K. Strehlow

Logging and burning impacts on cockroaches, crickets and grasshoppers, and spiders in Jarrah forest, Western Australia

In 1985 new silvicultural prescriptions for managing Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest in southwest Western Australia came into operation. The most extreme logging treatment involved removal of most of the overstorey from 10 ha patches, followed by a regeneration fire. This study, part of a broader integrated research program, examined the impact of these disturbances on more than 400 species of leaf litter arthropods captured in pitfall traps one year before logging, 1 year before burning, and 4 years after burning. Most species of cockroaches (Blattodea), crickets and grasshoppers (Orthoptera), and spiders (Araneae) were resilient to logging and burning, and immediate decreases in species richness or total abundance were rapidly reversed. Changes in community structure caused by the imposed disturbances were also minimal or short term. Community structure in both the treatment and control sites at the end of the study was different from that at the beginning of the study, perhaps indicative of the overriding importance of climatic variation. The results of this study have broader relevance to understanding the long-term resilience of forest ecosystems in southwest Western Australia. Because of the role of the taxa studied in mediating decomposition, herbivory and predation, these ecosystem processes appear to be robust to the logging and burning prescriptions applied.

The influence of changing hydroregime on the invertebrate communities of temporary seasonal wetlands

Abstract. Community dynamics in temporary waters are constrained by the hydroregime (depth, timing, duration, frequency, and predictability of water in an aquatic habitat), which in turn is influenced by climatic patterns and anthropogenic use of water in the landscape. Declining rainfall in regions with a Mediterranean climate, such as southwestern Australia, has decreased the depth and duration of water in temporary wetlands, potentially altering the composition of invertebrate communities. We used a long-term data set (6–25 y) to examine temporal changes in hydroregimes and aquatic invertebrate diversity (based on species presence/absence) at 9 seasonal wetlands. The study wetlands maintained distinctly seasonal hydroregimes, despite declining rainfall and the contraction of wetland hydroperiods. Distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) indicated that conductivity, NO3−+NO2−, and turbidity were the most important factors explaining the changes in invertebrate community composition over time. Allocation of species into 4 trait-based groups based on their resilience to or resistance of drought and their mode of recolonization of a water body upon rewetting revealed that the fauna is dominated by active dispersers. This result suggests that the proximity of source wetlands from which mobile invertebrate species and vertebrate vectors, such as waterbirds, can recolonize seasonal wetlands is an important factor influencing the invertebrate community response to rewetting. Despite the decline in water availability, we found little evidence of a shift to a more arid-adapted fauna. We suggest that the maintenance of a mosaic of wetlands of varying hydroregimes at the whole-landscape scale will be critical to the future persistence of aquatic invertebrate communities in Mediterranean regions where the frequency and intensity of droughts is predicted to increase.

Short term impacts of logging on invertebrate communities in jarrah forests in south-west Western Australia

The short term impacts of logging (clearing without post-harvest burns) on ground-dwelling invertebrate communities were examined as part of a larger integrated study (the Kingston Study) to determine the impacts of logging on a jarrah forest ecosystem in south-western Australia. Sampling followed a modified BACI design, where control and impact sites were sampled over a period of 22 months, before and after logging. No significant impacts on total invertebrate abundance and richness occurred as a result of logging. Furthermore, of the 35 class/orders identified, only five taxa, Blattodea, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera and Orthoptera were significantly affected, with Blattodea being the most severely affected. Retrospective power analysis showed that the design used had sufficient power (0.8+) to detect 30-40% change in total invertebrate abundance. Similarly, the design had high power to detect changes of 10-50% for most taxa. The impacts of logging were only of a short duration, with invertebrate communities in impact sites resembling those of control sites after 10 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that seasonal and inter-annual climatic effects appeared to be more important determinants of invertebrate community structure and function than logging impacts.

Persistence of central Australian aquatic invertebrate communities

Central Australia supports a restricted but important range of freshwater systems, including small, permanent spring-fed streams and larger riverine pools ranging from permanent to ephemeral. These sites support a significant percentage of the aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity within the region. Comparison of records from the first exploratory scientific expedition to the area in 1894, and surveys conducted in 1986, 1994 and 2008, revealed the persistence of the aquatic invertebrate fauna, despite the recent impacts of European settlement. The presence of aquatic insects with Gondwanan origins suggests affinities with assemblages present in a much wetter era (~18 000 years ago). Persistence can be attributed to multiple environmental and social factors, including the role of local aquifers in sustaining permanent systems, the remote and inaccessible nature of the sites, and the protection and management afforded by reservation within national parks. Characterisation of the drivers and stressors that influence these ecosystems suggests that climate change could potentially result in a loss of endemic and relictual species. Hence, the relictual waterbodies of central Australia can be viewed as potential ‘sentinel’ sites for assessing the impacts of changing conditions.

Being chimaera: a monstrous identity for SoTL academics

ABSTRACT Lurking on the fringes of university culture are academic identities that do not fit into the usual disciplinary communities. Aiming to explore the experience of ‘being academic’ when not linked directly to a discipline, this paper examines the stories of a diverse group of SoTL scholars who work in a centralised multi-campus academic skills support centre in an Australian university. Framed as group auto-ethnography, the paper inquires into the everyday experience of these academics through narrative analysis of multiple first-person accounts and makes apparent the monstrousness of de-affiliated academic identities. Despite diverse disciplinary backgrounds, the author-participants found that they now shared a tripartite academic identity formed through the negotiation of three roles: the teacher, the disciplinarian, and the educational researcher. Using the chimaera, a mythical three-headed monster as an organising metaphor, this paper aims to provide agency and visibility for often under-represented and unacknowledged academic identities.

Does on-site chaplaincy enhance the health and well being of fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) personnel?

Issue addressed The fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) work style has been linked to mental-health and interpersonal issues and a need for strategies that maintain a healthy workforce. This study investigated whether 24/7 on-site chaplains deliver a service that promotes the health and well being of FIFO personnel. Methods A phenomenological approach was used to explore the perceptions of FIFO personnel working in different roles and organisational sections on a remote mine site in Western Australia. Multi-pronged strategies recruited 29 participants who represented management, supervisors, workers and support staff. Participants took part in semistructured interviews conducted either one-on-one or in pairs. Results Chaplains were described as making a valuable contribution to the physical and mental health of FIFO personnel. Specific aspects of the service such as active outreach, effective trust building and the on-site availability were identified as central to the service being accessed and overcoming barriers embedded in mining culture and masculinity. Conclusions On-site chaplaincy appears to be effective in promoting the physical and mental health of FIFO personnel working at a remote mine site. So what? This promising model of active on-site outreach offered by chaplains is set apart from existing FIFO support structures. We recommend further exploration of its potential to become part of an integrated health-support system in the mining sector and other industries.

The Effects of CPE on Primary Relationships--Is It Worth Exploring?

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) can be a life transforming experience for students, but does it also transform students’ primary relationships? An online survey of past CPE students at Royal Perth Hospital, Western Australia, found that – overall – CPE had a positive effect on primary relations in key areas, in particular communication, intimacy and spirituality. Recent relationships were more negatively affected. Some relationships did not survive CPE. Structural and pedagogical implications require further research.