Strategies of invasive plants

Project description

Why do some introduced plant species establish successfully while others fail? This project will investigate the ecological strategies that enable alien plants to establish across Australia's diverse environments by identifying the combinations of functional traits associated with successful establishment. Using Australia's newly updated Alien Flora of Australia database together with the AusTraits database, you will analyse plant characteristics or 'traits' such as plant height, seed mass, leaf mass per area (LMA), wood density, growth form and dispersal characteristics to identify the trait syndromes of introduced species across different Australian biomes. The project will explore how environmental conditions shape these trait combinations and whether successful establishment relies on different ecological strategies in forests, grasslands, shrublands and arid ecosystems. The project combines invasion ecology, functional ecology and data science, providing hands-on experience working with two of Australia's largest ecological databases. You will develop skills in ecological data analysis, multivariate statistics and R while contributing to research with applications for biosecurity, ecological forecasting and biodiversity conservation. There will also be opportunities to contribute to scientific publications. If you're interested in plant ecology, functional traits, biological invasions or big ecological datasets, this project offers the opportunity to uncover the ecological strategies that allow plants to establish and thrive in Australia's diverse ecosystems.

Assumed knowledge

A background in ecology, environmental science, biology or plant science. Experience with statistics or R is desirable.

Supervisors research focus

I am a passionate invasion ecologist dedicated to unravelling the complexities and impacts of biological invasions within plant communities through a multi-scale approach. My research integrates invasion ecology, functional ecology, biodiversity monitoring and ecological modelling to better understand how ecosystems respond to biological invasions, climate change and land-use change. I am particularly interested in translating ecological research into practical tools that improve biosecurity, conservation planning and environmental policy, helping bridge the gap between scientific evidence and decision-making. If you are interested in any other topic or have any other ideas related to plant ecology, invasive species and biosecurity, adaptations to climate and global change, restoration ecology, functional ecology and ecosystem services, please come to have a chat with me!

Note: You need to register interest in projects from different supervisors (not a number of projects with the one supervisor).
You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.