Lab Members
Prof. Angela Moles | Head of Lab
I lead the Big Ecology Lab, in the Evolution & Ecology Research Centre in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UNSW Sydney. My primary research goal is to quantify the ecological strategies employed by plant species in different environments, and to better understand the selective processes underlying global patterns in ecological strategy.
Click here to to see past publications, and here for my researcher profile.
Adam Baldock | Honours Student
Assessing urban-rural gradients in herbivory across introduced and native species.
Iain Campbell | PhD Student
My doctoral research is based on a new Habitats of the World mid-level habitat classification system with around 500 habitats worldwide. My research focuses on investigating the optimal scale at which bird assemblages can better indicate habitats compared to existing mapping using the IUCN or IVC systems. Additionally, I aim to explore whether bird assemblages of conspicuous species can serve as indicators for cryptic birds, mammals, and herptiles. I am also interested in determining whether the absence of a species in naturally depauperate or recently impoverished habitats can be considered a valid indicator of the habitat type.
I am eager to assist other ecologists interested in classifying habitats in their respective areas of work, so please feel free to contact me.
iain.campbell@unsw.edu.au
www.habitatsoftheworld.org
+61477016469
Marcus Greenwood | PhD Student
I am researching the range distribution of plant species with fire related germination triggers in response to altered fire regimes. I will be assessing whether these species are able to shift their distribution as fast as species with no fire related germination in our changing climate.
marcus.greenwood@student.unsw.edu.au
Inna Osmolovsky | PhD Student
My research is about temporal speciation – how will divergence in germination time affect the speciation process of annual desert plants. The first part of my research will focus on how environmental conditions affect seed dormancy. In the second part I will explore how seed dormancy affects reproductive isolation and how common are hybridization events, with respect to the unique desert conditions. Lastly, I will explore how climate change might affect the speciation process of desert annuals.
Karen Zeng | PhD Student
My research focuses on understanding what conditions allow invasive species to benefit from enemy release, and how biological controls can help mitigate this advantage. My first project involves looking at abiotic factors that affect enemy release. My second project will involve testing invasive species for enemy release and how effective biocontrol is on them. With this knowledge, I aim to improve our understanding on the relationship between biocontrol and enemy release to help limit the damage that invasive species cause.
Charlie | Lab Support Officer
I provide (and receive) love and attention to (and from) all members of The Big Ecology Lab.