. The symposium will consider background rates of tree mortality as well as accelerated mortality, i.e. tree dieback events. Background mortality is an important driver of population dynamics, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and life-history evolution within plant communities. Dieback is of high ecological and economic significance because of its potential to greatly change the nature of ecosystems and the services they provide.

While past research has identified factors influencing tree mortality across a variety of scales, these factors are yet to be integrated within a cohesive and predictive framework.

The goals of the symposium are to: 1. Better understand causes of mortality in forests, 2. Compare patterns of mortality being observed in different ecosystems across Australia / NZ, and 3. Discuss methods that can be used to detect, quantify, and predict rates of mortality.

The symposium will be interdisciplinary – combining observational studies aiming to quantify rates of mortality using plotbased, survey or remote-sensing methods; ecological and physiological studies addressing the causes of mortality; and theoretical work aiming to predict rates and stress thresholds for tree mortality. Tree mortality is a topic of increasing scientific interest worldwide. There have been many reports of heat- and drought-related

mortality events around the globe, including in Australia and NZ, and the risk of such events is very likely to increase with accelerating climate change.

Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Gerry Turpin The theme of EcoTAS 2017 theme is “Putting Ecology to Work”, with the aim of ‘highlighting the significant impact that ecology has in the wider world and how we can best harness the diverse nature of ecological research’. Indigenous people are invited to present or to lead a co-presentation about how their projects and research outcomes, are contributing and making impacts in their community and the wider world.

This Symposium provides an opportunity for Rangers, Traditional Owners and other Indigenous presenters to show how their projects and research, using Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge along with Western Science, are contributing and making impacts to their: •• Culture •• Community including health and economy •• Environmental health and biodiversity.

With thanks to the following for their support of this symposium.

TUESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2017 Functional roles of plant silicon: how plants get it and what they use it for Scott Johnson and Sue Hartley Silicon, acquired from the soil, has long been known to benefit agricultural plants by alleviating the effects of numerous biotic and abiotic stresses, including herbivores, pathogens and environmental extremes.

Research into the ecological significance of silicon in plant interactions is more recent but we have made a number of breakthroughs in recent years, including understanding how plants regulate Si uptake and constraining silicon budgets in ecosystems. Ecologists have proposed that plants use silicon in structural and protective roles at a cheaper cost than carbon-based compounds allowing plants to deploy resources elsewhere (e.g. secondary metabolites with defensive functions).

Together, these functions raise the prospect that we may be able to better use silicon for plant protection and possibly climate change adaptation. This symposium will draw together ecologists working in diverse areas of silicon function in plants to answer questions such as: •• How plants get silicon and why don’t all plants do it?

•• Which herbivores suffer and how do they induce plants to take up more?

•• How do microbes influence silicon uptake?

•• Is silicon always good for plants?

•• How can we use silicon in plants?

We aim to identify recent advances in the role of silicon in plant ecology from the genetic level to an ecosystem perspective. This synthesis will identify how silicon could be used to address contemporary challenges such as plant protection, food security and adaptation to the effects of global climate change and extreme events.

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Microscopic Interactions with Macroscopic Effects: the role of micro-organisms in maintaining and monitoring the health of macro-communities and organisms Jen Wood, Tracey Steinrucken, Anna Hopkins Microbial communities form the microscopic foundation of all ecosystems. Incorrectly functioning microbial communities can lead to disease states in individuals – both in the plant and animal kingdom – and perturbed microbial communities can affect entire ecosystems. In the last two decades, genetic and genomic studies have revealed the astonishing diversity and ubiquity of microorganisms. Virtually all multicellular organisms host a community of symbionts composed of mutualistic, commensal, and pathogenic microbes, i.e., their microbiome.

The rapid growth in microbiome research, particularly since the development of high throughput sequencing technologies, has revealed that microbial communities underpin the health, nutrition, disease susceptibility and environmental adaptations of macroscopic organisms at every trophic level, in every biome.

Investigations into the ecology and consequences of micro-macro interactions, and the effect of changing environmental factors upon these interactions, have yielded novel insights into plant, animal and ecosystem health. Therefore, the effective utilization of microbial ecology research in wider ecological and conservation research is central for the development of robust conservation strategies and has emerged as a crucial requirement for defining restoration targets and assessing the effectiveness of management interventions.

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This Symposium aspires to further raise the profile of microbial ecology research within the wider Ecology community and serve as a platform for initiating collaborations in ecological research that span kingdoms.

Novel Methods for Identifying and Managing Refuges Across Scales and Ecosystems April Reside Refuges are essential for the persistence of many species, particularly animals threatened by invasive predators and disease, changed fire regimes, climate change, and those coping with periodic drought. To protect these species, we need to identify the locations and functions of specific small and large-scale refuges.

Understanding how refuges enable species persistence can allow us to protect and enhance them. This symposium will focus on both the innovative methods being developed to identify refuges within the landscape, and on the role of refuges in management: How can we effectively protect and enhance these critical resources? Refuges range from smallscale, such as rock outcrops or drainage lines with protective microclimate, to larger scale such as mountains or landscapes with features that enable species to survive in the face of these threats.

The goal of this symposium is to enhance our understanding of: 1. How refuges protect species, benefits and limitations; 2. Novel methods for identifying refuges; 3. The latest strategies for refuge management.

Refuges are a key target for management of threatened species and are of great interest to researchers, recovery teams and Australian and state Government conservation planning. Our symposium aims to highlight and synthesise how ecological knowledge and emerging technologies can be used to

identify and manage refuges, aligning closely with the conference theme ‘putting ecology to work’.

Invertebrate Ecology of Managed Grasslands: addressing the new challenges Michael Rostas Natural and managed grasslands form a major part of the Australasian landscape and provide a wealth of ecological services.

For example, grasslands store one third of global carbon stocks and pastures involving legumes provide critical natural N inputs at a time when chemical interventions need to be reduced. In addition, grasslands are of vital importance for human food production as vast areas of rangelands and pastures are used for livestock. Grasslands are one of the most densely populated ecosystems with invertebrates being probably the most important engineers that shape both plant communities and the grassland as a whole. However, many aspects of grassland-invertebrate interactions are poorly understood and in a rapidly changing world new challenges such as climate change, invasive species and biocontrol failure are on the horizon. This symposium will highlight the following topics, thereby combining fundamental and applied ecological questions: •• The impact of climate change on grassland insect mutualisms •• How rapid evolutionary processes led to the collapse of a successful pasture biocontrol programme •• How grassland habitats shape invertebrate biodiversity •• Evolution and expansion of host plant range in grassland herbivores •• Enhancing ecosystem services in low biodiversity grasslands by introducing missing detritivores

Permanent meadows and pastures account for 40-47 % of land use in Australia and New Zealand and therefore constitute the largest plant production sector in both countries. Understanding how invertebrates in these agroecosystems interact with their environment and how they influence plant productivity is both of ecological and economic importance. In this timely symposium we will offer new insights into the ecology of grassland invertebrates and address current and future issues as well as strategies for management.

Putting ecology to work at the land development frontier Heini Kujala Sustainable development has a key role in combating ongoing biodiversity loss, as human land use requirements place increasing pressure on species and habitats. At the development frontier, where decision on new land development are made, conflicts between biodiversity and multi-tenure land use needs are constantly encountered. In theory, this is where ecological knowledge has some of its greatest potential in reducing biodiversity losses, by guiding development to locations and practices with least negative impact. Anticipating and acting on foreseeable development-conservation conflicts can be very cost-efficient because the cost of conserving species and communities increases rapidly as they become less widespread and options for their conservation narrow. In many countries the existing legislation and regulations already stipulate that development impacts on biodiversity are to be reduced through environmental impact assessments and offsetting of unavoidable impacts. Yet, concerns have been raised about the ad hoc evaluation of individual development projects and their offsetting needs, in isolation from other ongoing development projects taking EcoTAS17 31

place in the same region. The lack of holistic assessment and accounting of cumulative development impacts on biodiversity mean that species are often faced with a ‘death by thousand cuts’, where biodiversity is degraded by many small impacts that individually do not appear to threaten species’ persistence and as such, are not met with adequate mitigation or compensation through offsetting mechanisms.This symposium brings together the existing knowledge of the challenges we face at the development frontier and the recent advancements and tools available for tackling these challenges.

WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2017 Vulnerability and Resilience of Grasslands in Oceania to Climate Change Elise Pendall This symposium seeks to characterize the resilience and vulnerability of grasslands across Australia and New Zealand to climate variables, including droughts, changes in precipitation seasonality, heat waves, and rising atmospheric CO2. We will bring together experts in grassland ecology from temperate, tropical and Mediterranean regions to develop a continental-scale perspective on recent findings of community and ecosystemlevel responses to climate. We are particularly interested in improving our predictive understanding of grassland productivity, including the timing (phenology) of greenness, as well as the functional traits (above- and belowground) underlying productivity responses.

Grassland ecosystems are economically important, yet particularly sensitive to changing climate, including droughts, floods and heat waves. Grasslands and grazing lands cover ~70% of the Australian continent 32

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and support a ~$17 billion livestock industry, with similar importance in the New Zealand landscape and economy. Climatic changes will cause significant changes in grassland ecosystems, which lack the deep roots that can buffer woody ecosystems from the water deficits associated with excessive heat and drought. Understanding and predicting the impacts of changes in temperature and rainfall regimes on the productivity, phenology and physiology of grasslands is a key knowledge gap that must be addressed in order to develop robust climate adaptation strategies.

Communicating Ecology to a Broad Audience: novel ideas and approaches Kirsten Parris Science communication is an important component of our work as ecologists. But how do we connect with the diversity of audiences outside academia in an engaging and effective way? And how do we communicate calmly and clearly when agitated and ill-informed voices are so prevalent in public discourse?

This symposium will present novel ideas and approaches for communicating ecology to a range of groups including school children, educators, policy makers, land managers, industry and the general public. These include art-science workshops, science comedy, community-based engagement programs, citizen science, briefings/summaries (such as ESA’s Hot Topics), science books for children, costume, poetry and song. Symposium speakers will include early-career and established researchers from diverse fields spanning ecology, conservation biology, science communication, art, scenography, and environmental policy. All participants will be asked to prepare an abstract for their presentation that uses only the 1,000 most common words in the English language (the “Up-goer Five” challenge: see https://

blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/ science-in-ten-hundred-words-the-up-goerfive-challenge/). The symposium will also help to launch a new ESA Research Chapter on Science Communication.

Ecologists interested in whether management specified has achieved its objective and whether the outcome was actually a consequence of management will be interested in this symposium.

Effectiveness Monitoring

Assisted Migration under Climate Change

Perpetua Turner and Sacha Jellinek This cross-disciplinary symposium brings together ecologists, managers and practitioners centred on discussions of how ecological management is/isn’t working, based on government and non-government research, and if outcomes are a consequence of management and thus directly addresses the conference theme ‘Putting ecology to work’. It is widely recognised that long-term research and monitoring is important for scientific credibility of provisions applied in ecological management plans. Legislative requirements to monitor the effectiveness of management objectives and public scrutiny of management practices means the scientific basis for particular management actions needs to be clear. Effectiveness monitoring is a functional approach used to establish the impacts of specific management actions against the objectives for management of key biodiversity assets. Specific management actions may be the reduction in the numbers of feral species to increase the population sizes of reintroduced, regionally extinct fauna, or changes in fire regime to improve the population resilience of small vertebrate species. Many research programs support these efforts.

This cross-disciplinary symposium presents priority research programs involved in effectiveness monitoring including: 1. Research program management objectives 2. The threats to values linked with management actions, and 3. How the effectiveness of management recommendations is being assessed will be presented.

Paul Rymer Understanding the capacity of organisms to respond to climate change is essential for the maintenance of biodiversity, ecosystem health and productivity. Climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme events, which has resulted in local extinction, shifts in species distributions, and community composition. Adaptive land management is urgently needed in order to mitigate the risk of large-scale extinctions in a rapidly changing climate. Assessing genetic adaptation and physiological tolerance to climate across species distributions is critically important if we are to develop management tools, such as assisted gene migration, for sustainable and productive forests in a drying climate. This symposium will provide a forum for the presentation of empirical research from a wide range biological systems employing a number of approaches (field, controlled environment, laboratory) to characterise the ability of organisms to respond to climate change.

Contributions that provide a clear conceptual framework and policy / management recommendations are encouraged. The overall goal of the symposium is the bring together researchers to facilitate developments in the field of research, provide future directions, and ultimately a scientific basis for adaptive management strategies such as assisted migration.

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Novel Management Interventions for Threatened Species Heidi Zimmer Management actions that were historically considered radical, infeasible and unnatural are increasing in popularity. These actions include species reintroductions and rewilding, genetic rescue, and adoption of speciesspecific burning and watering regimes. The change in attitude has been driven a growing list of threatened species, and by advances in our ecological understanding. At the same time, the age-old conservation debate around whether “to intervene, or not to intervene” continues. The objective of this symposium is to draw together examples of where ecology has been used to inform a novel management intervention to save a threatened species.

The goal of the symposium is a more coordinated approach to the use of such interventions. The significant contribution of this symposium will be in identifying: 1. What is ecologically possible?

2. What actions are feasible (or indeed defensible) in the resource-limited conservation management space?

THURSDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2017 Assessing Risks to Ecosystems: research and applications David Keith In 2014 IUCN adopted a new international standard for assessing risks to ecosystems, signalling the development of Red Lists of national and global scope that highlight those ecosystems most at risk of collapse.

The scientific development of the concepts and methods that underpin the international standard are the product of a large and ongoing international scientific collaboration.

Applications of the IUCN Red List assessments 34

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are emerging for terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems around the world, with many applications in Australia and New Zealand compiling and analysing valuable data sets, diagnosing threats, building and applying process models that lay the foundations for improved ecosystem management.In 2015 all Australian governments agreed in principle to implement the international standard as a “Common Assessment Methodology” for listing threatened ecological communities under respective Commonwealth and state legislation.

This high level of buy-in from policymakers presents opportunities to strengthen the evidence-base for decisions and improve conservation outcomes. With the uptake of ecosystem risk assessment, new scientific challenges are emerging. This symposium will focus on the interface between science and policy, bringing together researchers and practitioners to explore diverse challenges and opportunities, as well as innovative applications of risk assessment in ecosystem management and environmental policy in Australia and New Zealand. The topics to be addressed include: •• Development of analytical tools; •• Ecological models; •• Typological frameworks; •• Biodiversity and environmental monitoring designs; •• Ecosystem-specific interpretations of generic Red List concepts; •• Integration with ecosystem management; •• Evidence-based policy applications.

Justification.

The symposium will synthesise diverse themes encompassing directly relevant to assessing risks to ecosystems and the services they provide. It will feature innovative developments in field ecology, modelling, remote sensing, conservation planning, ecosystem services, recent policy applications and informative case studies on Australian and New Zealand ecosystems.

Changing Australia: emerging trends, trade-offs and synergies of landscape transformation in rural Australia

Enabling Ecosystem Surveillance Monitoring across Australia: putting ecology to work

James Radford

Systematic, continental-scale monitoring of essential ecosystem variables that reflect the health of our ecosystems is needed across Australia. The Ecosystem Science Council is leading a working group to achieve this goal. This symposium will provide a critical step in this process, bringing together a wide range of ecosystem expertise to contribute to the better ecological understanding of our ecosystems across Australia and its seas and remote islands. The symposium will be of interest to ecologists as it will present a range of high-profile syntheses of ecosystem surveillance approaches, from experts in the field. Three core areas will be explored.

1. What, and where, do we already monitor well?

2. What are the critical gaps in current monitoring efforts? and, 3. How can we ensure that continental-scale ecosystem monitoring is successful over the long haul?

This symposium will showcase the methods and tools (such as new technology) currently used to monitor restored habitats, such as revegetated areas. At the end of the symposium, we will attempt to summarise the talks given and provide an overview of the different methods used to monitor revegetated areas. It will result in a discussion of the methods currently used to monitor revegetated areas, and provide guidance to develop a national set of guidelines to help practitioners and researchers systematically assess revegetated habitats.

Terrestrial restoration has the potential to maintain native animal and plant communities and provide social benefits.

However, information about how to achieve good outcomes from restoration is lacking.

Restoration projects have generally lacked scientific input due to limited funding for monitoring and a focus on on-ground restoration activities rather than restoration outcomes. This means that there is usually no rigorous assessment of the variables influencing restoration effectiveness, limited interpretation of restoration results and little follow-up to determine ecological and social outcomes. This lack of information may lead to a substantial expenditure of resources on restoration activities that do not produce the expected biodiversity benefits. As environmental stressors, such as climate change increasingly impact biodiversity, and as restoration schemes become increasingly important to maintain our remaining native plant and animal communities, there is a need to establish how effective past restoration activities have been.Â

Noel Preece

The symposium will canvass approaches to catalogue and assess existing ecosystem monitoring programs that have potential for contributing to ecosystem surveillance. This assessment is intended to be collaborative across local, state and national agencies and organizations, across different disciplines, and across all ecological domains.Consistency, continuity and adaptability of monitoring will be the priority as the aim is for future generations to be in a position to look back objectively over past changes. To achieve continuity over coming centuries, ecosystem surveillance systems need to be effective and deliver on their purpose, but also modest enough that sustained bipartisan government commitment can be forthcoming. This effort EcoTAS17 35

is timely as we are experiencing a period of unprecedented environmental change. State of the environment reporting continues to lack the basic data for many components, and also lacks the framework to effectively report on trends in a consistent manner.

Renewed effort aimed at integration is also needed as our current monitoring approaches differ, sometimes substantially, across state borders, and among organizations and individuals. These inconsistencies result in problems of assessing baseline and trend data for ecosystem variables from plants

to animals, soils, other biota and abiotic factors at landscape scales. They also result in major gaps in knowledge across whole bioregions, and incorrect assumptions about status and trends.We plan to advocate to relevant parties for the establishment, implementation, and enduring long-term support of the proposed surveillance monitoring program. This symposium will seek to garner support from participants for this approach to a systematic, consistent and coordinated ecosystem surveillance program across Australia.

Take part in the ‘Recent Ecological Change in Australia’ Survey!

Take part in the ‘Recent Ecological Change in Australia’ Survey!

Take part in the ‘Recent Ecological Change in Australia’ Survey!

Over the past century, average surface temperatures have by almost 1° C across Over the past century, average landland surface temperatures haverisen risen by almost 1° C across The Recent Climate-Driven EcologicalChange Change project is modelling the potential Australia. Australia.

The Recent Climate-Driven Ecological project is modelling the potential ecological impact of this change, supported by real-world observations. Towards this, the CSIRO ecologicaland impact of this change, supported by real-world observations. Towards this, the CSIRO the Australian Government are conducting a survey to collect anecdotes about ecological and the Australian Government a survey to collect change or stability, and the are role conducting of different drivers of change across anecdotes the country. about ecological change or stability, and the role of different drivers of change across the country.

We are looking for participants who have become deeply familiar with particular parts of the

Australian over thehave coursebecome of a decade or more.

We would you to participate We are looking forenvironment participants who deeply familiar withlove particular parts of the or pass on to others who you know might be able to contribute. Please google “recent Australian environment over the course of a decade or more. We would love you to participate ecological change survey CSIRO” to link to the survey, or email Suzanne.Prober@csiro.au. or pass on to others who you know might be able to contribute. Please google “recent ecological change survey CSIRO” to link to the survey, or email Suzanne.Prober@csiro.au.

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AWARDS AND GRANTS PRESENTATIONS

SOCIAL AND NETWORKING FUNCTIONS

WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER 1800-2100

2016 TNC Applied Conservation Award Winner Presentation, Animalcentric habitat restoration in Tasmania, Rowena Hamer, The University of Tasmania, TAS 2017 Jill Landsberg Trust Fund Scholarship Recipient, Al Healy, The University of Queensland, Qld OEH/ESA Outstanding Outreach Award Recipient 2016 Presentation 2016 Jill Lansdberg Trust Fund Scholarship Presentation, Samantha McCann, The University of Sydney, NSW 2016 Wiley Fundamental Ecology Award Winner Presentation, Joshua Thia, The University of Queensland 2017 Applied Forest Ecology Presentation, Rylea McGlusky, University of the Sunshine Coast

BBQ and Trivia Night Do you think you know a bit about Ecology? Join us for a BBQ (own expense) at The Event Centre Lawns. There will be vegetarian options, and a cash bar available. After that, test your knowledge, make some new friends and maybe even learn something at the Eco-Tas Trivia Evening! The team based event will consist of three rounds that will test your knowledge of the ecology of Australia, New Zealand and the whole world. The event will be held in the Cypress Lakes Resort Hotel, and prizes will be awarded to the most knowledgeable teams.

SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 1730-1830 Welcome Drinks Included with full registrations.

Additional tickets available for $30 each.

MONDAY 27 NOVEMBER 1745-1930 Barbara Rice Memorial Poster Session Your opportunity to meet the poster presenters and ask them your questions about their work.

Included with full registrations.

Additional tickets available for $30 each.

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FIELD TRIPS MONDAY TO WEDNESDAY 0630-0730 Morning Yoga with Michael Renton Bistro Lawns. Start the day in a refreshing and invigorating way with yoga on the lawns, instructed by Michael Renton.

TUESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 1900-2000 Holsworth Alumni Event Brokenback Room. “Where are they now? Our personal life” (For Holsworth Alumni only).

WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 1900-2300 Conference Dinner Poolside Marquee. Take the opportunity to catch up with new and old friends and colleagues.

Tickets to the Conference Dinner are additional to Conference registrations.

Tickets available for $100 (inc GST).

Upper Hunter Riparian and Equine Industry Vegetation Rehabilitation Projects D E PA R T U R E T I M E

0730-1700, Friday 1 December $65 includes morning tea and lunch COST

C O O R D I N AT O R

Paul Mehan

The Hunter Region is only second to Kentucky in the USA for thoroughbred breeding. Breeders range from small family operated enterprises to large multinationals and own and manage extensive tracts of land in the Hunter. Cressfield Stud is a medium size operation which has been actively working to reduce it’s environmental impacts. It is home to a number of endangered plant and animal species and communities and is actively rehabilitating Riparian and Grassy Box Woodland communities. It has also recently established a composting facility to recycle stable bedding as compost.

A quarterly bird monitoring program conducted by Birds Australia has been ongoing for a number of years. The visit to Cressfield will involve looking at works undertaken, discussing the results of bird monitoring and the issues, difficulties and solutions devised.

D E TA I L S

Hunter Local Land Services has been working with landholders in the Upper Hunter to improve the health and extent of the River Red Gum (Eucalyptus

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camaldulensis), a listed threatened population. The site to be visited is one of the few “healthy” intact remnants of this species in the Hunter.

Some walking over uneven ground will be undertaken (a few hundred metres at most) and Tiger Pear is also likely to occur on site. Participants will need sturdy covered shoes. It is also likely to be hot, so hats, sunscreen, long sleeve shirts and pants are recommended.

Indigenous Cultural Field Trip D E PA R T U R E T I M E

0800-1300, Friday 1 December COST

$75

C O O R D I N AT O R

James Wilson-Miller

This half day field trip will tour the local area and visit Baiame Cave, a sacred Hunter Valley cave which features a painting of one of the most important Aboriginal Figures in NSW. Baiame Cave is located in the foothills of the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range in the upper Hunter Valley, on privately owned farmland, a few kilometres north of the boundary of Yengo National Park. Baime is known as the “Father of All” to the Dreamtime of many NSW Aboriginal cultures, including the Wonnarua on whose traditional land the cave is found.

Wine and Cheese Tasting in the Hunter Valley D E PA R T U R E T I M E

1000-1330, Friday 1 December COST

$58

A relaxing day enjoying the culinary delights of the region, with private tasting and facility tours at the following: •• Rothvale Wines •• Hunter Valley Cheese Co. •• Tamburlaine Wines (The Valley’s premier organic winery) •• Hope Estate (Wine tasting, plus visit the micro brewery).

D E TA I L S

Participants have the option to stay at Hope Estate for lunch (own expense).

D E TA I L S

BYO lunch, drinks and snacks, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and shoes suitable for bushwalking.

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WORKSHOPS

W H AT T O B R I N G

smartphone

Your laptop and/or

Data Science, “the responsible use of data for decision-making”, has been embraced by companies in many fields for optimising their processes and improving their resource management. Notably, these good practices in business can also be put into practice for conservation science because the successful management of natural resources involves making datadriven decisions in shifting social and ecological settings.

D E TA I L S

Media skills training Paul Holper & Simon Torok, Scientell TIME & PLACE

0900-1100 , Friday 1 December, Cypress 3 COST

$20

There are many advantages to communicating your research through the media: informing people about the work and its importance, raising the profile of your subject area, eliciting action, and possibly helping with funding.

D E TA I L S

This session will explain how traditional media – print, TV and radio – works and how to increase your chances of having your work covered. It will also summarise the evolving media landscape, and how to select appropriate media for publicising your work. It will include advice about identifying the story and hook in your work, interacting with journalists, and tips for appearing on radio and TV. We will also provide pointers on what to do if you’re contacted unexpectedly by the media.

This will be a practical session.

Participants should have in mind a research topic that they would like to develop into a media story.

Data Science in Monitoring Programmes: Empowering Management and Conservation Fernando Cagua and Bernat Bramon Mora TIME & PLACE

1000-1200, Friday 1 December, Cypress 5 COST 40

$20

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To support this decision-making, environmental management agencies often establish monitoring programmes that provide information about the status and trends of the resources of interest. However, while monitoring and management frameworks outlining how data can be used for decision making are well established, cases of data being collected—but not used—occur too frequently. Small or under-funded organisations are more likely to be in this “data rich but insight poor” situation.

Although managers are often acutely aware of this disconnect, they are unable to address its root because data management, manipulation, and analysis, are often more complex and expensive than anticipated. In this workshop, we will show how relatively simple data science tools can be used to bridge this gap and create an efficient workflow for data monitoring. With the right systems in place, we will demonstrate that automated reports and user-friendly interactive web apps can easily provide managers and scientific staff with direct and immediate overview of not only the data being collected, but also how it relates to the actual resource(s) being managed

and the associated conservation values.

This workshop will be of interest to any scientists whose work involves collection, monitoring or evaluation of experimental data. This includes: undergrads that see themselves as future experimental scientists; early career scientists who want to optimise their fieldwork strategies and learn some powerful tools that could become key for their future research; and, advanced ecologists that want their research group to benefit from tools for efficient data management. A practical example will outline the key ideas and tools by which experimental scientists or any data-dependent agency can benefit from a data science perspective. This example will be broken down to introduce the key elements and concepts that will help scientists or managers implement an efficient data monitoring system.

Innovative tools for mapping and modelling species distributions Chantal Huijbers TIME & PLACE

1000-1600, Friday 1 December, Cypress 1 $65, includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea COST

Models play a critical role in synthesising our understanding of the natural world and making forward projections into novel conditions. These projections help tailor conservation efforts by pinpointing hotspots of biodiversity now and into the future under a changing climate. While they are central to ecological forecasting, models remain inaccessible to many scientists and managers, in large part due to the informatics challenges of managing the flows of information in and out of D E TA I L S

such models. In this workshop the ALA (Atlas of Living Australia) and the BCCVL (Biodiversity and Climate Change Virtual Laboratory) join forces to explore the often-complex relationships between taxa and the environment and how to use this data in ecological models.

In the first half of this workshop participants will use the ALA Spatial Portal to learn about key features, data quality issues, environmental layers and simple but powerful tools like scatterplots to get a better understanding of taxa-environment relationships. They will then take what they have learnt in the ALA to the BCCVL to explore the basic elements of species distribution models and climate change projections, including the data required to run the models, the differences across various model algorithms and how to appropriately interpret and evaluate the results of model outputs. Using the BCCVL, workshop participants will access national datasets to run a species distribution model and then project the results into the future using a climate change projection under a number of different emission scenarios.

The workshop will be of interest to students, environmental/climate scientists and researchers, ecologists, decisionmakers, members of government and industry groups, and anyone with a keen interest in conservation and climate impacts. No complex coding/statistical knowledge is required.

Please bring your own laptop.

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Nature Journalling: A Practical Way to Combine Art and Science Paula Peeters

1000-1600 Friday 1 December, meet at hotel lobby TIME & PLACE COST

$50, includes lunch

Participants should bring their own unlined paper sketchbook and 2B pencil and/or permanent ink fineliner pen for drawing, plus a pen or pencil for writing. Lined paper for writing will be supplied. Alternately, participants may purchase a materials kit for $20.

A kit includes a good-quality sketchbook (Strathmore mixed media visual journal 8 x 5.5 inches), 2B pencil, permanent ink fine pen (Pigma micron), and a print copy of Paula’s book Make a Date with Nature: An introduction to nature journaling.

W H AT T O B R I N G

Good ecology starts with the close observation of nature, and so does good land management. Nature journaling is the practice of drawing and writing D E TA I L S

in response to nature. This rewarding activity can sharpen your observation skills, provoke all manner of questions and open the door to a deeper understanding of your natural surroundings. Nature journaling is also fun and relaxing, and you end up creating your own unique nature journal. It’s an activity for all ages and all levels of fitness. In this age when many people are becoming disconnected from nature, nature journaling can be a playful, inexpensive way to foster greater connection with nature, which can also result in greater care of nature.

This workshop will include beginnerlevel exercises in drawing and creative writing, activities to improve observation skills and generate questions about nature, and demonstrations of the use of various materials for nature journaling.

The ecology of the site will be explored and interpreted. Ideas for including nature journaling in group activities and projects will be discussed. No prior experience or skills in drawing or writing are required.

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ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

Join us in BRISBANE for

ESA18 Sunday 25 to Thursday 29 November 2018 At the Royal International Convention Centre