About me
I have been teaching at Murdoch University for over 30 years and currently hold the position of Academic Chair of Conservation and Wildlife Biology in the School of Environment and Conservation Sciences. My teaching responsibilities at Murdoch are significant and include both undergraduate teaching and supervision of student research projects. I like the challenge of sharing and instilling knowledge that will make a difference, particularly about the natural world and the amazing biodiversity within. While my main area of expertise is in plant biology, I contribute to a wide range of core units including Environmental Biology, Australian Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Wildlife Biology, Crop and Pasture, and an interdisciplinary Breadth unit. I enjoy learning about new areas and adapting my teaching to the needs of different student cohorts. It is particularly stimulating to empower first year students by developing their fundamental skills, and then to encourage them to refine and apply those skills in more advanced units.
My research expertise is on the effect of disturbance, particularly fire, within our forest communities. This includes determining strategies employed by plants for seedling establishment, growth and recovery following fire. I have determined the patterns of growth, biomass allocation, and deployment and storage of nutrients for a range of plant species. I have also demonstrated the significance of stored carbohydrates in the recovery of plant shoot biomass and have shown that, in some species, the timing and intensity of fires is a significant factor in their regeneration and survival. Furthermore, my background in both Botany and Zoology has allowed me to extend my research to the effect of ecosystem disturbance on animal populations. This interdisciplinary approach is particularly useful because of the interdependency of plant and animal populations within ecosystems and provides a firm basis on which to establish management strategies.