biological sciences HONOURs 2014 - The University of Sydney
biological sciences HONOURs 2014 - The University of Sydney
biological sciences HONOURs 2014 - The University of Sydney
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12 BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY<br />
AND CONSERVATION<br />
Research Interests<br />
My research focuses on the behavioural ecology <strong>of</strong> Australian<br />
wildlife and aims to develop ecologically-based solutions to<br />
conservation problems. <strong>The</strong> main interests <strong>of</strong> my research<br />
group include the behaviour and ecology <strong>of</strong> invasive species,<br />
conservation <strong>of</strong> urban wildlife and the ecology <strong>of</strong> chemical<br />
communication. I work mainly with mammals, including bats,<br />
and most <strong>of</strong> our work is field based and involves manipulative<br />
experiments.<br />
Honours projects<br />
Each year novel Honours project arise out <strong>of</strong> our on-going<br />
research program and I prefer to match projects to the career<br />
goals <strong>of</strong> students so that they get the skills needed to succeed<br />
in the next phase <strong>of</strong> their career<br />
Some examples <strong>of</strong> recent Honours projects are:<br />
Amelia Saul (2013) - Aliens replacing natives: are introduced<br />
black rats an effective replacement for extinct native<br />
pollinators. Amelia is testing the role <strong>of</strong> black rats and native<br />
mammals as pollinators <strong>of</strong> Banksia flowers. She tested the<br />
idea that black rats, despite being alien, might be playing a<br />
valuable ecosystem service in areas where native pollinators<br />
have become locally extinct. Amelia is working around <strong>Sydney</strong><br />
Harbour and Kuringai Chase National Park.<br />
Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
Peter Banks<br />
Room 101, Science Road<br />
Cottage A10<br />
T: (02) 9351 2941<br />
E: peter.banks@sydney.<br />
edu.au<br />
Andrew Daly (2012) - <strong>The</strong> role <strong>of</strong> olfactory cues in predator:prey interactions. Andrew looked<br />
at how prey might use predator odours as a cue to risk. Specifically, he tested the overlooked<br />
assumption that predator odours represent a hotspot <strong>of</strong> predator activity to increase risk for<br />
prey and revealed a great deal <strong>of</strong> complexity in how the predator and prey communities use<br />
olfactory information. Andrew worked on foxes, cats, dogs and small mammals in the Mallee<br />
region <strong>of</strong> western Victoria and on the central coast.<br />
Deborah Romero (2012) - Reinvasion <strong>of</strong> black rats across the urban/bushland interface: a test<br />
<strong>of</strong> ideal-free distribution models. Deb applied and tested two important theories about how<br />
populations <strong>of</strong> alien species choose habitats and might recover after control efforts. She then<br />
examined how the reintroduction <strong>of</strong> a native competitor might alter the mechanics <strong>of</strong> reinvasion<br />
by an alien species. She worked on rodents around <strong>Sydney</strong> Harbour.