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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT MATTERS | January 13, 2017

 

Dear all,

Welcome back, to those back in the saddle.  For those still on leave: I salute you, I love you, and what on earth are you doing reading this?

It’s been a stinking hot start to the year, and we’re in for another week of very hot weather next week.  Look out for yourselves and your students, especially if they are out doing field work in this.

Loads of stuff in the newsletter this week, including a particularly fine and exciting collection of new pubs.

cheerio

Andrew


Save the Date

This coming week 16th – 20th January

Wed 18th: Morning tea with HoD; 10:30am – 11:00am; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

Thu 19th: New Student Inductions; 11am – 12am; E8C-212.

Thu 19th: HDR Completion Seminars; 3pm – 4pm; E8A-280 (Biology Tea Room).

 

Following week 23rd – 27th January

Thu 26th: Australia Day Public Holiday

 

Coming up

Feb 21st: E8A Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9am – 12:30pm; E8A-120 (Red Lab).

Feb 23rd: E8C Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9am – 12:00pm; E8C-106.

Feb 24th: F7B Digital Teaching Lab Induction; 9:30am – 11:00am; F7B-108 (and 105).


General News and Announcements

Leanne’s big awesome adventure – Antarctic mission blog and website

For those interested in following Leanne Armand’s Antarctic adventure to the Sabrina Coast for the next 51 days on the RV Investigator, you can do so by heading to the website:

https://sites.google.com/site/sabrinaseafloorsurvey/

There’s lot of interesting background information and a great weather channel to check out the conditions of where they are ( directly south of Albany on the Antarctic coast). She departs Saturday the 14th from Hobart directly in to predicted waves of 7m in the Southern Ocean !! The blog entry might be interesting that day!!

Leanne return’s the 20th March to Macquarie.


Notice: New Student Inductions

For 2017, new student inductions will take place every third Thursday of the month in E8C 212 at 11-12pm. The inductions are designed to give new HDR students information about various admin processes and procedures and can be great refresher for all staff and students in the department. The first induction will be on January 19th.


Biology Garden Update

Your biology garden is looking great. Healthy plants, beautiful paths, native bees and butterflies. A few more plants were added this week, so the diversity of the garden continues to grow. Attached is a species list for the garden, and some pics. Next year we’ll get some seats!

Plant_List_complete


Key Thinkers

Attention all biologists with an interest in thinking more philosophically about research:

The department of Human Science run an annual series: Key Thinkers- Key Concepts. The topic this year is ‘Objectivity in the Human Sciences and Beyond’.

Key Thinkers – Key Concepts 2017: Objectivity in the Human Sciences and Beyond

Faculty of Human Sciences Macquarie University

Friday, 3 February 2017 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

X5B T1

This workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary panel of scholars to discuss the concept and possibility of objectivity, and the way that objectivity is engaged by different research practices and disciplines. This provocation may be more familiar to the social science and humanities, but it has implications for all forms of scholarly research, including the biological sciences.

All Macquarie staff and current or prospective research students are invited. The panel discussion – which will invite the participation of audience members through comments and questions – will conclude with a light lunch, and time for more talk and meeting fellow researchers.

Please see link below to register for this free event.

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/key-thinkers-key-concepts-2017-objectivity-in-the-human-sciences-and-beyond-tickets-30511055388


Job Opportunity – Project Officer – Marine Science, University of Newcastle

Please see the attached Job Description if you, or someone you know, might be interested.

UoN Project Officer in marine science


New Publications

Growth rate and size effect on carbon isotopic fractionation in diatom-bound organic matter in recent Southern Ocean sediments

By: Stoll, Heather M., Ana Mendez-Vicente, Lorena Abrevaya, Robert F. Anderson, Andrés S. Rigual-Hernández, and Saul Gonzalez-Lemos. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 457 (2017): 87-99. | Find with Google Scholar »

Trait values and not invasive status determine competitive outcomes between native and invasive species under varying soil nutrient availability

By: Tabassum, Samiya, and Michelle R. Leishman. "Trait values and not invasive status determine competitive outcomes between native and invasive species under varying soil nutrient availability." Austral Ecology 41, no. 8 (2016): 875-885. | Find with Google Scholar »

Environmental factors limiting fertilisation and larval success in corals

By: Woods, Rachael Maree. (2015). researchonline.mq.edu.au | Find with Google Scholar »

Selection for predation, not female fecundity, explains sexual size dimorphism in the orchid mantises

By: Svenson, Gavin J., Sydney K. Brannoch, Henrique M. Rodrigues, James C. O’Hanlon, and Frank Wieland. Scientific Reports 6 (2016). | Find with Google Scholar »

Species origin affects the rate of response to inter-annual growing season precipitation and nutrient addition in four Australian native grasslands

By: Morgan, J.W., Dwyer, J.M., Price, J.N., Prober, S.M., Power, S.A., Firn, J., Moore, J.L., Wardle, G.M., Seabloom, E.W., Borer, E.T. and Camac, J.S., 2016. Journal of Vegetation Science, 27(6), pp.1164-1176. | Find with Google Scholar »

Microplastics on beaches: ingestion and behavioural consequences for beachhoppers

By: Tosetto, Louise, Culum Brown, and Jane E. Williamson. Marine Biology 163, no. 10 (2016): 199. | Find with Google Scholar »

Fine-scale analysis of an assassin bug’s behaviour: predatory strategies to bypass the sensory systems of prey

By: Soley, Fernando G. Royal Society Open Science 3, no. 10 (2016): 160573. | Find with Google Scholar »

Wide-field time-gated photoluminescence microscopy for fast ultrahigh-sensitivity imaging of photoluminescent probes

By: Razali, Wan AW, Varun KA Sreenivasan, Carlo Bradac, Mark Connor, Ewa M. Goldys, and Andrei V. Zvyagin. Journal of biophotonics (2016). | Find with Google Scholar »

Calibrating the middle and late Permian palynostratigraphy of Australia to the geologic time-scale via U-Pb zircon CA-IDTIMS dating

By: Laurie, J.R., Bodorkos, S., Nicoll, R.S., Crowley, J.L., Mantle, D.J., Mory, A.J., Wood, G.R., Backhouse, J., Holmes, E.K., Smith, T.E. and Champion, D.C., 2016. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 63(6), pp.701-730. | Find with Google Scholar »

Long-Term Angiotensin II Receptor Blockade Limits Hypertension, Aortic Dysfunction, and Structural Remodeling in a Rat Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

By: Ameer, Omar Z., Mark Butlin, Elena Kaschina, Manuela Sommerfeld, Alberto P. Avolio, and Jacqueline K. Phillips. Journal of Vascular Research 53, no. 3-4 (2016): 216-229. | Find with Google Scholar »

Protein Disulphide Isomerases: emerging roles of PDI and ERp57 in the nervous system and as therapeutic targets for ALS

By: Perri, Emma, Sonam Parakh, and Julie Atkin. Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets 21, no. 1 (2017): 37-49. | Find with Google Scholar »

A roadmap for improving the representation of photosynthesis in Earth system models

By: Rogers, A., Medlyn, B.E., Dukes, J.S., Bonan, G., Caemmerer, S., Dietze, M.C., Kattge, J., Leakey, A.D., Mercado, L.M., Niinemets, Ü. and Prentice, I.C., 2017. New Phytologist, 213(1), pp.22-42. | Find with Google Scholar »

Three Molecular Markers Show No Evidence of Population Genetic Structure in the Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)

By: Bolton, Peri E., Andrea J. West, Adam PA Cardilini, Jennalee A. Clark, Kimberley L. Maute, Sarah Legge, James Brazill-Boast, Simon C. Griffith, and Lee A. Rollins. PloS one 11, no. 12 (2016): e0167723. | Find with Google Scholar »

Now is the time to protect the Arctic

By: Hussey, Nigel E.; Harcourt, Robert G.; Auger-Methe, Marie SCIENCE Volume: 354 Issue: 6317 Pages: 1243-1243 Published: DEC 9 2016 | Find with Google Scholar »

Luring

By: Bulbert, Matthew; Wignall, Anne CURRENT BIOLOGY Volume: 26 Issue: 23 Pages: R1212-R1213 Published: DEC 5 2016 | Find with Google Scholar »

A Darriwilian (Middle Ordovician) bivalve-dominated molluscan fauna from the Stairway Sandstone, Amadeus Basin, central Australia

By: Jakobsen, Kristian G., Glenn A. Brock, Arne T. Nielsen, and David AT Harper. (2016). | Find with Google Scholar »

Fecundity and the demographic strategies of coral morphologies

By: Álvarez‐Noriega, Mariana, Andrew H. Baird, Maria Dornelas, Joshua S. Madin, Vivian R. Cumbo, and Sean R. Connolly. Ecology 97, no. 12 (2016): 3485-3493. | Find with Google Scholar »

A new species of Diopatra (Annelida: Onuphidae) from Namibia, southwestern Africa

By: Paxton, Hannelore. Marine Biodiversity (2016): 1-7. | Find with Google Scholar »

The role of ultraviolet colour in the assessment of mimetic accuracy between Batesian mimics and their models: a case study using ant-mimicking spiders

By: Corcobado, Guadalupe, Marie E. Herberstein, and Stano Pekár. The Science of Nature 103, no. 11-12 (2016): 90. | Find with Google Scholar »

Urban bird conservation: presenting stakeholder-specific arguments for the development of bird-friendly cities

By: Snep, Robbert PH, Jip Louwe Kooijmans, Robert GM Kwak, Ruud PB Foppen, Holly Parsons, Monica Awasthy, Henk LK Sierdsema et al. Urban Ecosystems (2015): 1-16. | Find with Google Scholar »

Roles of family and architecture in driving insect community structure: a comparison of nine Australian plant species

By: Nooten, Sabine S., and Lesley Hughes. Austral Entomology (2016). | Find with Google Scholar »

Corticosterone triggers high-pitched nestlings’ begging calls and affects parental behavior in the wild zebra finch

By: Perez, Emilie C., Mylene M. Mariette, Précillia Cochard, Christophe O. Soulage, Simon C. Griffith, and Clémentine Vignal. Behavioral Ecology 27, no. 6 (2016): 1665-1675. | Find with Google Scholar »

TIME-AVERAGING AND STRATIGRAPHIC RESOLUTION IN DEATH ASSEMBLAGES AND HOLOCENE DEPOSITS: SYDNEY HARBOUR’S MOLLUSCAN RECORD

By: DOMINGUEZ, J. GABRIEL, MATTHEW A. KOSNIK, ANDREW P. ALLEN, QUAN HUA, DORRIT E. JACOB, DARRELL S. KAUFMAN, and KATHERINE WHITACRE. Palaios 31, no. 11 (2016): 563-574. | Find with Google Scholar »

Extended exposure to sugar and/or caffeine produces distinct behavioral and neurochemical profiles in the orbitofrontal cortex of rats: Implications for neural function

By: Franklin, Jane L., Mehdi Mirzaei, Travis A. Wearne, Judi Homewood, Ann K. Goodchild, Paul A. Haynes, and Jennifer L. Cornish. Proteomics 16, no. 22 (2016): 2894-2910. | Find with Google Scholar »

A New Perspective on Delivery of Red-Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Disorders of the Brain

By: Hart, Nathan S., and Melinda Fitzgerald. Discovery Medicine 22, no. 120 (2016): 147-156. | Find with Google Scholar »

Wild populations of Sydney rock oysters differ in their proteomic responses to elevated carbon dioxide

By: Thompson, E. L., L. Parker, V. Amaral, M. J. Bishop, W. A. O'Connor, and D. A. Raftos. Marine and Freshwater Research (2016). | Find with Google Scholar »

Heart and kidneys: separate targets of carotid and aortic stiffness?

By: Avolio, Alberto, and Guido Grassi. Journal of Hypertension 35, no. 2 (2017): 243-245. | Find with Google Scholar »

Arterial stiffness index beta and cardio-ankle vascular index inherently depend on blood pressure but can be readily corrected

By: Spronck, Bart, Alberto P. Avolio, Isabella Tan, Mark Butlin, Koen D. Reesink, and Tammo Delhaas. Journal of Hypertension 35, no. 1 (2017): 98-104. | Find with Google Scholar »

Svalbard ice-sheet decay after the Last Glacial Maximum: New insights from micropalaeontological and organic biomarker paleoceanographical reconstructions

By: Rigual-Hernández, A. S., E. Colmenero-Hidalgo, B. Martrat, M. A. Bárcena, A. de Vernal, F. J. Sierro, J. A. Flores, J. O. Grimalt, M. Henry, and R. G. Lucchi. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 465 (2017): 225-236. | Find with Google Scholar »

Benthic Foraminifera from the Capricorn Group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

By: MAMO, BRIONY L. Zootaxa 4215, no. 1 (2016): 1-123. | Find with Google Scholar »

Combined Antibody/Lectin Enrichment Identifies Extensive Changes in the O-GIcNAc Sub-proteome upon Oxidative Stress

By: Lee, Albert, Devin Miller, Roger Henry, Venkata DP Paruchuri, Robert N. O’Meally, Tatiana Boronina, Robert N. Cole, and Natasha E. Zachara. Journal of Proteome Research 15, no. 12 (2016): 4318-4336. | Find with Google Scholar »

Data Descriptor: A comprehensive database of quality-rated fossil ages for Sahul’s Quaternary vertebrates

By: Rodríguez-Rey, M., Herrando-Pérez, S., Brook, B.W., Saltré, F., Alroy, J., Beeton, N., Bird, M.I., Cooper, A., Gillespie, R., Jacobs, Z. and Johnson, C.N., 2016. Scientific Data, 3. | Find with Google Scholar »

The Coral Trait Database, a curated database of trait information for coral species from the global oceans

By: Madin, J.S., Anderson, K.D., Andreasen, M.H., Bridge, T.C., Cairns, S.D., Connolly, S.R., Darling, E.S., Diaz, M., Falster, D.S., Franklin, E.C. and Gates, R.D., 2016. Scientific data, 3. | Find with Google Scholar »

Intracranial Pressure Waveforms are More Closely Related to Central Aortic than Radial Pressure Waveforms: Implications for Pathophysiology and Therapy

By: Kim, Mi Ok, Per K. Eide, Michael F. O’Rourke, Audrey Adji, and Alberto P. Avolio. In Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring XV, pp. 61-64. Springer International Publishing, 2016. | Find with Google Scholar »

Central Pulsatile Pressure and Flow Relationship in the Time and Frequency Domain to Characterise Hydraulic Input to the Brain and Cerebral Vascular Impedance

By: Kim, Mi Ok, Michael F. O’Rourke, Audrey Adji, and Alberto P. Avolio. In Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring XV, pp. 307-311. Springer International Publishing, 2016. | Find with Google Scholar »

Do group dynamics affect colour morph clines during a range shift?

By: Lesley T. Lancaster, Rachael Y. Dudaniec, Bengt Hansson and Erik I. Svensson (2017) Journal of Evolutionary Biology | Find with Google Scholar »

In the Media

Dr Patricia Selkirk featured in the Hornsby Advocate

Dr Patricia Selkirk from the Department of Biological Sciences featured in the Hornsby Advocate after she was awarded the Australian Antarctic Medal for her many years of research on the continent. See page 11 of the report.


Julia Riley was interviewed on 774 ABC Melbourne

Julia Riley from the Department of Biological Sciences was interviewed on 774 ABC Melbourne regarding her research into Australian Tree Skinks. See page 6 of the report.


Associate Professor Nathan Hart and Associate Professor Culum Brown featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, Canberra Times, Newcastle Herald, Sunday Age, and Sun Herald

Associate Professor Nathan Hart and Associate Professor Culum Brown from the Department of Biological Sciences featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, Canberra Times, Newcastle Herald, Sunday Age, and Sun Herald regarding shark movements, diets and attacks.


Julia Riley and Associate Professor Martin Whiting were mentioned on 2SM Radio Sydney

Julia Riley and Associate Professor Martin Whiting from the Department of Biological Sciences were mentioned on 2SM Radio Sydney regarding their research into Australian Tree Skinks. See page 6 of the report.


Culum Brown was, last month, featured in the Canberra Times

Associate Professor Culum Brown from the Department of Biological Sciences was, last month, featured in the Canberra Times regarding whether fish feel pain.


Recent Completions