Edith Cowan UnivErsitySchool of Natural Sciences

Centre for Ecosystem Management2010 AnnuAl report

Overview 2010 3

Highlights 2010 4

Members of CEM 10

Grants 12

Publications 13

Postgraduate Students 16

Public Lectures and Seminars 17

Visitors 18

Collaborations 18

Community Engagement 19

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ContEnts

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The Centre for Ecosystem Management has once again maintained its high research productivity during 2010 and continues to be recognised as one of the outstanding Research Centres at Edith Cowan University.

Centre members were successful in attracting over $1.0 million in grants and research consultancies. The magnitude of the research funding is a consequence of constructive engagement and research links between the researchers in the CEM and State, National and International government organizations and research agencies. All specialist research areas in the CEM were successful in obtaining research funding. Members of the CEM were also major contributors to ECU’s international ranking in Environmental research in the first round of the Excellence in Research (ERA) assessment of Australian Universities.

Late in 2010 the CEM underwent its third major review following successful reviews in 2000 and 2005. The panel consisted of Associate Professor Grant Wardell-Johnson from Curtin University together with ECU members, Professor Mark Hackling and Associate Professor Sandra Wooltorton. I would like to thank them for their contribution to the review and the positive commendations and recommendations they made about the operations and success of the CEM. We are implementing the major recommendations which involve improving our image and profile outside of ECU.

This is being done through improvements to the CEM website, the appointment of an Advisory Board, an annual research day and the continuation of the annual report. I would also like to thank everyone from the CEM and external stakeholders who gave up precious time to be interviewed by the review panel.

With the challenges associated with an ever expanding resource economy in Western Australia the CEM, and its members, are well placed to deliver high quality outputs and advice that will ensure the environmental sustainability of the State.

Will Stock Director

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USING MODIS EVAPOTRANSPIRATION PRODUCTS TO IDENTIfy POTENTIAL GROUNDWATER DEPENDENT VEGETATION Department of Water (DoW) contracted Dimity Boggs and Ray froend from the CEM, in partnership with Guy Boggs of Charles Darwin University, to assess the suitability of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer actual evapotranspiration (MODIS AET) product to identify groundwater dependent vegetation (GDV) in the Midwest region of Western Australia. The MODIS AET product is produced by CSIRO and includes monthly AET estimates produced on a 500m resolution grid for all of Australia since January 2000.

It was expected that plants that have plenty of water, such as those that have access to shallow groundwater, would have transpiration rates different to those of water limited vegetation and that these differences should be identifiable from the MODIS AET. Once the location of a patch of GDV is isolated, the MODIS AET product would then allow for that landscape to be cheaply and regularly monitored to detect changes in transpiration that might indicate plant water limitation.

The study showed that the AET signal from GDV was strongly affected by the size and shape of the remnant vegetation patch; many of which were smaller than the MODIS pixel (<25 ha) and linear in shape. Nonetheless, the MODIS AET product showed potential in its application in time-series assessment of the functional response of GDV to water availability. GDV locations showed a strong positive linear relationship between annual AET and summer groundwater level. The application of the product in this capacity warrants further investigation.

MODIS derived maps of potential GDV locations had varied accuracy. The overall accuracy of the mapping was low at 58% and heavily influenced by land clearance and agricultural land-uses. While beyond the scope of this investigation, we suggest that spectral-unmixing may reduce the strong influence of agricultural land-use in mixed pixels, helping to improve the accuracy of GDV detection using the MODIS AET product.

The spatial distribution of potential groundwater dependent vegetation (GDV) in the Midwest.

We concluded that the MODIS AET product should not be used to investigate GDV in remnant vegetation patches smaller than 1 ha. However, some GDV were more reliably identified including those considered heavily reliant on groundwater. These GDV displayed distinctive AET characteristics that agreed with our expectations at the outset of the project i.e. GDV have high AET values during dry times of the year, AET that exceeds rainfall and high AET: PET ratios.

We suggest that once a GDV has been identified in a region, there is no reason why the MODIS AET product cannot be used to monitor the GDV through time in remnant vegetation patches greater than 1 ha in size provided that the environmental setting of the GDV is well known and all monitoring is accompanied by fine-scale GDV mapping.

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BOOk RELEASE: INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICE Of MINE CLOSURE AND MANAGEMENT Of MINE PIT LAkESA new book covering international best practice of mine closure and management of the mine pit lakes that arise from open cut mining below the water table was written during 2010 and was released in September 2011 at the Sixth International Conference on Mine Closure, Alberta, Canada.

The volume is edited by Senior Research fellow Clint McCullough and features many CEM authors. It was developed to meet a growing need to better manage the many pit lakes and pit lake districts current and future that challenge communities, regulators and miners across the world. It also covers abandoned pits that have now flooded, through to new mining proposals that envisage pit voids below groundwater level at end of life-of-mine. Although much still needs to be understood in terms of final outcomes and goals for pit lake development and closure, this book comprehensively addresses concerns that operators might have when developing a mine that will result in a pit lake.

BIOGEOGRAPHy Of fRESHWATER SEED SHRIMPS IN AUSTRALIAA multinational team consisting of Dr Annette koenders from the Centre for Ecosystem Management at ECU, Profs Isa Schön and koen Martens from the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences in Belgium and Dr Stuart Halse Director of Bennelongia Pty Ltd was awarded an Australian Biodiversity Research Scheme (ABRS) National Taxonomy Grant. The team is investigating the biodiversity of three genera of seed shrimp, including Bennelongia, that inhabit temporary freshwater bodies in Western Australia using morphological and molecular methodology. Recent work by Professors Martens, Schön and Halse on Eucypris virens in Europe and Bennelongia in Western Australia has uncovered a large amount of genetic variation that was previously unknown, including many cryptic species. These are genetically distinct but cannot be distinguished morphologically. We have also demonstrated that European cryptic species of the Eucypris virens group have invaded Western Australia.

It is expected that many more new species, including cryptic species, will be discovered during the group’s investigations of the Australian genera on the ABRS which involves the project of honours student Rylan Shearn. He is aiming to elucidate the evolutionary radiation of Bennelongia across the continent by extending the range investigated to include Queensland. The results of these studies have implications for theories on the origins of biodiversity in freshwater fauna in general and in the management and monitoring of water quality.

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BENEfICIAL END USES Of ACIDIC PIT LAkES fOR MARRON fARMING BOTH AS WATER SOURCE AND WASTEWATER RECIPIENT Pit lakes are increasingly becoming common landscape features of post open-cut mining activities. Problematic pit lakes are those that are affected by acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) generation as this increases acidity, sulphate and metal concentrations in lake water. Open-cut coal mining operations in Collie in south-west Western Australia has resulted in formation of 13 pit lakes. Collie pit lakes are nutrient poor, acidic and contain toxic metals; however, the majority of the Collie pit lakes have only moderate acidity and metal concentrations.

Acidic pit lakes have little use other than being a risk source to the environment and human health. Conversely, the large volumes of water present can be treated and used for various beneficial end uses such as aquaculture and dust suppression on haul roads. One such example of beneficial end use is the marron farming facility that has been commissioned adjacent to Lake WO3, one of the acidic pit lakes in Collie. The marron farming facility draws water from Lake WO3, chemically neutralises it to increase the pH and remove the metals. The treated water is stored in small rectangular ponds for marron farming. Periodically the marron farming ponds are emptied and the wastewater is discharged into the Lake WO3. Acidic pit lakes offer the dual benefits of serving as a water source and as a wastewater disposal site for aquaculture. However, it is not known whether such an operation is beneficial for improving pit lake water quality improvement and overall ecological values. furthermore, it is also unknown whether there a risk for the acidic pit lake to become polluted through nutrient enrichment following marron wastewater discharges. An Australian Coal Association Research Programme (ACARP) funded project carried out by the Mine Water and Environment Research group based at the Centre for Ecosystem Management (CEM) is researching these aspects. The team consists of Dr. Naresh Radhakrishnan, Dr. Clint McCullough and A/Prof. Mark Lund.

So far the research has found that marron wastewater discharges into the acidic pit lake appear to have little effect on improved water quality and ecological values enhancement. This is probably because the marron wastewater lacks significant quantities of phosphorus which is required to stimulate algal primary productivity. The risks of the pit lake becoming nutrient enriched are minimal as the pit lake water and sediment have a high capacity to remove and adsorb phosphorus from the water column by co-precipitation with iron and aluminium. further, as long as the pit lake remains anoxic, acidic and with constant iron and aluminium inputs, the phosphorus entering the lake will be removed and the risks of adsorbed phosphorus release into the water column are low.

HyDROECOLOGICAL STUDy Of GROUNDWATER-DEPENDENT VEGETATION ON THE GNANGARA MOUNDThe Gnangara mound is a heavily utilized shallow aquifer on the northern Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia. Over the last three decades or so, groundwater-dependent vegetation on the mound has had to deal with the effects of declining rainfall, increased groundwater extraction and plantation forestry. Our project aimed to characterize these responses, and quantitatively link them to hydrological changes in to improve the management of groundwater resources on the mound.

Vegetation monitoring datasets spanning some 35 years formed the basis of the project. Using multivariate statistical analyses, spatial and temporal plant responses were linked to a number of environmental variables, including progressive drying. The main outcomes were firstly the identification of the different hydroecological habitats present on the mound and the depth-to-groundwater ranges at which these occur, secondly these habitats were mapped for past, present and future hydrological, climate and landuse scenarios, and thirdly the floristic response to spatial and temporal water availability and progressive drying was characterised. All the outcomes were then synthesised into a risk assessment framework which can be used to provide recommendations for adaptive management of the water resources of the mound.

A key implication of the study is that management of groundwater-dependent vegetation on the Gnangara mound will have to be geared at preventing a trajectory of environmental change that is faster than vegetation adaptability. This may be primarily achieved through appropriate regulation of groundwater extraction and increasing recharge of the aquifer by reducing the area under plantation forestry.

This research was made possible by a grant awarded to A/Prof. Ray froend by the Western Australian Department of Water as part of the federal government’s National Water Initiative. Research was conducted by Dr Bea Sommer and A/Prof. Ray froend.

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PALM OIL: IS IT BAD fOR BIRDS?Palm oil has recently been in the spotlight for the devastating impact it is having on biodiversity in some tropical countries. With over 14 million Ha of palm oil planted in tropical countries, there has been extensive land-clearing, particularly of coastal lowland forests, and this has had a devastating impact on biodiversity.

A team of scientists, lead by ECU researcher Dr Rob Davis from the School of Natural Sciences, and including Dejan Stojanovic from the Australian National University and biologists Erika Wagner, Henry Cook and Gina Barnett, investigated the impacts of palm oil plantations on the native birds of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The island of New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago is the world’s sixth largest island and is characterized by 37 species of birds that are confined to this island or the immediate region. Many of these birds are endangered and poorly known and are reeling from the impacts of massive habitat loss due to palm oil plantings. It is estimated that some 20% of all lowland forest on New Britain was cleared for palm oil between 1989 and 2000.

The bird research team conducted surveys in lowland rainforest and palm oil plantations over a five week period in January and february 2010. Some valuable information was collected including records of several threatened species that have been rarely recorded. Unfortunately many of the island’s rare species were not seen at all, adding further weight to the idea that they have become extinct in many areas, due to habitat loss from palm oil and illegal logging.

The surveys revealed that palm oil plantations supported only around half the number of bird species of lowland forest: 32 species, compared to 61. However, most of the birds that

were recorded in palm oil on a daily basis were one of just four common species. The remaining birds were all rare in palm oil and likely passing through or flying over the plantations. By contrast, native lowland forest contained 34 species of bird that depended on the forest for their survival and were not recorded anywhere else. These species have an uncertain future given the past and ongoing loss of lowland forest for plantations.

The pilot study was a great success, despite the project team suffering from malaria, other tropical illnesses and being overcome by 2 weeks of rain and associated flooding! It is hoped that there will be opportunities for future postgraduate studies to follow up on this work. This study was made possible by support from the School of Natural Sciences and faculty of Computing Health and Science at ECU, Walindi Plantation Resort in New Britain and New Britain Palm Oil Ltd.

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CHILDREN’S ExPOSURE TO DUST AND METALS IN PORT HEDLANDResearchers from the Centre for Ecosystem Management (Edith Cowan University) in collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Children’s Environmental Health and the University of Western Australia have commenced a study to investigate children’s exposure to PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 microns) in Port and South Hedland. The study hopes to determine the extent to which children are exposed to PM10 particles and also metals in this naturally dusty setting.

PM10 concentrations in Port Hedland are high. Particulate pollution is well known to have adverse impacts on health. PM10 has been shown to impact on respiratory health in other studies, but the source of the PM has been different. The first step in understanding the relationship between concentrations of particles and health effects is to establish exposure concentrations. If exposure is occurring, we need to know if there is an increase in exposure to metals which are also associated with iron ore dust. If exposure to PM10 is elevated from this source and if metals exposure is increased in those exposed, then it is possible to consider potential health effects. This study focuses on children’s exposure as they are more vulnerable to the effects of pollutants.

Children’s exposure to dust measured as PM10 will be assessed over a 24-hour period through the use of an active particulate sampler. Children will also be asked to provide a morning urine sample, a hair sample and questionnaire, with all information then assessed and gathered by the research team to provide a snapshot of a child’s daily PM10 intake and their exposure to metals. These results will also be able to be compared with other studies currently underway in other locations. Researchers aim to recruit up to 100 children aged between 7 and 12 years of age in both Port and South Hedland.

This preliminary research will determine whether children are exposed, how much they are exposed to and whether further study into health risks is required. Please contact Andrea Hinwood at a.hinwood@ecu.edu.au; Dr Anna Callan a.callan@ecu.edu.au or Ms karyn Concanen karyn.concanen@ecu.edu.au for further information.

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INTERNATIONAL SyMPOSIUM ON EARLy MAN IN THE AMERICAS AND AUSTRALIAN ARCHAEOLOGy CONfERENCEWith financial support from the School of Natural Sciences, Adjunct Lecturer Esmée Webb attended the Early Man in America conference at La Plata, Argentina, in November 2010. Her oral presentation compared the earliest evidence for people in Australia with their arrival in the New World, many thousands of years later. That paper is now in press in the conference proceedings which will be published in the USA. Through the fieldtrips organized by the conference, she was able to visit northern Patagonia, the Atlantic coast and areas inland from Necochea.

“The chief memory I retain of the field trip to Rio Grande Province was the devegetation that has occurred on the Meseta de Somuncurá, inland from San Carlos de Bariloche, due to pastoralism. I felt quite at home, for the worst possible reasons! Actually, the Meseta is in a worse state than our Rangelands because it receives even less rainfall.”

The other highlight of Esmée’s South American trip was being able to spend a few days on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Everyone knows that all the native palm trees (Jubaea spp.) on Rapa Nui disappeared following the arrival of its original Polynesian settlers. The question that is still hotly debated is whether the Rapanui deliberately cut the trees down to facilitate transport of the moai (giant stone heads), or whether the introduction of the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans), a favourite source of protein throughout Polynesia, which ate the palm seed

kernels, reduced the number of seedlings that might otherwise have germinated. Whichever hypothesis is more likely, a combination of both is equally possible, the sad fact is that Rapa Nui has suffered so much soil erosion and environmental degradation since the forests disappeared that Jubaea will no longer grow there.

Esmée presented her thoughts on why the Rapanui might have expended so much effort on carving, transporting and erecting the moai, in a session on Monumentality at the annual conference of the Australian Archaeological Association in December 2010 at Batemans Bay, NSW. She suggested that it might have been a way of harnessing the energy of young men on an island whose population was rapidly reaching saturation point.

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CEM MeMbers

Dr Dimity BoggsWater requirements of groundwater dependent ecosystems. Plant ecology.

Dr Anna CallanEnvironmental exposures and health. Monitoring the biological effects of persistent toxic substance exposure.

Dr Robert DavisWildlife conservation and biology, impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on fauna, plant-pollinator interactions, urban ecology, impacts of climate change on fauna, ecology and conservation of amphibians, reptiles and birds.

A/Professor Ray FroendEcological water requirements. Management of aquatic and groundwater dependent ecosystems. Groundwater dependent vegetation.

Honorary Research Fellow Dr David GoodallPlant ecology, vegetation classification and arid zone ecology.

A/Professor Andrea HinwoodEnvironmental exposures. Environmental impact assessment. Environmental epidemiology. Ecosystem health.

A/Professor Pierre HorwitzAquatic ecology and management. Health and ecology, Ecosystem health.

A/Professor Adrianne KinnearBiodiversity and community ecology of soil and litter fauna.

Dr Annette KoendersGrowth and regeneration of muscle tissue in crustaceans. Conservation of endemic freshwater crayfish in south-western Australia.

Dr R Naresh KumarBioremediation of mine pit lakes, bioremediation of metal contaminated soil and sediment; aerobic and anaerobic treatment of polluted water.

Dr Kristina LemsonSystematics and evolution of Ericaceae subfamility Epacridoideae (Epacrids). Interface between systematics and conservation biology.

A/Professor Mark Lundfreshwater ecology. Mine pit lakes. Environmental acidity, nutrient dynamics, nuisance midges and lake rehabilitation.

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Dr Clint McCulloughfreshwater ecology. Macroinvertebrate community ecology and fisheries. Aquatic ecotoxicology. Mine pit lakes. Acid Sulfate soil contaminated lakes. Natural and constructed wetlands.

Emeritus Professor Harry RecherStructure of vertebrate communities, avian forage ecology and effects of habitat fragmentation on native ecosystems.

Dr Pascal ScherrerEnvironmental and social impacts of ecotourism. Alpine ecology related to land-use.

Dr Bea SommerWetland ecology, aquatic invertebrates and the impact of climate change on these systems.

Professor William StockPlant nutrition, impacts of external factors such as pollution and alien species on ecosystems. Terrestrial ecology and plant-animal interactions.

Dr Graham ThompsonImproving terrestrial fauna assessments and surveys to support environmental impact assessments. Ecology and physiology of goannas.

Dr Eddie Van EttenTerrestrial plant ecology and management in arid zones, urban areas, and forested ecosystems. fire ecology. Waste minimisation strategies.

Ms Esmee WebbIndigenous and European cultural heritage impact assessments. Landscape evolution. Archaeological sedimentology. Megafaunal extinctions. Hominid evolution. Human adaptations to arid/semi-arid environments.

Dr Lu ZhaoSoil science. Environmental biogeochemistry including the transport and mobilization of pollutants in soil, water and air. Nutrient cycling and remediation technology for polluted soil and water.

Dr Xanti LarranagaRiver ecology. Pit lake restoration.

Dr Xinhua HePlant to plant nutrient transfer, isotope tracing and mychorrizal biology. Plant source water identification.

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Children's dietary exposure to metals and the relationship between dietary intake and biological measures of exposure.

A. Callan

Impacts of feral fauna predation on ground-dwelling native species at Charles Darwin Reserve. R. Davis

Movement Ecology of Carnaby's Black Cockatoo. R. Davis

Ecohydrological Equilibrium Theory and Banksia Woodland Vegetation. R. froend

Lake Bryde EWR Project. R. froend

Pilot Study for the Application of MODIS Evapotranspiration Products in the Identification of Potential Groundwater Dependent Vegetation in Midwest Western Australia.

R. froend

Management of Brine Disposal into Inland Ecosystems. R. froend and P. Horwitz

Pilot Study Examining the Exposure of Australian Children to Bisphenol A. A. Hinwood and A. Callan

Characterisation of Peat Smoke. A. Hinwood

Children's Exposure to PM10 and Metals in Perth. A. Hinwood and A. Callan

Ecosystem Services and Productive Base in the Murray Darling Basin. P. Horwitz

Useability Index for the Swan Canning Riverpark. P. Horwitz and M. Carter

Biodiversity and taxonomy of Ostracoda (Crustacea) from temporary water bodies of inland Western Australia.

A. koenders

Extension to Midge and Related Research at Lake Joondalup. M. Lund and C. McCullough

Rio Tinto Bioremediation: Scoping Study Proposal. M. Lund, C. McCullough and N. Radhakrishnan

Applying the principles of spatial modelling to the management of biodiversity in the fragmented landscapes of south-western Australia.

S. Molloy

Assessment of Topsoil for Restoration in the Northern Goldfields Region. E. Van Etten

Dating the archaeology of and studying the pigment used in rock art sites in the Southwest of Western Australia.

E. Webb

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BOOk CHAPTERS�� Majer, J.D., Recher, H.F., Lyons, A. (2010). The wheatbelt

woodlands of Western Australia – Lessons from the invertebrates. pp. 73-82 in ‘Temperate Woodland Conservation and Management’. ed by D. Lindenmayer, A. Bennett, and R. Hobbs. CSIRO Publ., Collingwood. �� Recher, H.F., Majer, J.D. and Davis, W.E., Jr. (2010).

The eucalypt woodlands of Western Australia – Lessons from the birds. pp. 63-72 in ‘Temperate Woodland Conservation and Management’. ed by D. Lindenmayer, A. Bennett, and R. Hobbs. CSIRO Publ., Collingwood.

JOURNAL ARTICLES�� Bever, J.D., Dickie, I.A., facelli, E., facelli, J.M., klironomos,

J., Moora, M., Rillig, M.C., Stock, W.D., Tibbett, M., Zobel, M. (2010) Rooting theories of plant community ecology in microbial interactions. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25: 468-478.�� Froend, R., Sommer, B. (2010) Phreatophytic vegetation

response to climatic and abstraction-induced groundwater drawdown: Examples of long-term spatial and temporal variability in community response. Ecological Engineering 36: 1191–1200.�� Fulton, G. R. (2010) Predation of a mardo Antechinus

flavipes leucogaster by a southern boobook, and mobbing of boobooks by other birds. Australian field Ornithology 27: 38-41.�� Galeotti, D. M., McCullough, C. D., Lund, M. A. Black-stripe

minnow Galaxiella nigrostriata (Shipway 1953) (Pisces: Galaxiidae), a review and discussion. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 93: 13-20.�� He, X.H., Duan, y.H., Chen, y.L., xu, M.G. (2010) A sixty-year

journey of mycorrhizal research in China: Past, present and future directions. Science China – Life Sciences 53: 1374-1398. �� kinnear, J.E., krebs, C.J., Pentland, C., Orell, P., Holme,

C., karvinen, R. (2010) Predator-baiting experiments for the conservation of rock-wallabies in Western Australia: a 25-year review with recent advances. Wildlife Research 37: 57-67.�� McCullough, C.D., Horwitz, P., (2010) Vulnerability

of organic acid tolerant wetland biota to the effects of inorganic acidification. Science of the Total Environment. 408: 1868-1877. �� Recher, H.F., Davis, W.E., Jr. (2010). The foraging behaviour

of woodland birds along the mulga-eucalypt line in Western Australia during late winter and spring. Amytornis 2: 29-41.

�� Sommer, B. (2010) Australian Saltmarsh Ecology (N. Saintilan, ed., 2009). Book review. Pacific Conservation Biology 16: 71.�� Stock, W.D., Bond, W.J., van De Vijver, C.A.D.M. (2010)

Herbivore versus nutrient control of lawn and bunch grass distributions in a southern African savanna. Plant Ecology 206: 15-27. �� van Dam, R.A., Hogan, A.C., McCullough, C.D., Houston,

M.A., Humphrey, C.L., Harford, A.J. (2010) Aquatic toxicity of magnesium sulfate, and the influence of calcium, in very low ionic concentration water. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 29: 410-421.�� Wagstaff, S.J., Dawson, M.I., Venter, S., Munzinger, J., Crayn,

D.M., Steane, D.A., Lemson, K.L. (2010) Origin, diversification, and classification of the Australasian genus Dracophyllum (Richeeae, Ericaceae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 97: 235-258.�� Wu, Q.S., Zou, y.N., He, X.H. (2010) Exogenous putrescine,

not spermine or spermidine, enhances root mycorrhizal development and plant growth of trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) seedlings. International Journal of Agriculture and Biology 12: 576-580.

REfEREED CONfERENCE PROCEEDINGS�� Callan, A., Winters, M., Barton, C., Boyce, M., Hinwood, A.

(2010). Children’s exposure to metals in Esperance – a community initiated study. Joint meeting of the International Society for Exposure Science and International Society of Environmental epidemiology. South korea.�� Heyworth, J., Hinwood, A., Tanner, H, McCullough, C. (2010).

Recreational use of acid mine pit lakes. Joint meeting of the International Society for Exposure Science and International Society of Environmental epidemiology. South korea.�� Hinwood, A., Heyworth, J., Tanner, H., McCullough, C.,

Lund, M. (2010). Water quality of mine void pit lakes used for recreation. Joint meeting of the International Society for Exposure Science and International Society of Environmental epidemiology. South korea.�� Horwitz, P. & Parkes, M. (2010). “Wetland ecosystems as

settings for human health”. Paper presented at the Biennial Conference of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education, Geneva.�� Horwitz, P. (2010). “A framework for wetlands and human

health”. Paper presented at EcoHealth 3rd biennial conference, London, August 2010.�� Horwitz, P. (2010). The conservation of freshwater crayfish:

the basis of concern, listing and recovery processes, and community involvement. freshwater Crayfish 17: 1-12. (keynote presentation).

PublicatiOns

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�� Ramalingam, M., Hinwood, A., Boyce, M., Barton, C., Callan, A., Heyworth, J., McCafferty, P., Odland, J. (2010). Metals exposure in pregnant women in South West Western Australia – preliminary results. Joint meeting of the International Society for Exposure Science and International Society of Environmental epidemiology. South korea.�� Ramalingam, M., Hinwood, A., Boyce, M., Barton, C.,

Callan, A., Heyworth, J., McCafferty, P., Odland, J. (2010). A Preliminary Investigation of Maternal Exposure to Metals in Western Australia. 15th International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment 19-23 September 2010, Gdansk, Poland.�� Recher, H.F. (2010). A not so natural history: the vertebrate

fauna of Sydney. Pp. 125-42 in ‘The Natural History of Sydney’ ed by D. Lunney, P. Hutchings, and D. Hoculi.. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Mosman.�� Lunney, D., Hutchings, P., Hoculi, D., Recher, H. (2010). Is

the natural history of Sydney so camouflaged that it will not survive? Pp. 429-38 in ‘The Natural History of Sydney’ ed by D. Lunney, P. Hutchings, and D. Hoculi. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Mosman.�� Stasinska, A., Heyworth, J., Reid, A., Hinwood, A. (2010).

A systematic review of PBDEs in dust comparing concentrations across home office and vehicle environments and country. Joint meeting of the International Society for Exposure Science and International Society of Environmental Epidemiology. South korea.

CEM REPORTS�� van Etten, E., McCullough, C. D. (2010). A Scoping Report

for Environmental Impacts of Planned Pit Dewatering on Eagle-Head Lake. Unpublished commercial-in-confidence MiWER report to Minesite Environmental Pty Ltd. (CEM Report 2010-1)�� Zhao, L. Y. L.; McCullough, C. D., Lund, M. A. (2010). Mine

Voids Management Strategy (III): A Monitoring Strategy for Pit Lakes and Connected Waters. Unpublished MiWER report to Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-2)�� Somesan, N.; McCullough, C. D., Lund, M. A. (2010).

Unpublished report to kemerton Silica Sand Pty Ltd. Do contemporary ephemeral wetland successional models describe development of macroinvertebrate assemblages in seasonal wetlands? Unpublished MiWER report to kemerton Silica Sands Pty Ltd (CEM Report 2010-3)�� Koenders, A. Horwitz, P., Geldart, K. (2010). Habitat

and water requirements of invertebrates in the Lower Blackwood River in the region of the yarragadee Discharge Zone A report to Water Smart Australia and the Western Australian Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-4)�� Koenders, A., Horwitz, P (2010). Surface and interstitial

invertebrate communities in tributaries of the Lower Blackwood River Prepared for the Western Australian Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-5)�� Sommer, B., Froend, R. (2010). Gnangara Mound

Ecohydrological Study (RfT 0037-2008). Progress Report to the Department of Water (CEM Report 2010-6)

�� Wilson, J., Wyse, L., Froend, R., Sommer, B. (2010). Wetland Vegetation Survey of the Gnangara Mound. Annual report to the Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-7)�� Wilson, J., Froend, R. (2010). 2009 Monitoring of

Groundwater Dependent Vegetation – Southern Blackwood Plateau and Scott Coastal Plain. A report to Water Smart Australia and the Department of Water (CEM Report 2010-8)�� Wilson, J., Boyd, T., Froend, R. (2010). 2009 Vegetation

Monitoring – Swan Coastal Plain (Bunbury, Busselton – Capel Groundwater Areas). A report to Water Smart Australia and the Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-9)�� Müller, M, Eulitz, K., McCullough, C.D., Lund, M.A. (2010).

Mine Voids Management Strategy (III): Water Quality Modelling of Collie Basin Pit Lakes. MiWER Report to Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-10)�� Hinwood, A.L., Heyworth, J., Tanner, H. McCullough,

C.D. (2010). Mine Voids Management Strategy (III): Effects of Collie pit lakes on human health. MiWER Report to Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-11)�� McCullough, C.D., Lund, M.A. (2010). Mine Voids

Management Strategy (IV): Conceptual Models of Collie Basin Pit Lakes. MiWER Report to Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-12)�� Kumar, R.N., McCullough, C.D., Lund, M.A. (2010). Scoping

Study for Bioremediation of Rio Tinto Pilbara iron Pit Lakes Aquatic Environments. MiWER commercial-in-confidence report to Rio Tinto Pty Ltd. (CEM Report 2010-13)�� Wyse, L., Wilson, J., Froend, R. (2010). Wetland Vegetation

Monitoring Jandakot Wetlands 2009 Survey. A report to the Department of Water (CEM report 2010-14)�� Froend, R., Davies, M. (2010). Phreatophytic Vegetation

and Groundwater Study (Phreatophyte Phase 2 Project). Compilation of Project Outcomes for the Water Corporation (CEM Report 2010-15)�� Davis, R., Stojanovic, D., Cook. H., Barnett G., Wagner E.

and Bliss T. (2010). Birds on NBPOL Land: Survey Results. Prepared for New Britain Palm Oil Ltd (CEM Report 2010-16)�� Kumar, N.R., McCullough, C.D., Lund, M.A. (2010).

Overcoming limitations to bulk organic bioremediation of acid coal mine lakes. (CEM Report 2010-17)�� Judd, S., Horwitz, P. (2010). final Report for the Wetland

Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program of the Gnangara Mound Environmental Monitoring Project Spring 2009 to Summer 2010. final Report to the Western Australian Department -of Water. (CEM Report 2010-18)�� Judd; S., Goldsmith, K. (2010). A report Hydrology and

environmental gradients of the Muehlenbeckia horrida Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) at Lake Bryde and East Lake Bryde, Western Australia. Prepared for the Department of Environment and Conservation. (CEM Report 2010-19)�� Sommer, B., Froend, R. (2010). Gnangara mound

ecohydrological study. final Report to Department of Water. (CEM Report 2010-20)

PublicatiOns (Cont.)

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OTHER REPORTS�� Crase, L., O’keefe, S., Horwitz, P., Carter, M., Duncan, R.,

Hatton-MacDonald, D., Haslam Mckenzie, f., Gawne, B. (2010). Australian tourism in a water constrained economy: research agenda. Published by the CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd. Gold Coast, Australia

NON REfEREED PAPERS/PROCEEDINGS/EDITORIALS �� Canham C., Froend R. and Stock W. (2010) Adaptability

of Phreatophytic plants to groundwater drawdown: Will Banksia roots follow a declining water table? Groundwater 2010, The Challenge of Sustainable Management. 1-4 November 2010, Canberra, Australia. �� Froend R., Davies M., Stock W., Martin M., Robertson

C., Eamus D. and Smettem, k. (2010) Environmentally sympathetic groundwater production: Is it possible to maintain abstraction in areas with vulnerable phreatophytic vegetation? Groundwater 2010: The Challenge of Sustainable Management. 1-4 November 2010, Canberra, Australia.�� Froend R., Smettem k., Davies M., xu C., Robertson C. and

Martin M. (2010) Development of sustainable groundwater extraction practices for a major superficial aquifer supporting a groundwater dependent ecosystem. 5th International Symposium on Integrated Water Resources Management, 19-21 Nov 2010, Nanjing, China.�� Froend R., Smettem k.R.J., Davies M., Xu C., Robertson

C. and Martin M. (2010) Poster paper presented at the European Geoscience Union, Vienna, Austria “Managing water stress in a groundwater dependent ecosystem subjected to groundwater extraction”.�� Smettem k.R., Froend R., Davies M., Stock W., Martin

M., Robertson C. and Eamus D. (2010) Development of sustainable groundwater extraction practices for a major superficial aquifer supporting a groundwater dependent ecosystem. American Geophysical Union, fall Meeting 13-17 December 2010, San francisco USA.

�� Sommer, B. and Froend, R. (2010). A risk assessment framework for managing hydrological habitat of groundwater dependent vegetation in areas of water resource development. Paper presented at Groundwater2010, Canberra, 31 Oct. to 4 Nov. 2010.�� Wilson, J., Sommer, B., & Froend, R. (2010), “Using change

in wetland plant hydroecological distribution to predict vegetation response to groundwater drawdown”, Poster session presented at the Groundwater 2010 the challenge of sustainable management conference - National Convention Centre, Canberra.

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POstgraduate studEnts

The following PhD and Masters students were supervised by members of the Centre * Indicates students who completed in 2010.

PhDDavid Blake – P Horwitz/W Stock/M Boyce. fire induced hydrobiogeochemical responses in wetland sediments of the northern Swan Coastal Plain.

John Bunn – P Horwitz/A koenders. Mechanisms affecting the replacement of Cherax tenuimanus (Smith 1912) by Cainii Austin 2002 from the Margaret River.

Quinton Burnham – A koenders/P Horwitz. Biogeography of the Australian burrowing freshwater crayfish genus Engaewa (Decapoda: Parastacidae).

Caroline Canham – R froend/W Stock. Phreatophyte root growth dynamics and relationships between growth phenology, plant water relations and groundwater.

Zoe Car – P Horwitz. Seeing with other eyes: Exploring western scientific and indigenous environmental knowledge.

Jeffry Cargill – W Stock/E van Etten. fate of Eucalyptus marginata seed from canopy-store to emergence in the northern jarrah forests of Western Australia: a comparison between spring and autumn burns in shelterwood treatments.

kelly Chapman – P Horwitz/P Scherrer/J Northcote. Tourism research to tourism practice: working to build adaptive institutions in Western Australia’s Ningaloo Region.

Chatchai Intatha – P Horwitz/A Hinwood. factors influencing the capacity of communities to respond to coastal erosion in the upper Gulf of Thailand.

Patcharasorn karatna – P Horwitz. Mangrove forest communities in south-eastern Thailand.

Shaun Molloy – R Davis. Applying the principles of spatial modelling to the management of biodiversity in the fragmented landscapes of south-western Australia.

Nushan Nawarathna – M Lund/G Hyndes. Metal behaviour and bioaccumulation in different trophic levels in an urban temperate estuary (Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia)

Marian Patrick – P Horwitz/G Syme. Justice and scale in water allocation.

Craig Pentland – A kinnear. Behaviour and population dynamics of translocated populations of the black-flanked rock wallaby, Petrogale lateralis lateralis.

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Malarvili Ramalingam – A Hinwood/M Boyce. Maternal exposure to metals and contribution of environmental sources.

katesuda Sitthisuntikul – P Horwitz/A Guilfoyle. A Grounded theory approach to an examination of the relationship between the meaning of water and sense of place in Thailand.

Rebecca Thomas – R froend. Ecohydrological equilibrium theory and Banksia woodland vegetation.

Meenu Vitarana – W Stock/A Hinwood. Lichens as pollution biomonitors in the Collie Region.

MScRob Campbell – P Horwitz. Perceptions of soil health in the Bremer River Catchment.

David Galeotti – C McCullough/M Lund. Biology and Habitat Requirements of Blackstriped Jollytail.

Teagan Johnston – W. Stock/R. Davis. foraging resources for Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo on the Swan Coastal Plain, Perth.

William Phelps – M Lund/B Sommer/C McCullough. Structural characterization of suspended detrital floc in the yanchep Wetland suite, Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia.

* Victoria Lazenby – A Hinwood/P franklin (UWA). Personal exposure of children to formaldehyde in Perth, Western Australia.

*Marie Lourdes Raphael – A Hinwood/E van Etten/P Horwitz. Defining appropriate options for post-closure land use of the Tamala Park Landfill in Western Australia.

Heather Salomons – W Stock. The ecology of the invasive exotic Euphorbia terracina (Euphorbiaceae) on the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia.

Niall Somesan – C McCullough/M Lund. Can macroinvertebrate community development in seasonal wetlands be predicted by hydrology alone?

Megan Stalker – R Davis. Characteristics of Carnaby’s Black-cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris overnight roost sites on the Swan Coastal Plain.

Chandima Weerasekara – A Hinwood. Peat fire Smoke in the Swan Coastal Plain: Chemical Composition and Relationship with Soil Composition.

*yuichi yano – U Mueller/A Hinwood. Bayesian and geostatistical analysis of the effect of air pollution on asthma hospitalisation in Perth.

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CEM seminars are in association with the School of Natural Sciences.

INVITED SPEAkERSProf. Graham Stewart, Heriot-Watt University – forty years of Brewing Research.

Prof. Peter Wenz, University of Illinois – The Nature and Importance of Environmental Justice.

Rich Wetherill, Earthwatch Institute – ClimateWatch – Australia’s National Phenological Network.

Lindsay Preece, John Patten & John Argus, Department of Water – Water Information: where do I get it for research and academic use?

Clemencia Rodriguez, Senior Project Officer, Environmental Health Directorate – Groundwater Replenishment Trial: An option to augment Perth’s underground water resources.

Dr Stephen M. Mudge, Environmental Practice, Uk – The Deepwater Horizon MC252 oil spill: a personal view.

Dr. M.W.Lubczynski, Associate Professor, International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, The Netherlands – Underestimated role of tree transpiration and bare soil evaporation in groundwater balances and modeling.

Mr Tim Harrison, School of Chemistry, Bristol University, Uk – How to Get the Most Out of Undergraduate Chemistry Practical Work: The Bristol ChemLabS Experience.

STAff PRESENTATIONSDr Mark Brown (SEBHS), Tammy Esmaili (SEBHS) & Jon Luff (SONS) – flow Cytometry and Other Options Available for Cellular Analyses at ECU.

Dr Rob Davis – An Oily End? Conserving Lowland forest Birds in Papua New Guinea’s Oil Palm Landscapes.

Dr kristina Lemson – The Robert Brown Herbarium (ECU) .

Dr Andrea Hinwood (ECU) and Dr Jane Heyworth (Population Health UWA) – Potential Health Risks of Recreational Use of the Collie Pit Lakes.

xanti Larranaga – Effects of eucalyptus plantations on organic matter dynamics and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in headwater streams.

Lu Zhao – Transport and mobilization of heavy metals: studies of soil column experiments, harbour water body and lake sediments.

xinhua He – Hardpan penetration ability of drought-stressed wheat under pot and field conditions. yangling International Agri-science forum, 03/11/2010, yangling, China.

xinhua He – Nitrogen transfer: Possible mechanisms from mycorrhizal networks. International Workshop on Soil Microbial Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 26/09/2010, Beijing, China.

Public lectures & sEMinars

He xH. Nitrogen transfer between N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing plants. 2nd International Workshop on Ecosystem Assessment and Management, 25/07/2010, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.

Natural Sciences Research @ ECU: five minute snapshots –

�� Dr. Mary Boyce: Analytical chemistry across multiple field of application.�� Dr. Anna Callan: Children’s exposure to metals. �� Dr. Richard Campbell: The best of both worlds: Using

technology and traditional knowledge for the conservation of marine mammals.�� Dr. Eddie van Etten: Plant species diversity in our arid lands.�� Dr. Andrea Hinwood: Investigating environmental exposures.�� Prof. Will Stock: Carnabys: a cockatoo with a cone dependency.�� Dr. xinhua He: Common mycorrhizal networks: its concept.

and potential function.

STUDENT SEMINARSTeagan Johnston – food Resource Availability and Systematic Conservation Planning for Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo on the Swan Coastal Plain.

Desmond Menon – The Effects of PM2.5, PAHs and Metals in PM2.5 on the Respiratory Health of children.

Meenu Vitarana – Lichens as Monitoring Agents for Detecting Heavy-metal Air Pollution Associated with Coal fired Power Plants in Collie, WA.

katesuda Sitthisuntikul – A Grounded Theory Approach to an Examination of the Relationship between the Meaning of Water and Sense of Place in Thailand.

David Galeotti – Can meta-population theory explain survival of an aestivating fish species in a seasonal wetland complex?

Niall Somesan – Sampling effort in seasonal wetlands: How much is enough?

Malarvili Ramalingam – A preliminary investigation of maternal exposure to metals in Western Australia.

Heather Salomons – The ecology of the invasive exotic Euphorbia terracina (Euphorbiaceae) on the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia.

Shaun Molloy – Applying the principles of spatial modelling to the management of biodiversity in the fragmented landscapes of south-western Australia.

Megan Stalker – Characteristics of Carnaby’s Black-cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris overnight roost sites on the Swan Coastal Plain.

Lisa Edwards – ‘frustrated Housewives and Swamp Witches’: Understanding direct action for landscape features and the role of place-based caring over time.

Nushan Nawarathna – Metal behaviour and bioaccumulation in different trophic levels in an urban temperate estuary (Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia).

Chandima Weerasekara – Peat fire Smoke in the Swan Coastal Plain: Chemical Composition and Relationship with Soil Composition.

Tamara Murdoch – Where new meanings spring: The relationship between Indigenous cultural meanings for freshwater springs and management practices.

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�� Advisor to Department of Water and SkM project, Collie River GDE project (R froend). �� Invited to review Risk Assessment Guidelines for

Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in New South Wales, NSW Office of Water (R froend). �� Member of the Technical Review Committee (TRC) for

the Canadian Government’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) “Ecohealth Emerging Infectious Diseases (Eco EID) Call for South East (SE) Asia” (P Horwitz).�� Member of two HEAC committees for accreditation of

awards at non self-accrediting institutions (A kinnear).�� Minerals Research Advisory Committee, WA Government

(W Stock with proxy E van Etten).

INDUSTRy/PROfESSIONAL�� Member of the Technical Review Committee (TRC) for

the Canadian Government’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (P Horwitz). �� Consultant for a soil website for secondary teachers; SPICE,

UWA (A kinnear).�� Hosted a workshop for Staff PD Day at Central TAfE: Why

do they stay? Outcomes from research that are relevant to the ‘student as customer’ debate (A kinnear).�� The Barrow Island mite Inventory and Catalogue; Curtin

University; October – December, 2010 (A kinnear).

Dr Dan Taylor, University of Technology Sydney. Measurement of Banksia woodland evaporation using a scintillometer method on the Gnangara.

Dr Steven Mudge, United kingdom. Conducted a CEM funded Workshop on the environmental applications of Chemometrics on 25th Nov 2010.

cOllabOratiOnsMembers of the CEM maintained strong collaborations with a wide range of local and international colleagues and many of these relationships are productive and have resulted in multi-authored papers which are given in the publication outputs section.

APPOINTMENTS TO PROfESSIONAL, GOVERNMENTAL OR COMMUNITy BODIES

GOVERNMENT�� Advisor to National Water Commission and SkM project,

National review of groundwater dependent ecosystem management Case Studies (R froend).�� Advisor to National Water Commission and SkM project,

Development of national groundwater dependent ecosystem atlas NWC project (R froend).

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cOMMunitY engageMent aCtiVitiEs & LinKagEs

EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES�� Pacific Conservation Biology (H Recher)�� EcoHealth (P Horwitz)�� Austral Ecology (W Stock)�� Plant and Soil (W Stock, x He)�� African Journal of Range and forage Science (W Stock)�� Plant Ecology (R froend)�� Acta Oecologia (R froend)�� Tropical Ecology (D Goodall)

REfEREED PAPERS fOR THE fOLLOWING JOURNALS�� Amytornis�� Analytica Chimica Acta�� Animal Conservation Biology�� Applied Vegetation Science�� Austral Ecology�� Australian Journal of Botany�� Clean Air and Environmental Quality�� DEC Science�� EcoHealth�� Ecohydrology�� Journal of Arid Environments�� Journal of Exposure Science and

Environmental Epidemiology�� Journal of the Royal Society of WA �� Landscape and Urban Planning �� Oecologia�� Pedosphere�� Plant and Soil�� Plant Ecology�� Plant Ecology and Diversity �� Records of the Western Australian Museum�� Tropical Ecology�� Ecological Engineering�� Journal of Environmental Management�� Bioresource Technology�� Journal of Hazardous Materials�� Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy

Report compiled and edited by Meenu Vitarana and Will Stock.

Photographs kindly provided by Will Stock, Annette koenders, Rob Davis, Jenniewren Photography, Clint McCullough, Anna Callan, Bea Somer and Esmee Webb.

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CRICOS IPC 00279B Information contained in this report was correct at the time of printing and may be subject to change. key2design_33079_11/11

fOR fURTHER INfORMATION CONTACTSchool of Natural Sciences Joondalup Campus 270 Joondalup Drive Joondalup WA 6027Telephone (61 8) 6304 5725 facsimile (61 8) 6304 5070 Email anthea.ward@ecu.edu.au

©Jenniewren Photography