Jess O'Donnell

Research Assistant

Telephone: +61 (02) 9850 8160
Facsimile: +61 (02) 9850 8245

Email: jessica.odonnell[at]mq.edu.au

Building E8B 103

Department of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Science

Macquarie University

North Ryde, NSW, Australia, 2109

Background

For a number of years I have been working at the State Library of NSW as an Assistant (paper) Conservator for the Preservation Branch. During this time I was undertaking a Bachelor of Science (Biodiversity and Conservation) at Macquarie University which I completed in 2006. My degree focused on plant biology, ecology, and conservation, and sparked a strong interest in conservation, particularly in relation to the landscape matrix and the development of mechanisms to rehabilitate and conserve habitat on private lands.

In 2008 I completed my Honours degree, where I undertook a project looking at the potential effects that climate change may have on species representation within National Parks. I investigated whether bioclimatic range size is a useful predictor of vulnerability, and compared the potential loss of plant species caused by climate change-induced range shifts, from two National Parks: Kinchega NP located in the semi-arid north western NSW and Myall Lakes NP on the temperate coast of New South Wales. I used the Species Distribution Model (SDM) Maxent to predict the current Australia-wide distribution of approximately 950 plant species known to inhabit the two parks, as well as their predicted distributions under a number of climate change scenarios. I also used the Australian Landscape Heath Database and ArcGIS (Geographic Information System) to examine features of the landscape matrix around each park to gain a more realistic picture of the ability for species to track their predicted bioclimatic shifts, and move between protected areas. The results were interesting in that they showed that Kinchega species generally had much larger bioclimatic ranges than Myall Lakes Species, however Kinchega NP was potentially more vulnerable to species loss due to predicted faster rates of climate change in central Australia compared to the coast. Kinchega NP species were also made more vulnerable by high levels of land degradation around the park caused by overgrazing, and a shortage formally protected areas in the region.

Current Research

In late 2007, I started work as a Research Assistant for PIREL under Michelle Leishman, as part of this work have compiled a dataset for over 400 weed species currently present in Australia. The dataset contains descriptions and measurements related to morphology, reproductive capacity, phenology, dispersal mechanisms, and seed characteristics, as well as native and invasive range information, and habitat tolerances and preferences. This information will support investigations into the invasion success and invasive potential of plant species, as well as patterns of invasion across Australia. It will also be used in conjunction with other PIREL research efforts, including the bioclimatic modeling of several hundred currently invasive and potentially invasive plant species to investigate potential climate change-induced changes in their distributions across Australia. My next phase of research will involve looking at potential changes to invasive plant distributions in Australia, with a focus on using GIS applications to investigate potential weed hotspots, invasion vulnerability and other landscape matrix-scale issues under future climate scenarios.