University of New South Wales - BEES Home

I retired from teaching at UNSW in mid 2001 and now live in Newcastle , but, I remain actively interested in research as a Visiting Professor. I am continuing to write up the results of research projects with colleagues and particularly with previous research students who now have teaching and research positions at other universities. The main focus of this research has been on trying to improve our understanding of habitat use and experimental manipulations of habitat to illuminate the mechanisms involved. In addition I have taken on a three-year stint (2006-09) as a Subject-Matter Editor for the Journals of the Ecological Society of America, (Ecology and Ecological Monographs).

CONTACT DETAILS

Email: b.foxunsw.edu.au

My research has been conducted from two main locations: the School of Biological Science's Smiths Lake Field Station and the Hunter Water Corporation's catchment at Tomago Sandbeds, and encompasses the following topics:-

DISTURBANCE ECOLOGY

- studies of rehabilitation on areas following sand mining for heavy minerals, and also the effects of fluoride fallout from aluminium smelters.

- studies of habitat fragmentation and edge effects in forest and heath habitats, particularly those subject to disturbance events as above.

FIRE ECOLOGY

- the effects of wildfire and intentional burning on plant and animal communities, particularly with respect to the frequency component of the fire regime.

COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

- covering a wide range of topics: competition, habitat selection, species packing and succession. These are being investigated in small mammal, ant and plant communities.

ASSEMBLY RULES

- continuing development of assembly rules for species occupying 'favoured states', following on from the initial studies of Jared Diamond with birds and Bob M'Closkey with rodents. Most recently refining models for desert rodent communities with Jim Brown and Doug Kelt.

HEATHLANDS and SHRUBLANDS

- their plants and animals are another special interest, in particular, responses to the moisture gradient from the coastal to the arid zone.

BIOGEOGRAPHY

- distribution and island biogeography of plant and animal groups with particular emphasis on the the effects of fragmentation of habitats and the study of remnant vegetation.

SMALL MAMMALS

- taxonomy, growth, reproduction and population ecology.as well as community ecology (above).

MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

- use of multivariate methods of data analysis in plant and animal ecology, particularly multiple regression and ordination techniques.

RECENT POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

Greg JACKSON, PhD, 1996, Thesis: 'The succession of ant assemblages in a coastal forest regenerating following burning, clearing and mineral sand mining at Tomago, N.S.W.'

Miranda GOTT, PhD, 1996, Thesis: 'Biology of the Northern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon macrourus: reproduction and resource use in a heathland population.'

Vaughan MONAMY, PhD, 1998, Thesis: 'Native rodent distributions along successional gradients.'

Mathew HAYWARD, PhD, 2002, Thesis: ' The ecology of the quokka (Setonix brachyurus) (Macropodidae: Marsupialia) in the northern jarrah forest of Australia .'

Jennifer TAYLOR, PhD, (2003), Thesis: 'Mechanisms of coexistence in the sympatric lizards, Ctenotus robustus and Ctenotus taeniolatus (Scincidae) on the sand-mined coastal dunes of Port Stephens-Myall Lakes '.

Karen ROSS, PhD, (2005), Effects of fragmentation and disturbance on a Eucalypt open-forest plant community in south-eastern Australia

RECENT HONOURS STUDENTS

Karen ROSS, Honours I, (University Medal), 1995, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Multiple disturbance effects of sand mining and fire on a coastal open forest community'.

Mary-Therese KNOWLES, Honours II(1), 1995, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'The impact of fire season and intensity on fluoride affected coastal forest'.

Marzena KALBARCZAK, Honours II(2), 1995, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Regeneration of Fluoride affected vegetation after fire at Tomago NSW'.

Karl BRENNAN, Honours I, 1996, Ecology program, Thesis: 'Ant colonization of early successional stages following sand mining'.

Mathew LeBRETON, Honours I, 1996, Zoology program, Thesis: 'Habitat use and distribution of the Blue Mountains Swamp Skink'.

Adele CRANE, Honours II(1), 1996, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Floristic survey of dry heath and its relationship to theabundance of Rattus fuscipes at Myall Lakes'.

Tim CURRAN, Honours I, 1996, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Floristic changes to wet heath following fire or clipping in Myall Lakes National Park'.

Michelle DRESDNER, Honours I, 1996, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Floristic analyis of a heathland site and its use as habitat by Rattus lutreolus'.

Nicola SALTMAN, Honours I, 1997, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Response of arthropod communbities to litter in a vegetation succession'.

Tanya MASON, Honours I, 1998, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Weed invasion and native vegetation responses at urban edges in Northern Sydney '.

Michael ELLIOTT, Honours I, 1998, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Y=The effect of bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) invasion of coastal heath on epigaeic ant communities'.

Trent PENMAN, Honours I, 1998, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Natural factors affecting the early life stages of the Green and Golden Bell Frog, Litoria aurea Lesson 1829'.

Elizabeth KNIGHT, Honours I, 1999, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'The response of Antechinus stuartii to human induced forest fragmentation at Tomago, NSW'.

Emma CORNELIUS, Honours II(1) 1999, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Can stimulation of germination assist regeneration after disturbance'?

Jason BRAGG, Honours I, 1999, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Distribution of lizard species across human-induced edges to eucalypt forest.'

Sally BROADFOOT, Honours II(1), 1999, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Effect of smokewater treatments on germination of seeds from fragmented forest habitats at Tomago.'

Karen CRANNEY, Honours I, 1999, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Effect of smokewater treatments on germination of seeds from an urban bushland site.'

Jocelyn POTTS, Honours I, 1999, Environmental Science program, Thesis: 'Distribution of mammal species across human-induced edges to eucalypt forest.'

Ann MIEHS, Honours II(1), 2000, Thesis: 'The diet and feeding behaviour of the Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) and Striped Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes peronii) at Broughton Island . '

Mark SANDERS, Honours II(1), 2000, Thesis: 'Resource partitioning by three species of wrens.'