Wild zebra finches do not use social information from conspecific reproductive success for nest site choice and clutch size decisions
By: Brandl, Hanja B., Simon C. Griffith, and Wiebke Schuett. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 72, no. 7 (2018): 114. | Find with Google Scholar »
|
Hello biology lovers,
Thanks to everyone for their hard work in making semester 1 a success. Well done to you all. Together we have delivered an excellent semester of teaching and created a positive student experience across the Department. Grades are now finalised and submitted – thanks to those who attended the Department exam meeting and particularly to Caitlin for wrangling and submitting the grades and reports.
Now is the time to enjoy the calm before S2 begins! But see below.. there is still a lot going on! Mel Bishop will be acting HoD next week while Michelle is enjoying the sites of Europe.
Happy reading and have a great weekend.
Grant
Save the Date
This coming week 9th – 13th July
Thu 12th: aaRgh – R drop-in help; 3.00pm – 4.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Thu 12th: PhD Completion Seminar – Susie Hewlett; 4.30pm – 5.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Thu 12th: Thursday drinks; 5.00pm – 6.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Following week 16th – 20th July
Mon 16th: Department Research workshop – Linking with Industry for Research; 1.00-3.30pm; 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room.
Tue 17th: Department L&T workshop – iLearn Workshop – Engaging Software for S2 with Kath McClellan; 10.00am -12.00pm; 6WW(E8C) 212.
Tue 17th: MQ Staff Town Hall meeting on Curriculum Architecture program; 12-1pm, Macquarie Theatre. Register here
Wed 18th: 6WW (E8C) Teaching Labs Induction; 9.00am – 11.30am; 6WW (E8C) 106.
Fri 20th: 4WW (F7B) Teaching Labs Induction; 10.00am – 12.00pm; 4WW (F7B) 105.
Coming Up
July 24th: 14EAR (E8A) Teaching Labs Induction; 9.00am – 12.00pm; 14EAR (E8A) 120.
July 24-25th: Research Enrichment Program – Outlook Conference “The Future of the Human Landscape”; Incubator Building, MQU.
Sep 19th: Biological Sciences Graduation Ceremony; 2.30pm; Great Hall, MQU.
General News and Announcements
We Want Your Views! The Department’s Diversity & Inclusion group have prepared a short survey on how you perceive Diversity & Inclusion in the Department. We want to use your responses to develop our strategy and measure ourselves in how we are tracking. The survey is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/biology-DandI-survey-2018 and will close on July 11th (in two weeks). Please take a few moments of your time and fill it in.
Volunteering Opportunity through NPWS Pests & Weeds Team – The National Parks and Wildlife Service Pests and Weeds Team are looking for volunteers to help with processing of camera footage data from four different conservation projects around NSW. There may also be opportunities for fieldwork. This is a great way to meet folks working on pests and weeds projects within NPWS (part of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage), for those interested in getting jobs experience and networking. Please see attached flyer for details. You can also contact me <alexandra.carthey@mq.edu.au> if you have any questions.
Looking for Some Flatmates? Julia Verba and her partner are looking for a double room near Macquarie Uni. She is arriving next week in Sydney from Brazil to do a joint PhD at Prof. Adam Stow’s Lab. Anyone with a room available, drop her an email at <juliatovarverba@gmail.com>.
Quantitative Advice Forum Returns – http://quantitative-advice.gg.mq.edu.au/ We are pleased to announce that the Department’s Quantitative Advice Forum is once again up and running – http://quantitative-advice.gg.mq.edu.au/ . This forum is for any and all questions about stats, maths, and programming, at all levels from basic to advanced. The format is similar to StackExchange and similar forums, but you’ll be talking with people from around the Department in a more relaxed environment. Ask your own questions, or share your knowledge and help your colleagues. A huge thank you to Drew Allen, who has agreed to administer the forum.
All Staff Town Hall on Tuesday 17 July where feedback received through the Curriculum Architecture survey will be discussed.
RESEARCH STORIES, OUTCOMES AND OPPORTUNITIES
New HDR Student Representative – Please welcome Joni as Biology’s new HDR Student Rep. She is taking over the reins from Samiya Tabassum who is in the final few weeks of her PhD – thank you and congrats Samiya! Joni is a first year PhD in the Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution of Fishes lab working with A/Prof Culum Brown but has been walking the corridors of Biology on an off since 2008 when she started her Bachelors degree here. Joni’s job as the HDR student rep is to be the voice of our HDR students at Department and Faculty HDR meetings and someone for you to talk to about the highs and lows of being a HDR student. Please get in touch with her with any comments, concerns, praises and everything in between that you think the Department, Faculty and University should know about, or just to catch up for a coffee and a chat – <joni.pini-fitzsimmons@hdr.mq.edu.au>.
Funding opportunity for PhD and ECRs – The department is now accepting applications for the Milthorpe Memorial Award (up to $2500). Applicants must be either PhD candidates or Level A-B ECRs. These funds can be spent on travel or research expenses for any research topic related directly OR indirectly to plants (this includes plant biology/ecology, plant-insect interactions, plants as habitat, etc), and must be spent this year. Please fill out the attached application form and email to HoD by 31 July 2018. Milthorpe Award Application_2018
Micro-Weather Station – At the end of last year, Robby Miller bought a dozen temperature and humidity data loggers to monitor the indoor animal holding areas. He mainly uses them for lux meters so he can check if the timers are turning off the lights at night. They have already been invaluable for finding faults on a number of occasions. They have been reliable, are easy to use with bluetooth and can also upload the data to the cloud with reports emailed back periodically. So, when a rep. asked to meet Robby and showed off a number of other nifty devices that could benefit everyone from botanists to marine biologists, he offered to pass on the information…
The Leaf Wetness Smart Sensor provides accurate leaf wetness data in some growing and research applications. The sensor is ready to use and does not require any painting or coating. It uses a capacitive grid that is less sensitive to surface residues than resistive grid-based sensors and comes preconditioned for consistent measurements between sensors and long-term stability. Along with a 3-meter cable, a mounting bracket is included so the sensor can be easily positioned to mimic the wet-dry characteristics of the plants being studied. https://www.hobodataloggers.com.au/leaf-wetness-smart-sensor-sensor-s-lwa-m003
The Solar Radiation Smart Sensor is a light sensor (silicon pyranometer) with a measurement range of 0 to 1280 W/m2 over a spectral range of 300 to 1100 nm. This sensor reports the average light intensity over a user-set set logging interval from a minimum of 1 second. Although the azimuth error is only ±2% error at 45° from vertical, a light sensor bracket and light sensor level are recommended. https://www.hobodataloggers.com.au/solar-radiation-sensor-silicon-pyranometer-sensor-s-lib-m003
The 12-bit Temperature Smart Sensor provides < ± 0.2° C total accuracy (< ±0.36° F) and resolution of < ± 0.03° C (< ±0.054° F) over the range of from 0° to 50° C (32° to 122° F). The full measurement range is -40° to 100° C (-40° to 212° F). A selectable measurement-averaging feature further improves accuracy. Reliable service is assured by a stainless steel sensor tip and robust cable rated for immersion in water up to 50° C for up to 1 year. https://www.hobodataloggers.com.au/12-bit-temp-smart-sensor-s-tmb-2-6-and-17-meterAttention Marine Researchers! MQ Marine is currently gathering data on how members classify their research in order to identify the marine research strengths of Macquarie University. Based on two recent papers by Steffen et al. (2015) and Nash et al. (2017), we wish you to identify which of the following nine planetary boundaries your research falls under by completing the below survey. Identifying which of the nine planetary boundaries our researchers are most involved in will help MQ Marine narrow the focus of our research centre in the coming years. Your participation is much appreciated. If you know of anyone at Macquarie who is involved in marine research and did not receive this survey, please feel free to forward the link.
Who will be the next winner of Science and SciLifeLab’s Prize for Young Scientists? The Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists is now open for entries! This is the sixth year that Science and SciLifeLab will present this award, which offers four recent PhD graduates a life-changing opportunity. Recent doctoral graduates in the life sciences may submit a 1000-word essay based on their thesis work. Four winners — in the categories of Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Environment, Genomics and Proteomics and Translational Medicine — will be selected for this international award. Make sure your recent PhD graduate doesn’t miss out on this opportunity! Application deadline: July 15th, 2018
The winners will: Have their essay published by Science! Receive up to 30,000 USD in prize money. Be honored in Stockholm, Sweden in December!
2018-19 Fisheries Scientific Committee Student Research Grant round now open – Visit the FSC website to access the online application form. Applications close 11.59 pm (AEDT) on Tuesday 31 July 2018.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
Department iLearn workshop – Engaging Software for S2 – Echo 360 now has the Active Learning Platform embedded in it and this opens a range of engagement opportunities! We will introduce you to, and show you how to use, three different engagement technologies (ALP, MEAP and PLD). You decide how you will use them and what is right for you and your unit! We will then teach you any-iLearn-thing you want to know / help troubleshoot any issues you are having in iLearn for S2 (e.g. gradebook category weightings, setting up user overrides for quizzes, setting up marking rubrics in Turnitin, sharing quickmarks with tutors, etc…), and show you how to create videos/record lectures using Echo360 Personal Capture on your laptop. Come a long for the full two hours (presentations 10-11am) or just drop in (from 11am-12pm).
- iLearn workshop – Engaging Software for S2, with Kath (Tuesday 17th July, E8C212, 10am-12pm) sign up here.
S2 2018 Teaching Lab Induction Dates: If you intend to work, demonstrate, or teach in the Department’s Digital Teaching Labs next semester, and you haven’t done an induction this year (for 14EAR – E8A), or the past 2 years for other spaces, then please contact Prasanth Subramani <prasanth.subramani@mq.edu.au> to put your name down for the following induction dates.
- 6WW (E8C) teaching labs – Wednesday 18th July, 2018, 9.00am – 11.30am.
- 4WW (F7B) teaching labs – Friday 20th July, 2018, 10.00am – 12.00pm.
- 14EAR (E8A) teaching labs – Tuesday 24th July, 2018, 9am – 12.00pm.
Need help with unit development or anything L&T? Talk to our friendly Faculty L&T team contact – Natalie Spence (x1943, <natalie.spence@mq.edu.au>).
BLOGS AND OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST
Plant of the Week
For this week, Acacia podalyriifolia – Queensland or Mount Morgan Wattle.
In Sydney, it’s usually possible to find wattles in flower at any time of the year but they are at their very best in late winter and early spring. However, the flamboyant Queensland Silver Wattle doesn’t wait for spring and is in flower now.
Bonus Non-plant of the Week!
There are some magnificent mushrooms about at present, so in addition to the Acacia podalyriifolia (above), this is a Bonus Non-Plant of the Week – Amanita muscaria – the Fly Agaric. This spectacular mushroom is the iconic mushroom of Fairy Tales. It’s now widespread in Australia, imported with pine trees brought here from Europe.
A Little Bit of Department History – It was 20 years ago, 13-16 July 1998, that the Department of Biological Sciences and the Commonwealth Key Centre for Biodiversity and Bioresources hosted the Annual Meetings of the Society for Conservation Biology. This was the first time the meetings had been held outside of North America. About 800 conservationists from all over the world took part, welcomed by Professor, Sir Robert May (now Lord May of Oxford). Its success was due in large part to the organisational abilities of our resident mammologist, George McKay, who also organised the conference dinner on a harbour cruise. This conference was the incubator for a wide-reaching series of global initiatives including the creation of the Regional Sections. https://conbio.org/images/content_about_scb/SCBat20yrs.pdf
Ally Training provides participants with an overall understanding of why LGBTIQ inclusion is important to the Macquarie University community and explores challenges often faced by people who identify as LGBTIQ and the impact of Homophobia, Transphobia & prejudice. Participants who complete the training will be able to join the MQ Ally Network if they so wish.
Key Takeaways:
- Introduction to the diversity of identities within the LGBTIQ+ community
- Gain an understanding of discrimination and bias that affect people in the LGBTIQ+ community
- Know what the Ally Network is and what it takes to be an active and effective Ally.
- Develop your skills to actively speak out against Homophobia, Transphobia and prejudice
- Learn to refer people to appropriate local resources, support services & assistance
If you’d like to attend Ally training please complete this poll so that we can find an appropriate time. https://doodle.com/poll/qpzsmvaq4enu5n45 Each session will run for approximately 2 hours. For more information or if you have any questions please contact <workplacediversityinclusion@mq.edu.au>.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
PhD Completion Seminar – Susie Hewlett
Date/Time/Venue: Thursday, 12th July, 2018, 4.30pm – 5.00pm, 14EAR (E8A) 280 Biology Tea Room. Speaker: Susie Hewlett – PhD Candidate. Title: The neural mechanisms of honey bee (Apis mellifera) social cohesion. Abstract: The development and neurobiology of sociability and subsequent affiliations between group members has been extensively studied in mammals, particularly monogamous prairie voles and their lifelong partnerships. Eusocial insects depend upon group members being highly sociable for their individual and group survival, yet their sociability has not been examined. Furthermore, honey bees (Apis mellifera) are a model organism of insect neurobiology, providing an excellent opportunity to explore the neural mechanisms of insect sociability and social affiliations. Susie will talk you through her rationale for comparing vertebrate and eusocial insect group cohesion, and present the behavioural assay she developed to directly compare findings in bees and vertebrates. SheI will then present the results of neuropharmacological manipulations paired with the assay, and tie it together with an insect-inclusive theory of how sociality may possibly have come about. To wrap up In collaboration with the Evolutionary Genetics Department at Heinrich Heine University, Germany, Susie also developed a contemporary neuroimaging tool for the bee that offers the possibility to visualise whole brain circuit activation in freely moving animals, ideal for studying the neurobiology of social behaviours. Susie will briefly explain the development of this.
MolSci Weekly Seminar
Date/Time/Venue: Tuesday, 10th July, 2018, 1 – 2pm, 4WW (F7B) 422 APAF seminar room. Speaker:Dr Anna Sokolova, Instrument Scientist, ANSTO. Title: Small Angle Neutron scattering: a technique to look at nanostructure of biomacromolecules, polymers, liquid crystals, surfactants, and so on. For more information visit – https://goto.mq.edu.au/6q
Workshop 16 July 1pm – 3:30pm Biology Tea Room Linking with Industry for Research – Please mark in your diaries. On the 16th July at 1pm the former Board Chair of the CRC program Philip Marcus Clark will visit the department to speak to us on what industry is looking for in a collaboration with university researchers. Philip will speak for about 30 mins at 1pm, followed by a question time. Please bring a laptop or iPad. There will be resources to look up online. After a coffee break we will then be brainstorming collaborative teams and projects for potential projects with industry partners.
Research Enrichment Program – Outlook Conference
July 24-25, Incubator Building, Macquarie University – “The Future of the Human Landscape”
The Outlook Conference (Research Enrichment Program Outlook Program) will bring together leading thinkers in diverse disciplines, spanning molecules to landscapes, and from scientific, historical and social viewpoints. Speakers at 2018 Outlook conference include Professor Tim Flannery (Writer and Social Commentator), Professor Angela Moles (UNSW), Associate Professor Greg Downey (MQ) and Professor Rob Brooks (UNSW). The objective of Outlook is to immerse participants in the frontiers of adjacent, and more distant disciplines. Speakers will present their vision for humanity’s future. These talks will not recount personal research findings, but will be future-scoping exercises. Our goal is to identify promising areas for high level trans-disciplinary collaboration, for novel applications, and to expose postgraduate students and early career researchers
aaRgh (ask an Rgeek for help) – Second Thursday of every month 3 – 4pm, Biology Tearoom – 14EAR (E8A) 280. Frustrated? Having an R-related problem? We will also run regular afternoon tea sessions where you can get one-on-one help, or just introduce yourself and chat. Snacks provided!
Department Writing Workshops for HDRs and ECRs – Running weekly for most of the year: Fridays 2-4pm in room E8B 111. Those interested in attending a session should email Ken Cheng <ken.cheng@mq.edu.au> by Wednesday 12:00-noon, preferably with a draft attached of what they are working on and some indication of what they especially need help with.
Peer Writing Assistance Session – Are you a HDR? Need help with your writing? Unsure how to structure your argument? Want advice on how to handle HDR life? If you answered yes to any of these questions then come along to a Peer Writing Assistance session! Peer Writing Assistants are current PhD students and HDR Mentors at Macquarie University that are a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ to look over your work and provide constructive advice. We are also available to talk about any aspect of the HDR experience. Sessions can be booked on the HDR workshops page.
Social Network Analysis Mini-conference & Workshop – When/Where: 10 – 13 September 2018, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. Attendance is free but places are limited so register soon! Flyer_SNA_NA_final For details of content – https://sites.google.com/site/drfarine/teaching/sna_workshop For inquiries & registration details – Nicolette Armansin (Macquarie University), <nicolette.armansin@mq.edu.au>.
SUSTAINABILITY
Plastic Free July – Week 1 Have you register for plastic free July? The pdf has some tips on how you an reduce plastic use. Thanks for participating!
ADMIN THINGS
Admin Alert! Admin workload is particularly high, so this is a reminder to submit your Absence on Duty early. Please give a minimum of 3 weeks before you travel domestically, and 6 weeks internationally, for approvals to be processed and bookings made for you. The more notice you give, the easier it is, and the better prices you can get. Any last-minute travel requests may not be processed.
PURE Training – The PURE system is used to manage researcher profiles, outputs including publications, funding applications, awards, projects and reports. Do you feel like you could use some more PURE training? Please register your interest via an email to <jenny.ghabache@mq.edu.au>.
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES – Have you participated in an activity for Biology recently? Don’t forget to fill in the super-quick form here – ACCESS OUTREACH FORM HERE
Location-W (Fauna Park) Admin Support – Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 10am – 1pm in W19F.
Deliveries – You will notice that we have placed a red “transfer Box” in W19F, put anything in this box that needs to be delivered to the E8 area location. We also have a red “Transfer Box” in E8B Level 2 location, which is for goods to betaken to the W location. These boxes will be emptied every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am. Deliveries from the main “MQ” store will be delivered daily. Any questions please contact Sharyon O’Donnell.
Building Name Changes – Cheat Sheet – If you are trying to identify buildings on campus with new names or old names, please use this link to convert them from old to new or vice versa.
Correct Method for Submitting to Department Matters
Department Matters submissions now have their own email address. Please send all future submissions to the newsletter to <fse.bionewsletter@mq.edu.au>!
Also, please see the following to correctly format your additions, and keep them rolling in!
You may have noticed that we try to keep all the articles to the same format for the Department Matters, however, rest assured, they do NOT all turn up in this format! To help keep your Department Matters looking as good as possible, when sending in additions to the Newsletter, please try to keep these formatting guidelines in mind.
- Please write in third person. The information is coming from the Newsletter, not directly from you.
- Do not use fancy text formatting. Bold heading, normal text, and only italics or bold to highlight. No font size changes will make it through, sorry.
- If sending via email, set your email output to basic. HTML output will add all sort of formatting that will have to be removed before your article can go into the newsletter.
Keeping to these guidelines will streamline your article’s addition to the newsletter. Thank you.
Follow us on Socia
New Publications
Distinguishing between apparent and actual randomness: a preliminary examination with Australian ants
By: Ferdous, Mst Jannatul, Andy M. Reynolds, and Ken Cheng. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 72, no. 7 (2018): 113. | Find with Google Scholar »Food approach conditioning and discrimination learning using sound cues in benthic sharks
By: Pouca, Catarina Vila, and Culum Brown. Animal cognition (2018): 1-12. | Find with Google Scholar »Testing domain general learning in an Australian lizard
By: Qi, Yin, Daniel WA Noble, Jinzhong Fu, and Martin J. Whiting. Animal cognition (2018): 1-8. | Find with Google Scholar »The antidepressant fluoxetine alters mechanisms of pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection in the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)
By: Bertram, Michael G., Tiarne E. Ecker, Bob BM Wong, Moira K. O'Bryan, John B. Baumgartner, Jake M. Martin, and Minna Saaristo. Environmental Pollution 238 (2018): 238-247. | Find with Google Scholar »Investment in reproduction for 14 iteroparous perennials is large and associated with other life-history and functional traits
By: Wenk, Elizabeth Hedi, Konrad Abramowicz, Mark Westoby, and Daniel S. Falster. Journal of Ecology 106, no. 4 (2018): 1338-1348. | Find with Google Scholar »Attenuation of inflammatory responses by (+)-syringaresinol via MAP-Kinase-mediated suppression of NF-kappa B signaling in vitro and in vivo
By: Bajpai, Vivek K., Md Badrul Alam, Khong Trong Quan, Mi-Kyoung Ju, Rajib Majumder, Shruti Shukla, Yun Suk Huh, MinKyun Na, Sang Han Lee, and Young-Kyu Han. Scientific reports 8, no. 1 (2018): 9216. | Find with Google Scholar »A continental-scale assessment of variability in leaf traits: Within species, across sites and between seasons
By: Bloomfield, K.J., Cernusak, L.A., Eamus, D., Ellsworth, D.S., Colin Prentice, I., Wright, I.J., Boer, M.M., Bradford, M.G., Cale, P., Cleverly, J. and Egerton, J.J., 2018. Functional Ecology, 32(6), pp.1492-1506. | Find with Google Scholar »The hydrological function of upland swamps in eastern Australia: The role of geomorphic condition in regulating water storage and discharge
By: Cowley, Kirsten L., Kirstie A. Fryirs, and Grant C. Hose. Geomorphology 310 (2018): 29-44. | Find with Google Scholar »Using within-day hive weight changes to measure environmental effects on honey bee colonies
By: Meikle, William G., Niels Holst, Théotime Colin, Milagra Weiss, Mark J. Carroll, Quinn S. McFrederick, and Andrew B. Barron. PloS one 13, no. 5 (2018): e0197589. | Find with Google Scholar »Colouration in male blue-throated keeled lizards (Algyroides nigropunctatus): Evidence for ultraviolet reflectance of throat and lateral patches
By: Badiane, Arnaud; Carazo, Pau; Font, Enrique HERPETOLOGICAL JOURNAL Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Pages: 39-42 Published: JAN 2018. | Find with Google Scholar »Kakadu’s wetlands: more change is afoot
By: Chariton, A. A., D. Williams, A. D. L. Steven, and C. M. Finlayson. Marine and Freshwater Research 69, no. 7 (2018): iii-v. | Find with Google Scholar »Sea-level rise in northern Australia’s Kakadu National Park: a survey of floodplain eukaryotes
By: Stephenson, Sarah A., Tiffanie M. Nelson, Claire Streten, Karen S. Gibb, David Williams, Paul Greenfield, and Anthony A. Chariton. Marine and Freshwater Research (2018). | Find with Google Scholar »An integrated risk-assessment framework for multiple threats to floodplain values in the Kakadu Region, Australia, under a changing climate
By: Bayliss, P., Finlayson, C.M., Innes, J., Norman-López, A., Bartolo, R., Harford, A., Pettit, N.E., Humphrey, C.L., van Dam, R., Dutra, L.X.C. and Woodward, E., 2018. Marine and Freshwater Research. | Find with Google Scholar »Visual cues do not enhance sea lion pups response to multimodal maternal cue
By: Wierucka K., Charrier I., Harcourt R., Pitcher B. J. (2018) Scientific Reports 8: 9845. DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-28171-w | Find with Google Scholar »