Western Australia is no longer able to declare itself free of the damaging and wide spread Queensland fruit fly after an infestation was discovered in Perth’s Albert Cove. 2 Male flies were discovered in the Alfred Cove residential area in surveillance traps on the 18th November whilst another 4 were captured on the 23rd November no more…
Hamilton Lab leads way at MODSIM
The 21st International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM2015) is currently underway at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Broadbeach, Queensland and Hamilton Ecology lab is leading the way. The theme for this years global conference on modeling and simulation is ‘Partnering with industry and the community for…
Decision making in ecology; turning theory into practice
Deciding which areas to conserve, which species to protect or when to carry out management and control techniques are necessary steps in the process of using ecological assessments to inform land-use decisions. Whilst ecological researches often recommend certain decisions be made based on sound inference and statistical methods, these…
Hamilton Lab memebers' papers accepted!
Dr Grant Hamilton and Dr Peter Baxter, along with collaborator Dr Stephen Parnell in Salford University UK, have had two peer-reviewed papers accepted for the MODSIM (21st International Congress on Modelling and Simulation) conference which takes place on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Nov-Dec 2015. The papers, titled “Fine tuning of unmanned…
Invasive bird species spreading avian malaria throughout eastern Australia
The invasive Indian Myna threatens bird life in the South East Queensland region through the carrying and potential spreading of avian malaria throughout its range in eastern Australia, according to Griffith University PhD candidate Nicholas Clark. Clark found that up to 40% of Indian Mynas in the South East Queensland region can carry…
UAS for forestry surveillance and conservation could provide substantially cheaper option
A new study from lead author Dr Rakan Zahawi, from the Organisation for Tropical Studies in partnership with researchers from the University of Maryland and the University of California-Santa Cruz, USA, has indicated that unmanned aerial systems, known more commonly as drones, could successfully monitor the effects of forest regeneration…
New report shows the danger of inconsistent funding for scientific research
A new report led by the University of Minnesota shows that cut-backs or inconsistencies in funding for research into pests and diseases has the potential to be devastating given the shifting climate and and new spatial ranges of established pests and diseases. More here.
SERF UAS Training Exercise
Hamilton Ecology Lab’s Jim Eldridge recently undertook 2 days worth of UAS training with the Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation at QUT’s Samford Ecological Research Facility. UAS training is currently being undertaken due to the requirement of these technologies in current Hamilton Ecology Lab projects. Jim has recently…
Discovery of new gene may lead to increased spatial range of wheat
Scientists at the University of California, Davis have recently discovered the a fourth gene in wheat responsible for wheat vernalization, the biological process requiring cold temperatures to trigger flower formation. Identification of the newly characterized VRN-D4 gene and its three previously discovered counterpart genes is crucial…
Capstone Students Join Hamilton Ecology Lab
Three bright young students currently finishing their undergraduate environmental science degrees have joined the Hamilton Ecology Lab as capstone students for 2015. Sam, Lille and Russ will be working on a project together looking at the potential of infrared thermography as a tool for minimising errors in detection and identification…
Science Exchange 2015 success for Hamilton Ecology Lab
Dr Grant Hamilton and Dr Peter Baxter recently represented Hamilton Ecology Lab at the 2015 Plant Bio-Security Cooperative Research Centre Science Exchange. The exchange was a success with informative project updates provided for current projects PBCRC 2100 and PBCRC2135. This year the annual event was held on Queensland’s iconic…
2011 Senate inquiry inaccurate and spatially bias.
A new report titled Saving our national icon: An ecological analysis of the 2011 Australian Senate inquiry into status of the Koala, has cast doubt over the findings of a 2011 senate inquiry into the status, health and sustainability of Australia’s Koala population. The full article can be found here.