Publications
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Journal articles
Leigh, A., Sevanto, S., Ball, M., Close, J., Ellsworth, D., Knight, C., Nicotra, A.B. & Vogel, S.2012, 'Do thick leaves avoid thermal damage in critically low wind speeds?', New Phytologist, vol. Online ear, pp. X-X.
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Summary Transient lulls in air movement are rarely measured, but can cause leaf temperature to rise rapidly to critical levels. The high heat capacity of thick leaves can damp this rapid change in temperature. However, little is known about the extent to which increased leaf thickness can reduce thermal damage, or how thick leaves would need to be to have biological significance. We evaluated quantitatively the contribution of small increases in leaf thickness to the reduction in thermal damage during critically low wind speeds under desert conditions. We employed a numerical model to investigate the effect of thickness relative to transpiration, absorptance and leaf size on damage avoidance. We used measured traits and thermotolerance thresholds of real leaves to calculate the leaf temperature response to naturally occurring variable low wind speed. Our results demonstrated that an increase in thickness of only fractions of a millimetre can prevent excursions to damaging high temperatures. This damping effect of increased thickness was greatest when other means of reducing leaf temperature (transpiration, reflectance or reduced size) were lacking. For perennial desert flora, we propose that increased leaf thickness is important in decreasing the incidence of extreme heat stress and, in some species, in enhancing long-term survival.
Yunusa, I.A., Zolfaghar, S., Zeppel, M.J., Li, Z., Palmer, A. & Eamus, D.2012, 'Fine root biomass and its relationship to evapotranspiration in woody and grassy vegetation covers for ecological restoration of waste storage and mining landscapes', Ecosystems, vol. 15, pp. 113-127.
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Voyer, M., Gladstone, W. & Goodall, H.2012, 'Methods of social assessment in Marine Protected Area planning: Is public participation enough?', Marine Policy, vol. 36, pp. 432-439.
Macreadie, P.I., Allen, K., Kelaher, B.P., Ralph, P.J. & Skilbeck, C.G.2012, 'Paleoreconstruction of estuarine sediments reveal human-induced weakening of coastal carbon sinks', Global Change Biology, vol. 18, pp. 891-901.
Plant, R.A., Walker, J.R., Rayburg, S., Gothe, J. & Leung, T.2012, 'The wild life of pesticides: Urban agriculture, institutional responsibility, and the future of biodiversity in Sydney's Hawkesbury-Nepean River', Australian Geographer, vol. 43, pp. 75-91.
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Hasegawa, H., Rahman, M., Luan, N.T., Maki, T. & Iwasaki, N.2012, 'Trace elements in Corallium spp. as indicators for origin and habitat', Journal Of Experimental Marine Biology And Ecology, vol. 414-415, pp. 1-5.
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Precious corals have been commercially exploited for many centuries around the world. The skeletons of these corals consist of calcium carbonate, and have been used as amulets or gemstones since ancient times. Different Corallium species of Coralidae family (e.g., Corallium rubrum, Corallium elatus, Corallium konojoi, and Paracorellium japonicum) were collected from different locations of the Mediterranean Sea (off Italy) and Pacific Ocean (off Japan and off Midway Island), and trace elements in their skeletons were analyzed. Results show that trace element concentrations in the skeletons of Corallium spp. were attributable to their habitat and origin. In particular, Mg/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios in the skeletons of Corallium spp. from the Mediterranean Sea and Japanese and the Midway Islands' waters were found to be habitat-specific. This study also reveals that trace elements in the skeletons can be used as ecological indicator of the coral's origin, and are expected to play an important part in the cultural study and sustainable management of precious corals. Findings of this study will also be of great relevance to the coral industry to authenticate and identify the habitat and origin of the corals.
Buxton, L.J., Takahashi, S., Hill, R. & Ralph, P.J.2012, 'Variability in the primary site of photosynthetic damage in Symbiodinium sp. (Dinophyceae) exposed to thermal stress', Journal of Phycology, vol. 48, pp. 117-126.
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Exposure to elevated temperature is known to cause photosynthetic inhibition in the coral symbiont Symbiodinium sp. Through the use of the artificial electron acceptor, methyl viologen, this study identified how reduced photosynthetic capacity occurs as a result of inhibition up- and a?? or downstream of ferredoxin in Symbiodinium sp. in hospite and in culture. Heterogeneity between coral species and symbiont clades was identified in the thermal sensitivity of photosynthesis in the symbionts of the scleractinian corals Stylophora pistillata and Pocillopora damicornis, as well as among Symbiodinium cultures of clades A, B, and C. The in hospite symbionts of S. pistillata and the cultured clade C Symbiodinium both exhibited similar patterns in that their primary site of thermal inhibition occurred downstream of ferredoxin at 32C. In contrast, the primary site of thermal inhibition occurred upstream of ferredoxin in clades A and B at 32C, while at 34C, all samples showed combined up- and downstream inhibition. Although clade C is common to both P. damicornis and S. pistillata, the manner of thermal inhibition was not consistent when observed in hospite. Results showed that there is heterogeneity in the primal site of thermal damage in Symbiodinium among coral species and symbiont clades.
Caprarelli, G., Wang, B.Y.2012, 'Wet Mars implications of revised scaling calculations for Evros Vallis', Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 263-276.
