York Gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba) woodlands were formally extensive in the Western Australian Wheatbelt, but persist now as smaller patches in a cropped landscape. For most of the year these woodlands have a bare understory until winter rain triggers germination of carpet-forming annual plants. These annual plants include many native species (daisies largely) but introduced annual grasses and daisies are increasingly common, particularly where woodlands adjoin crops. Introduced species often grow amongst native species in new combinations, creating “novel” communities. We are interested in the mechanisms behind the formation of these mixtures and also those that maintain annual plant diversity in general. Specifically we aim to determine the relative importance of the local environment, plant competition and random processes in forming the observed plant communities. This information will enable us to predict the types of mixtures we might see as the climate continues to dry and warm in the southwest

Project Collaborators

Margie Mayfield
The University of Queensland

Prof Richard Hobbs
University of Western Australia

Prof Robert Holt
University of Florida

Dr John Dwyer
University of Queensland

Prof Janneke Hille Ris Lambers
University of Washington

Post-graduate Students

Claire Wainwright (Postdoc, 2016)
Victoria Reynolds (PhD, current 2017)
Maia Raymundo (PhD, current 2017)
Trace Martyn (PhD, current 2017)
Cath Bowler (Honours, current 2017)
Steph Creer (PhD, 2016)
Tom Flanagan (Honours, 2016)
Xingwen Loy (Research Assistant, 2016)
Alexandra Nance (Honours, 2015)
Tim Staples (Honours, 2013)
Hao Ran Lai (Honours & Research Assistant, 2013)