Determining how ecological communities form in nature using a longterm real-world ecological experiment

The study of island biogeography has examined the size and isolation of islands and how these factors affect the ecological processes of colonisation and species diversity. While island biogeography theory originally focused on explaining processes determining the formation of faunal and floral assemblages on oceanic islands, its concepts are generally applicable to any situation in which patches of habitat are isolated from potential source populations.

This project will leverage an ongoing, longterm field experiment in which multiple rock islands of varying size and isolation have been established in open grassland adjacent to remnant forest at a site in the NSW Central Tablelands.

There are numerous potential projects available, with extensive historical data to exploit as well. For example, how the size of habitat fragments and their distance from a colonising source population determines colonisation rates and ultimately species diversity, or how various environmental disturbances applied as part of the experimental design impact island biodiversity. Other projects might consider the interaction of food webs and trophic guilds on how communities are formed and persist on islands.

How to Apply

Express your interest in this project by emailing Associate Professor Terry Ord. Include a copy of your CV and your academic transcript(s).