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Honours projects for 2014 (closed)

NOTE: these places have now been filled.

See: Honours projects for 2015

Looking for an exciting honours project in ecology? I have three openings from mid-2014.

I also welcome other project ideas from students if they fit with my expertise and research priorities.

To find out more, please refer to the Deakin University School of Life and Environmental Sciences Honours 2014 Information Booklet, or contact me.

The distribution, abundance and habitat preferences of mammals in Wilsons Promontory National Park (two projects)

Wilsons Prom is home to native mammals such as the Swamp Wallaby, Wallabia bicolor. Image by Toby Hudson [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Wilsons Prom is home to native mammals such as the Swamp Wallaby, Wallabia bicolor. Image by Toby Hudson [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Supervisors: Dr Euan Ritchie and Dr Dale Nimmo

Start date: July 2014

Fire and predation are key processes that shape the structure and function of ecological communities. Despite their importance, few studies have examined how they may interact to affect the distribution, abundance and habitat preferences of species across different habitats.

Two separate but related honours projects will examine the effects of fire and predation on mammals in Wilsons Promontory National Park. This work will be supported by Parks Victoria. Experience with using GIS will be an advantage for these projects.

Where and when did Tasmanian devils last occur in Victoria? (one  project)

Tasmanian Devils, Sarcophilus harrisii, were once abundant on the Australian mainland. Image by JJ Harrison[CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Tasmanian Devils, Sarcophilus harrisii, were once abundant on the Australian mainland. Image by JJ Harrison[CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Supervisors: Dr Euan Ritchie and Dr Erich Fitzgerald

Start date: July 2014

This project seeks to establish the prehistoric geographic distribution and habitats of devils across Victoria using the Palaeontology Collection at Museum Victoria and established proxies for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. It will also use Carbon dating of fossil and subfossil devil specimens in the Palaeontology Collection to estimate when devils existed across Victoria and refine the timing of their extinction on mainland Australia.

More information