Principal speaker
Dr Justin Welbergen
Abstract - Changes in the regimes of extreme weather and climate events are the way in which people, animals and plants directly experience climate change; however, surprisingly little is known about how these events affect biodiversity. This seminar will explore the impacts of extreme heat events on Australian flying-foxes (fruitbats). Temperatures exceeding 42oC cause mass mortality among flying-foxes at landscape scales, and profoundly affect the behaviour and ecology of the species. Dr Welbergen will illustrate the impacts using his data from the three most recent extreme summer heat events, during which tens of thousands of flying-foxes died. Such events are expected to continue to escalate under climate change, with disturbing implications for flying-foxes and other organisms in Australia and beyond.
Presenter - Dr Justin Welbergen is a Senior Lecturer in Animal Ecology at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (University of Western Sydney). During his PhD (University of Cambridge) he was happily studying the behaviour of flying-foxes in eastern Australia when he happened to be confronted with one of the most dramatic animal die-offs ever observed. This serendipitous event prompted Justin to alter his research focus so he could explore the impacts of extreme weather and climate events on biodiversity.
Background - http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1633/419.full & theconversation.com/killer-climate-tens-of-thousands-of-flying-foxes-dead-in-a-day-23227
Profile page - www.uws.edu.au/hie/justinwelbergen
Panelist - Professor Nigel Stork, Deputy Head, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University. Biography - http://www.griffith.edu.au/professional-page/nigel-stork
Panelist - Professor Carla Catterrall - Professor, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University. Theme Leader, Environmental Restoration and Management, Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University.
Event categories
RSVP
RSVP on or before Tuesday 1 July 2014 , by email climateresponse@griffith.edu.au , or by phone 0755527263