Dr Anthony J. Willis Background The Cumberland Plain, to the south and west of Sydney, hosts a variety of ecologically unique communities. Prior to European settlement, CPW dominated the Cumberland Plain. As with biodiversity globally, a key threat to the integrity of remaining CPW fragments is the invasion of exotic species.
Weeds are out-competing native plant species including several endangered taxa.
In addition to the direct competitive effects of weeds on native flora in the CPW, there is potential for considerable indirect effects with implications for impacts on ecosystem processes. Infestations of privet and olive, for example, create a relatively dense layer of leaf litter, compared with woody natives occurring in the same habitat. The increased biomass of ground litter associated with these weeds may affect soil microbiology, decomposition rates, nutrient cycling and soil chemistry which, in turn, affect floristic biodiversity. The project entails field work to collect and compare litter and soil samples from field study sites, glasshouse experimentation to address questions about litter impacts on the germination and growth of key native species, and laboratory work to determine soil chemistry. The student will, thereby, learn a range of ecological techniques including sampling and experimental design and gain experience in conducting, maintaining and analysing the results of a manipulated glasshouse experiment.