QASE research recognised
Ecological research carried out by QASE members Dr Grant Hamilton and Nadine Nolan has been recognised by the ABC in a story highlighting the potential dangers of the invasive fungal disease, Myrtle Rust. Research is ongoing and more updates will appear shortly. See the story below for more details or click here for full story…
Queensland farmers have new tool for tackling weeds
Queensland has its fair share of hard to manage invasive weeds, yet farmers and managers are now using an unmanned helicopter named ‘Sid Vicious’ in an attempt to cut back on labour costs and kill hard to manage weeds such as groundsel bush. Read here for more…
Invasive weeds have potential to cost billions
With no control measures in place, weeds have the potential to out compete crops or other species. About half of all corn and soybean crops currently grown across the United States and Canada could be lost, costing growers about $43 billion annually. New research has identified the potential damages caused by invasive weeds if left…
Pressure on Australia's biosecurity system leads to calls for reform
Over the past decade, plant bio-security research funding and management in Australia has been undertaken by the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre (PBCRC) but this structure is set to expire in 2018. If it’s not replaced, high impact and critical research, development and extension projects could cease, and Australia’s grain…
Western Australia no longer free of fruit fly
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…
International Pest Risk Research Group Executive committee nomination
Hamilton Ecology Lab leader, Dr Grant Hamilton has been nominated to be on the executive committee of the International Pest Risk Research Group. This group is a dedicated group of research scientists and pest risk practitioners who aim to develop enhanced pest risk modelling and mapping methods through rigorous and innovative research…
South Australian state government to fund new UAV trial
The South Australian government will trial the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of a strategy aimed at reducing the impact of wild dogs and other pests in agricultural areas. Read more here…
Distribution and dispersal of invasive species redefining biogeography in Anthropocene
In a recent study, data on native and invasive ranges of terrestrial gastropod species was used to analyse dissimilarities in species composition among 56 globally distributed regions. it was found that native ranges confirm the traditional biogeographic realms, reflecting natural dispersal limitations. however the distribution of…
Novel methods reveal Asian origins of invasive European species
Scientists from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) have teamed up with colleagues from the Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University to study the ability of Chinese insect and fungal pathogens to colonise European trees. Most recent invasive species found in European…
Genetic study reveals origin and spread of invasive Walnut twig beetle.
Researchers from the Pacific South-west Research Station (PSW) and partners from the University of California, Riverside and U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Protection have characterised the beetle’s geographic distribution and range expansion through a genetic study across vast spatial areas. An evaluation of population genetics can…
Genetic diversity increases in invasive population
Typically, invasive species suffer from a lack of genetic diversity compared to their source populations because populations start from a small set of founding individuals. But in a unique twist, it turns out that New Zealand’s stoat population has greater genetic diversity today than the one in Britain, posing some important questions…