Dr Annabel Smith

Lecturer in Wildlife Management

School of the Environment

+61 7 54601 692

annabel.smith@uq.edu.au

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Researcher biography

RESEARCH INTERESTS Fire Ecology, Ecological Genomics, Wildlife Ecology, Conservation Biology, Invasive Plants

My research group studies fire ecology and conservation biology. Currently, we are working on:

Managing interactions between changing fire regimes and invasive plants
Influence of changing fire regimes on plant-animal interactions
Restoration of native grassland
Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes
Platypus distribution & conservation

We have a special interest in plants and animals living in fire-prone areas because of the fascinating fact that these ecosystems are never static but continually re-shaped by cycles of fire and regeneration. While being grounded in fundamental biology and ecological theory, our research is always aimed at improving knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Our work has applications in fire management, biological invasion and threatened species conservation.

TECHNICAL APPROACHES: POPULATION GENETICS | SPATIAL LANDSCAPE GENETICS | DEMOGRAPHIC SIMULATION MODELLING | STATISTICAL MODELLING OF POPULATIONS & COMMUNITIES | BIOINFORMATICS | SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN R | We also know how to drop a hand-made 1 x 1 m polypipe quadrat on the ground and do good old-fashioned field work.

TEACHING: I teach ecology and wildlife science. At UQ I have coordinated and taught AGRC1032 Elements of Ecology and ANIM3018 Wildlife Technology for four years, among other teaching duties.

EDITORIAL I am Associate Editor for Wildlife Letters (2023–)

I was Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology for four years (2018–2022).

CURRICULUM VITAE

2019 – current Lecturer, University of Queensland
2018 – 2022 Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Ecology
2018 – 2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
2016 – 2017 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
2015 – 2016 Post-doctoral Research Assistant, University of Melbourne
2015 – 2016 Self-employed Consultant Ecologist, Canberra
2012 – 2014 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Australian National University

EDUCATION

2012 PhD in Ecology, Australian National University

2006 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation Honours, Flinders University

2005 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation, Flinders University

Publications

Journal Articles (39)

Journal Articles

Csergő, Anna M., Healy, Kevin, O'Connell, Darren P., Baudraz, Maude E. A., Kelly, David J., Ó Marcaigh, Fionn, Smith, Annabel L., Villellas, Jesus, White, Cian, Yang, Qiang and Buckley, Yvonne M. (2023). Spatial phenotypic variability is higher between island populations than between mainland populations worldwide. Ecography, 2024 (1) e06787, 1-13. doi: 10.1111/ecog.06787

Charles, Felicity E., Brady, Megan J. and Smith, Annabel L. (2023). Use of road infrastructure for movement by common terrestrial vertebrates. Wildlife Letters, 1 (3), 97-106. doi: 10.1002/wll2.12019

Smith, Annabel L., Kanjithanda, Raagini M., Hayashi, Tobias, French, Jack and Milner, Richard N. C. (2023). Reducing herbicide input and optimising spray method can minimise non‐target impacts on native grassland plant species. Ecological Applications, 33 (5) e2864, e2864. doi: 10.1002/eap.2864

Di, Binyin, Firn, Jennifer, Buckley, Yvonne M., Lomas, Kate, Pausas, Juli G. and Smith, Annabel L. (2022). The impact of roadside burning on genetic diversity in a high‐biomass invasive grass. Evolutionary Applications, 15 (5), 790-803. doi: 10.1111/eva.13369

Kelly, Luke T., Giljohann, Katherine M., Duane, Andrea, Aquilué, Núria, Archibald, Sally, Batllori, Enric, Bennett, Andrew F., Buckland, Stephen T., Canelles, Quim, Clarke, Michael F., Fortin, Marie-Josée, Hermoso, Virgilio, Herrando, Sergi, Keane, Robert E., Lake, Frank K., McCarthy, Michael A., Morán-Ordóñez, Alejandra, Parr, Catherine L., Pausas, Juli G., Penman, Trent D., Regos, Adrián, Rumpff, Libby, Santos, Julianna L., Smith, Annabel L., Syphard, Alexandra D., Tingley, Morgan W. and Brotons, Lluís (2020). Fire and biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Science, 370 (6519) eabb0355, eabb0355-+. doi: 10.1126/science.abb0355

Driscoll, Don A., Smith, Annabel L., Blight, Samantha and Sellar, Ian (2020). Interactions among body size, trophic level, and dispersal traits predict beetle detectability and occurrence responses to fire. Ecological Entomology, 45 (2), 300-310. doi: 10.1111/een.12798

Smith, Annabel L., Hodkinson, Trevor R., Villellas, Jesus, Catford, Jane A., Csergő, Anna Mária, Blomberg, Simone P., Crone, Elizabeth E., Ehrlén, Johan, Garcia, Maria B., Laine, Anna-Liisa, Roach, Deborah A., Salguero-Gómez, Roberto, Wardle, Glenda M., Childs, Dylan Z., Elderd, Bret D., Finn, Alain, Munné-Bosch, Sergi, Baudraz, Maude E. A., Bódis, Judit, Brearley, Francis Q., Bucharova, Anna, Caruso, Christina M., Duncan, Richard P., Dwyer, John M., Gooden, Ben, Groenteman, Ronny, Hamre, Liv Norunn, Helm, Aveliina, Kelly, Ruth ... Buckley, Yvonne M. (2020). Global gene flow releases invasive plants from environmental constraints on genetic diversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (8), 201915848-4227. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1915848117

Smith, Annabel L., Kujala, Heini, Lahoz-Monfort, José J., Guja, Lydia K., Burns, Emma L., Nathan, Ran, Alacs, Erika, Barton, Philip S., Bau, Sana, Driscoll, Don A., Lentini, Pia E., Mortelliti, Alessio, Rowe, Ross and Buckley, Yvonne M. (2019). Managing uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions. Conservation Letters, 12 (3) e12620, e12620. doi: 10.1111/conl.12620

Catford, Jane A., Smith, Annabel L., Wragg, Peter D., Clark, Adam T., Kosmala, Margaret, Cavender-Bares, Jeannine, Reich, Peter B. and Tilman, David (2019). Traits linked with species invasiveness and community invasibility vary with time, stage and indicator of invasion in a long-term grassland experiment. Ecology Letters, 22 (4), 593-604. doi: 10.1111/ele.13220

Smith, Annabel (2018). Increasing editorial diversity: strategies for structural change. Fire, 1 (3), 42. doi: 10.3390/fire1030042

Kelly, Luke, Brotons, Lluís, Giljohann, Katherine, McCarthy, Michael, Pausas, Juli and Smith, Annabel (2018). Bridging the divide: integrating animal and plant paradigms to secure the future of biodiversity in fire-prone ecosystems. Fire, 1 (2) 29, 29-8. doi: 10.3390/fire1020029

Smith, Annabel L., Barrett, Russell L. and Milner, Richard N. C. (2018). Annual mowing maintains plant diversity in threatened temperate grasslands. Applied Vegetation Science, 21 (2), 207-218. doi: 10.1111/avsc.12365

Smith, Annabel L. (2018). Successional changes in trophic interactions support a mechanistic model of post-fire population dynamics. Oecologia, 186 (1), 129-139. doi: 10.1007/s00442-017-4016-z

Olah, George, Smith, Annabel L., Asner, Gregory P., Brightsmith, Donald J., Heinsohn, Robert G. and Peakall, Rod (2017). Exploring dispersal barriers using landscape genetic resistance modelling in scarlet macaws of the Peruvian Amazon. Landscape Ecology, 32 (2), 445-456. doi: 10.1007/s10980-016-0457-8

McDougall, Alice, Milner, Richard N. C., Driscoll, Don A. and Smith, Annabel L. (2016). Restoration rocks: integrating abiotic and biotic habitat restoration to conserve threatened species and reduce fire fuel load. Biodiversity and Conservation, 25 (8), 1529-1542. doi: 10.1007/s10531-016-1136-4

Smith, Annabel L., Blanchard, Wade, Blair, David P., McBurney, Lachlan, Banks, Sam C., Driscoll, Don A. and Lindenmayer, David B. (2016). The dynamic regeneration niche of a forest following a rare disturbance event. Diversity and Distributions, 22 (4), 457-467. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12414

Smith, Annabel L., Landguth, Erin L., Bull, C. Michael, Banks, Sam C., Gardner, Michael G. and Driscoll, Don A. (2016). Dispersal responses override density effects on genetic diversity during post-disturbance succession. Proceedings of the Royal Society B - Biological Sciences, 283 (1827) 20152934, 20152934. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2934

Barton, Philip S., Lentini, Pia E., Alacs, Erika, Bau, Sana, Buckley, Yvonne M., Burns, Emma L., Driscoll, Don A., Guja, Lydia K., Kujala, Heini, Lahoz-Monfort, Jose J., Mortelliti, Alessio, Nathan, Ran, Rowe, Ross and Smith, Annabel L. (2015). Guidelines for using movement science to inform biodiversity policy. Environmental Management, 56 (4), 791-801. doi: 10.1007/s00267-015-0570-5

Banks, Sam C., Lorin, Thibault, Shaw, Robyn E., McBurney, Lachlan, Blair, David, Blyton, Michaela D.J., Smith, Annabel L., Pierson, Jennifer C. and Lindenmayer, David B. (2015). Fine-scale refuges can buffer demographic and genetic processes against short-term climatic variation and disturbance: a 22-year case study of an arboreal marsupial. Molecular Ecology, 24 (15), 3831-3845. doi: 10.1111/mec.13279

Smith, Annabel L., Bull, C. Michael, Gardner, Michael G. and Driscoll, Don A. (2014). Life history influences how fire affects genetic diversity in two lizard species. Molecular Ecology, 23 (10), 2428-2441. doi: 10.1111/mec.12757

Driscoll, Don A., Banks, Sam C., Barton, Philip S., Ikin, Karen, Lentini, Pia, Lindenmayer, David B., Smith, Annabel L., Berry, Laurence E., Burns, Emma L., Edworthy, Amanda, Evans, Maldwyn J., Gibson, Rebecca, Heinsohn, Rob, Howland, Brett, Kay, Geoff, Munro, Nicola, Scheele, Ben C., Stirnemann, Ingrid, Stojanovic, Dejan, Sweaney, Nici, Villaseñor, Nélida R. and Westgate, Martin J. (2014). The trajectory of dispersal research in conservation biology: systematic review. PLoS ONE, 9 (4) ARTN e95053, e95053. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095053

Lindenmayer, David B., Blanchard, Wade, McBurney, Lachlan, Blair, David, Banks, Sam C., Driscoll, Don A., Smith, Annabel L. and Gill, A. M. (2014). Complex responses of birds to landscape- level fire extent, fire severity and environmental drivers. Diversity and Distributions, 20 (4), 467-477. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12172

Barton, Philip S., Ikin, Karen, Smith, Annabel L., MacGregor, Christopher and Lindenmayer, David B. (2014). Vegetation structure moderates the effect of fire on bird assemblages in a heterogeneous landscape. Landscape Ecology, 29 (4), 703-714. doi: 10.1007/s10980-014-0017-z

Smith, Annabel L., Blair, David, McBurney, Lachlan, Banks, Sam C., Barton, Philip S., Blanchard, Wade, Driscoll, Don A., Gill, A. Malcolm and Lindenmayer, David B. (2014). Dominant drivers of seedling establishment in a fire-dependent obligate seeder: climate or fire regimes?. Ecosystems, 17 (2), 258-270. doi: 10.1007/s10021-013-9721-9

Teasdale, Luisa C., Smith, Annabel L., Thomas, Mailyn, Whitehead, Catherine A. and Driscoll, Don A. (2013). Detecting invertebrate responses to fire depends on sampling method and taxonomic resolution. Austral Ecology, 38 (8), 874-883. doi: 10.1111/aec.12024

Banks, Sam C., Cary, Geoffrey J., Smith, Annabel L., Davies, Ian D., Driscoll, Don A., Gill, A. Malcolm, Lindenmayer, David B. and Peakall, Rod (2013). How does ecological disturbance influence genetic diversity?. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 28 (11), 670-679. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.08.005

Lindenmayer, D. B., Blanchard, W., McBurney, L., Blair, D., Banks, S. C., Driscoll, D., Smith, A. L. and Gill, A. M. (2013). Fire severity and landscape context effects on arboreal marsupials. Biological Conservation, 167, 137-148. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2013.07.028

Driscoll, Don A., Banks, Sam C., Barton, Philip S., Lindenmayer, David B. and Smith, Annabel L. (2013). Conceptual domain of the matrix in fragmented landscapes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 28 (10), 605-613. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.06.010

Smith, Annabel L., Bull, C. Michael and Driscoll, Don A. (2013). Successional specialization in a reptile community cautions against widespread planned burning and complete fire suppression. Journal of Applied Ecology, 50 (5), 1178-1186. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12119

Smith, A. L., Bull, C. M. and Driscoll, D. A. (2013). Skeletochronological analysis of age in three ‘fire-specialist’ lizard species. The South Australian Naturalist, 87 (1), 6-17.

Smith, Annabel, Meulders, Brendon, Michael Bull, C. and Driscoll, Don (2012). Wildfire-induced mortality of Australian reptiles. Herpetology Notes, 5, 233-235.

Driscoll, Don A., Smith, Annabel L., Blight, Samantha and Maindonald, John (2012). Reptile responses to fire and the risk of post-disturbance sampling bias. Biodiversity and Conservation, 21 (6), 1607-1625. doi: 10.1007/s10531-012-0267-5

Smith, Annabel L., Bull, C. Michael and Driscoll, Don A. (2012). Post-fire succession affects abundance and survival but not detectability in a knob-tailed gecko. Biological Conservation, 145 (1), 139-147. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2011.10.023

Smith, Annabel L., Gardner, Michael G., Bull, C. Michael and Driscoll, Don A. (2011). Primers for novel microsatellite markers in “fire-specialist” lizards (Amphibolurus norrisi, Ctenotus atlas and Nephrurus stellatus) and their performance across multiple populations. Conservation Genetics Resources, 3 (2), 345-350. doi: 10.1007/s12686-010-9359-2

Bull, C. Michael, Smith, Annabel, Gardner, Michael and Fenner, Aaron (2009). Genotypes and nematode infestations in an endangered lizard, Tiliqua adelaidensis. Applied Herpetology, 6 (3), 300-305. doi: 10.1163/157075408x386150

Smith, Annabel L., Gardner, Michael G., Fenner, Aaron L. and Bull, C. Michael (2009). Restricted gene flow in the endangered pygmy bluetongue lizard (Tiliqua adelaidensis) in a fragmented agricultural landscape. Wildlife Research, 36 (6), 466. doi: 10.1071/wr08171

Gardner, Michael G., Sanchez, Juan J., Dudaniec, Rachael Y., Rheinberger, Leah, Smith, Annabel L. and Saint, Kathleen M. (2008). Tiliqua rugosa microsatellites: isolation via enrichment and characterisation of loci for multiplex PCR in T-rugosa and the endangered T-adelaidensis. Conservation Genetics, 9 (1), 233-237. doi: 10.1007/s10592-007-9316-0

Fenner, A. L., Schofield, J. A., Smith, A. L. and Bull, C. M. (2008). Observations of snake predation on the pygmy bluetongue lizard, Tiliqua adelaidensis. Herpetofauna.

Areas of research

Biodiversity and conservation science

Ecology, genetics and evolution

Environmental management

Zoology and wildlife biology