Bioknowledge Projects and Partners

Members of the group currently have three major projects supported by Australian Research Council Discovery Grants and collaborate with institutions such as the Nature Foundation of SA, the SA Museum and the Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH).

Biological assessment, conservation restoration and sustainability

The collaborative value of the group’s biological assessment work is evident, for example in Dr Sonia Kleindorfer’s research into the prevalence of ticks, a major avian parasite, on birds in the Mount Lofty Ranges and on Kangaroo Island.

 

This project has revealed distinct geographic distribution of the ticks, which is of particular interest to DEH, as it is planning to create a number of vegetation corridors in SA under its NatureLinks program. By linking currently separate areas of vegetation and different habitats it could potentially be creating corridors that could become parasite transmission pathways, so DEH wants to better understand the implications. The data is also of interest to conservation biologists like Dr Mark Lethbridge within the Bioknowledge group who are working on a larger scale, generating satellite maps of bird population distributions.

 

This work in SA complements Sonia’s research in the Galapagos Islands over the past three years with the Charles Darwin Research Institute (part of the internationally based Galapagos Conservancy) where she has discovered a recently introduced parasitic fly in the population of Darwin's finches. The fly is a parasite on the newly hatched baby birds in the nest, and is threatening the survival of this iconic bird species.

 

Other researchers in the Group work closely on coastal and marine habitats and environmental issues, with the SA Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

 

Prof Peter Fairweather, Dr Sabine Dittmann and Dr Simon Benger are involved for example, with SARDI in a significant CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Project re Sustaining the Environmental Health and ecological processes of the Lower Murray - Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLAMM Ecology).

 

Prof Mike Bull is recognised internationally for his work on the behavioural ecology social structuring.and host- parasite ecology of sleepy lizards, and in particular the critically endangered pygmy blue tongue lizard. His lab has been able to show long term pair fidelity, offspring recognition, and family group associations, and is investigating the costs and benefits of various forms of sociality, including the implications of enhanced parasite transmission in social groups.
 
Dr Mark Lethbridge has partnered with DEH SA and Conservation Volunteers Australia to work on recovery of the endangered species of Yellow footed rock wallaby in SA.

 

Insects are pollinators, ecosystem indicator species, and vital contributors to healthy ecosystem processes and functioning. Researcher Assoc Prof Mike Schwarz specialises in research on the behaviour and molecular phylogenetics of bees and thrips in Australia and Africa.

 

Dr Duncan Mackay and Dr Molly Whalen research species interactions and interdependence of insect species including butterflies, and ants with plants, and Dr Whalen also focuses on plant systematics, plant reproductive ecology and breeding systems. Duncan & Molly’s work also includes restoration and remediation work at mining sites, and around mound springs in the Great Artesian Basin.

 

Applications from Bioknowledge research can contribute to industry and economic outcomes in many ways.

Dr Kirsten Benkendorf’s research focus is on marine bioprospecting  encompassing studies on the biological and chemical diversity of marine organisms (particularly molluscs), as well as their bioresource value and conservation. The predatory marine snail Dicathais orbitais the principle species under investigation in her laboratory, as a novel Australian bioresource, with particular benefits as a nutraceutical in cancer and other health applications.

Kirsten has also developed methods for rapid biodiversity assessment of molluscs on rocky intertidal reefs. First developed to locate species rich hotspots and breeding sites along the Illawarra coast of NSW these procedures have been applied more recently to intertidal reef assessment along metropolitan and remote coasts in South Australia.

 

Aquaculture researcher Dr Graham Mair is one of three Program Leaders for the newly funded Seafood CRC. The CRC’s outcomes will span the entire value chain from production (wild-harvest and aquaculture) to consumer, helping end-users of its research to profitably deliver safe, high-quality, nutritious Australian seafood products to premium markets, domestically and overseas.

 

Dr Kathy Schuller is a biochemist and microbiologist whose work on functional foods includes investigating and improving the potential health benefits of antioxidants in red wine.

 

In an aquaculture project being conducted with the Lincoln Marine Centre, Aquafin CRC, CSIRO and Tuna Boat Owners Association, Kathy is also working on understanding the impact of harvest stress and diet on flesh quality and shelf-life of farmed tuna fish. She is particularly interested in the feasibility of enhancing fish flesh with natural antioxidants from sources such as grape seed, to potentially confer the anti-ageing properties of red wine, as well as improving the stability of health giving omega-3 fatty acids in the fish, thereby producing a new functional food. Her PhD student Alex Corte has achieved a world first by establishing the first continuous cell line for Southern Blue Fin Tuna,  which will allow them to perform several experiments on antioxidant effects in one week which would take years to perform on live fish. For this reason, the cell line could play a key role in improving viral disease diagnosis in fish, and potentially screening broodstock and young fry, to certify them as disease free. 

 

Kathy is also working on phosphorus uptake by plants in the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia with the ultimate aim of improving wheat yields and combating the excessive use of phosphorus fertilizers that is contributing to the pollution and degradation of Australia's scarce water resources.

 

Since 1989, Dr Greg Kirby has pursued research on plant biology and breeding, namely of Sturt’s Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa) which has led to the development of a collection of useful genotypes (eg various flower colours, a range of growth forms, 3 different pollen sterility genes) and several breeding lines aimed at the pot plant, hanging basket or cut flower market.

Environmental change and ecosystem impacts

Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of intense bush fires, and the contrasting fire needs of different species in the same location make fire management particularly challenging. Inappropriate fire regimes can threaten many native species with extinction. Dr Don Driscoll’s work on fire management regimes in mallee regions uses simulation models based on detailed biological data and fire-behaviour to explore large-scale and long-term consequences of alternate fire management policies. This project will enable land managers to implement fire mosaic models that maintain biodiversity and will identify effective fire management responses to climate change, and habitat fragmentation.

 

Prof Rod Wells has been involved for ever thirty years in an extensive vertebrate paleontology research program at Naracoorte Caves. In 1969, with Grant Gartrell, he discovered the Fossil Chamber in the now World Heritage Naracoorte Caves - the largest, most diverse and best preserved Pleistocene vertebrate fossil assemblage in Australia. From the 3-4m deep Fossil Bed, tens of thousands of specimens representing at least 93 vertebrate species have been recovered, ranging in size from very small frogs to buffalo-sized marsupials. These include superbly preserved examples of the Australian Ice-Age megafauna as well as modern species such as the Tasmanian Devil and Thylacine, wallabies, possums, bettongs, mice, bats, snakes, parrots, turtles, lizards and frogs. Key stages in the evolution of the Australian climate and biota are included in the time span represented by the Naracoorte assemblage, including the period during which humans first arrived in Australia.

The mystery of what killed the 'megafauna' - Australia's giant animals - during the Last Ice Age is one of the longest-running and most emotive debates in paleontology. Scientists, including Flinders University's Dr Gavin Prideaux, have now published clear evidence from southeastern Australia to show that climate change was not the driving force behind the extinctions, which took place between 50 and 40 thousand years ago. This refocuses attention on humans as the main cause.

With colleague Liz Reed from Flinders and others including Steve Bourne from DEH, Rod continues to actively pursue interests in marsupial evolution and ecology, and in geotourism – in particular the new area of fossil tourism - as they strive to maintain and develop public access and resources for one of the most remarkable site and valuable scientific, educational sites in SA, and one of our prime tourism assets.  

Another point of access to the past interaction of humans and their environment is via the archaeological record and palaeoenvironment science, with Phytoliths ("Plant stone") providing an insight to past ecosystems. A phytolith is a rigid microscopic body that occurs in many plants. The most common type of phytolith is the silicon phytolith, also called opal phytolith. Phytoliths are very robust in nature, and are useful in archaeology, since they can be used to reconstruct the plants present at a site or an area within a site even though the rest of the plant parts have been burned up or dissolved.

 

Dr Lynley Wallis has established the first phytolith reference collection for a representative component of the northern Australian flora, which serves as a baseline for all future phytolith projects regarding past vegetation, plant use and climatic changes in this region.

 

Lynley is also undertaking a cultural heritage research project looking at relationships between Aboriginal people and early settlers during the mid- to late nineteenth century in the vicinity of the Woolgar, Norman and Flinders Rivers; this project is being undertaken collaboratively with members of the Woolgar Valley Aboriginal Corporation. Most recently, she has been developing research partnerships with the Ngarrindjeri Heritage Committee in the south of Adelaide.
 

Environmental education and science communication

As well as their work on bird ecology and plants (see above) Jeremy Robertson, Greg Kirby and Sonia Kleindorfer also undertake ecotourism research projects, including ecotourism impact assessment & evaluation, ecotourism best practice, accreditation & evaluation, and design and development of ecotourism interpretation & education resources.

 

These projects will often involve undergraduate and honours ecotourism students working with private sector and not for profit or government agencies as part of their work placement requirements.

 

Bioknowledge ecotourism and cultural tourism students have been involved in designing and developing walking trails, signage and other interpretive resources, and environmental education materials for tourism businesses, wineries, schools, community groups, and Adelaide Zoo.     

 

Assoc Prof Jane James main research interests are in the interpretation of heritage landscapes – both cultural and natural – and the ways that the unique stories of places can be told. She recently completed a collaborative research project in partnership with the Commonwealth Department of Heritage. The project ‘Telling the Story”, developed a thematic interpretation structure (NHTTF) for heritage in Australia to utilise heritage more effectively in tourism.

 

The Flinders School of Screen Studies, led by Alison Wotherspoon and Cole Larsen, in collaboration with the School of Biology, offers a unique Masters program in Natural History Film-making.  While gaining advanced level knowledge of the biological principles underlying biodiversity, and its conservation and management, students  also apply those principles to the production of films.

 

Through film, the excitement, drama and joy of the natural world can be brought home to people and become an educational tool that can help them learn more about the world in which they live, as well as being used to great effect in advertising, on-site in ecotourism locations in the classroom, and in research documentation.

 

Bioknowledge members have a commitment to engaging with community members in "doing science" to better understand and care for the environment they live in. This requires high level communication skills and involves our researchers in science education - in schools, with industry partners and in the community. Bioknowledge members from the range of science disciplines and specialty areas are as interested as members from the Education Faculty in developing better ways to engage, communicate and involve people of all ages in learning about the environment and using scientific principles to understand and relate to our changing world.

 

Dr Kathy Schuller and Dr Kirsten Benkendorf are lead researchers in two Commonwealth funded ASISTM projects designed to work with schools to research and evaluate methods to improve maths and science teaching outcomes through engagement with industry partners from the aquaculture industry.

 

Dr Barbara Kameniar, Dr Carol Aldous , Dr Julie Clark, and Dr Alia Imtoual are also involved with Dr Sonia Kleindorfer and Dr Jeremy Robertson in developing a collaborative research project with the Adelaide Zoos, to trial and evaluate innovative methods and tools for student teachers and practicing teachers to better equip them to engage students in maths and science learning using ecotourism and social justice principles.

 

Examples of members’ other current and recent project research topics include:

• Ecology, invasion, impact & control of introduced weed species
• Impacts of aquaculture & fishing activities on marine biodiversity
• Evolution and speciation of coastal & inland plants
• Impacts of mining activity on terrestrial biodiversity
• Molecular phylogenetics of native biota
• Systematics & conservation of Aust. dryland plant groups

Current and recent research partners

Bioknowledge is a multidisciplinary group, which creates a comprehensive and innovative research platform to provide information for a wide variety of end-users, including tourism, conservation and education authorities.

The Group has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Zoological Society of SA, is in the process of establishing a memorandum of understanding with the Plant Biodiversity Centre of DEH, and has formed partnerships with a number of Government, research and not-for-profit community environment organisations in Australia and internationally. Some of these research and industry partners are listed below: