Updates from Michael Mahony Photo of newly described species by Stephen Mahony The common mantra for persistence in the face of climate change is the need for all living beings to adapt or perish. If it is not possible to adapt, then mitigating the impacts of climate will be necessary to prevent extinction. Humans can mitigate the impacts of warming by building better insulated homes and using air-conditioners or by shifting to more favourable climate zones. Mitigating the impact is not something that all living organisms can do, especially shifting their home! Shifting to areas of cooler climate may be a possibility for some biota but not for all, especially those that persist in isolated habitats. A big question among scientist is whether biota can adapt to the rapid changes in their environment brought about by human associated climate change since there is often no way it will be possible for humans to assist and mitigate the huge scale of the impact of climate change for all ecosystems and species. There is considerable debate among scientists about whether some or all biota have capacity and time to adapt to the rapid pace of climate change, and how to deal with the extensive mitigation that will be needed. A newly published study by a team from the University of Newcastle, South Australian Museum and James Cook University shows that two newly discovered small tree frogs have not adapted to slow paced climate change as the Australian continent warmed and dried over millennia. Today these frogs only persist in isolated, cool and moist upland environments. One of the new species The Eungella Whirring Frog occurs only above 900 metres elevation in cool montane temperate forest on the crest of Eungella Range in mid-east Queensland. Its total known distribution is less that a 20 square kilometre, and it is separated from its nearest relative the Atherton Whirring Frog by several hundred kilometres. There is no possible way that either of these frogs can shift to cooler habitats further south. They are isolated on high mountains where the climate models predict increasing temperatures and drier summers. They are literally running out of suitable living space. Understanding the factors that have created the amazing diversity of Australia’s biota is a fundamental goal of evolutionary biologists and is also critical to addressing how we manage their survival as the threat of climate change and other human impacts grow. In a study just published in the international journal Zootaxa, scientists from the University of Newcastle, the South Australian Museum, and James Cook University collaborated to find that the Whirring Tree Frogs from eastern Queensland and north-eastern NSW comprises three species Litoria revelata from the eastern fall of the Great Dividing Range in NSW and south-eastern Queensland, L. corbeni from the Atherton Tablelands, and the newly discovered L. eungellensis from the Eungella Range, near Mackay. The ranges of three species are separated by significant gaps of some 400 to 800 km of unsuitable habitat. The two north Queensland species occur only above 900 m elevation. Not much longer than a ten-cent coin but a bright mustard yellowish colour with bright red patches hidden behind the legs, the Whirring Tree Frogs are similar in appearance and differ subtly in their mating calls. Despite the similarity in appearance, their genetic analyses showed that the three species have been separate evolutionary lineages for at least 1.5 million years. Luke Price the senior author of the study (University of Newcastle and South Australian Museum) observed that the unusual distribution and genetic divergence between the species “ provides important information about Australia’s climate in the past and how that has moulded the current distribution of the frog ”. He postulated that because the Whirring Tree Frog occurs only in wet forest habitats “ it must once have occupied wet forest habitats that were interconnected along the Great Dividing Range from north-eastern NSW to the Atherton Tablelands at a time of cooler and moister climate than we experience at present. We are not talking about Climate warming associated with human impacts and the greenhouse effect, but much older changes associated with movement of the continents and global weather circulation .” Unfortunately, the conservation status of the two northern species is challenging. The newly recognised species at Eungella has a total distribution of less than 15 square kilometres, earning it an unenvious place among the top ten Australian Frogs with the smallest natural range. Unenvious because narrow range is commonly associated with a high threat of extinction. Luke said, “ one natural disaster such as a wildfire could wipe out a species found in a small area, or one pollution event could mean the end of a species ” Furthermore “ the observation that the species is restricted to an isolated patch of high elevation cool rainforest habitat suggests that it is already living at its biological limits, and with climate warming the species has nowhere to expand or migrate ”. A similar situation occurs for the Atherton species, but it has a slightly larger distribution. Because of their narrow range and distribution that is restricted to high elevation, with identifiable threats (climate change warming) to their long-term persistence, the northern two species are assessed as meeting the criteria for “ critically endangered ” under the threat assessment process of International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fortunately, the scenario for the NSW species is that there is no evidence of threats causing a decline in range or abundance. Although Luke observed that this may be more because " there is no formal surveillance for this species and his assessment that it is not threatened is based on observations from interested biologists and community scientists only ”. For more details on the paper, feel free to contact the author below: Contact: Michael Mahony Phone: 0429636152 email: Michael.mahony@newcastle.edu.au See the abstract for the paper below: Zootaxa 5584 (3): 301–338    https:// www.mapress.com/zt/  Copyright © 2025 Magnolia Press Article https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5584.3.1 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)  ZOOTAXA ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)                                                                                                                      http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C07BE8E9-713C-42E5-9D3F-5F6166C44C5A   Systematic evaluation of molecular genetic, morphological and acoustic variation reveals three species in the Litoria revelata complex (Anura: Pelodryadidae) LUKE C. PRICE1, CONRAD J. HOSKIN2, MICHAEL J. MAHONY3 & STEPHEN C. DONNELLAN4,5* 1School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005 Australia �  luke.price@sa.gov.au;    https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7451-8753 2College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811Australia �  conrad.hoskin@jcu.edu.au;    https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8116-6085 3School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, 2308, Australia �  michael.mahony@newcastle.edu.au;    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1042-0848 4South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000, Australia 5Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William St, Sydney 2010, Australia *Corresponding author: �  steve.donnellan.museum@gmail.com;    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5448-3226   Abstract We used a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial genetic data, body measurements and colouration, and male advertisement calls to analyse the systematic implications of variation in the whirring treefrog  Litoria revelata complex, which occurs in three allopatric populations—north-eastern New South Wales/south-eastern Queensland, mid-eastern Queensland, and northern Queensland. The three populations each form divergent lineages for both the nuclear (single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNP) and mitochondrial datasets and are diagnosable also on the basis of morphology and advertisement calls. In combination, we use these lines of data to recognise three species:  L. revelata  in north-eastern New South Wales/south eastern Queensland,  L. eungellensis  sp. nov.  in mid-eastern Queensland, and the resurrected  L. corbeni  in northern Queensland. We provide a preliminary conservation assessment for each species, with the latter two species being localised to very small upland areas and warranting conservation listing and attention.   Key words:  Anura, single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNP, taxonomy, Eungella, Wet Tropics

Our wonderful end of year Christmas Party - Kaya and Matt presenting some awards. As the year comes to a close, members of the Conservation Science Research Group were asked about their highs, lows and learnings from the past year. Here's some snapshots from our dedicated group members reflecting on this years activities and achievements. 1. Best and Worst Moments of 2024 "Moments that Defined the Year" We asked participants to share their standout moments—both good and bad—from 2024. Here are some highlights: 🧬 ' Best moment, probably a combination of getting good quality samples for my gene expression studies and the offer of help to analyse the results.' - Anne Ibbotson, PhD Candidate 🐧 'Best moment was going to South Africa and seeing African Penguins in the wild (used to work with them at Denver Zoo).' - Cassandra Bugir, CSRG Alumna 🐨 'Best and worst moment of the year was tracking a dropped koala collar in the middle of a swamp for 4 hours with James.' - Charlotte Rigolot, PhD Candidate 🦘 ' 'Best moment was catching a wallaby even though it was a swamp wallaby (I research Parma wallabies).' - Emily Jarvis, PhD Candidate 📄 'Best moment was submitting my thesis and realising that I didn’t have to write any more, my worst moment was when I finished my final presentation and realised I was finished my honour project.  ' - James Taylor, CSRG Honours Alumnus 🐸'The best moment would be when I learned I could visit Borneo for the World Congress. The worst was filling all those admin forms for these trips without knowing why I had to fill them.' - Krishna Komanduri, PhD Candidate 👩🏼‍🔬'Worst: My metal lab analysis results failing; Best: Finishing my metal lab analyses' - Mattea Taylor, PhD Candidate 🪴 ' Best: visiting the DPI biocontrol rearing facility in Grafton. Worst: probably getting bitten by 50+ ticks on that same trip ' - Amy Stephens, PhD Candidate A special mention to Finella Dawlings, Nadine Nolan and Siosina Katoa who all managed to submit their PhD's this year, which is no easy feat, congratulations to you all! 2. Favourite Memories from Field, Lab, or Desktop "Where Science Happens" From muddy waders to clean lab coats, a few memories stood out this year. It seems that the Barrington Tops trip was a highlight for our two undergrads Luke Reynolds and Yasmine Webb as well as PhD student Roshan Patel and Lecturer Alex Callen, who all described the beauty and amazing biodiversity of the area. A couple of other stunning locations caught the eye of our researchers... 🌿'Visiting Mangrove Creek Dam on the Central Coast. It’s a beautiful spot, despite the huge sagittaria infestation' - Amy Stephens, PhD Candidate 🏝️'Broughton Island, so beautiful and incredible to see frogs at the beach' - Anne Ibbotson, PhD Candidate 🌲'Spotlighting in the cloud forest at Mt Hyland, complete with Parma Wallabies.' - Emily Jarvis, PhD Candidate 🏝️ 'Fieldwork on Norfolk island – there’s nothing poisonous or bitey, so it’s very relaxing'   - Finella Dawlings, Research Associate 🦏'Watching a leopard in Sariska NP (India) and a greater one-horned rhino in Chitwan (Nepal)'.   - Matt Hayward, Professor While others enjoyed some time inside the lab and buried in data... 🐸 'Meeting the lab frogs ' - Jazmyn Miller, Undergrad 🧪'When a frozen sperm tube exploded on my face''  - Lily McGough, CSRG Honours Alumna 🧬'Getting DNA extractions to work after many trials. Yippee!! ' - Nikki Watson, Honours Student ' 🐸'' First successful Littlejohn’s tree frog tadpole'  - Rose Upton, Research Associate ' 📄'' Classic dorky favourite memory, that’s unique to this year, is digging into heaps of data sets and excel spreadsheet processing! Super stoked that heaps of people trusted me with their precious datasets and let me work some data magic on them, it’s definitely defined this year in a really good way.'  - Yasmine Webb, Undergrad Lets also not forget out heavy bias towards frogs in this group, we used to be a frog research group after all! 🐸 'Getting to hang with Green and golden bell frogs again. They are so bloody beautiful in the moonlight!'  - Michelle Hession, Postdoctoral Researcher   🐸 'The best memory was a night out frogging and finding the endangered Littlejohns tree frog at a pond it had been missing from in the last three years.'  - Nadine Nolan, CSRG PhD Alumna 🐸' The first time I went out frogging after completing my Honours project, (guilt free frogging!)'  - James Taylor, CSRG Honours Alumnus 🐸 'Luke getting attacked by an eel at Muddy Lake, eels aren't the target species unfortunately' - Kate Tunstill, PhD Candidate ' 🐸'' Hearing and then spotting eyes and bodies at night of what seemed like 80 bell frogs calling across a large expansive shallow wetland'' - Lynne Matthews, PhD Candidate I guess we can hear about other species now... 🐨'The two weeks of koala catching that went on in July for our project. These two weeks went exceptionally well and now allow us to have plenty of information on two koala populations in NSW.''   - Charlotte Rigolot, PhD Candidate 🪽'Banding migratory shorebirds at 4am'  - Mattea Taylor, PhD Candidate 3. Challenges Overcome in 2024 "Resilience in Action" Every year brings its hurdles. Here’s how some participants triumphed over theirs: 🧸'Work-life balance. The answer was child-care, FYI.'  - Michelle Hession, Postdoctoral Researcher   🌿'I find it hard to ‘stop and smell the roses’ when I am in the field as my time between research, teaching and everything else always seems compromised. I have been reminded of the joy of the field by some amazing students who take it all in and still get the job done. They find the most incredible things at every step they take!''   - Alex Callen, Lecturer 📄'Placement report because it was the largest assignment I have written and surviving the seminars''  - J azmyn Miller, Undergrad 📖'The challenge of having the will to finish Honours'   - Lily McGough, CSRG Honours Alumna ' 📖'' Juggling having a baby at the same time as doing an Honours thesis'' - Nikki Watson, Honours Student ✈️'This must be moving countries. Although it was worth it.' Krishna Komanduri, PhD Candidate   A common challenge this year for James Taylor, Kate Tunstill and Lynne Matthews was learning to code in R, a love-hate relationship indeed! 4. Scientific Discoveries That Inspired "Ideas That Sparked Curiosity" This year, our participants were captivated by findings across disciplines: 🧫'The Air Spora – check it out!' - Alex Callen, Lecturer 978-0-387-30253-9.pdf   ' 🐸 'The ‘frog sauna’ research that showed that bell frogs with chytrid are attracted to the shelters, and that once they clear infection they are more resistant to reinfection.' Anne Ibbotson, PhD Candidate https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01650-z 🧬'Leech iDNA – look it up''.  - Emily Jarvis, PhD Candidate https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28778-8.pdf 💧'Gabriel's work on groundwater, something I have no experience in but have learnt a lot about this year!' - Kate Tunstill, PhD Candidate https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/2767/2024/ 🪰' The complete mapping of a fruit fly's brain'. 'This research has a lot of scientific implications, but what gets me excited is that s that we’re one step closer to figuring out how the physical brain works — kind of like Killian’s brain rain scene in Iron Man 3' - Krishna Komanduri, PhD Candidate   https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00709-7 🐸 'That the gut microbiome of amphibians influences their immunity and resistance to infections - just like humans - which is influenced by their environment' - Lynne Matthews, PhD Candidate https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471492220301070?casa_token=DEsPwE6pUcYAAAAA:tEn1m_r_e6Wqxv-R2aAp6L2tNp4Hiwskwu_B6ta2f1RqxDEnTIjBCO8jgCdp6a5prCdGDTSZiFZZ 📄'We can market conservation messages according to the political leanings of various constituencies.'  - Matt Hayward, Professor https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/cobi.14314 🪽'The food preferences of birds may influence their ability to deal with toxins, i.e. generalist birds can have higher levels of mixed function oxidase (MFO) which allows them to better detoxify and thus cope with higher toxin levels than species with more specialised diets.'  - Mattea Taylor, PhD Candidate https://tinyurl.com/y9sk7nvv 🌿'Blue/teal carbon trials. There are a lot of issues to work out but the idea of developers paying for habitat restoration for CCS is really appealing.'   - Michelle Hession, Postdoctoral Researcher   https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11430-017-9181-x 🐸' That the Littlejohn’s tree frog demonstrate developmental plasticity during the larval stage under different hydroperiod regimes.'  - Nadine Nolan, CSRG PhD Alumna https://europepmc.org/article/ppr/ppr836538 👩🏼‍🔬'Successful black footed ferret clone produced healthy offspring.'  - Roshan Patel, PhD Candidate https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320721001701 🌍'One of the highlights while reading scientific literature this year was stumbling upon the field of Environmental History, as explored extremely aptly by Glenn Albrecht. I happened upon this field and form of inquiry while working on a smaller investigative geography project, and it strikes me as such a powerful application of how our natural history observations, both Indigenous and colonial, showcase to what degree our environments have changed over time.' - Yasmine Webb, Undergrad https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Glenn-Albrecht/publication/5820433_Solastalgia_The_Distress_Caused_by_Environmental_Change/links/02e7e51beff7eb0b3a000000/Solastalgia-The-Distress-Caused-by-Environmental-Change.pdf As we wrap up 2024, we would like to thank everyone who has supported our group this year (even you readers!) and we look forward to more adventures, breakthroughs, and memories in 2025, as well as the new Centre for Conservation Science at the University of Newcastle.

Author: James Taylor So you have begun undergrad … life is different from school, you are in a new environment, new people and with that comes new challenges. During your undergrad you may come across this triangle: There is a critical piece missing from this triangle which is of course - Work. If you are among the lucky few who can afford to live at home without having to pay rent then kudos to you. The reality is that many students beginning University are also working to survive. When you have to work and balance Uni assignments, life can be extremely challenging. A few tips on helping with getting a better balance - try to organise your Uni timetable around your work, or if work is more flexible do the opposite. I was fortunate to have a steady job one day a week, and I made sure that no classes were scheduled on that day so I could always work. Not all jobs are this flexible, and it’s not always possible to plan your entire semester in advance. In such cases, it’s helpful to give your manager plenty of notice, as University classes typically follow a fixed schedule. This way, your manager can be aware of your availability ahead of time and accommodate your schedule where possible. Planning out your semester schedule with assignments is critical to reducing stress in the long run. I typically like to do this in Excel...because I’m a nerd. I would get the course outlines as soon as possible and then put them all into a spreadsheet with the major assignments highlighted. Every semester in my three year degree I would do this and every time I would think how am I going to complete this? The reality is one week at a time. Cross off the assignments that you have done and the semester will fly by before your eyes. Attending class is also extremely important, as difficult as it can be to drag yourself out of bed for an 8:00 AM math lecture. Studies have shown that class attendance is directly linked with success at University. Another critical skill, which I think helps students, is having a good working relationship with academics. Crazy thought but academics are people too and showing an interest in their work can lead to some amazing opportunities, especially if you can demonstrate a level of critical thinking by asking questions about their research.

Author: Anne Ibbotson Image: Anne during a survey night in the Watagan Mountains I have been incredibly fortunate to be a part of an amazing project where we are putting research into practice to help create habitat for the endangered Littlejohn’s tree frog. This gorgeous tree frog with its bronze speckled body and bright orange thighs is isolated to only three remaining populations - the Watagans, Woronora plateau and the Blue Mountains. With the Blue Mountains population badly affected by the 2019/2020 megafires, the Woronora plateau population under threat from longwall mining, safeguarding the Watagans population is critical for the survival of the species. Image: Littlejohn's tree frog As part of my industry engaged PhD pathway I have been doing an internship with Forestry NSW, which is funding and undertaking the habitat creation project. We have a wonderful team of people working on this project from both Forestry NSW and the Conservation Science Research Group at The University of Newcastle. We are passionate about using research findings to make evidence-based decisions so that we are creating not only habitat, but the right type of habitat for the species. To give this species the best chance at survival Forestry NSW are creating a series of ponds to act as stepping stones to help connect genetically isolated populations of frogs across the Watagans. This should help combat the high levels of inbreeding that Nadine Nolan, a Conservation Science Research Group member, uncovered in her PhD research. Inbreeding in frogs, like in other animals can impact health and survival. The ponds will be placed a few hundred metres apart and close by to existing ponds inhabited by the species. They will provide additional breeding habitat and create moist refuges to help the movement of frogs across the landscape. These ponds will help connect previously isolated populations and ultimately improve the genetics and health of this critical Watagan population. Images: Construction of ponds as a refuge for the species We are now most of the way through the pond construction and they are looking amazing! With thoughtful excavation vegetation has been retained to minimise disturbance and provide habitat. The ponds have also been lined to ensure they retain water, which is especially important as the Littlejohn’s tree frog has a long 6 to 12 month tadpole stage. There are still lots of plants to put in the ground, and we’re creating information boards and signs to help engage the community and promote awareness. A lovely surprise was finding Littlejohn’s tadpoles in water pooling on a 4WD track we plan to close to create the ponds.

Author: Alex Callen I love my research, but I probably don’t eat and breathe it as much as younger researchers do. As a conservation scientist my research frequently takes me into the field, and I am fortunate to have spent many nights tracking animals under starry skies (or rainy skies, or a blanket of fog). And that is my happy place. But being a mum and wife is my other happy place (I am lucky to have two happy places), and I try really hard to balance family time and research time. I mostly fail dismally at this struggle juggle, and instead swing like a pendulum trying to give both my research and family what they need. I often get asked how I do it; My answer is always the same- not very well. Being a researcher (whose study subject – frogs - largely requires nighttime work) and a mother (whose family largely requires daytime attention as well as nighttime affection) means I feel like I am trying to keep many balls in the air, minus the skill and training of a juggler. So the lines of research and family can get blurred as you absorb yourself in both. I know I am not alone in this dilemma. Here’s a sad and sorry example exemplified by the wonders of modern technology – The other day Google photos sent me a notification of a collection of photos (‘Memories’) it had compiled under the title of ‘Underwater Adventures’. I got quite excited. I was having a bad day – the tech had failed in my lecture, our captive animals were not doing so well, the kid’s school had phoned and my emails were mounting up quicker than a line of hungry undergrad students at a free Uni BBQ. These Google ‘Memories’ offered a moment of escape in my frenetic world. I opened the Google ‘Memories’ quickly. In my mind I was already seeing snapshots of our last (long ago) family holiday to Queensland snorkeling off Moreton Island, or Li-Loing down a creek in the Daintree Forest; the kids attempting surfing with their school friends on our annual beach camping trip on the NSW North Coast; paddle boarding and kayaking on the clear and magical saltwater lake close to home. You know – turquoise water and white sandy beaches kind of stuff. Those things are truly part of my life – I swear. But that’s not what Google Photos had in mind when it trawled my photos and collated the ‘Underwater Adventures’ album. I was instead presented with a reel of photos that comprised muddy puddles, frogs in wetlands and streams at night, frogs in tanks, people in waders, dip nets, tadpoles, macroinvertebrates, pond construction and, one lonely photo of myself and a colleague snorkeling off the coast of New Caledonia with frog bags (as a joke, because ironically, we spent our evenings in New Caledonia in a muddy wetland studying an invasive frog species that was threatened back home). Only the latter photo bore any resemblance to an ‘Underwater Adventure’ I would feel was worthy of a trip down memory lane. Google’s Photo ‘Memories’ had captured my most frequent work photos and interpreted them as something I would like to see more of. It appears I have more research-related photos worthy of the ‘Underwater Adventures’ category than recreational family adventures. Hardly worthy of Mother of the Year Award. And while I have watched my academic mentors (Fathers) seemingly magically master this delicate balance of the twin peaks of their life, I am yet to achieve it myself. And maybe I never will. My family does not resonate with Peppa Pig, and my daughter is not Princess Fiona from Shrek. I may as well be the only Einstein of the Swamps in my family and that’s ok. Because maybe I don’t want any more donkeys in my swamp.

Author: Rose Upton Littlejohn's tree frog being swabbed for chytrid fungus. This week we are very excited to see our newest publication released, titled, Towards an integrated approach to amphibian conservation: a case study of the Littlejohn’s tree frog (Litoria littlejohni) . This article, published in the Australian Zoologist , accompanied a presentation made by Dr Rose Upton to the NSW chapter of the Royal Society of Zoology in September last year, within a one-day Forum on The Next Generation of Australian Zoologists: Bold Visions for the Future . Many members of the CSRG have contributed their expertise in order to illustrate our multidisciplinary approach to conserving threatened wildlife. We also give an update on how we are using each technique, such as sperm biobanking, genetic monitoring and pond creation to help conserve Littlejohn’s tree frog, as a case study. Our integrated approach combines both In situ  and Ex situ  techniques, including population monitoring, understanding disease dynamics, captive breeding, translocations and headstarting of individuals, as well as biotechnological approaches such as assisted reproductive technologies, genetic analysis and management and development of minimally-invasive biomarkers. While much of the research detailed is ongoing (such is often the case with adaptive management), we are excited to share our results so far, and our thoughts on how this could be applied to other species globally. Check it out here: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2024.035 CSRG members - Sam, Rose, Phil, Nadine and Anne, contributing authors of the paper

Author: Rose Upton From the 5th - 9th of August the CSRG headed to Kuching in the Sarawak region of Borneo for the 10th World Congress of Herpetology. Among them, Dr Rose Upton and Dr Kaya Klop-toker, participated in the symposium, “Developing Global Collaborations for Amphibian Biobanking and Genetic Management”. This exciting symposium was organized and hosted by Dr Gina Della-Tonga and Dr Natalie Calatyud of the Amphibian Survival Alliance, whom our group has recently partnered with. Rose spoke about the integrated conservation approaches, combing  In situ  and Ex situ  management of species, including biobanking sperm from endangered species, and spoke on behalf of PhD student, Anne Ibbtoson about her exciting new research developing minimally invasive biomarkers for assessing amphibian health. Kaya spoke on behalf of PhD student, Nadine Nolan on her work investigating the effect of season on Littlejohn’s tree frog sperm quality. While Dr Alex Callen and Dr John Clulow could not attend, they were both integral in helping push these projects to fruition and their presence was missed. In the spirit of the event, we were able to catch up with long time collaborators and colleagues from the United States, Panama, and Scotland. We also made new friends from Canada, New Zealand, the United States and even Australia. Also attending the symposium was Professor Michael Mahony and PhD student Krishna Pavan Komanduri. We had exciting discussions on progress, gaps and priorities for movement in this field, with plans to write a white paper based on the discussions held there.

Author: James Wong Image: Jim ready to sample some fishes in Kingston Lagoon at Norfolk Island.  A quick disclaimer and a preface – I’m a fish scientist studying reef-associated fishes, so the focus of this post is on the role of subtropical reefs as it pertains to fishes. And if you’re wondering why I switch between ‘fish’ and ‘fishes’: ‘fish’ is the correct plural when referring to multiple individuals of a single species, while ‘fishes’ refers to multiple species. **Fish** - 🐟 **Fish** - 🐟🐟🐟 **Fishes** - 🐟🐠🐡 Image: The Spot-fin Porcupinefish ( Diodon hystrix ) is a species of Tetraodontid porcupinefish that is found circumglobally including in temperate NSW. They can get up to 90cm - pretty huge! Now, back to the program – subtropical reefs. We often think of the ocean in a binary way – warm or cold. Reefs are typically viewed as tropical ecosystems bursting with life and diversity, much like a big, salty, underwater rainforest teeming with fishes. On the other hand, temperate ecosystems, such as those found along coastal southeastern Australia, are dominated by rocky structures and kelp forests. But in between these extremes lie subtropical reefs. Subtropical reefs generally occur between **23°-35° latitude**, both north and south of the equator. They are characterized by lower annual mean temperatures and greater daily temperature fluctuations than tropical reefs. You can find them in places like Japan, Hong Kong, Florida, and right here in Australia, at Lord Howe and Norfolk Island—where I’m conducting PhD research on fishes. These environmental differences make subtropical coral reefs unique. The temperature variability affects coral growth processes, influencing how they build their skeletons. This impacts not only how fast the reefs grow but also their structural complexity, including relief, dominant taxa, and overall biodiversity. But why does this matter? If a reef has a different shape or structure, what difference does it make? Just as the diversity and ecological roles supported by an old-growth forest differ from those in a sparse shrubland, we see similar patterns in fish assemblages on reefs. The structure of a reef influences which fishes are present and how they interact with the ecosystem. Subtropical reefs may also respond differently to disturbances like coral bleaching, just as different forest types respond differently to wildfires. The ecological niches supported by a reef determine which species can survive there. Most fishes start life as planktonic larvae, drifting over vast distances. If they arrive at a suitable habitat, they can settle, thrive, and establish populations. However, many larvae perish due to unfavorable conditions—such as water that's too cold to survive the winter, insufficient reef structure to avoid predators, or the absence of specific corals or algae they depend on for food. Image: The Toadstool Grouper ( Trachypoma macracanthus ) is a species of Serranid grouper found in the South Pacific, including the Lord Howe Island group. They're also called strawberry rockcod because of their red colour and spots. Subtropical reefs, positioned between tropical and temperate zones, provide critical habitats for ‘tropical vagrants’—fishes that stray into cooler waters. These reefs offer a place to settle and potentially establish breeding populations, enabling range expansions into more temperate climates. As oceans continue to warm, more species will be able to overwinter in higher latitudes. Subtropical reefs thus act as ecological 'stepping stones,' facilitating the gradual expansion of species further south. Over time, these reefs may become source populations, impacting temperate ecosystems and reshaping local species assemblages. No ecosystem exists in isolation—everything is interconnected, and, as they say, life finds a way. In summary, subtropical reefs serve as important refuges for species undergoing range expansions in response to a warming ocean. This process, in turn, influences temperate ecosystems. Beyond their ecological importance, these reefs support local economies, deepen our understanding of reef function, and provide insights into coral biology at the edges of their natural ranges. However, my primary focus is on the fish side of things—what I get to study for my PhD. Specifically, I’m researching the fish assemblages at Norfolk Island, examining how these communities change over time and space, how coral-eating fishes responded to a recent bleaching event, and investigating some behavioral and trophic ecology dynamics—but those are stories for another day. Thanks for reading along 😊 – Jim Image: The Blackback Butterflyfish ( Chaetodon melannotus ) is a corallivorous fish and found in the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific. They're unusual amongst corallivores by being specialists on soft corals which can be quite toxic.

Author: Jacob Jones I have always been interested in the natural world. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a palaeontologist travelling the world in search of dinosaurs. That dream then evolved into wanting to be a volcanologist, although I quickly talked myself out of that in after a series of news articles in the early 2000’s about the Yellowstone supervolcano in the U.S. However, ever since I have had a deep fascination of the nuts and bolts of Earths systems, both ecological and geological. When I finished school in a small country town and moved to Newcastle, NSW second largest city, to study environmental engineering. I learned chemistry, physics, and maths in my early years which laid the foundations for water engineering, hydrology and catchment management in the later years. I was fortunate enough to score a job at a local consultancy in contamination and remediation: a big industry in post-industrial Newcastle. However, I had always felt a stronger desire to help people, rather than corporations (sorry to all my consultancy friends out there!). So, I used the skills I had learned to get a job at the Newcastle Council as a graduate engineer. Over five years I was able to work in stormwater management, waste management, coastal management, and environmental planning, while serving my community. I never knew just how connected the environment was almost all aspects of our society. It was here, despite my long interests in ecology and geology, I encountered possibly the most important of Earths system: social-ecological systems. The connection between people and the environment. The way culture, politics, economics, and history shape the way we manage and relate to nature. Whether that is constructing wind farms, nourishing an eroding beach with sand, or clearing a forest for a highway. All these management decisions are made by people with beliefs and values about social-ecological systems. To me, it is clear that understanding the association between people and the environment is essential to preserving the planet that filled me with wonder as a child. So, after years of thinking, I decided to leave my job to return to university to peruse my PhD on the politics of biodiversity conservation. Now, I am developing skills to understand how people, governments and organisations interact with nature and biodiversity. I hope to understand better how to promote the conservation of nature to audiences regardless of the political beliefs. At the moment, I think I would like to return to government to influence environmental policy. However, reflecting on my fortune of working in so many different environmental fields in a relatively short career, I know to expect the unexpected. A career in the environment is both challenging and rewarding in unique ways. There is nothing quite like it.

Author: Jasmine Clarkson Exciting research is underway at the CSRG to monitor the reintroduction of Mixophyes australis  (M. australis), or the Southern Stuttering Frog, to Royal National Park in NSW! Supervisors Dr. Chad Beranek and Dr. Alex Callen, along with Honours student Jasmine Clarkson, are partnering with Symbio Wildlife Park, NSW National Parks, and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water to release roughly 30 juvenile captive-bred frogs at two locations within Royal National Park. Several key reasons highlight the importance of this research and monitoring effort. M. australis  was recently genetically identified as a distinct species after being split from Mixophyes balbus  (the stuttering frog; more on that research can be found here) While Mixophyes balbus  inhabits areas north of the Macleay River (covering Gumbainggir and Bundjalung countries on the mid-north to north coast of NSW), M. australis  historically ranged from south of the Macleay River to the Cann River catchment of eastern Victoria (Biripi, Worimi, Darkinjung, Dharug, Dharawal, Kurnai, and Bidwel nations). However, M. australis  has not been recorded in any sites south of Sydney for over 30 years and is considered extinct in the state of Victoria. Reintroducing M. australis  to Royal National Park in southern Sydney is crucial for the conservation of the species and for preserving their historic range across southeastern Australia. (Image from S. Mahony via frogid.net.au ) The two locations chosen for the release of M. australis  will provide valuable insights into the species' habitat preferences and help determine whether there is environmental resistance to chytrid fungus. Chytrid disease, a fungal skin infection, has been linked to the decline of numerous amphibian species. It causes illness and infection in frogs. We have selected a rainforest interior site and a rainforest-sclerophyll woodland site for the release. Once the frogs are released, our team will radio-track them for two weeks to monitor any movement outside the selected sites, which could suggest a preference for different habitat conditions. During the rest of our fieldwork, we will be capturing, measuring, swabbing for chytrid, and re-releasing the frogs several nights a week to test for differences in the presence of chytrid between the two sites. This research could provide critical information for developing future protocols on the reintroduction of captive-bred amphibian populations and their ability to successfully reinhabit areas where their species has disappeared. Keep an eye on this blog to stay updated as our research progresses!

Author: Siosina Katoa Taula Island - Tonga, located in the far south of the Vava'u Group in the north of the country. Tonga is a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean, and if it’s hard to picture where it’s situated, it’s above New Zealand, across Australia, next to Fiji. It has 169 islands where residents inhabit 45. The country is divided into four main island groups: 1: Tongatapu group is the main island and the most populous out of the four; 2; Ha’apai group, a cluster of low-lying islands with stunning beaches; 3; Vava’u group, the second most populated island and famous for whale watching and a tourist’s favorite place to visit. The last is the Niuas group, the northernmost island that is a 2-hour flight away from Tongatapu.   My research involves collecting environmental DNA from isolated islands in Vava’u to assess biodiversity. Years ago, rats were eradicated from 3 of these islands. Unfortunately, financial constraints limited follow-up efforts. Here is where I step in.   The adventure begins with a 1-hour flight from Tongatapu to Vava’u in a quaint 12-seat plane almost the same age as me. The real expedition begins after touching down at the nearest airport (the only airport in Vava’u) to the sites. Every morning at 8 a.m., we board a medium-sized steel boat bound for the islands. The timing was crucial as high tide is our window of opportunity. If we miss it, low tide will trap us on the reefs, making the journey to our sampling sites nearly impossible. It took us 45 minutes to 1 hour to get to our destination and back every day.    We collected samples from 6 isolated islands and did sampling at three sites per island, with six 1L replicates per site. So, if we collect samples from 1 island daily, we’d take back 180L of seawater in an ice-cube-filled eski to be filtered. If we try to cover two islands daily, that’s double the weight to carry plus the eski of ice, and you do the math. Our small boat could only take a limited weight capacity, and we were already heavy enough to be on board.  Some days, we’d take only two people to help, plus the captain of the boat, and other days, just one to do the sampling. We removed the seawater and filtered these in a designated small space in our accommodation as we don’t have laboratories on the island. Over 13 days, we collected and filtered 1080 Liters of seawater (using a 50ml syringe), packed them, and sent them off for analysis.   Filtering eDNA samples, with the help of caulking guns! The challenge lay in the logistics of reaching and navigating these remote islands and having limited resources to aid us in the process. Yet, the reward came from uncovering what exists (a load of species) on these islands and the satisfaction of completing this task. Fieldwork in Tonga is not for the faint-hearted, but the combination of challenges and opportunities makes it a remarkable experience. For those willing to embrace the journey, the rewards offer a profound reminder of the wonders beyond the beaten path.  Siosina with a water sample.

Author: Molly Grew Drone shot of Stingrays in Burrill Lake, NSW. Stingrays, often admired for their graceful movements, play a vital role in maintaining marine ecosystems. One of their key contributions is bioturbation, the process of reworking sediments in their environment. As stingrays forage for food, such as polychaetes, molluscs, and crustaceans, they disturb the sediment, creating feeding pits that can last for weeks. This activity not only enhances oxygen penetration into deeper sediment layers but also recycles nutrients into the water column and much more.  Quantifying the impact of stingray bioturbation is challenging, but recent research has advanced our understanding. My recent PhD research, published in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, is the first to combine drones, aerial imagery, and 3D modelling to map benthic topography and identify stingray feeding pits on intertidal and subtidal sandflats. By conducting daily drone surveys in the Brisbane Water estuary, we measured the volume of sediment displaced by stingrays, revealing that these small creatures move an impressive 21,000 tonnes of sediment annually – a greater mass than the Great Sphinx of Giza.  However, declining ray populations due to overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change threaten this important ecological process. With many species at risk of extinction, the reduction in bioturbation could lead to a loss of essential ecosystem services, potentially causing cascading effects throughout the food web. Understanding and protecting the ecological roles of stingrays is crucial for maintaining the health of our marine environments.    Link to my publication below: https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/rse2.411   Stingray in Wallis Lake.