A booklet outlining Honours and PhD supervisors and projects based at the Hawkesbury Institute within the University of Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

1. STUDENT RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES: WHERE
PASSION MEETS PROFESSION
uws.edu.au/hie
STUDYING SUMMER, BSC HONOURS
AND HIGHER DEGREE RESEARCH
PROGRAMS AT HIE
EditionTwo–Mid2014

2. 2

3. 3
Table of Contents
4 The Hawkesbury Institute Student Experience
5 Access to Career-Building Research Facilities
6 Professor David Tissue: Addressing impact of
climate variability on plant growth and physiology
7 Professor David Ellsworth: Ecophysiology of
photosynthesis in relation to environmental
stress and climate change
8 Professor James Cook: Investigating how insect
and plant communities change with climate
and with habitat degradation
9 Associate Professor Sally Power: Understanding
the mechanisms driving plant community and
biogeochemical responses to elevated CO2
, altered
rainfall patterns and nutrient enrichment
10 Doctor Ben Moore: Examining how plants
defend themselves against herbivores by
varying their leaf chemistry
11 Doctor Scott Johnson: Investigating trophic
interactions between insect herbivores, their
host plants and other organisms including
other herbivores and natural enemies
12 Doctor Chris Turbill: Understanding how
animals manage energy budgets with respect
to environmental conditions and the consequences
on performance and fitness
13 Doctor Paul Rymer: Investigating the ecology
and evolution of plants in determining species
distributions and population abundance
14 Doctor Teresa Gimeno: Researching impacts
of global change, in particular rising levels
of atmospheric CO2
and climate change,
on woodland functioning
15 Doctor Sarah Hortal: Understanding the effects
of climate change factors on the structure
and function of soil microbial communities
16 Doctor Raul Ochoa Hueso: Examining how
different global change drivers such as climate
change and altered nutrient budgets affect
the structure and functioning of terrestrial
ecosystems
17 Doctor Uffe Nielsen: Examining the link
between belowground community structure
and ecosystem functioning
18 Doctor Catriona Macdonald: Assessing factors
influencing nutrient cycling and consequences for
ecosystem feedbacks
19 Doctor Jeff Powell: Unravelling the forces driving
the massive microbial diversity present in terrestrial
ecosystems
20 Doctor Justin Welbergen: Examining whole
organism biology, and evolutionary ecology
21 Doctor Chris Cazzonelli: Environmental Regulation
of Molecular, Metabolic and Epigenetic Processes in
Plants
22 Doctor Sabine Nooten: Accounting for biodiversity
and carbon in Sydney’s golf courses
23 Doctor Sebastian Pfautsch: Characterizing
changes in the hydraulic architecture of Eucalyptus
trees from humid towards arid environments
24 Doctor Jonathan Plett: Deciphering Plant-Fungal
Communication – Investigating the Molecular Nuts
and Bolts of Symbiosis
25 Doctor Shannon Smith: Exploring insects,
microbes and host-tree interactions among the
wood boring fungus-cultivating ambrosia beetles

4. 4
Hello,
Thank you for considering the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment as the next destination
in establishing your career in the plant, animal, agricultural and ecosystem sciences.
As a team, we have been very fortunate to be able to build an unparalleled research institute
here on the Hawkesbury campus, as part of our vision of creating large-scale, cutting-edge
facilities that will help us learn more about the dynamics of an ever-changing world.
We invite you to be part of our journey and join a friendly, motivated and high-achieving team
of researchers and fellow students drawn from all over the world.
We believe strongly that by creating the best-equipped facilities and finding the very best
researchers in their field into one location, we can offer an experience that will pay enormous
dividends in your career.
You can work alongside our researchers in a variety of ways, from 6-week Summer programs
to Honours through to full PhD-level research.
The University and the Institute together offer access to a significant number of scholarships
that can help you gain access to your program of choice and help you balance study and life
in a flexible, accommodating way.
The best way to find out about our Institute and our research is to see for yourself – please
come along and meet some of our friendly staff and students and explore your options for
being part of the Institute.
Yours faithfully,
Professor Ian Anderson
Director – Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
PS – we are open to any discussions and ideas you may have about projects not outlined
in this booklet that may be more closely suited to your area of interest. Please feel free to
discuss your ideas with our researchers directly.
OUR Student Experience
“Creating the best-equipped facilities and
finding the very best researchers is the
foundation of our success and yours…”

5. 5
Access To Career-Building Research Facilities
The Institute has a world-first set of facilities for field-based climate research including:
EucFACE is the world’s only native-
forest Free Air CO2
Enrichment
(FACE) experiment that exposes
full-height trees to elevated CO2
through six 25m rings with access via
43m high cranes.
Forty-eight small rainout shelters
provide controlled watering to grass
pasture and small plant experiments
to assess the effect of drought on
carbon cycling, soil biology and plant
growth.
The latest technology incorporating
Sanger and Next-Generation
Sequencing platforms offers
researchers and external customers fast
access to DNA sequencing services,
backed up by current Illumina
certification.
These PC2-compliant laboratories are
housed in a building that incorporates
environmentally sustainable design and
are dedicated for environmental
genomics, soil science, molecular
biology, plant physiology, microbiology
and plant-insect interactions.
Twelve Whole Tree Chambers provide
a range of environmental conditions
from elevated or reduced CO2
,
temperature or rainfall conditions for
trees up to nine metres high.
The Cumberland Plains Carbon and
Water Observatory provides a baseline
measure of CO2
and water flow in the
forest, enabling researchers to
compare the effects of elevated CO2
against ambient forest conditions.
These controlled-growth rooms and
chambers are used for plant
biochemistry and manipulative
plant-microbe interaction research,
employing similar experimental
treatments as those in the
glasshouses and field research
facilities.
Six Large Rainout Shelters enable
controlled exposure to drought and
automatically close during rainfall
events, enabling researchers to
assess responses to drying and
wetting conditions.
Three state-of-the-art greenhouses
currently hold the insectary and native
plant experiments with fully controlled
CO2
and temperature conditions.

6. 6
Addressing impact of climate variability on plant growth and physiology
Our lab addresses the impact of climate
change (e.g. elevated CO2
, elevated
temperature, droughts, floods) on plant
growth and physiology in managed
(crops) and unmanaged, native
ecosystems.
Forests for the future: making the
most of a high CO2
world.
We will use a novel strategy that rapidly
identifies trees that exhibit a strong,
positive growth response to elevated
CO2
(eCO2
), and the genetic attributes
underlying these responses. We will use
eucalypt species grown under varying
CO2
, temperature and soil moisture
conditions to characterise the impacts
of eCO2
on key physiological traits
underpinning forest tree growth and link
it to modern genetic finger-printing,
in order to provide a fast, reliable and
inexpensive method to select winners
and losers in a high CO2
world.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Cotton industry under threat from
climate change?
Climate change will influence cotton
farming through rising CO2
, higher
temperatures, lower humidity (higher
VPD), and increasing frequency and
severity of droughts and floods. We will
use environmentally controlled facilities
at HIE (glasshouses) and Narrabri NSW
(chambers in a cotton field) to investigate
the impacts of climate change on water
use efficient and heat tolerant cotton,
and therefore evaluate the likely
effectiveness of adaptation strategies.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Shaping the Forest Landscape.
Associated with rising [CO2
] and
temperature are predictions for increased
precipitation variability and heat waves
generating more frequent and intense
droughts, which are projected to kill
highly-susceptible seedlings and saplings
generating significant long-term
ecological impact. We aim to predict
mortality in regenerating or newly planted
forests. Importantly, we will determine
whether growth in elevated [CO2
] and
temperature ameliorates or exacerbates
tree seedling sensitivity to heat waves
and drought, which is crucial for
modelling future climate impacts on
species distribution and ecosystem-level
impacts on surface eco-hydrology and
carbon balance.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contact Prof Tissue
Email: d.tissue@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1853
Professor
David Tissue

7. 7
Ecophysiology of photosynthesis in relation to environmental
stress and climate change
My research focuses on the
ecophysiology of photosynthesis in
relation to environmental stress and
climate change. My work involves
understanding the elevated CO2
response of native Australian plants
and ecosystems, with research based
at the Eucalyptus Free-Air CO2
Enrichment (EucFACE) experiment
across from Yarramundi paddocks.
Native grasses outperform invasives
in elevated CO2
Vast areas of native grassy woodlands
and rangelands experience significant
pressure from invasives. We ask the
question whether elevated atmospheric
CO2
helps the natives turn this around.
You will work with the team at EucFACE
to conduct measurements on native and
invasive grasses and test this idea in a
large-scale experiment near campus.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Understory water dynamics and
ecophysiology counters woody
thickening in elevated CO2
You will participate in an Australian
Research Council study that addresses
the long-standing paradigm that the
elevated CO2
response of grasses is not
enough to counter woody thickening in
a future with a higher CO2
atmosphere.
 HONOURS, PHD
Climate change: too hot, or not?
Climate warming could drive plant
warming up to deleterious temperatures
in a so-called ‘vicious cycle’, or leaf
warming could just increase rates of
metabolism and water loss for cooling.
You will gain experience in thermal
imaging of leaves along with stomatal
behaviour and find out how well native
Australian plants can tolerate heat and
elevated CO2
.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Contact Prof Ellsworth:
Email: d.ellsworth@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1365
Professor
David Ellsworth

8. 8
Investigating how insect and plant communities change with climate
and with habitat degradation
My interests include species interactions,
community ecology and biodiversity. I
focus on systems involving insects on
plants and on how interactions and
communities change with climate and
with habitat degradation. A separate
interest is in animal behaviour, focusing on
understanding reasons for the incredible
diversity of insect mating systems.
Do parasites like it hot?
Pollinator wasps developing inside figs
are attacked by parasites that lay eggs
through the fig wall. Pollinators in the
fruit centre are out of reach to parasites,
but figs in arid localities produce smaller
fruits. This project will test if parasitism is
greater at inland than coastal sites.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Insects in time machines
We have set up large field experiments
that simulate predicted changes in
climate (CO2
, rainfall, temperature).
The most visible effects are in the
vegetation, but how do the communities
of insects on these plants change? The
project will explore how the structure of
insect communities changes when
climate is manipulated.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Why have two kinds of male?
Some fig wasps have two male morphs.
The wingless form hatches first and
mates with females inside the fig, while
the winged form disperses to mate with
females elsewhere. The project will use
ecological and/or genetic approaches to
test if this dimorphism is under genetic
or environmental control.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contact Prof Cook
Email: james.cook@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1371
Professor
James Cook

9. 9
Understanding the mechanisms driving plant community and biogeochemical
responses to elevated CO2, altered rainfall patterns and nutrient enrichment
My research is focused on understanding
the mechanisms driving plant community
and biogeochemical responses to
elevated CO2
, altered rainfall patterns and
nutrient enrichment. Current projects use
a combination of field and laboratory
techniques to investigate effects of these
drivers on plant species interactions and
the cycling of carbon, nitrogen and
phosphorus, including feedbacks
between plants and soils.
Drought and deluge
How do climate extremes affect the
diversity and functioning of grassland
ecosystems? This project is part of a
newly established grassland experiment
manipulating the size and frequency of
rainfall events, and levels of herbivore
activity. It provides a unique opportunity to
quantify the impacts of changes in rainfall
patterns – in particular extreme events
- on plant productivity, species diversity,
nutrient cycling and carbon storage.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Effects of elevated CO2
on nutrient
cycling in a Eucalyptus woodland.
This project takes advantage of HIE’s
cutting edge Free Air CO2
Enrichment
(EucFACE) experimental facility to
investigate how eCO2
affects the cycling
and turnover of nitrogen and phosphorus
– crucial determinants of forest response
to a higher CO2
world.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Plant traits as predictors of
ecosystem responses to climate
change
Understanding how species
characteristics (traits) such as rooting
strategy and photosynthetic rate are
affected by climate and eCO2
can enable
us to predict community- and ecosystem-
level responses to future climate change.
This project will quantify trait plasticity
under climate stress and investigate the
link between plant traits, community
composition and water/nutrient cycling in
a local ecosystem.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contact Assoc. Prof. Power
Email: s.power@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1359
Associate
Professor
Sally Power

10. 10
Examining how plants defend themselves against herbivores by
varying their leaf chemistry
I study plant-animal interactions. I ask
how plants defend themselves against
herbivores by varying their leaf chemistry
and how different environments and
climate change influence plants’
vulnerability to herbivores. I also ask
how herbivores cope with the challenge
of highly variable plants and choose
safe nutritious diets while avoiding
being poisoned.
How Mountain Brushtail Possums
(Bobucks) Tolerate Plant Compounds
The mountain brushtail possum, or
bobuck, is a sister species to the familiar
common brushtail possum but with a
much more restricted distribution and a
different dietary niche. This project will
investigate how the bobuck’s tolerance
of several plant compounds helps to
determine what it eats.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
How Koalas, Gliders And Possums
Partition Available Food Resources
Understanding how koalas, gliders and
possums partition available food
resources amongst themselves is difficult
in natural environments without knowing
exactly what each of these species eats.
Laboratory analysis of leaf cuticular waxes
combined with field studies of wild
animals will help us to understand niche
partitioning amongst marsupial folivores.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Identifying Herbivore Responses To
Changes In Plant Chemicals
Although ecologists often identify which
plants get eaten by herbivores, when this
damage occurs is generally ignored.
However, the chemistry and nutrition of
leaves varies both between seasons and
through 24 hour periods. This project will
investigate these patterns and how
herbivores (mammals and invertebrates)
respond to them.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contact Dr Moore:
Email: b.moore@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1384
Doctor Ben Moore

11. 11
investigating trophic interactions between insect herbivores, their host plants
and other organisms including other herbivores and natural enemies
‘Little things that rule the world’ is how the
biologist E.O. Wilson described insects
and other invertebrates. I investigate
trophic interactions between insect
herbivores, their host plants and other
organisms, including other herbivores and
natural enemies. I am particularly
interested in trophic interactions that span
above-belowground systems and the
effects of global climate change.
The real Hunger Games – how
ladybug and parasitic wasps regulate
lucerne aphid populations
Around 30 years ago, Australia’s lucerne
industry suffered massive losses with the
arrival of three exotic aphid pests.
Resistant cultivars and natural enemies
have helped control aphids since, but
breakdowns in cultivar resistance are
increasingly common. Understanding how
natural enemies regulate aphid
populations is therefore important. This
project will investigate the cut-throat world
of insect predator-prey interactions.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Get tough, get toxic or get a
bodyguard – how do plant roots
defend themselves against
belowground insects?
An Australian pasture can contain more
root herbivores by weight than grazing
mammals aboveground. We know much
about how plants use leaf toughness,
toxicity and plant bodyguards (recruiting
the herbivore’s enemy) to resist insect
attack aboveground, but virtually nothing
about belowground defences. This
project will shed light on the hidden world
of root-insect interactions.
 HONOURS, PHD
Putting the ‘upstairs-downstairs’
into ecosystem responses to global
climate change?
Traditionally studied separately, it’s now
recognised that above- and belowground
systems are linked via plant-mediated
mechanisms. The effects of global climate
change on, say, a root herbivore would
therefore have cascading effects on
aboveground herbivores and their natural
enemies. Using state-of-the art facilities,
this project will identify key drivers and
ecosystem engineers in future climates.
 HONOURS, PHD
Contact Dr Johnson:
Email: scott.johnson@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1374
Doctor Scott
Johnson

12. 12
Understanding how animals manage energy budgets with respect to
environmental conditions and the consequences on performance and fitness
I am an animal physiological ecologist,
with a particular interest in the ecological
significance of thermoregulatory and
metabolic physiology. I seek to
understand how an animal manages its
energy budget with respect to
environmental conditions and the
consequences to performance and
fitness (i.e. survival and lifetime
reproductive success). My research
integrates behaviour, physiology, genetics
and life-history ecology and to explain
the significance of variation among
individuals, populations and species.
Rate of ageing: using telomeres to
measure a physiological cost
underpinning trade-offs in life history
ecology
This cutting edge project uses rate of
telomere shortening – an index of ageing
developed in medical research – to
address a fundamental question of
evolutionary ecology: What is the
physiological cost of variation in the ‘pace’
of life-history traits, such as metabolism,
growth rate and reproductive effort?
Telomeres are repeated DNA units that
shorten with exposure to oxidative stress.
A number of well-supported projects
suited for honours and PhD students are
available in this research program.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Energetic consequences of anti-
predator behaviour by small
mammals
Predation has non-lethal effects on the
behaviour, physiology and life-history of
prey species. This research program
seeks to understand how anti-predator
behaviours, such as reduced foraging
activity, affect an animal’s energy budget.
Do mammals adjust their resting (e.g.
thermoregulatory) energy costs to
compensate for reduced energy intake
under high predation risk? What is the
relationship between predation risk,
stress hormone levels and daily
energy expenditure?
These questions are important for
understanding how Australia’s small
mammals cope with interactions between
predation pressure and environmental
degradation.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Coping with change: integrating
thermal physiology with the pace-of-
life syndrome hypothesis
Many endothermic animals (mammals
and birds) do not always maintain a
constant high body temperature but
instead exhibit controlled bouts of
hypothermia (e.g. daily torpor and
hibernation). This flexibility in body
temperature has a large effect on resting
metabolic rate and energy expenditure
and therefore is an important adaptation
to cope with variable environmental
conditions.
In this research program, I seek to
understand why individuals often differ
in thermal physiology by testing the
hypothesis that individuals display
consistent strategies or combinations
of behavioural, physiological and life-
history traits that differ in benefits and
costs depending on the environment.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contact Dr Turbill:
Email: c.turbill@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1456
Doctor
Christopher
Turbill

13. 13
Investigating the ecology and evolution of plants in determining
species distributions and population abundance
My research focuses on the ecology
and evolution of plants, in particular
the importance of genetic adaptation
and phenotypic plasticity in determining
species distributions and population
abundance.
My lab uses a combination of
ecological, physiological and molecular
techniques to address the core
question: What processes drive and
erode biological diversity?
Students are encouraged to discuss
potential projects of mutual interest.
Environmental gradients provide the
tools to cope with climatic change
Natural variants distributed along
environmental gradients are predicted to
enable plants to adapt and acclimatise to
climate change. Students can contribute
to field transplants, glasshouse and/or
laboratory experiments. Collaborators:
David Tissue (HIE), Maurizio Rossetto
(Royal Botanic Gardens) Margaret
Byrne (WA Dept. Parks Wildlife).
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Ecological restoration: Is local
always best?
This project explores the conflicting goals
in ecological restoration to maximise local
adaptation and resilience to climate
change. Students will have opportunities
to undertake field, common garden and/
or molecular experiments. This
collaboration with Greening Australia aims
to develop best practice guidelines.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Ecology and evolution of invasive
species
Invasive species have economic and
environmental costs. This project aims to
understand the ecology and evolution of
introduced species to enable predictions
of future weeds and range expansions,
and develop control measures. Students
have scope to develop theoretical/applied
projects. Collaborators: Dr Markus Riegler
Dr Ben Moore (HIE), and Dr Andy
Sheppard (CSIRO).
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contact Dr Rymer:
Email: p.rymer@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1094
Doctor Paul Rymer

14. 14
Researching impacts of global change, in particular rising levels
of atmospheric CO2
and climate change, on woodland functioning
I am a plant ecophysiologist with a strong
interest on ecohydrology. My main
research interest lies on the impact of
global change, in particular rising levels
of atmospheric CO2
and climate change,
on woodland functioning. I am particularly
interested on the impact of these two
global change drivers on woodland
productivity and water use efficiency.
Interactive effects of nutrient
limitation and climatic variability on
the growth phenology of mature
eucalypt trees
Radial growth in a key ecosystem process
related to the carbon sink and storage
capacity of mature woodlands. Radial
growth and wood formation have a strong
seasonality although they are also
sensitive to environmental variability,
including climate and soil nutrient
availability.
However, wood formation is hard to
predict in evergreen eucalypt woodlands
subjected to strong inter-annual variability.
This project aims to elucidate the growth
phenology of mature Eucalyptus
tereticornis trees and its relation to climate
under contrasting levels of soil nutrient
availability.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Contact Dr Gimeno:
Email: t.gimeno@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1385
Doctor Teresa E.
Gimeno

15. 15
Understanding the effects of climate change factors on the structure
and function of soil microbial communities
My research interests focus on soil
microbial ecology. I am particularly
interested on better understanding the
effects of climate change factors on the
structure and function of soil microbial
communities and how soil microbes may
affect plant communities, and vice versa,
through plant-soil feedback processes.
How plants and mycorrhizal fungi
interact
Mycorrhizal fungi live in symbiotic
association with plants. Community
structure is defined by processes such as
competition among different individuals or
species. In this project we aim to better
understand the factors driving the
outcome of competitive interactions and
how outcomes may change under
different climate change scenarios.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Contact Dr Hortal:
Email: s.hortalbotifoll@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1925
Doctor Sara
Hortal

16. 16
Examining how different global change drivers such as climate change and altered
nutrient budgets affect the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems
My research is mainly focused on
understanding how and to what extent
different global change drivers such as
climate change and altered nutrient
budgets affect the structure and
functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.
He is also particularly interested in how
ecosystem heterogeneity at different
temporal and spatial scales mediates the
response to these drivers.
I use a wide range of experimental
approaches (from controlled greenhouse
experiments to field manipulation
experiments and observational studies)
and measurements (including soil
nutrients, plant and microbial community
composition, and surrogates of
ecosystem processes related to nutrient
cycling) in an attempt to integrate
responses at the whole ecosystem level.
Nutrient constraints on plant
productivity in Australian grassland
ecosystems
This project will focus on the effects
of nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium) enrichment on plant
community composition in an improved
grassland. This experiment is a new
addition to the international Nutrient
Network (http://www.nutnet.umn.edu),
which actively seeks to identify the main
effects of human alteration of global
nutrient budgets.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Effects of elevated CO2
on plant
nutrient demand
This project will use HIE’s Free Air CO2
Enrichment (EucFACE) experimental
facility to investigate how eCO2
(and its
associated release of carbon limitation
for plant growth) affects plant demand
for other nutrients (mainly nitrogen and
phosphorus), putting the emphasis on
plant-soil interactions.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Plant community dynamics under
altered rainfall regimes
With this new project, we seek to
determine if, as predicted, grassland
species are able to adapt to altered rainfall
regimes by “selecting” favorable and
species-specific microhabitats within the
grassland. This has important implications
in terms of the potential consequences
of climate change in global-scale
biodiversity loss.
 SUMMER, HONOURS
Contact Dr Ochoa Hueso:
Email: r.ochoahueso@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1651
Doctor Raul
Ochoa-Hueso

17. 17
Examining the link between belowground community structure
and ecosystem functioning
I’m broadly interested in soil ecology
and particularly the diversity and
composition of belowground
communities, the link between
belowground community structure and
ecosystem functioning, management
of soils for sustainable production,
and above-belowground linkages.
Three projects are outlined below,
but students are encouraged to contact
me to discuss other potential projects.
Restoration of belowground
communities in Cumberland
Plain Woodlands
This study aims to determine if
current restoration practices used for
Cumberland Plain Woodlands also
restore belowground communities,
and if so whether this promotes
ecosystem functioning (i.e. nutrient
availability, decomposition). The results
would help promote best restoration and
management practices of Cumberland
Plain Woodlands.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Climate change impacts on
belowground communities
This project aims to quantify the impacts
of climate change on belowground
communities and potential feedbacks on
ecosystem functioning/properties. The
project would utilize existing HIE facilities
such as the rainout shelters (changing
rainfall regime) or EucFACE (increased
CO2
concentrations), and the student
would collaborate with other HIE staff
and/or students.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Bioindicators of human impacts in
continental Antarctica
The aim of this potential PhD project is to
establish whether we can use soil
invertebrates (mites, nematodes,
tardigrades) as bioindicators for human
impacts in continental Antarctica (i.e.
disturbance, pollution). Part of the project
will be undertaken at the Australian
Antarctic Division (with Dr Catherine King)
in Hobart, Tasmania.
 PHD
Contact Dr Nielsen:
Email: u.nielsen@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1131
Doctor
Uffe Nielsen

18. 18
Assessing factors influencing nutrient cycling and
consequences for ecosystem feedbacks
My overall research goal assesses factors
influencing nutrient cycling and
consequences for ecosystem feedbacks.
Specifically I seek to determine the drivers
of change in nutrient cycling (N and P)
and how they respond to global change
(climate change, land management and
pollution).
How does biological nitrogen fixation
contribute to nutrient availability
under elevated CO2
(eCO2
)?
In unmanaged nutrient poor systems,
biological N2
-fixation is an important
mechanism by which N becomes
available for plant uptake. Under eCO2
,
plant N-demand increases, but the
response of free-living N2
fixation to this is
unknown. This project will assess the
effect of eCO2
on N2 fixation and on
associated N2-fixers and consequences
for ecosystem response.
 HONOURS, PHD
Phosphate availability under elevated
(CO2
) and temperature (eT) - the role
of soil bacteria
Phosphorous (P) availability limits growth
across many Australian ecosystems, and
increased plant growth under future
climate scenarios will only be sustained if
plant nutrient supply increases to meet
demand. This project uses field and
laboratory methods to determine soil P
availability and role of P-solubilising
bacteria under future climate scenarios.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contribution of through flow and
stem flow to nutrient cycling in a
Eucalyptus forest.
Through fall could have an important
‘priming’ function for mineralisation of
organic matter through the provision of
limiting nutrients to the litter-layer. This
project seeks to quantify nutrient inputs
from through flow in a Eucalyptus
woodland and to determine its
contribution to ecosystem functioning.
 HONOURS
Contact Dr Macdonald:
Email: c.macdonald@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1332
Doctor Catriona
Macdonald

19. 19
Unravelling the forces driving the massive microbial
diversity present in terrestrial ecosystems
Contrary to popular opinion, microbes
are the dominant form of life on the plant
(and probably beyond). My work unravels
the forces driving the massive microbial
diversity present in terrestrial ecosystems
and aims to find new ways to exploit this
diversity for our benefit (including
ecosystem restoration and agricultural
productivity).
Swapping partners: promiscuity, ploy,
or protection
One of the most important roles of a
plant’s root system is to interface with
beneficial microbial partners. Who a plant
chooses to partner with depends on a
number of factors but often comes down
to who is the best partner under the
circumstances or who can ‘trick’ the plant
into providing resources. Understanding
these dynamics is critical for increasing
food production and alleviating plant
stress in marginal environments.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Death and decay in the Cumberland
Plain
Much of the world’s carbon is tied up in
trees. The rate that this carbon re-enters
the atmosphere and exacerbates climate
change depends on factors driving tree
mortality and wood decomposition.
Fungal interactions are now recognised
as a very important a driver of these
processes and an understanding of their
roles is needed to develop sensible
policies around carbon offsets.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Contact Dr Powell:
Email: jeff.powell@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1093
Doctor
Jeff Powell

20. 20
Examining whole organism biology and evolutionary ecology
My research covers a range of subjects in
whole organism biology, but focuses on
behavioural ecology, which is concerned
with the ways organisms respond
adaptively to changes in their social,
ecological, and physical environment.
I also have strong, parallel interests in
conservation and climate change biology,
and particularly in the impacts of extreme
weather and climate events on
biodiversity.
I encourage prospective students to
come up with their own ideas for research
and am happy to consider any project
that broadly aligns with my general fields
of interest.
Flying-foxes – impacts of extreme
events
One of the greatest unknowns in climate
change biology is how changes in
extreme weather and climate events will
impact on the natural world.
Flying-foxes are large fruitbats that roost
in colonies containing thousands of
individuals among the exposed branches
of canopy trees.
Our research has shown these species
are vulnerable to temperature extremes,
with temperatures beyond a threshold of
42o
C causing extensive species, sex and
age-biased mortality. A number of
projects are available to investigate
impacts of extreme temperature events
on flying-fox roosting, foraging, or
movement ecology.
 SUMMER, HONOURS, PHD
Cuckoos and hosts – adaptations and
counteradaptations
Coevolutionary arms-races, where
adaptations in one party select for
counteradaptations in another and
vice-versa, are fundamental to
interactions between organisms and their
predators, pathogens and parasites.
By laying their eggs in the nests of other
bird species, brood parasites, such as
cuckoos, burden their hosts with rearing
chicks that are not their own. This favours
the evolution of host defences that in turn
select for improved parasite offenses. A
range of projects is available, involving
both field-based experiments and
theoretical exercises, to explore
coevolutionary processes in brood
parasite-host systems.
 HONOURS, PHD
Lyrebirds – geographic variation in
vocal mimicry (co-supervisor Dr A.
Dalziell for PhD)
Several species of bird from around the
world imitate the sounds produced by
other animals, but why they do so is
unclear. Understanding how and why
vocal mimicry changes across
populations is essential to understanding
the functions and ontogeny of animal
signals.
However, while there are many studies of
geographic patterns in non-mimetic
birdsong, almost nothing is known about
how mimetic bird song varies between
populations. This project investigates the
geographic patterns of vocal mimicry in
superb lyrebirds, one of the world’s most
spectacular mimics.
 HONOURS, PHD
Contact Dr Welbergen:
Email: j.welbergen@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1496
Doctor Justin A
Welbergen

21. 21
Environmental Regulation of Molecular,
Metabolic and Epigenetic Processes in Plants
Plants sense environmental stress and
adapt to seasonal changes by altering the
packaging of DNA within the nucleus of
the cell. The ultimate theme of
environmental epigenetics is to
understand the molecular mechanisms
that facilitate cellular communication,
memory formation and plant adaptation
to climate change. Multidisciplinary
projects offer experience in genetic and
metabolic engineering, as well as
advanced skills in next generation
sequencing, molecular, epigenetic,
biochemical, phenomic and reporter gene
technologies. The long-term goals are to
use model plant species to improve plant
performance of ergonomically important
crops in order to facilitate agricultural
sustainability.
Hunting for RNA regulatory switches
and thermometers in plants
Bacteria and plants are natural chemical
factories producing nutrient metabolites
(e.g. vitamins and antioxidants such as
carotenoid pigments) that promote animal
health and facilitate cellular
communication. In bacteria, the regulation
of gene expression or protein levels can
be controlled by metabolite-binding RNA
structural switches (called riboswitches),
and temperature-sensing RNA structural
thermometers. The goal is to identify
metabolite and temperature sensitive
RNA switches that promote memory and
cellular acclimation in plants.
 Honours, Masters, PhD
The root to a healthier soil
microenvironment
Environmental conditions regulate the
temporal and spatial variation of plant
secondary metabolites (e.g. carotenoids)
that provide pharmaceutical (e.g.
antioxidants) and nutritional benefits (e.g.
Vitamin A). Carotenoids are the red,
orange and yellow pigmentations found in
nature, which are essential for
photosynthesis, photoprotection and the
production of phytohormone signaling
molecules. The next wave is to identify
root-derived metabolites that attract
beneficial microbial and fungal
associations that promote a healthier soil
microenvironment.
 Honours, Masters, PhD
Plant adaptation to mechanical
stimulation
Plants sense and respond to wind,
rubbing, insect feeding, touching and
mechanical stress by altering their
phenotype, a phenomenon called
thigmomorphogenesis. Physiological and
morphological changes can negatively
impact plant productivity. The molecular
nature underpinning mechanical touch
induced gene expression remains
enigmatic and largely unknown.
 Honours, Masters, PhD
Contact Dr Cazzonelli:
Email: c.cazzonelli@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1752
Doctor Chris
Cazzonelli

22. 22
ABC-GOLF: ACCOUNTING FOR BIODIVERSITY AND CARBON IN SYDNEY’S GOLF COURSES
My research investigates whether golf
courses within the greater Sydney area
contribute to a range of ecosystem
services, by providing reservoirs for
biodiversity and carbon stores. My work
involves detailed surveys of floral and
faunal biodiversity on a range of golf
courses, spanning the Sydney basin, from
the coast up to the mountains.
Do golf courses harbour native bees
and wasps?
In urban environments golf courses could
provide habitats for native bees and
wasps (Hymenoptera), which in turn
contribute to valuable pollination services
on a local and regional scale. You will be
involved in fieldwork - setting up and
retrieving trap-nests on golf courses, and
lab work - sorting and identifying
hymenopteran species. You will gain
valuable experience in insect taxonomy
and applied biodiversity research.
 Summer, Honours
Can golf courses serve as bird
biodiversity hotspots?
In urban environments, introduced birds
- such as the Indian Myna - are
increasingly displacing native birds. Golf
courses cover fairly large areas of green
space; they could potentially provide
habitats for native bird species and serve
as biodiversity hot spots. You will be
involved in assessing bird biodiversity, by
surveying birds on golf courses and
adjacent areas. This project gives you the
opportunity to gain valuable experience in
bird taxonomy and applied biodiversity
research.
 Summer, Honours
Contact Dr Nooten:
Email: s.nooten@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1421
Doctor Sabine
Nooten

23. 23
Characterizing changes in the hydraulic architecture of
Eucalyptus trees from humid towards arid environments
I am a plant physiologist with a focus on
forest ecosystem functioning. I work at
different levels of scale (from individual
cells to entire ecosystems) to better
understand how trees cope with climatic
extremes like drought and heat stress. My
research involves using a wide range of
techniques, including microscopy,
metabolite analyses and sap flow
measurements.
Characterizing changes in the
hydraulic architecture of Eucalyptus
trees from humid towards arid
environments
The genus Eucalyptus is occupying nearly
all terrestrial ecosystems in Australia.
Research indicates that the capacity to
withstand water limitation is strongly
related to the design of the water-
transporting network within tree stems.
During this project you will investigate how
the architecture of xylem in eucalypts
changes along a gradient of water
availability, moving from costal (humid) to
inland (arid) NSW.
 Summer, HonoUrs
Contact Dr Pfautsch:
Email: s.pfautsch@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1921
Doctor Sebastian
Pfautsch

24. 24
Deciphering Plant-Fungal Communication – Investigating
the Molecular Nuts and Bolts of Symbiosis
Both disease-causing and beneficial
microbes use a variety of techniques to
manipulate their hosts in order to colonise
their tissues. My research focuses on
characterising how microbes use small
secreted proteins (SSPs) to manipulate
the physiology of plant cells during the
initial stages of symbiosis. These microbial
SSPs re-program entire plant tissues such
that they become the perfect environment
to house the microbe. Only a few of these
SSPs have been characterised to date.
Using rhizobial and mycorrhizal fungi, my
work aims to (i) identify these SSPs and (ii)
to characterise their biology at the DNA,
RNA and protein levels.
The interest in SSP biology is not purely
theoretical: understanding what plant
pathways are manipulated by the
microbial proteins in industrially important
crops will enable breeders to select new
plant cultivars that will most benefit from
these relationships. Thus, the ultimate
goal of this research will be to work
closely with plant breeders to develop
new crops adapted to the Australian
climate that are more robust and that
produce better with fewer inputs.
A few of my current projects include:
Characterising secreted proteins
used by fungi to control their
symbiotic partners
Using the model interaction between the
fungus Pisolithus microcarpus and its tree
host Eucalyptus grandis, this project will
be to characterise one or more fungal
SSPs by identifying, through the use of a
variety of techniques (e.g. yeast II hybrid
analysis, plant and bacterial
transformation, cloning), the plant
developmental pathway(s) manipulated by
each individual SSP. The plant pathway
will then be mutated and the novel plant
transgenic will be monitored for its ability
to still associate with the symbiotic
fungus.
 Summer, Honours,
Masters, PhD
Elucidating the controls of sugar
movement in plants during symbiosis
Symbiotic microbes have evolved a
dependency on plant sugars. We know
that photosynthetically fixed sugars are
mobilized during symbiosis and that they
are taken up by the symbiont, but we do
not know the molecular controls of this
exchange. This project will be to begin
the characterisation of sugar transporters
used during the symbiotic interaction
between Eucalyptus grandis and either
beneficial microbes or disease causing
microbes using techniques such as
quantitative PCR, gene cloning and
yeast-based complementation studies.
 Summer, Honours,
Masters, PhD
Role of protein methylation in
mediating symbiosis (in collaboration
with Dr. S. Piller)
My previous work, in collaboration with Dr.
Piller, has highlighted the importance of
post-translational protein modification
(e.g. protein methylation) during symbiotic
interactions. This project will be to identify
proteins that are targeted for differential
methylation using a variety of proteomic
techniques and to determine their
potential role during symbiosis.
 Summer, Honours,
Masters, PhD
Contact Dr Plett:
Email: j.plett@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1097
Doctor Jonathan
Plett

25. 25
explorING insectS, microbeS and host-tree interactions among
the wood boring fungus-cultivating ambrosia beetles
I enjoy applying molecular tools to
investigate a broad range of ecological or
evolutionary questions or to address
specific conservation concerns. My
current focus lies in the exploration of
insect, microbe and host-tree interactions
among the wood boring fungus-
cultivating ambrosia beetles within
Australia.
Fungal farmers in Australian Trees
Australia is home to unique ambrosia
beetles, including the world’s only known
eusocial beetle and several species
inhabiting living trees, yet their
evolutionary ecology remains unknown. A
number of projects are available in
conjunction with Dr Markus Riegler to
explore the group’s systematics, co-
evolution with microbes, host-tree
associations and community dynamics.
These themes are of significant
international and national interest due to
the environmental and economic damage
inflicted by wood boring beetles around
the globe and because of many unique
ecological and evolutionary aspects.
Projects may involve field surveys,
microbial assays, high-tech morphological
systematics or landscape genetic
analyses.
 Summer, Honours, PhD
The World’s most Social Beetle
The world’s only known eusocial beetle,
Austroplatypus incompertus, resides in
eucalypt trees in Australia. Deep within
tree trunks it forms colonies of a queen
and loyal worker daughters who farm
fungus for food. Their altruistic lifestyle has
perplexed researchers for decades and
many details about their biology and
social system are waiting to be
discovered. Projects may encompass
field surveys, behavioural experiments,
microbial assays or landscape genetic
analyses.
 Summer, Honours
Coastal emu genetics
The Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is
an iconic Australian species but little is
known about their population structure
and dispersal. The last known coastal
population of Emus in New South Wales
(once abundant across the entire eastern
seaboard) is endangered and threatened
by the impeding re-development of a
highway intersecting their habitat. We will
undertake genetic studies to elucidate
their population structure and investigate
levels of gene flow or divergence among
the coastal and inland Emus. This
information could help inform their
conservation and management.
 Summer
Contact Dr Smith:
Email: s.smith@uws.edu.au
Phone: +61 2 4570 1304
Doctor Shannon
Smith

26. 26

27. 27

28. Contact details
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment
University of Western Sydney
Locked Bag 1797
Penrith NSW 2751 Australia
Bourke Street
Richmond NSW 2753 Australia
Phone: +61 2 4570 1125
Email: hieinfo@lists.uws.edu.au
Web: www.uws.edu.au/hie
HIE408306/2014
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Dr Jeff Powell is conducting detailed soil biology experiments assessing effects of elevated CO2
on soil respiration
at the EucFACE site.