Ecoacoustics is the study of environmental sounds and the connection these sounds have to ecosystem function and health. Listening to the sounds of an ecosystem offers a unique way to monitor biodiversity, map species distribution, understand fauna behaviour, and track ecological change. This talk by Lauren Hawkins will introduce ecoacoustics ...
Were you ever interested about the insects, birds and marsupials pollinating our flowers? Flowers compete to attract pollinators using colours, scents and shapes tailored for pollinator-specific sensory systems. Some flowers have evolved to attract relatively specific pollinators, presumably to increase pollen transfer within a species. Differences between plants in their ...
Dr Sarah Comer is the Regional Ecologist for DBCA’s South Coast Region, a position she has been privileged to work in for over 25 years. Sarah’s work is focused on conservation: implementing threatened species recovery programs, monitoring and management of native species, and integrating invasive predator management, fire ecology and ...
Greg Keighery will be speaking at the Main Club General Meeting on our fascinating Verticordias. Verticordia contains some of the most colourful and iconic species of the Kwongan. The mass flowering of the “cauliflower” members of the genus east of Hyden is a sight that is world class. Defined by finely divided calyx lobes, the genus is closely related to another Australian genus, Darwinia. It has long been considered that the divided calyx lobes which aid dispersal are not a valid character to define the genus and subsquent genetic work supports the subdivision of the genus.
Dr John Huisman This talk at the main club evening will feature Dr John Huisman sharing about William Henry Harvey and his Western Australian Seaweeds. John’s presentation will give a general overview of the history and current state of seaweed diversity in the Perth region, but then concentrate on his ...
Dr Holly Raudino is a Senior Research Scientist within the Marine Science Program of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Holly's interest lies in behavioural ecology and applied research on threatened marine fauna. She leads the state government research and monitoring of marine mammals and continues to collaborate with ...
Join Julie for an introductory talk on the biology, diversity, and interactions of fungi in soil. Julie Fielder is a mycologist and botanist who has worked with plants and fungi across Australia. Her personal passion is the soil mycobiome, and its ecological relationships with plants and soil chemistry. Julie is ...
In the late 1970s, the mammal emblem of WA, the termite-eating numbat, was slipping towards extinction. This once-widespread marsupial survived in only three places in the south-west and by 1985, at only two sites, Dryandra and the Perup Forest with around 300 animals. This presentation will trace the ups and ...
Between 2007 and 2019, the little penguin population on Penguin Island, once the largest in Western Australia with approximately 1700 birds, underwent a dramatic decline to just 150 breeding pairs—an alarming reduction of over 80%.
This decline stems from a complex mix of natural, anthropogenic, and climate-related factors posing imminent threats to their survival.