Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Recent Research Projects within HIE include:

Western Sydney Insect Infestation

Dr Markus Riegler, together with Blacktown City Council have been awarded a UWS Research Partnership grant to identify the key characteristics of the current psyllid infestation in the endangered remnant Cumberland Plain Woodlands.

Research project title: Assessing the distribution and population dynamics of the lace lerp infestation in the endangered Cumberland Plain Woodlands in Western Sydney (opens in a new window) [PDF, 80KB]

Hungry Insects

Dr Markus Riegler and Professor David Ellsworth have been awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Project Grant to test the predicted responses of individual insect species and communities in eucalypt forests against realistic climate change scenarios.

Research project title: Insect herbivore and plant responses in eucalypt forests under climate change at physiological, species and community scales (opens in a new window) [PDF, 88KB]

Plant and fungus relationships

Professor John Cairney and Professor Ian Anderson have been awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Projects grant to investigate the extent to which basidiomycetes fungi form ericoid mycorrhizal associations with Ericaceae plants in Australian habitats.

Research project title: Plant : fungal symbioses in Australian forests - new perspectives using laser microdissection (opens in a new window) [PDF, 83KB]

Fire affects on tree water use

Professor David Tissue is examining the impact of forest fire on water use by trees and groundwater recharge within a highland catchment. This research is an Australian Research Council Linkage project supported by the Australian Capital Territory’s water utility, ACTEW Corporation.

Research project title: Testing climatic, physiological and hydrological assumptions underpinning water yield from montane forests (opens in a new window) [PDF, 92KB]

 Water Use in Forest Ecosystems

Professor David Ellsworth and Dr Charles Morris with Dr Belinda Medlyn from Macquarie University and Mrs Danelia Drewry of Penrith Lakes Development Corporation Ltd., (PLDC) are investigating the water-use of various tree species within a plantation. This research is funded by PLDC and the Australian Research Council through its Linkage Program.

Research project title: Forest ecosystem water use: Does species diversity matter? (opens in a new window) [PDF, 94KB]

Small things make a big difference

Professor Ian Anderson is investigating how the diversity and activity of forest soil microbes is affected by climate change, through a Life Sciences Research Award from the NSW Office for Science and Medical Research.

Research project title: Climate change impacts on carbon sequestration in Australian forests: the role of soil microbial diversity (opens in a new window) [PDF, 66KB]

Rising CO₂ and Eucalypts

Professor David Ellsworth is leading a research team that will investigate the interactive effects of elevated CO₂ and increasing temperatures on Eucalypts to enable the future management of forests under conditions of global warming. The project is supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under its Forest Industries Climate Change Research Fund program.

Research project title: The Hawkesbury Forest Experiment: providing the missing information for decision support systems to manage forests under rising CO₂ and global warming (opens in a new window) [PDF, 109KB]