Biological diversity

Biological diversity

Cave paintings attest to our species’ enduring interest in biological diversity. Our early ancestors appear to have enjoyed the aesthetic qualities of nature as well as recognising its importance as a source of food and fuel. Poets and artists throughout history have sought inspiration from the natural world. But the first scientific enquiries about biological diversity emerged when explorers r...

Biological Invasions , Biological Diversity and Trade

The opening of new markets or trade routes has resulted in the deliberate or accidental introduction of new species, while the growth in the volume of trade has increased the frequency of species introductions. We model the connection between landscape heterogeneity, resource extraction, the level of biodiversity, and the level of trade. We show that the invasion risks of trade reduce the socia...

Paper for the Secretariat Convention on Biological Diversity Incentives for the Conservation of Biological Diversity

Australian Thysanoptera – biological diversity and a diversity of studies

Studies in Australia on thrips have had extensive impacts worldwide. In behaviour, the latest definition of eusociality is derived from work on the radiation of thrips on Acacia species in central Australia, and these Acacia thrips also having been used to develop the concept of ‘model clades’ for analysing the evolution of behavioural and ecological diversity. In ecology, the concept of the la...

Biological diversity, ecology, and global climate change.

Worldwide climate change and loss of biodiversity are issues of global scope and importance that have recently become subjects of considerable public concern. Unlike classical public health issues and many environmental issues, their perceived threat lies in their potential to disrupt ecological functioning and stability rather than from any direct threat that may pose to human health. Over the...