University of Tasmania, Australia

The ability of organisms to colonise disturbed ground is critical component of the way the biota of a region can survive.

Although most of our forest ecosystems are adapted to natural disturbances, especially wildfire, the intensity, distribution of disturbance is changing, with changes in natural fire regimes as well as deliberate disturbances such as forest harvesting. This project will investigate the processes by which beetles can recolonise disturbed areas, with a particular focus on the effect of distance from old growth forest on regeneration.