University of Tasmania, Australia

Dr Lynda Prior

Research Fellow

BSc (Hons), PhD

Contact Details

Publications

• Prior LD, Murphy BP, Russell-Smith J, 2009, 'Environmental and demographic correlates of tree recruitment and mortality in north Australian savannas', Forest Ecology and Management, 257, 66-74.
• Prior, L.D., Grieve, A.M., Bevington, K.B. and Slavich, P.G. , 2007, 'Long-term effects of saline irrigation water on ‘Valencia’ orange trees: relationships between growth and yield, and salt levels in soil and leaves.', Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 58 (4), 349-358
• Prior, L.D., Brook, B.W., Williams, R.J., Werner, P.A., Bradshaw, C.J.A and Bowman, D.M.J.S., 2006, 'Environmental and allometric drivers of tree growth rates in a north Australian savanna', Forest Ecology and Management, 234, 164-180
• Bowman, D.M.J.S. and Prior, L.D., 2005, 'Turner Review No. 10. Why do evergreen trees dominate the Australian seasonal tropics? ', Australian Journal of Botany, 53, 379-399
• Prior, L.D., Eamus, D., and Bowman, D.M.J.S., 2004, 'Tree growth rates in north Australian savanna habitats: seasonal patterns and correlations with leaf attributes', Australian Journal of Botany, 52, 303-314
• Murphy BP, Russell-Smith J, Prior LD (in press) Frequent fires reduce tree growth in
northern Australian savannas: implications for tree demography and carbon
sequestration.
• Lehmann CER, Prior LD, Bowman DMJS (in press) Multi-decadal savanna
dynamics in the Australian monsoon tropics. Austral Ecology
• Lehmann CER, Prior LD, Bowman DMJS (in press) Fire controls variation in stand
structure of four dominant tree species in mesic tropical Eucalyptus savanna.
 Oecologia
• Prior LD, Murphy BP, Russell-Smith J (2009) Environmental and demographic
correlates of tree recruitment and mortality in north Australian savannas.
 Forest Ecology and Management 257, 66-74.
• Burrows GE, Hornby SK, Waters DA, Bellairs SM, Prior LD, Bowman DMJS (2008)
Leaf axil anatomy and bud reserves in 21 Myrtaceae species from northern
Australia. International Journal of Plant Sciences 169, 1174-1186.
• Bowman DMJS, Riley JE, Boggs GS, Lehmann CER, Prior LD (2008) Do feral
buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) explain the increase of woody cover in savannas of
Kakadu National Park? Journal of Biogeography 35, 1976-1988.
• Lehmann CER, Prior LD, Bowman DMJS (2008) Spatio-temporal trends in tree
cover of a tropical mesic savanna are driven by landscape disturbance. Journal
of Applied Ecology 45, 1304-1311
• Werner PA, Prior LD, Forner J (2008) Growth and survival of two species of termitepiped
eucalypts in northern Australia: implications for harvest of trees for
didgeridoos. Forest Ecology and Management 256, 328-334.
• Bowman DMJS, Boggs GS, and Prior LD (2008) Fire maintains an Acacia aneura
shrubland – Triodia grassland mosaic in central Australia. Journal of Arid
 Environments 72, 34-47. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.04.001
• Werner PA and Prior LD (2007) Tree-piping termites and growth and survival of
host trees in savanna woodland of north Australia. Journal of Tropical
 Ecology 23, 611-622.
• Grieve AM, Prior LD and Bevington KB (2007) Long-term effects of saline irrigation
water on growth, yield and fruit quality of ‘Valencia’ orange trees. Australian
 Journal of Agricultural Research 58 (4) 342-348.
• Prior LD, Grieve AM, Bevington KB and Slavich PG (2007) Long-term effects of
saline irrigation water on ‘Valencia’ orange trees: relationships between growth
and yield, and salt levels in soil and leaves. Australian Journal of Agricultural
 Research 58 (4) 349-358.
• Bowman DMJS, Boggs GS, Prior LD and Krull ES (2007) Dynamics of Acacia aneura
– Triodia boundaries using carbon (14C and δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in soil
organic matter in central Australia. The Holocene 17 (3), 311-318.
• Prior LD, Bowman DMJS and Brook BW (2007) Growth and survival of two north
Australian relictual tree species, Allosyncarpia ternata (Myrtaceae) and Callitris
intratropica (Cupressaceae). Ecological Research 22, 228-236. DOI
10.1007/s11284-006-0011-2
• Prior LD, Brook BW, Williams RJ, Werner PA, Bradshaw CJA and Bowman DMJS
(2006) Environmental and allometric drivers of tree growth rates in a north
Australian savanna. Forest Ecology and Management 234, 164-180.
• Bowman DMJS and Prior LD (2005) Turner Review No. 10. Why do evergreen trees
dominate the Australian seasonal tropics? Australian Journal of Botany 53, 379-
399.
• Prior LD, Bowman DMJS and Eamus D (2005) Intra-specific variation in leaf attributes
in four savanna tree species along a rainfall gradient in tropical Australia. 
Australian Journal of Botany 53, 323-335.
• Prior LD, Bowman DMJS and Eamus D (2004).Seasonal differences in leaf attributes
in Australian tropical tree species: family and habitat comparisons. Functional 
Ecology 18, 707-718.Prior LD, Eamus D, and Bowman DMJS (2004) Tree growth rates in north Australian
savanna habitats: seasonal patterns and correlations with leaf attributes. 
Australian Journal of Botany 52, 303-314.
• Wright IJ, Groom PK, Lamont BB, Poot P, Prior LD, Reich PB, Schulze E.-D,
Veneklaas EJ & Westoby M. (2004) Leaf trait relationships in Australian plant
species. Functional Plant Biology 31, 551-558
• Wright IJ, Reich PB, Westoby M, Ackerly DD, Baruch Z, Bongers F, Cavender-Bares
J, Chapin T, Cornelissen JHC, Diemer M, Flexas J, Garnier E, Groom P K,
Gulias J, Hikosaka K, Lamont BB, Lee T, Lee W, Lusk C, Midgley JJ, Navas
ML, Niinemets U, Oleksyn J, Osada N, Poorter H, Poot P, Prior L, Pyankov
VI, Roumet C, Thomas SC, Tjoelker MG, Veneklaas EJ, Villar R (2004) The
 worldwide leaf economics spectrum. Nature 428, 821-827.
• Bowman DMJS, and Prior LD (2004) Impact of Aboriginal landscape burning on
woody vegetation in Eucalyptus tetrodonta savanna in Arnhem Land, northern
 Australia. Journal of Biogeography 31, 807-817.
• Bowman DMJS, Walsh A. and Prior LD (2004) Landscape analysis of Aboriginal fire
management in Central Arnhem Land, north Australia. Journal of Biogeography
 31, 207-223.
• Prior LD, Eamus D and Bowman DMJS (2003) Leaf attributes in the seasonally dry
tropics: a comparison of four habitats in northern Australia. Functional Ecology 17, 504-515.
• Zhang X, Walker RR, Stevens RM and Prior LD (2002) Yield-salinity relationships of
different grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) scion-rootstock combinations. Australian
 Journal of Grape and Wine Research 8, 150-156.
• Eamus D and Prior LD (2001) Ecophysiology of trees of seasonally dry tropics:
comparisons among phylogenies. Advances in Ecological Research 32, 113-197.
• Prior LD and Eamus D (2000) Seasonal changes in hydraulic conductance, xylem
embolism and leaf area in Eucalyptus tetrodonta and Eucalyptus miniata
saplings in a north Australian savanna. Plant, Cell and Environment 23, 955-965.
• Prior LD and Eamus D (1999) Seasonal changes in leaf water characteristics of
 Eucalyptus tetrodonta and Terminalia ferdinandiana saplings in a northern
Australian savanna. Australian Journal of Botany 47, 587-599.
• Prior LD, Eamus D and Duff GA (1997) Seasonal trends in carbon assimilation,
stomatal conductance, pre-dawn leaf water potential and growth in Terminalia
ferdinandiana, a deciduous tree of northern Australian savannas. Australian 
Journal of Botany 45, 53-69.
• Prior LD, Eamus D and Duff GA (1997) Seasonal and diurnal patterns of carbon
assimilation, stomatal conductance and leaf water potential in Eucalyptus
tetrodonta saplings in a wet-dry savanna in northern Australia. Australian 
Journal of Botany 45, 241-258.
• Stevens RM and Prior LD (1994) The effect of transient waterlogging on the growth,
leaf gas exchange, and mineral composition of potted sultana grapevines. 
American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 45, 285-290.
• Prior LD, Cullis BR and Sarooshi RA (1993) Influence of rootstock and trellis system
on the productivity of Sultana grapevines. Australian Journal of Experimental 
Agriculture 33, 935-943.
• Prior LD, Grieve AM and Cullis BR (1992) Sodium chloride and soil texture
interactions in irrigated field grown sultana grapevines. I. Yield and fruit quality. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 43, 1051-1066.
• Prior LD, Grieve AM and Cullis BR (1992) Sodium chloride and soil texture
interactions in irrigated field grown sultana grapevines. II. Plant mineral content,
growth and physiology. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 43, 1067-
1083.
• Prior LD, Grieve AM, Slavich PG and Cullis BR (1992) Sodium chloride and soil
texture interactions in irrigated field grown sultana grapevines. III. Soil and root
system effects. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 43, 1085-1100.
• Lloyd J, Kriedemann P, Prior L. and Grieve A (1986) Citrus leaf fluorescence: water
and salt effects. Acta Horticulturae 175, 333-337.
• Walker RR, Torokfalvy E, Grieve AM and Prior LD (1983) Water relations and ion
concentrations in leaves of salt-stressed citrus plants. Australian Journal of Plant
 Physiology 10, 265-277.
• Munns R, Greenway H and Prior LD (1982) Effects of accumulation of 3-Omethylglucose
on growth and osmotic regulation in Chlorella emersonii. Plant,
 Cell and Environment 5, 413-416.
• Avadhani PN, Greenway H, Lefroy R and Prior L (1978) Alcoholic fermentations and
malate metabolism in rice germinating at low oxygen concentrations. Australian 
Journal of Plant Physiology 5, 15-25.

Achievements

Lynda spent 13 years in Mildura, researching irrigation requirements of and effects of salinity on citrus and grapevines, before moving to Darwin to do a PhD. There she investigated the seasonal changes in photosynthesis and water relations of savanna trees. She became intrigued by the co-existence of evergreen and dry-season deciduous trees in northern Australia, which led to a study of leaf attributes in a wide range of tree species in contrasting habitats in the seasonal tropics. Then followed investigations of tree growth, recruitment and mortality in relation to fire and inter-tree competition, making use of several long term datasets. She is currently responsible for the field program for the Callitris project, visiting sites throughout the Australian mainland. Lynda escaped the tropical heat by moving to Hobart in September 2009.

Research Interests

Lynda's major research interests are in plant ecophysiology and tree growth and demography. Lynda worked in horticulture, before moving into ecological research. Specific interests include responses of trees to fire; relationships between leaf characteristics and environment; and vegetation dynamics.

Lynda also has a high degree of involvement with the Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory. Visit Lynda's profile on CDU to see other research Lynda is undertaking.

Research Areas

• Environmental Change Biology

Research Project/s

• Demographics of Callitris in the West MacDonnell Ranges