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IBISCA | Queensland Predicting and assessing the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.
Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies | Griffith University
2nd progress report | April 2008
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 1
The IBISCA | Queensland project….
Predicting and assessing
the impacts of
climate change on biodiversity.
Contents.
Executive Summary...............................................................................................2
Introduction. ...............................................................................................................4
Progress & milestones..........................................................................................6
Future activities.....................................................................................................13
Individual project reports..................................................................................15
Budget.......................................................................................................................30
Project participants.............................................................................................33
Project Advisory Committee. ..........................................................................35
Our supporters......................................................................................................36
Volunteers................................................................................................................37
Acknowledgments. ..............................................................................................38
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 2
Executive Summary.
Introduction.
The IBISCA-Queensland project is a major international collaborative research
programme which is surveying biodiversity along an altitudinal gradient in undisturbed rainforest. The project!s goal is to develop tools to predict and assess
the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. The project gained substantial financial
support under the Queensland Government's National and International Research Alliances Programme. Other funding sources include Griffith University, the Global
Canopy Programme, the Queensland Museum, Queensland Herbarium, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Parks Association of
Queensland, SEQ Catchments and the Heritage Assessment Branch of the Federal
Department of the Environment and Water Resources. Many participating scientists
independently obtained support from their national granting bodies.
Changes in project partners and funding. Two of the partner institutions (the Smithsonian Institution and Pro-Natura
International) listed in the original proposal have withdrawn from the project. However, the Global Canopy Programme joined the project as the major international partner and provided both financial and technical assistance.
Scientific implications. The changes in partners and funding required revisions of the scientific programme using alternative canopy access techniques. An additional third field
survey using rope access techniques to sample the canopy was completed in
January 2008. All of the scientific objectives of the project were met despite these
changes. The contributions of the Global Canopy Programme were a major factor in the success of this third survey. We also held a Basic Canopy Access Proficiency
(BCAP) training course prior to the survey. This contributed to the specialist training of Australian scientists and students, and contribute to further canopy research
through capacity building.
Budgetary implications.
The changes to the scientific programme added significant unplanned costs to the project that were not part of the original project budget. However, we were able to
redirect funds from less critical areas of the project to support the modified scientific programme (details on pages 30-32) and the project will be completed on budget.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 3
Progress & milestones.
The project has completed several major biodiversity field surveys, convened
two scientific workshops, hosted an end-user forum, and supported a public seminar series. We have conducted 26 different projects involving 48 scientific participants
and 71 volunteers. In addition, there has been student participation in each of the major surveys and the education programme has been developed. The scientific
objectives of the project have been, or will be, completed on schedule (details on pages 6-12).
The first Milestone Deliverable specified in the Financial Assistance Agreement (the executed Collaborative Agreement) was submitted on time in June
2007. The second deliverable (the first progress report) was submitted on time in
November 2007. The third deliverable (this second progress report) was also submitted on time in April 2008.
Project outcomes.
Early results have already been presented at the 2007 Ecological Society of Australia conference (November 2007, Perth) and the Invertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation conference (December 2007, Brisbane). The first comprehensive
reports of the project!s scientific results will appear in a special edition of the Memoirs of the Queensland Museum in late 2008 or early 2009. The education programme is in the final stages of preparation.
Benefits to Queensland. The IBISCA Queensland project will continue to contribute to Queensland
Research and Development Priorities and provide significant benefits to Queensland.
These benefits include improved monitoring tools to inform management decisions in a changing climate, the provision of detailed information on which to base predictive models, contributing to the specialist training of Queensland scientists and students,
developing educational materials for Queensland schools, and building Queensland!s
scientific profile through international collaborations.
Justification for continued support. The scientific programme is running on schedule (pages 6-12) and we have
met all of the milestones specified in the Financial Assistance Agreement (page 12).
The project has fostered a great deal of international collaboration, with scientists from 13 countries involved in the surveys (pages 33-34). Many new international
collaborations in the fields of ecology and biodiversity will emerge as a direct result of
the IBISCA Queensland project.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 4
Introduction. IBISCA-Queensland is a major international collaborative research programme
which is surveying biodiversity along an altitudinal gradient in south-east
Queensland's Lamington National Park. This transect is contained within a single patch of continuous subtropical rainforest featuring a gradual transition of physical
and biological characteristics with altitude. The purpose of this study is to identify which species or groups are responding with greatest sensitivity to the climatic
changes currently associated with the different altitudes. This will provide us with a
powerful 'predictor set' of ecologically contrasting taxa which can be used for effective monitoring of the impact of climate change on biodiversity. In addition, more
detailed studies on ecological processes such as pollination, herbivory and decomposition give understanding of what the consequences of climate change
might be on the 'ecosystem services' derived from this biodiversity.
The Queensland Government and Griffith University are the main financial
supporters of this project. Other grants of cash and in-kind contributions have come from the Global Canopy Programme, the Queensland Museum, Queensland Herbarium, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Parks Association of Queensland, SEQ Catchments and the Heritage Assessment Branch
of the Federal Department of the Environment and Water Resources. Many
participating scientists independently obtained support from their national granting bodies. The project has also received considerable logistic assistance from O!Reilly!s Rainforest Retreat, Cainbable Mountain Lodge and the Green Mountains Natural
History Association.
The 20 permanent research plots were established in August 2006 and three major field surveys have now been completed. Details on the progress made towards the overall goals of the project and of the individual sub-projects are provided in the
following pages.
This document is designed to be a complete report of the project!s progress
from July 2006 to April 2007, so there is no need to refer back to earlier reports for
additional details.
We take this opportunity to thank our supporting organizations for making this research possible. We also thank our participating scientists and dedicated
volunteers for ensuring the project!s success.
Roger Kitching Project Director
Griffith University.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 5
Figure 1: A 3D terrain map showing the approximate locations of the 20 research plots at the five altitudes within Lamington National Park.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 6
Progress & milestones.
Preparation. The IBISCA Queensland project took its first major steps in July 2006 when
two full-time staff members were appointed - David Putland (Senior Research Assistant) and Heather Christensen (Administrative Assistant).
Fieldwork commenced in August 2006 when a team from Griffith University and the Queensland Herbarium established the 20 permanent research plots. The full
vegetation surveys and other preparatory work (details on pg 15) were completed in September in time for the first major biodiversity survey in October 2006.
The first meeting of the Project!s Advisory Committee was held on August 25,
2006. A second meeting was held at O!Reilly!s Rainforest Retreat during the first
survey period on October 29, 2006.
Field survey #1 (October 2006). The project hit full steam in October 2006 when about 40 scientists from 13 countries came together in Lamington National Park for the first
major field survey. These scientists were joined at the site by over 50 volunteers and students. Their work included
running some of the baseline sampling techniques as well as assisting with the
specialist sampling programmes of the visiting scientists.
Over 2000 samples containing tens of thousands of individual specimens were collected during the four weeks of the survey. Further details on the status of the
individual projects are provided in a later section (starting on pg 15).
Mini field survey (January 2007). A smaller group of scientists from Griffith University and the Queensland
Museum returned to the sites in January to conduct a subset of the main baseline survey methods. These core techniques included Malaise traps, pitfalls, flight
intercept traps, baited pitfalls, litter samples and mollusc surveys.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 7
Field survey #2 (March/April 2007).
A full-scale field survey was repeated in March/April 2007. Once again, about
30 scientists from 8 countries joined forces with about 40 volunteers to complete a detailed survey of the invertebrate biodiversity of the region. Over 1300 samples
were collected during the 4-week survey. This survey period also incorporated a scientific workshop, end-user!s forum and a seminar series (details below).
Workshop & Forum. On April 3 & 4, 2007, the project convened a Workshop for participating scientists and a public Forum for end-users.
At the Workshop, the scientists discussed priorities for maximising the outputs from the project, publishing
strategies, and established guidelines
for new collaborations. The revised priorities will ensure that we produce the required information in the shortest
timeframe possible. A set of priority
target taxa were identified in the April
workshop and new basic sorting protocols have been designed to 'fast-
track' extraction of these groups from the raw samples. We aim to have substantial multi-taxa, multi-scientist results available
for preliminary publication in a special issue of the Memoirs of the Queensland Museum by the end of 2008. The workshop concluded with a special seminar on climate change impacts on the biodiversity of the Wet Tropics by Dr Stephen
Williams (James Cook University).
The Forum involved the participating scientists, representatives from supporting organizations, management bodies and end-users. The main topics for
discussion were developing suitable information packs for managers, the continued development of educational materials, and the production of monitoring tools.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 8
Seminar series.
In partnership with the Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the
CERRA World Heritage Area (now Gondwana Rainforests of Australia), we presented a public seminar series held at O!Reilly!s Rainforest Retreat in March
2007. The speakers included Frode Ødegaard (Institute of Nature Research, Norway), Bruno Corbara (Université Blaise Pascal, France), Geoff Monteith
(Queensland Museum) and Rebecca Morris (University of Oxford).
Sorting work.
Extracting and identifying individual
specimens from the thousands of samples is
an incredibly time-consuming process. Most of this work is being performed by volunteers at
Griffith University, but a substantial amount is also being carried out at the Queensland Museum and by participants at other institutions. Sorting of the priority material identified at the scientific workshop has been
completed.
Mini field survey (July 2007). A second smaller survey was conducted by scientists from the Queensland
Museum in July 2007. Once again, this survey consisted of a subset of the main
baseline survey methods to ensure that we have completed some of the core methods in all 4 seasons.
Climbing course. Prior to the canopy survey in
January 2008, we provided a training course on tree climbing to full Basic
Canopy Access Proficiency certification
standard. The trainee climbers were past and present ecology students from
Griffith University. This course was
conducted by instructors from Canopy Access Limited and supported by the Global Canopy Programme. As a result
of this course, six newly-qualified
climbers were available to conduct the
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 9
scientific programme during the January survey. The four professional climbers also
assisted with the survey following the course. This course will build significant capacity to continue forest canopy research within Australia.
Field survey #3 (January/February 2008).
The last major field survey for the
IBISCA Queensland project was completed between January 14 and February 4, 2008.
This survey focussed on sampling the canopy, and this was achieved using a
team of 4 professional and 6 newly-trained
tree climbers. We completed canopy projects on leaf sclerophylly, herbivory and
pollination, and also completed another round of light trapping, beating and ant
collecting.
It was a very busy 3-week period. Over
80 trees were climbed resulting in 144 sweep net samples and 576 leaf samples. 3,456 leaves were measured for length, width, thickness and hardness with a total of 20,736
penetrometer readings. 5,760 leaves were photographed and pressed for further measurements. Over 11,000 leaves were processed in the laboratory. In addition, we collected a further 27 light trap samples, 300
beating samples, and hundreds of hours of "flowercam" footage.
We would like to make a special
mention of the climbers to thank them for the
hard work and dedication that made this possible. From Griffith University - Amy Bond, Kate Cranney, Ko Oishi, Jane Ogilvie and
Kyran Staunton. From the Global Canopy
Programme - Kalsum Yusah, Vicky Tough and Waldo Etherington. From Canopy Access Ltd. - Grant Harris.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 10
Student participation.
Groups of secondary students attended the major survey periods in October
2006 and March 2007. The National Parks Association of Queensland provided funding for three-day visits for 7 students in 2006 and 10 students in 2007. The
students were selected based on their results in a biodiversity essay competition.
The students were accompanied by three
teachers for both visits and were treated to a number of activities involving the
project scientists to give them a hands-on experience with biodiversity research.
In recognition of this important contribution to science education, the
National Parks Association of Queensland was nominated for the Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence in Science and Science Education. Two of the teachers involved in this project, Michele House
and Fay Seeto, were also nominated for individual awards.
The Governor of Queensland, Quentin Bryce, visited the field site during
March 2007. She presented certificates to each of the visiting students and toured the project!s field facilities.
The education programme.
Bishop Education Services (Margaret Bishop and Gaby Faull) have developed
primary and secondary level educational materials relating to biodiversity assessment
and monitoring. With input from project staff,
participants and the visiting students, the consultants have prepared a variety of
materials (eg. teaching aids, instructional videos) that will form the basis of the
Biodiversity in Action educational
programme. A website and blog to promote interaction among students and scientists is
already active (http://groups.google.com/ group/biodiversity-in-action). It is likely that
the education programme will be delivered
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 11
with the assistance of the Toohey Forest Environmental Education Centre, while
Conservation Volunteers Australia will provide an effective delivery mechanism for the programme in areas beyond Brisbane.
Vegetation workshop.
In November 2007, we hosted a
workshop that brought together specialists from Griffith University and
the Queensland Herbarium to discuss progress, analyses, collaborations and
future directions for vegetation-related
projects within the IBISCA Queensland programme. This workshop resulted in a
clear framework for future work on the IBISCA vegetation data that will facilitate
production of research publications and the establishment of new projects.
Publicity.
The IBISCA Queensland project
featured in a large number of media items in the first 18 months of operation. These include:
• Several ABC radio interviews with
Professor Kitching. • ABC TV feature article on Stateline.
• Two features on Network Ten!s
Totally Wild (filmed in October 2006 and January 2008).
• An article in Catalyst Queensland. • Numerous newspaper articles.
• A feature article in the Winter 2007
issue of Wildlife Australia magazine.
A joint project involving Eegenda Productions and Daryl Sparkes (Media
Production, University of Southern
Queensland) will produce a short documentary for Channel 7 featuring the
IBISCA Queensland project. Filming took place in March 2007 and January 2008.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 12
Collaborative tools.
With such a large number of
collaborators from institutions spread across the globe, and with a diverse
range of sub-projects on numerous taxa, the success of this project
depends on the ability to amalgamate
and share data effectively. We have developed a website in the form of a
private Google™ Group to facilitate collaboration. This website provides a
very efficient mechanism for project
staff to broadcast information and electronic resources (data, maps,
instructions, handbooks etc.) to all participants, and for the researchers to
submit data and reports to be shared among all participants. This self-sustaining collaborative system will become even more important when the project no longer has any permanent staff to maintain
information flow from July 2008 onwards.
Milestone deliverables.
We have reached the milestone dates for the first three deliverables specified in schedule 2 of the Financial Assistance Agreement. Deliverable #1 (executed Collaborative Agreement) was submitted on time in June 2007. Deliverable #2 (the first Progress Report) was submitted on time before the end November 2007. In
addition, a preliminary progress report was delivered to the partner organizations well ahead of schedule in July 2007. Deliverable #3 (this progress report) was also
submitted on time in April 2008.
The scientific objectives described in the original proposal and previous
reports have been, or will be, completed on schedule. We have: • completed the three major field surveys (October 2006, March 2007 and
January 2008) and two minor surveys (January 2007 and July 2007),
• convened two scientific workshops, a forum for end users and a public seminar series,
• involved secondary school students in the project, and • generated substantial international collaboration with the participation of
scientists from 13 countries.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 13
Future activities.
Ongoing research projects. Some field projects are still in progress and are mostly being conducted by
postgraduate research students at Griffith University. The projects currently underway include:
• Temporal and geographic variations in pollination systems (Sarah Boulter).
• Structure and dynamics of herbivore assemblages along an altitudinal gradient: indicators of climate change? (Darren Bito).
• Moth assemblages along a fine-scale altitudinal gradient (Louise Ashton). • Soil fauna along an altitudinal gradient (Sarah Maunsell).
• An assessment of decaying timber biomass.
Memoirs of the Queensland Museum Special Edition. We are working closely with the Queensland Museum to produce a special edition of the Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. This will be the first
comprehensive reporting of the main scientific results of the project. All of the projects participants have been invited to submit papers for this special edition. Submissions are due in August 2008 with a planned publication date of December 2008. We expect that many of the papers will be very general and perhaps present preliminary results, but this will still be an important resource and first step in the
detailed analysis of the project data.
More IBISCAs.
A fourth IBISCA project is in the works. Following from the existing IBISCA projects in Panama, Vanuatu and Queensland, a new project will be conducted in
France in May-June 2008. This highlights the value of the IBISCA concept for biodiversity research and the importance placed on it by researchers internationally.
IBISCA Auvergne is being organised by Bruno Corbara (Université Blaise Pascal, France), a key international participant in IBISCA Queensland. IBISCA Auvergne will involve many of the participants from IBISCA Queensland and will further enhance
international collaborations.
There are also plans to conduct an IBISCA project in Mozambique, Africa, but this is still in the early stages of preparation.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 14
IBISCA Symposium.
There will be an IBISCA Symposium at the 10th International Congress of
Ecology to be held in Brisbane, August 2009. This symposium will help to combine the results of the IBISCA Queensland project with the three other IBISCA projects in
Panama, Vanuatu and France. This symposium will elevate the status of the IBISCA Queensland project on the World scientific stage.
A permanent research station.
One of the discussion topics at the Forum in April was the feasibility of establishing a permanent research station in Lamington National Park. Conducting
the IBISCA Queensland project has highlighted the lack of any existing research
facilities capable of supporting this kind of research anywhere in Queensland. Forum attendees agreed that a suitably-equipped facility would attract international
researchers, be a valuable asset for educational institutions, and would extract enormous long-term benefits from the research plots established by the IBISCA Queensland project. Lamington National Park represents a unique opportunity to establish a world-leading research facility with direct access to World Heritage forests within two hours from several universities and an international airport. There is
potential for such a facility to be part of a strategic global network of “Whole Forest Observatories” backed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Canopy Programme (GCP).
David Putland is leading the push to develop the research station. O!Reilly!s Rainforest Retreat has agreed to provide land that would be an ideal location for the station. Discussions are continuing with Universities and other research institutions to further develop the proposal.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 15
Individual project reports.
Surveying shift: altitudinal variation and climate change in Australian subtropical rainforest.
Melinda Laidlaw, Bill McDonald, John
Hunter, Roger Kitching, David Putland.
Twenty permanently marked vegetation plots have been established
and surveyed between 300m and
1100m in the subtropical rainforest of Lamington National Park. All trees !5cm diameter were numbered and
measured for diameter, height and identified to species by the
Queensland Herbarium. Other vascular species on each plot were identified and given a cover ranking. All baseline data has been analysed
and used as a benchmark against which to formulate a set of testable hypotheses for climate-induced floristic and structural shift. Findings (to be submitted for publication shortly)
suggest that the 900m plots will be the
most sensitive to climate shift, in
particular, the lifting of the cloud-base. Additional studies of community
dynamics will commence shortly.
The baseline sampling programme.
Roger Kitching, Dave Putland,
Christine Lambkin, Geoff Monteith, Kyran Staunton, Sarah Boulter.
This trapping programme forms the
backbone of the IBISCA Queensland
project by performing diverse, consistent and repeatable sampling
across all 20 plots in all major survey periods.
The programme consists of the following methods:
• Malaise traps: 1 trap per plot over 10 days.
• Flight intercept traps: 1 trap per plot over 10 days.
• Litter samples: 1 sample from each
plot extracted in Tullgren funnels.
• Pitfall traps: 1 array of 9 traps in each plot over 9 days.
• Light traps: 2 traps (1 on the ground and 1 in the canopy) for 4
nights at each plot.
• Bark sprays: 10 trees on each plot. • Canopy knockdowns: 1 knockdown
per plot.
• Yellow pans: 3 at each plot for 4
days.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 16
The full suite of methods was used
successfully in both October 2006 and March 2007, with one exception.
Unfortunately, the canopy knockdown
proved to be too dependent on favourable weather conditions and was
not completed in 2006; we chose not to repeat it in 2007. A subset of these
methods was used in the smaller
survey in January 2007 (Malaise, flight intercept, pitfall and litter).
This programme was completed by
staff and students from Griffith
University, the Queensland Museum and numerous volunteers. Some of
these methods provide the material for other projects that are described in
more detail over the following pages.
Microclimate monitoring. Dave Putland, Roger Kitching.
Accurate monitoring of spatial and temporal climatic variation is a vital component of the overall project. We have an automatic weather station at each of the five altitudes and a pair of
temperature/humidity data loggers at
every plot (one at ground level and one in the canopy). The resulting data has been made available to all project
participants via our private Google
Group.
Soil characteristics of the IBISCA Queensland plots.
Dave Putland, Roger Kitching.
Detailed knowledge of the soil
characteristics at each plot will also be important in analyzing the variation in
vegetation and arthropod diversity. We
have collected soil samples from every
plot using a standardized sampling
protocol. These samples have been
subjected to comprehensive analyses, including measures of moisture,
micronutrients, organic material and texture. These analyses were
conducted by Phosyn Analytical. The
data is available to all participants via the project!s Google Group.
Altitudinal zonation of ant species in subtropical rainforest – are ants a good group for detecting climate change induced altitudinal range shifts?
Chris Burwell, Akihiro Nakamura, Susan Wright, Bruno Corbara.
The ant assemblages across the whole
altitudinal range of the IBISCA Queensland survey (300m-1100m)
were sampled in October 2006, March 2007 and January 2008. Our sampling
methodology incorporated three main
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 17
techniques: leaf litter extracts; bark
sprays and timed hand collecting during the day. This protocol targets
most of the components of the ant
fauna including ground active and arboreal ants, cryptic species foraging
within leaf litter and species nesting within rotten logs. In addition, timed
hand collecting at night was carried out
in at least two plots at each elevation. In January 2008 we also established
two new sets of four plots; one set at 700 m elevation along West Canungra
Creek (700-CK) and another at 900 m
elevation along Tooloona Creek (900-CK). This was specifically to
investigate what effects being in close proximity to a creek may have on ant
assemblages.
In addition, ants from the other
baseline sampling methods, and other specialised samples as available, will
be identified.
Preliminary analysis of the Oct. 2006,
Mar. 2007 and July 2007 data sets has been undertaken. Preliminary results
have already been presented at the
Combined 8th Invertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation / Society of
Australian Systematic Biologists Conference held in Brisbane in
December 2007.
More than 150 species of ants have
been identified from the survey to date. Ant diversity is highest at the lowest
elevations and gradually declines with
increasing altitude with a dramatic drop
in the numbers of species at the
1100m plots. Ant assemblages appear to be strongly influenced by altitude
with a progressive change in
assemblage structure with increasing altitude. However the ant assemblages
found at the 1100 m plots are dramatically different from those at all
other elevations. Preliminary results
suggest that ants may prove very useful in long term monitoring of the
effects of climate change because as many as 40% of the ants recorded
from the survey may prove useful bio-
indicators of a particular elevation or range of elevations.
Foliage morphology and leaf characteristics in selected tree species. Roger Kitching, Melinda Laidlaw.
The highest levels of the canopy are environmentally demanding places even in moist rainforests. It has been suggested that these conditions impose selection pressures on trees
such that foliage at the highest levels will have xeromorphic characteristics even in these mesic environments.
We will test this hypothesis by
targeting a randomly chosen set of
trees at each of three altitudes. 72 trees were sampled using rope access techniques during the January 2008
survey. A stratified sample of leaves
was taken from two levels in the
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 18
canopy of each tree (576 samples).
From each sample, six leaves were measured and their strength estimated
using a penetrometer. Leaves were
preserved for further morphological work.
Herbivores and levels of leaf damage in the outer canopy.
Roger Kitching, Christine Lambkin.
We have very little information on the
assemblages of herbivores and the damage they do in the uppermost
layers of the canopy in subtropical forest in Australasia. The comparison of herbivory levels at different altitudes will provide hard-to-come-by
information of the role of small climatic changes in key forest processes.
Herbivores were sampled at two levels
in the canopy using sweep nets. Leaf damage was assessed by collecting
four leaf samples at the same two
levels at each of 72 trees. 10 leaves from each sample were photographed
to allow assessment of leaf area loss as a result of herbivory.
Spiders of IBISCA Queensland.
Robert Raven, Barbara Baehr.
The aim of this project is to identify all
spiders from the baseline survey to species and all adult spiders to
species. New species that fit into
existing research projects (notably 12 genera within Oonopidae,
Cycloctenidae, Pisauridae, Idiopidae, Clubionoidea, Corinnidae, and
Tengellidae - including 8 genera and
12 species that are new) are being prepared for description. No papers
are submitted yet. In many cases, I currently have only juveniles and to get
them identified to named species I need to do all of the Malaise traps which will bring in adults. Some
species and families are showing strong altitudinal preferences.
Pitfalls (from Kyran Staunton) from
October and January are sorted and databased. All dung pitfalls and flight
intercept traps to January have been sorted and databased, as well as 4 of
the potential 60 Malaise traps have
been sorted and databased. 758 species-site combinations have been
registered, which include 173 spider species in 39 families.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 19
Structure and altitude-related diversity patterns of corticolous tree bark arthropod communities. Juergen Schmidl, Torsten Bittner,
Belinda Flemming, Dave Walter.
Bark of living trees (without bark damage or dead wood) within the sampling sites were sprayed with
insecticide. Samples (collected onto plastic sheets around the trunk base)
were sorted to order level (Coleoptera,
Pseudoscopiones and Acari were sorted to species or morphospecies level). Data will be analyzed by appropriate statistical tools, and a comparison between Lamington and
Espiritu Santo (Vanuatu) data will be
made on aspects of diversity and biogeography.
In October 2006, we collected 63
barkspray samples - the Coleoptera (1462), Pseudoscorpiones (72), Acari
(1829) and Formicidae (281) have already been extracted from the
samples. For comparison: In
Lamington we found 232 Coleoptera per sprayed tree trunk, in Vanuatu only
45 (and no carabids and latridiids which are dominant groups in
Lamington). Coleoptera are already
sorted to morphospecies level, giving 229 morphospecies from 43 families. A
clear altitudinal gradient can be found in the bark-living beetle communities.
More analyses will be done together
with the March 2007 samples
(including bark structural data). Acari will go to Dave Walter, and a
Coleoptera-Acari paper concerning
altitudinal gradients will be done first.
Temporal and geographic – the implications for climate change.
Sarah Boulter, Roger Kitching,
Jacinta Zalucki, Dawn Frame, Laurie Jessop, Bill McDonald.
This project looks at the natural
variability of pollination systems in
subtropical rainforests. In particular, how pollination systems respond to
natural changes in climate that are experienced along an altitudinal
gradient. This natural experiment
provides the basis from which to
understand and predict the likely
impact of climate change scenarios on pollination systems for selected
species of plants. Field studies of flower visitors and reproductive
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 20
success are being made on selected
species found on the IBISCA plots using insects traps and observations.
Trapping at the flowers of two species at multiple altitudes has now been
completed, yielding some 300 samples of flower visitors. Sorting of these samples is 40% complete and ongoing. In addition comprehensive pollination studies of one species is
now complete and a draft manuscript in preparation. During the most recent field exercise, a canopy tree species was added to the dataset. Traps were set at the flowers of 48 trees using a
bow to place lines in the canopy. In
addition to trapping data, vital visitor behavior data was sought by deploying a video surveillance camera using the
newly trained team of tree climbers.
Unfortunately, due to the extreme demands on the climbing team across
other projects, the camera was only
deployed three times, recording 72 hours of footage at three
inflorescences. This information helped
perfect the use of the camera, but provided limited analysable data.
Flies of IBISCA Queensland.
Christine Lambkin, Dan Bickel,
Rohan Wilson, Bryan Cantrell, Gunter Theischinger.
The proposal is to identify all Tipulidae
(Theischinger), Therevidae and
Bombyliidae (Lambkin), Dolichopodidae and Empidae (Bickel),
and Tachinidae (Cantrell) from the IBISCA project to species or
morphospecies. Furthermore, Rohan
Wilson will identify all Schizophora from Malaise traps to Family and
morphospecies. New species that fit into existing research projects will be
prepared for description. A multi-authored paper will be prepared discussing the biodiversity of these
groups, across the altitudinal transect.
Baseline Malaise trapping was completed by Lambkin and Starick in
October 2006, January and March 2007. As yet Lambkin is the only
person to receive samples of sorted
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 21
Diptera. The Diptera from pitfall traps
from October have been sorted to Lower Diptera, Lower Brachycera, and
Schizophora and databased. Apterous
Diptera have also been separated. Lower Brachyceran families have been
sorted, and also the schizophoran Family Sphaeroceridae. Some
therevids were obtained by a pre-sort
of the January Malaise traps, and an undescribed genus and two
undescribed species identified. More dipteran material needs to be sort to
assess the usefulness of this group for
detection of climate change.
Databasing IBISCA Queensland. Karin Koch, Christine Lambkin.
The Queensland Museum will database the locality, sample, specimen, and identification (order, family, species, and morphospecies)
information from the IBISCA project. Sample labels will be provided to more easily track the samples. Specimen labels will be prepared for all samples collected from the project, and made
available to all participants.
We at the QM devised a system that
required every sample collected having
a unique sample number. Before the
field survey started in October 2006, 10440 sample sheets were printed.
318000 sample numbers were guillotined, organised, added to zip-
lock bags and envelopes, and zip-lock
bags stapled to sample sheets by staff and Queensland Museum Honorary
Assistants (Darryl Robinson, Gail Irwin, Renee Lewry, Tracey Blazely, Anna
Marcora, John Purdie, Noel Starick). Before the March 2007 survey, all
544000 archival sample labels were guillotined, organised, added to zip-
lock bags and envelopes, and zip-lock
bags stapled to sample sheets by staff
and Queensland Museum Honorary Assistants and Volunteers.
The information on the completed sample sheets from the October and
January Surveys has been entered by Heather Christensen and checked by
Karin Koch. Karin has imported all
2089 sample sheets from the October survey and 303 samples from the
January survey into the R-base database that was established for the
project with sample numbers starting
from 20001 to fit into the existing QM database. 2392 specimen labels for all
the imported data have been generated by Karin, formatted in MS
Word. The October specimen labels are now on the web, in a format
accessible to all participants. Also provided on the web in searchable Excel format are all the sample data from the October survey.
On the website, we have also provided duplicate sample labels, sorting sheets, and identification labels. Excel identification spreadsheets for morphospecies/species have been
prepared for participants to send information on identification to the database.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 22
Gall density and herbivory along vertical and altitudinal gradients in a subtropical rainforest: the importance of leaf sclerophylly. Milton Barbosa da Silva Júnior, Sérvio Ribeiro.
We are investigating whether
increasing sclerophylly in the upper canopy results in suitable habitats for
galls using vertical and horizontal
transect sampling. We are recording leaf density, herbivore damage and
number of galls (live larvae, parasitoids or fungi recorded).
We have studied 16 plots distributed throughout 4 altitudes (300, 700, 900
and 1100 meters), during the 2006 and
2007 surveys. The gall analysis is
being conducted in Brazil. The samples from the 300, 1100 and 900m
sites, collected in the 2006 survey,
have already been analysed.
Phylogenetic study of subfamily Ennominae (Lepidoptera : Geometridae) at the tribe level by morphological and molecular approaches.
Antoine Leveque. Within the IBISCA Queensland umbrella, it is my objective to collect
the greatest diversity of Geometridae species possible. The objective is to
gather the specimens which will
represent the Australian fauna in the global approach of my work. These
samples will be identified and analysed to build the phylogenetic relationships
between the different tribes of Ennominae. The specimens are sampled at night using the light sheet
method, in both subtropical rainforest (IBISCA plots) and dry forest. About 1900 specimens of Lepidoptera have been collected, including around
1150 Geometridae (60%). About 15% of collected Geometrids have been pinned. The different species have not yet been identified, but in a first estimation about 140 different species
of Geometridae have been collected.
17 different sites have been prospected to date, including 11 of IBISCA!s plots (300 D; 700 A, B, C;
900 A, B, C, D; 1100 A, B, D) and 6
other plots (dry forest, O!Reilly!s and
near IQ 300 A).
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 23
The structure of host-parasitoid food webs along elevational and vertical gradients: predicting the effects of climate change. Rebecca Morris, Owen Lewis, Frazer
Sinclair.
We are studying the diversity and food
web structure of cavity nesting Hymenoptera and their associated
parasitoids. We will be constructing and comparing replicate quantitative
food webs for these species in both
understorey and canopy strata at the five altitudinal zones.
We collected 600 nests between December 2006 and April 2007, from all five altitudes and from both canopy
and understorey within each altitude. Since then we have been successfully rearing insects from these nests. This took longer than expected since the insects over wintered in the nests and
did not start emerging until the following spring. Identification of the
specimens is now taking place, with the assistance of Chris Burwell at the
Queensland Museum, and should be
completed in May.
Buprestidae of Lamington National Park.
Gianfranco Curletti, Yves Basset,
Brian Levey, Svatopluk Bily, Luca Cristiano.
During October 2006, I collected 317
samples, capturing 632 herbivorous
Coleoptera belonging to 22 families.
The first article, a description of a new
species of Buprestidae found in Lamington in October (Agrilus ibiscanus n.sp), is already in publication in Lambillionea (Belgian
journal). The second will be a checklist
of Buprestidae of Lamington National Park. This work is possible thanks to material found in last October and to
the material stored in Queensland Museum that I have studied during my work in Lamington. This is waiting for last identifications of the species of a genus that is actually in revision, and
for material found by the colleagues Schmidl and Floren.
A third publication will centre on my work with the sticky traps, concerning
the altitudinal stratification of xylophagous Coleoptera.
Unfortunately, the season in October
was not good, and it would be beneficial to repeat sampling in the
next good season (dependent on funding).
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 24
Bryophyte survey of IBISCA Queensland plots.
Elizabeth Brown. Each of the four plots at 300, 500, 700,
900 and 1100 metres ASL has been surveyed to assess what bryophytes
(mosses, liverworts and hornworts) are
present. Additional collections from the
areas immediately adjacent to the plots
have also been made, with more
extensive surveying of the 1100 m area.
Preliminary impressions and
assessments of the quadrats suggest
that the areas at 3–900 metres are not particularly species rich. All these areas are relatively dry and the
species composition is indicative of habitats where drying out is a frequent occurrence (rather than just a feature
of recent weather patterns). A number
of taxa, e.g. mosses such as
Camptochaete excavata, Braithwaitea sulcata, Thuidiopsis sparsa and
liverworts such as Frullania are common elements in virtually every
quadrat.
The species composition of the 1100
m quadrats is different from the ones at lower altitudes. They have elements in common with moist, cooler habitats
of more southern forests. There is little
evidence, at this stage, to suggest that
there are local endemics. Previous
work by Franks (1998) on the bryophyte flora of Nothofagus in this
area recorded 43 species from trunk
bases.
Diversity of the Formicidae of the litter along an altitudinal gradient. Bruno Corbara, Jerome Orivel,
Maurice Leponce, Yves Roisin,
Thibaut Delsinne.
The ants of the litter were collected by means of two sampling techniques,
Winkler sifting and pitfall traps.
In both cases, 49 samples are
collected on each surveyed site. The samples are collected on a 70m x 70m square grid which is centered on the plot. A total of 900 samples were collected on the IBISCA plots. Two
additional sites in eucalypt forest have been sampled for comparison at the 7oo m level.
The sorting work has only begun in
March. It will be conducted in Clermont-Ferrand, in parallel with the
Vanuatu material with the help of
volunteers and amateurs.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 25
Faunal composition and community structure of Coleoptera, Heteroptera and Mutilidae (Hymenoptera) at five different altitudes in Lamington National Park. Frode Ødegaard.
This programme includes regular
beating of vegetation structures in all
20 sites along the altitudinal range.
One sample is obtained by beating of all reachable vegetation structures using a beating sheet (1 x 1 m) along a
10 m long transect in association with
the plots (Fig. 1). A total of 10 parallel samples (10 transects) are collected in
each plot. Target organisms are be
beetles (Coleoptera), true bugs (Heteroptera) and mutilid wasps
(Mutilidae, Hymenoptera).
The sampling was replicated at three
different times of year, in October "06, March !07 and January "08. A total of
16719 beetles were sorted to about
1220 different species belonging to 70 different families. The 685 true bugs
belonged to 92 different species. About 120 total mutilid-wasps of 17 species
were also included in the data set.
Table 1. The number of insect specimens of
beetles and true bugs collected by beating in the
three sampling periods.
Oct
2006 Mar 2007
Jan 2008 Total
Coleoptera 4853 5116 6750 16719
Heteroptera 213 308 164 685
All the material extracted in the field has been mounted, labelled and sorted
to morpho-species. All the material will be data-based by May 2008.
Mites in leaf domatia.
David Walter, Heather Proctor. Domatia are leaf structures produced
by many species of plants. They are
frequently inhabited by small
arthropods, especially mites (Arachnida: Acari). Previous vegetation
surveys showed that there was no single species of domatia-bearing plant
that was found at all altitudes. We
looked instead at two species, native gardenia (Atractocarpus benthamianus, Rubiaceae) and steelwood/corduroy (Sarcopteryx stipata, Sapindaceae) that together
span most of the altitudes. Gardenia has hairy-pit domatia, and steelwood igloo domatia. We plucked 1 terminal
or near terminal leaf from up to 10
individual plants per plot for a
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 26
maximum of 40 leaves per species per
altitude. Leaves were taken to the lab and the mites either picked out and
preserved (Oct 2006 sampling) or
entire domatia excised and preserved (March/April sampling).
In October 2006, only gardenia was sampled and only at the two altitudes at which it was present (1100 m and
900 m). In March/April 2007, gardenia
was resampled at those altitudes, and
steelwood at 1100, 900, 700 and 500 m. The maximum of 10 plants/plot
was realized for gardenia at almost all plots, but steelwood proved to be rare
at the 1100 plots and fewer than 40
leaves were collected for this altitude. Mites from the 80 gardenia leaves
collected in October 2006 sampling have been counted and identified to
family or genus. There were 829 mites
from 11 taxa: (from most to least common) Tydeidae, Oribatulidae,
Scapheremaeus, Winterschmidtiidae, Phytoseiidae, Agistemus,
Fungitarsonemus, Oudemansicheyla, Phylleremus, Eriophyidae, Nasobates,
Muellederia, Neilstigmaeus,
Cunaxidae, Micreremaeus, and Tuparazetes. Taxa in bold include
undescribed species, approximately 12
species in total. The 1100 m sites differed most obviously from the 900!s
in having a much higher % of Tydeidae and lower % of Oribatulidae.
Gardenia and steelwood mites from March/April 2007 are yet to be
identified. We expect these samples to hold a further 5-10 species (3-6
being undescribed). We will then
examine evidence for altitudinal variation in mite abundance and
species richness, and also follow up on preliminary observations that mites
appear to subdivide habitat both among and between leaves (e.g. some
leaves or individual domatia appear to contain only oribatulids, and others only tydeids).
Assemblages of predatory arthropods along an altitudinal gradient in subtropical rainforest.
Kyran Staunton, Roger Kitching, Christy Fellows, Geoff Monteith, Chris Burwell, Robert Raven.
The variability within a predatory guild
along a subtropical rainforest altitudinal gradient was examined. Pitfall traps were set within sites, at least 400 m
apart to survey epigaeic ants, beetles
and spiders. Ants, predatory beetles and spiders were combined to
represent a predatory guild. Patterns displayed by this guild along the
gradient were compared to those of a
non-predatory beetle dataset. The predatory guild was also divided into ant, predatory beetle and spider
assemblages and subsequent trends
were investigated.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 27
Sixty pitfall samples in total.
Both guilds consisted of a total of 7234 individuals from 72 families were
sorted to species or morphospecies.
The predatory guild consisted of a total of 4261 individuals derived from
Formicidae, Coleoptera and Araneae. The Formicidae consisted of 1567
individuals and 64 species, the
predatory Coleoptera consisted of 1722 individuals and 110 species and
the spiders were composed of 972 individuals from 106 different species.
Both predatory and non-predatory guilds displayed high levels of compositional change along the altitudinal gradient. The greatest amount of which was seen at high
altitude locations. Restricted
distributional range or endemism was
consistent along the gradient within
both guilds. Peaks of species richness were seen at 900m for both the
predatory and non-predatory guilds.
Climatic variability was suggested to largely influence the trends exhibited
by both guilds along the gradient.
Ants were highly sensitive to climatic
changes and decreased in biological diversity with increasing elevation.
Predatory beetles displayed a high level of compositional change along
the gradient and peaked in species richness at high altitude. Spiders
displayed large distributional ranges and were very tolerant of
environmental changes along the
gradient. These findings suggested a
low level of surrogacy between predatory taxa due to individual
responses to environmental changes
along an altitudinal gradient.
This project was Kyran Staunton!s honours thesis (submitted). Papers
based on the results of the October
and February surveys are in preparation.
Dung beetle assemblages along an altitudinal gradient in Lamington National Park.
Geoff Monteith, Rosa Menéndez.
This project investigates changes in dung beetle communities (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) along the IBISCA altitudinal transect, in order to asses the sensitivity of different
species to changes in temperature and to identify potential bio-indicator species for climate change. Dung beetles are an important component of global biodiversity and are good
indicators of both environmental and habitat changes. Thus, they provide a powerful combination of advantages
for investigating the potential effect of
climate change on biodiversity. Our
sampling protocol consists of the use of four baited pitfall traps and one unbaited flight intercept trap (FIT) in
each of the 20 IBISCA sampling plots.
During each sampling phase (four in total covering all season: October
2006, January 2007, March 2007, December 2007) the baited pitfalls
were exposed for two 5-day periods
each, being baited with macropod dung for one period and rotting mushroom for the other. Flight
intercept traps, which capture
randomly flying beetles, were exposed
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 28
for a continuous 10-day period during
each phase.
Results are available for four sampling
phases and all 640 bulk trap samples have been sorted. These samples
yielded to 11,005 specimens belonging to a total of 33 native dung beetle
species; all of them exclusives to the
rainforest. Species richness at the different altitudes ranges from a high of
22 species at the 300m level to a low of 9 species at the 1100m level.
Richness at the intermediate
elevations was almost uniform (17 spp. at 500m; 16 spp. at 700m; 18 spp. at
900m). The sampling protocol has been extremely successful in collecting
all potential species present at each altitude, more than 85% of all species
potentially present have been detected (Table 2). Table 2. Estimated number of species (Chao-1),
total number of species collected, and percentage of
species collected at each altitude using 128 baited
pitfall traps and 16 FITs per altitude.
Altitude (m)
Chao-1
species
richness
Total
species
richness
% species
richness
detected
300 25.0 22 88
500 18.5 17 92
700 16.0 16 100
900 18.0 18 100
1100 9.0 9 100
Examination of individual species distributions along the altitudinal
transect showed a highly stratified
fauna, and that no single species
occurs at all elevations. The lowest zone (300m) has not only the most
diverse fauna (22 species), but also 41% of species which occur there do
not occur any higher than 500m. The
highest zone (1100m) has a small fauna of 9 species but 78% of those
are restricted to high elevations
extending downwards only as far as
the 900m. CCA analysis also confirms that the composition of species at each
sampling plot was closely related to
altitude. These results suggest that
species altitudinal distributions are probably constrained by climatic
conditions, and they are likely to be
affected by global warming. Data analysis is in progress and
results will be presented at the International Congress of Entomology in Durban, South Africa (July 2008). We have published a short article for the Entomological Society of Queensland INC News Bulletin (Vol
35, 4, June 2007). We are also planning to submit our first publication to a Peer-reviewed journal before the end of the year, in addiction to the article for the Special Edition of the
Memoirs of the Queensland Museum.
Patterns in moth assemblages along an altitudinal gradient in sub-tropical rainforest. Roger Kitching, Antoine Leveque,
Sarah Maunsell, Louise Ashton.
The Lepidoptera are one of the few
Orders of insects which are nearly universally herbivorous. This
intermediate trophic position suggests that they will be, potentially, excellent
surrogates of general forest health. The vast majority of Lepidoptera are
night-flying moths that are readily sampled using light sources to which
they are attracted.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 29
We used Pennsylvania-style light traps
to target all of those families conventionally designated as 'macro-
moths' plus the Pyralidae and any
other species of greater than 1 cm forewing length. This is the same
target set which we have used in widespread studies elsewhere in
Australia, Asia and central America.
We sampled all 20 sites during the
October and March surveys. At each site, light traps were run for three days
at ground and canopy level. This
amounted to a total of 120 trap-nights in each survey period. In January
2008, we conducted a similar trapping programme along a finer-scale
altitudinal gradient. Traps were processed in the field and
representative series of every species encountered were spread and labelled in situ. All residues of non-target material from the light traps were preserved and will be analysed in due
course.
To date (April 2008), data on 2176
individual moths of 541 different species have been entered in the
database. This represents about 80%
of the October sample. A small number of October samples remains to
be sorted. Work on the March samples is ongoing and data entry is
expected to be complete within about
six weeks. Data should be available for analysis by about October 2007.
Separate funding from the Department
of Environment and Water Resources
in Canberra has allowed fast-tracking of the samples of Geometridae,
Sphingidae and Saturniidae. Of the approximately 150 species of
Geometridae in our sample, we have identified 70 to species. These
represented 1274 individuals from our samples. Two species of saturniid (21 individuals) and 9 species of sphingid (20 individuals) were also identified. We have sent tissue samples from the
81 identified species to Guelph in Canada to undergo molecular barcoding as part of the Barcode of Life Consortium Project.
It is premature to propose altitudinal patterns at this stage. However, it is clear that whatever else may emerge
there is a clear 'cloud-forest'
component within the fauna associated
with the Nothofagus-dominated forests at 1100m altitude. There is a clear,
distinctive, assemblage of high elevation moths dominated by about
12 species such as Larophylla animeta
(Geometridae: Ennominae). These will undoubtedly emerge as being of
conservation concern.
Louise Ashton!s honours project will target this transition by conducting a
survey along a finer-scale altitudinal gradient (50m altitude intervals)
between 700 and 1100m.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 30
Budget.
The project has a total cash income from research grants totalling $611,361
with in-kind contributions totalling $708,800. Details on the state of the budget can be found on the following pages.
Changes in project partners and funding.
The Smithsonian Institution has withdrawn from the project but, as their contribution was in-kind only, it has no impact on the project!s cash budget. Pro-Natura International has also withdrawn from the project, removing their contributions of $150,000 (cash) and $50,000 (in-kind). The Global Canopy Programme has joined the project as our major international partner with an additional cash contribution of just over $32,000 in addition to their original in-kind contribution of $8,000. A new Funding Agreement between Griffith University and the Global Canopy Programme has been prepared.
Budgetary implications of change in project partners.
The change of project partners has had no negative impact on the scientific outcomes of the project. Pro-Natura International!s cash contributions were committed to supporting the canopy glider and were not required in the glider!s absence. We were able to save an additional $40,000 that was committed to support glider-related activities. We were also able to redirect funds that were earmarked for other activities to support the altered research programme. The most significant savings were made in the areas of accommodation and international airfares thanks to the contributions of individual participants.
The revised scientific programme with an additional field survey and new
canopy access techniques added significant costs that were not described in the original budget estimates. However, with the savings described above and the additional cash contribution from the Global Canopy Programme, we have been able to deliver the project on budget.
An itemised account of the expenditure will be included in a separate report
from Griffith University!s Office of Finance and Business Services.
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 31
Justification for continued funding under the NIRAP scheme.
Despite the change in project partners, the project has maintained international cash contributions exceeding 25% of the total cash budget as required under the Financial Assistance Agreement.
The Global Canopy Programme is now our major international partner with a
cash contribution of $32,500. In addition, many of our international participants have made significant cash contributions to the project. These participants are not members of partner organisations listed in the Funding Agreement, but are heavily involved in the project and have covered their own costs of participation (to varying degrees). All of these scientists have made significant in-kind contributions (approx. $73,000) and most have also contributed in cash terms (approx $93,000). These are costs explicitly related to participation in the IBISCA Queensland project. The combined total of cash contributions from international sources ($126,000) comfortably exceeds the required amount (approx. $89,000). The individual contributions are summarised in the following table.
Source Cash In-kind Total
Smart State Innovation Projects Fund 355,809.00$ -$ 355,809.00$
Griffith University 180,052.00$ 552,800.00$ 732,852.00$
Pro-Natura 150,000.00$ 50,000.00$ 200,000.00$
Queensland Museum 25,000.00$ 83,000.00$ 108,000.00$
Queensland Herbarium -$ 45,000.00$ 45,000.00$
SEQ Catchments 10,000.00$ 20,000.00$ 30,000.00$
Smithsonian Institute -$ 93,184.00$ 93,184.00$
Global Canopy Programme 32,500.00$ 8,000.00$ 8,000.00$
Dept. of Environment and Water Resources 8,000.00$ -$ 8,000.00$
TOTAL 611,361.00$ 708,800.00$ 1,287,661.00$
IBISCA Queensland Income
Source Amount
Total Cash income 611,361.00$
Total Cash Expenditure (Actual and Committed) (579,602.00)$
BALANCE 31,759.00$
IBISCA Queensland Balance
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 32
# Accommodation cost based on standard charge of A$100 / day (food and accommodation). * Travel cost based on estimated average of A$2000 per international return flight, transfers, in-transit accommodation etc., or actual costs where available. ~ Other: local wages & equipment purchased explicitly for the IBISCA project and that will be remain in Australia at the completion of the project. ^ Salary calculations based on equivalent time for Research Fellow Grade 2 (RF2.1 - A$65,242 pa), or actual salary where available. Note: We have not received detailed costings from all of the participants listed, and have relied on estimates in some cases. These are probably conservative estimates of actual costs.
The project has also fulfilled its obligations in terms of international collaboration. Some of the international institutions participating in the project include:
• Oxford University of Oxford (UK), • University of Lancaster (UK), • the Natural History Museum (UK), • the Université Blaise Pascal (Clermond-Ferrand, France), • University of Montpellier (France), • Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (France), • Museo Civico di Storia Naturale (Italy), • Institute of Nature Research (Norway), • the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, • Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), • Federal University of Ouro Preto (Brazil), • Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), • University of Victoria (Canada), • University of Alberta (Canada), • the Binatang Research Centre (PNG), • University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic).
The first three Milestone Deliverables have been completed as required and
the scientific programme is progressing on schedule (please refer to the section “Progress and milestones” on pages 6-12 for further details).
In-kind
Participant Affiliation Country Accom.#
Travel * Other ~
Salary ^
R. Morris Uni. Oxford GB 10,641$ 8,738$ 11,091$ 7,476$
F. Sinclair Uni. Oxford GB 3,000$ 4,000$ -$ -$
R. Menéndez Uni. Lancaster GB 3,500$ 4,000$ -$ 6,230$
F. Ødegaard Inst. Nature Research Norway 5,200$ 4,000$ -$ 9,256$
M. Leponce R. Belgian Inst. of Nat. Sc. Belgium 2,100$ 1,898$ 800$ 8,834$
B. Corbara Uni. Blaise Pascal France 3,100$ 4,000$ -$ 5,518$
G. Curletti Mus. Civ. di Storia Nat. Italy 2,600$ 2,000$ -$ 4,628$
T. Delsinne R. Belgian Inst. of Nat. Sc. Belgium 2,200$ 2,000$ -$ 3,916$
V. Novotny Cz. Acad. Sc. Czech R. 700$ 1,210$ -$ 1,250$
J. Orivel Cent. Nat. Rech. Sci. France 2,100$ 2,000$ -$ 3,738$
Y. Roisin Uni. Libre de Bruxelles Belgium 1,900$ 2,000$ 71$ 7,774$
A. Floren Uni. Würzburg Germany 2,400$ 2,000$ -$ 4,272$
H. Proctor Uni. Alberta Canada -$ 464$ -$ 3,363$
J. Schmidl Uni. Erlangen-Nürnberg Germany -$ 2,000$ 759$ 6,012$
D. Bito N.G. Binatang Res. Cent. PNG -$ 1,210$ -$ 1,200$
TOTALS 39,441$ 41,520$ 12,721$ 73,467$
IBISCA Queensland International Participant ContributionsCash
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 33
Project participants.
Barbara Baehr
Queensland Museum
Justin Bartlett Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
Milton Barbosa da Silva Jr Federal University of Ouro Preto (Brazil)
Dan Bickel
Australian Museum
Darren Bito Griffith University
Torsten Bittner University of Erlangen-Nuernberg (Germany)
Sarah Boulter Griffith University
Elizabeth Brown Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Chris Burwell Queensland Museum
Terry Carless Queensland Museum
Heather Christensen Griffith University
Bruno Corbara Université Blaise Pascal (Clermond-Ferrand, France)
Gianfranco Curletti
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale (Italy)
Thibaut Delsinne Royal Belgium Institute of Natural Sciences & Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
Dick Drew
Griffith University
Geoff Dyne
Department of Environment and Heritage
Nigel Fechner
Queensland Herbarium
Andreas Floren University of Wuerzburg (Germany)
Dawn Frame
University of Montpellier (France)
John Hunter
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Roger Kitching Griffith University
Karin Koch Queensland Museum
Melinda Laidlaw Queensland Herbarium
Chris Lambkin
Queensland Museum
Maurice Leponce
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Belgium)
Antoine Leveque Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN, France)
Rosa Menéndez
University of Lancaster (GB)
Bill McDonald Queensland Herbarium
Kay Montgomery SEQ Catchments
Adela Gonzalez Megias Universidad de Granada (Spain)
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 34
Geoff Monteith
Queensland Museum
Rebecca Morris University of Oxford (GB)
Laurence Mound
Hon. Research Fellow, CSIRO Entomology
Vojtech Novotny Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Frode Ødegaard Institute of Nature Research (Norway)
Jerome Orivel
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Toulouse, France)
David Putland
Griffith University
Heather Proctor University of Alberta (Canada)
Robert Raven Queensland Museum
Yves Roisin
Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
Juergen Schmidl University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany)
John Stanisic
Queensland Museum
Kyran Staunton Griffith University
Geoff Thompson
Queensland Museum
Desley Tree Department of Primary Industries
Dave Walter
University of Alberta (Canada)
Shaun Winterton The University of Queensland &
Queensland Dept. Primary Industries & Fisheries
Susan Wright Queensland Museum
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 35
Project Advisory Committee.
Peter Blondell
Premier!s Department
Cathie Duffy Masters National Parks Association of Queensland
Nigel Fechner Queensland Mycological Society
Ian Galloway
Queensland Museum
Gordon Guymer
Queensland Herbarium
Darryl Jones
Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies, Griffith University
Roger Kitching
Griffith University
Kay Montgomery SEQ Catchments
John Neldner
Queensland Environmental Protection Agency
Shane O!Reilly O!Reilly!s Rainforest Retreat
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 36
Our supporters.
Queensland Government : Smart State Innovation Projects Fund. http://www.smartstate.qld.gov.au/
Griffith University. http://www.griffith.edu.au/
Queensland Museum. http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/
Queensland Herbarium. http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/plants/queensland_herbarium
Queensland Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/
SEQ Catchments. http://www.seqcatchments.com.au/
National Parks Association of Queensland. http://www.npaq.org.au/
Global Canopy Programme. http://www.globalcanopy.org/
Department of Environment and Water Resources. http://www.environment.gov.au/
O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. http://www.oreillys.com.au/home/
Cainbable Mountain Lodge. http://www.cainbable.com/
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 37
Volunteers.
The IBISCA Queensland project was made possible through the dedication and hard
work of our tireless volunteers. Many thanks to….
Louise Ashton
Johanna Baehr
Sean Barry Kyle Barton
John Bristow Jake Bryant
Pam Cambridge
Andrew Cameron Cecilia Chavana-Bryant
Isabel Cheyne Chris Christensen Beverley Clarkson Barbara Clifford
Nicholas Cooper
Kate Cranney Jana Crooks Stefan Curtis
Lorrie Davis Adrienne Dougal Gretchen Evans John Findlay Helen Findlay
Ian Flinders
Sue Flinders Eileen Forster Anne Gill
John Gill
John Gray
Barry Grey George Haddock
Petrus Heyligers Nick Hoffman
John Holt
John Hunter Sally Jenyns
David Jones
David Leach
Elliot Leach
Sarah Lejeane Sarah Lyngcoln
Steve Lyngcoln Anna Marcora
Graham Marriott
Sarah Maunsell Clyde Mitchell
Kay Montgomery Gregory Neill Roslynne O'Connell Ko Oishi
Ronald Owen
Lynn Pernatin Sam Putland Trevor Putland
Ruth Read Judith Robertson-Brice Mary Anne Ryan Jennifer Sanger Clare Silcock
Frazer Sinclair
Noel Starick Brett Taylor Linda Thomas
David Thomas
Anne Tracey
Jankees van der Have Hiroaki Wada
David Wilson Denise Wilson
Patricia Wolff
Ingrid Wolke Dean Wright
IBISCA | Queensland Progress Report - April 2008 pg 38
Acknowledgments.
This report was prepared by David Putland, Senior Research Assistant, IBISCA
Queensland (April 23, 2007).
I!d like to thank a number of people for specific contributions: Heather Christensen (Administration Assistant, IBISCA Queensland), Roger Kitching (Griffith University),
Sarah Boulter (Griffith University), Melinda Laidlaw (Queensland Herbarium),
Rosemary Niehus (Queensland Herbarium), Jake Bryant (photography), Christine Lambkin (Queensland Museum) and all of the participants that provided individual
project reports.
All photographs by Jake Bryant unless otherwise noted. Cover photographs by David
Putland, Torsten Bittner, Jake Bryant and Jane Ogilvie. The IBISCA Queensland graphic was designed by Danielle Cavanagh.
IBISCA | Queensland Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies The Griffith School of Environment Griffith University Nathan QLD 4111 Australia P: 61-7-3735-7962 M: 0439 668 094 F: 61-7-3735-5014 E: [email protected] W: www.griffith.edu.au/ibisca/