RESEARCH SUPERVISOR - PROFESSOR RICHARD KINGSFORD
Co-supervisors: Dr Dan Ramp(UNSW) and Dr Tony Auld (DECC)

 

 

 

This research is in conjunction with the project; Managing Ecosystem Change in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.

 

Dispersal ability of plant species as a measure of the response to climate change
Climate change has the potential to alter current species distributions and vegetation zonation in the GBMWHA. The capacity for the floral communities to shift with their changing climatic ranges is dependent on the dispersal ability of the individual species. The aim of this research is to quantify the dispersal ability of different functional groups of flora and their key associated fauna on the GBMWHA plateau and to assess the potential impacts of various climate change scenarios on individual species and plant communities.

 

The plant dispersal capacity across species and functional groups of species will be examined using a variety of field and laboratory experiments. Dispersal curves will be developed with a focus on long distance dispersal, an important and relatively unknown area for Australia's indigenous flora. This information will then be integrated with climate change models to assess the possible impacts of climate change on plant communities.