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Department of BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES


Associate Professor Lesley Hughes

Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University

 

euc_macrocarpa


Research Interests
 Current & past postgraduates
 Other lab members
 External funding
 Scientific service & appointments
 Publications
 

Contact details

Department of Biological Sciences
Macquarie University
NSW 2109
Australia
Phone +61 02 9850 8195
Fax +61 02 9850 8245

email lhughes@rna.bio.mq.edu.au

Research interests

 

Impacts of global climate and atmospheric change on species and ecosystems

Past and current projects of my research group include:

    • Impacts of climate change on the structure and composition of herbivorous insect communities
    • Observed changes in the phenology of bird migration
    • Impacts of elevated CO2 on herbivorous insects
    • Current and future impacts of climate change on the biodivesity of Lord Howe Island
    • Potential impacts of climate change on insect body size
    • Potential impacts of climate change on vegetation ecotones


Evolutionary ecology of plant-insect interactions, particularly plant-herbivore interactions

Projects include:
    • Evolutionary ecology of leaf mining insects
    • Insect diversity in relation to host-plant relatedness

Current postgraduate students
  • Linda Beaumont (PhD), "Effects of climate change on the Australian butterfly fauna"
  • Emma Laxton (PhD) “Effect of resource availability and plant traits on insect herbivory in two Australian vegetation types”
  • Nathalia Velez (PhD) "Impact of climate change on the biodiversity of Lord Howe Island" (co-supervised by Dr Gerry Cassis, Australian Museum)
  • Andres Roubicek (PhD) "Methods for assessing the sensitivity of bioclimatic models to climatic variables" (co-supervised by Prof. Andy Pitman, Dept of Physical Geography)
  • Robyn Sinclair (Msc Hons) "Evolutionary ecology of Australian leaf-mining insects"
  • Rebecca Harris (PhD) "Impacts of climate change on body size in insects" (University of Tasmania, co-supervised by Dr Peter McQuillan)

Postdoctoral Fellows and other lab members
  • Dr Dave Nipperess (Postdoctoral fellow), investigating relationship of insect assemblage composition to host plant phylogeny
  • Dr Alison Basden (Macquarie University Postdoctoral Fellow) “Potential impacts of climate change on boundaries between Nothofagus rainforest and eucalypt woodland, Barrington Tops"
  • Rachael Gallager, research assistant, impacts of climate change on invasive plant species
  • Tracey Adams, research assistant, insect assemblages and host-plant relatedness
Past lab members
  • Dr Nigel Andrew (postgraduate) “ Latitudinal changes in herbivorous insect fauna on Acacia falcata” Now lecturer, University of New England.
  • Dr Moshe Coll: visiting scholar from the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv "Impacts of elevated CO2 on third trophic level interactions"
  • Dr Flavia Nogueira de Sa: visiting scholar from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil "Influence of host plant geographic distribution and phylogeny on the utilisation of Myrtaceae by herbivorous beetles”

Current External Funding

  • ARC Linkage Grant (2004-2006) (with Dr Gerry Cassis, Australian Museum), "Predicting climate change impacts on the biodiversity of Lord Howe Island: an approach using experimental and historical data"
  • ARC Discovery Grant (2006-2008), "A new phylogenetic framework for estiamting local, regional, and global biodiversity" (with Prof. Andy Beattie, Macquarie University, Prof. Roger Kitching, Griffith University and Dr Dan Faith, Australian Museum)
  • Australian Greenhouse Office (2005-2006) "National database for documenting ecological impacts of climate change" (with Dr Lynda Chambers, Bureau of Meterology, and Dr Marie Keatley, University of Melbourne) NEMD
  • Macquarie University External Collaborative Research Grant (2006-2007) "Predicting the potential impacts of climate change on invasive species" (with Dr Michele Leishman, Macquarie University and Dr Paul Downey, NSW Dept. of Environment and Conservation).
  • ARC Network for Earth System Science (2006-2007) "Range shifts in Australian terrestrial and marine species in relation to climate change"


Scientific Service and Appointments (since 2001)

  • Lead author, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2005-2007), Chapt. 11 Australia and New Zealand
  • Contributing author, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2005-2007), Chapt. 4 Ecosystems
  • Chair, NSW Scientific Committee (2005-2007), previously Deputy Chair (2003-2004). This committee is appointed by the BSW Minister for the Environment to assess nominations for threatened species, populations and communities under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995
  • Reviewer NSW Dept Environment and Conservation, State of the Environment Report 2006
  • Biological Impacts node leader, ARC Network for Earth System Science (2005-2009)
  • Appointed member, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (2005-2008)
  • Australian representative, European Climate Forum meeting (Beijing 2004)
  • Scientific editor, National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan, Dept. of Environment and Heritage (2004)
  • Co-convenor of workshop on Climate Change and Biodiversity, Canberra, October 2002, sponsored by the Biological Diversity Advisory Committee. Co-author and editor of workshop report (published 2003).
  • Australian representative: Working party to draft guidelines on response of Red List species to climate change, IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), London, Feb 2003
  • Invited Reviewer, draft report on “Interlinkages between Biological Diversity and Climate Change and Advice on the Integration of Biodiversity Considerations into the Implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat, May 2003
  • Invited speaker & workshop facilitator, QLD Climate Change Summit, August 2003, involved in drafting report to QLD government on climate change impacts and policy.
  • Invited reviewer, Consultation Paper: “Developing a National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan”, NRM Ministerial Councils’ Land, Water and Biodiversity Committee, Oct 2003.
  • Member: Advisory Board of Global Ecology & Biogeography (2003-2005)
  • Co-convenor, Symposium on Climate Change and Australia, Ecological Society of Australia Annual Conference, Cairns, December 2002.
  • Australian Research Council Reader for Discovery and Linkage Grants (2001-2003)

Publications

Book Sections & Chapters

Westoby M, Hughes L and B Rice (1991) Seed dispersal by ants: comparing infertile with fertile soils. pp 434-447 in Ant-plant interactions. (CR Huxley and DF Cutler eds), Oxford University Press, Oxford

Contributing author to Australia's Biodiversity: Living wealth (1995) A J Beattie (ed.) Reed Australia, Chatswood.

Hughes, L (2000) Climate change and biodiversity. In: Resetting the Compass: Australia's Journey Towards Sustainability (D. Yencken & D. Wilkinson eds) p197

Hughes L  Bioindicators. (2001) In: Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change (ed. T. Munn) Vo1. 2 : The Earth System: Biological and Ecological Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (eds HA Mooney and J G Canadell). Pp 160-166. John Wiley and Sons, London.

Beattie AJ and Hughes L (2002) Ant-plant interactions. In: Plant-animal interactions: and evolutionary approach (CM Herrera and O Pellmyr eds). pp 211-235. Blackwell Science, Oxford

Hughes L (2003). Ecological Interactions. In: Climate Change and Biodiversity: Synergistic Impacts, L Hannah  and T Lovejoy, eds. Advances in Applied Biodiversity Science 4. Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, Conservation International: Washington, DC.

Pittock B ed. (2003) Climate Change: An Australian Guide to the Science and Potential Impacts. Major Contributors: Arthington A, Booth T, Cowell P, Hennessy K, Howden M, Hughes L, Jones, R, Lake S, Lyne V, McMichael T, Mullett T, Nicholls N, Torok, S, Woodruff R. Australian Greenhouse Office, Commonwealth of Australia

Root TL & Hughes, L (2005) Changes in phenology and ecological interactions. Pp 61-69 In: Climate Change and Biodiversity (TE Lovejoy and L Hannah, eds), Yale University Press, New Haven.

Drake BG, Hughes L, Johnson EA, Seibel BA, Cochrane MA, Fabry VJ, Rasse D, Hannah L (2005) Synergistic effects. Pp 296-316 In: Climate Change and Biodiversity (TE Lovejoy and L Hannah, eds), Yale University Press, New Haven.



Refereed Journal Papers

Hughes L and M Westoby (1990) Removal rates of seeds adapted for dispersal by ants. Ecology 71:138-148

Hughes L (1991) The relocation of ant nest entrances: potential consequences for ant-dispersed seeds. Australian Journal of Ecology 16:207-214

Westoby M, French K, Hughes L, Rice B. and L Rodgerson (1991) Why do more plant species use ants for dispersal on infertile compared with fertile soils? Australian Journal of Ecology 16: 445-455

Hughes L and M Westoby (1992) Fate of seeds adapted for dispersal by ants in Australian sclerophyll vegetation. Ecology 73: 1285-1299

Hughes L and M Westoby (1992) Effect of diaspore characteristics on removal of seeds adapted for dispersal by ants. Ecology 73:1300-1312

Leishman MR, Hughes L, French K, Armstrong D and M Westoby (1992) Seed and seedling biology in relation to modelling vegetation dynamics under global climate change. Australian Journal of Botany 40:599-614

Hughes L. and M Westoby (1992) Capitula on stick insect eggs and elaiosomes on seeds: convergent adaptations for burial by ants. Functional Ecology 6:642-648 (This research has been discussed by ABC/TV Quantum, April 1992; Nature News and Views 361:304-305; New Scientist 137:16; BBC Wildlife Magazine 11: 12-13; ABC radio, March, 1993)

Hughes L, Westoby M and A D Johnson (1993) Nutrient costs of vertebrate- and ant-dispersed fruits. Functional Ecology 7: 54-62

Hughes L, Westoby M and E Jurado (1994)  Convergence of elaiosomes and insect prey: evidence from ant foraging behaviour and fatty acid composition  Functional Ecology 8: 358-365.

Hughes L, and Westoby M (1994) Climate change and conservation policies in Australia: coping with change that is far away and not yet certain. Pacific Conservation Biology 1: 308-318.
Hughes L, Dunlop M, French K, Leishman M, Rice B, Rodgerson L and M Westoby (1994). Predicting dispersal spectra: a minimal set of hypotheses based on plant attributes. Journal of Ecology 82: 933-950.
Hughes L. When an insect is more like a plant. (1996) Australia Nature Autumn: 30-38

Hughes L, Cawsey EM. and Westoby M (1996) Climatic range sizes of Eucalyptus species in relation to future climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 5:23-29.

Hughes L, Cawsey EM and Westoby M (1996) Geographic and climatic range sizes of Australian eucalypts and a test of Rapoport's Rule. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 5:128-142.

Hughes L and Bazzaz FA. (1997) Effect of elevated carbon dioxide on interactions between the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and its host plant, Asclepias syriaca. Oecologia 109: 286-290

Lake, J. and Hughes, L. (1999) Nectar production and floral characteristics of Tropaeolum majus L. grown in ambient and elevated carbon dioxide. Annals of Botany 84: 535-541.

Hughes, L., Wagner, D., Chang, B., and Pierce, NE. (2000) Effects of mating history on the reproductive behaviour and fecundity of the ant-tended lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 47: 119-128.

Hughes, L. (2000) Biological consequences of global warming: is the signal already apparent? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15: 56-61.

Hughes, L. (2000) Climate signatures in ecology: reply. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15: 287

Hughes L. and Bazzaz F. A. (2001) Interactions between aphids and host plants at elevated CO2: a comparison of five species pairs. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata.99: 87-96

Johns CV and Hughes L. (2002) Interactive effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on the
leaf-miner Dialectica scalariella  Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in Paterson's Curse,
Echium plantagineum (Boraginaceae). Global Change Biology 8: 142-152

Beaumont  L. and Hughes L. (2002) Potential changes in the distributions of latitudinally restricted Australian butterflies in response to climate change. Global Change Biology 8: 954-971.

Grimbacher P.S. and Hughes L.  (2002) Response of ant communities and ant-seed interactions to bush regeneration. Ecological Management and Restoration  3: 188-199.

Hughes, L. (2003) Climate change and Australia: trends, projections and research directions. Austral Ecology  28: 423-443.

John C.V., Beaumont L. and Hughes L. Effects of CO2 and temperature on development and consumption rates of Octotoma championi and O. scabripennis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) feeding on Lantana camara. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 108:169-178.

Thomas CD, Cameron A, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, Collingham YC, Erasmus| BFN, de Siqueira MF, Grainger A, Hannah L, Hughes L, Huntley B, Jaarsveld AS, Midgley GF, Miles L, Ortega-Huerta MA, Peterson AT, Phillips OL, Williams SE. (2004) Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 427: 145-148.

Peel D, Pitman AJ, Hughes L, Narisma G & Pielke RA Sr  (2004) The impact of realistic biophysical parameters for eucalypts on the simulation of the January climate of Australia. Environmental Modelling & Software 20: 595-612

Johns CV, Stone C & Hughes L. Feeding preferences of the Christmas beetle Anoplognathus chloropyrus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and four paropsine species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelida) on selected Eucalyptus grandis clonal foliage. Australian Forestry 67: 184-190

Thomas CD, Williams SE, Cameron A, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, Collingham YC, Erasmus| BFN, de Siqueira MF, Grainger A, Hannah L, Hughes L, Huntley B, Jaarsveld AS, Midgley GF, Miles L, Ortega-Huerta MA, Peterson AT, Phillips OL. (2004) Extinction risk from climate change: reply Nature online 1 July www.nature.com/nature

Cameron A, Thomas CD, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, Collingham YC, Erasmus| BFN, de Siqueira MF, Grainger A, Hannah L, Hughes L, Huntley B, Jaarsveld AS, Midgley GF, Miles L, Ortega-Huerta MA, Peterson AT, Phillips OL, Williams SE. (2004) Will climate change catch us off guard? Conservation in Practice 5: 28-29

Andrew NR & Hughes L (2004) Species diversity and structure of phytophagous beetle assemblages along a latitudinal gradient: predicting the potential impacts of climate change. Ecological Entomology 29: 527-542

Michael CA, Gillings MR, Holmes AJ, Hughes L, Andrew NR, Holley MP and Stokes HW (2004) Mobile gene cassettes: a fundamental resource for bacterial evolution. American Naturalist. 164, 1-12.

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2005) Herbivore damage along a latitudinal gradient: relative impacts of different feeding guilds. Oikos 108:176-182

Chambers LE, Hughes L and Weston MA. (2005) Climate change and its impact on Australia’s Avifauna. Emu 105: 1-20

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2005) Arthropod community structure along a latitudinal gradient: implications for future impacts of climate change. Austral Ecology  30, 281-297

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2005) Diversity and assemblage structure of phytophagous Hemiptera along a latitudinal gradient: predicting the potential impacts of climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography  14: 249-262

Beaumont LJ, Hughes L and Poulsen M. (2005) Predicting species distributions: use of climatic parameters in BIOCLIM and its impact on predictions of species’ current and future distributions. Ecological Modelling  186: 250-269

Walther G-R, Hughes L, Vitousek P and Stenseth NC (2005) Consensus on climate change. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20: 648-649

Andrew NR and Hughes L. Potential host colonisation by insect herbivores in a warmer climate: a transplant experiment. Global Change Biology (in press, accepted 27/12/04)

Beaumont LJ, McAllan IAW and Hughes L. (2006) A matter of timing: changes in the first date of arrival and last date of departure of Australian migratory birds. Global Change Biology 12: 1339-1354



Book & CD Reviews

Hughes, L. (1999) Review of Ecology: CD ROM Version. Australian Journal of Ecology 24: 95-96.

Hughes, L. (1999) Review of Copeland, C and Lewis, D (eds) Saving Our Heritage: the role of science in managing Australia’s ecosystems. Today’s Life Sciences, July/August p.61.



Other publications

Hughes L. (2001) Climate change and biodiversity in Australia. Lifelines 7: 32-34
 
Howden M, Hughes L, Dunlop M, Zethoven I, Hilbert D. Chilcott C and Crutch G (2003) Report on BDAC workshop of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Australia. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.

Dunlop, M., Howden, M., and Hughes, L. (2003)  Biodiversity and Climate Change in Australia. In R. Douglas, J. Goldie and B. Furnass (eds). "In Search Of Sustainability" online conference. August 2003. http://www.isosconference.org.au/

Possingham, H., Hughes, L. & Howden M. (2003) Biodiversity and Climate Change: possible impacts, adaptive response and research needs. Pp 103-116 in: Living with Climate Change: A  National Conference on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. 18-19th December, 2002, Australian Academy of Sciences, Canberra.

Hughes L (2003) Recent impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems. In: Howden M, Hughes L, Dunlop M, Zethoven I, Hilbert D. Chilcott C and Crutch G (2003) Report on BDAC workshop of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Australia. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.

Hughes L (2003) Indicators of Climate Change. In: Howden M, Hughes L, Dunlop M, Zethoven I, Hilbert D. Chilcott C and Crutch G (2003) Report on BDAC workshop of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Australia. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.

Krockenberger AK, Kitching R, Turton SM (eds) plus 12 other authors including Hughes L (2004) Environmental Crisis: Climate Change and Terrestrial Biodiversity in Queensland. Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management. Rainforest CRC, Cairns, QLD, Australia

Hughes L (2004) Moving along the corridors of change. National Parks Association Journal. Vol. 48 April 2004


Invited Chapters in preparation

Hennessy K, Fitzharris B, Bates B, Harvey N, Howden M, Hughes L, Salinger J, Warrick R. Chapt 11. Australia and New Zealand In: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, Working Group II, Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability. IPCC, Geneva.

Contributing Author to: Midgley etc Chapt 4. Ecosystems In: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, Working Group II, Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability. IPCC, Geneva

Hughes L. Vulnerability of Australian ecosystems to climate change. In: Key vulnerable regions and climate change. European Climate Forum.