Prof. Jenny Davis

Jenny Davis
Jenny Davis

Lecturer

Professor

Telephone:
Fax:
E-mail: Jennifer.Davis@sci.monash.edu.au

Links





Summary

My research interests cover a range of topics within wetland and stream ecology. These include community ecology, bioassessment and biomonitoring, ecosystem resilience, non-linear dynamics, feedback mechanisms, regime change and the impacts of multiple stressors on shallow aquatic ecosystems. I have worked on the ecology, conservation and management of wetlands, streams and rivers in Western Australia, central Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and Sarawak. I have established a long term (25+years) dataset for wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain, WA, that provides insight into the temporal and spatial change occurring in wetlands experiencing a drying climate. A combination of research and photographic interests has resulted in the collection of a large number of wetland images, including aerial photography. These can be viewed at www.wetlandimages.com.

Together with various co-authors, I have published over 160 works, including four books, 75 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and conference proceedings, 83 technical reports and other articles, and 3 CDs. I have supervised, or co-supervised, 78 research students (Honours, Masters and PhDs). I received the Vice-Chancellors Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision at Murdoch University in 2004. I was awarded the Limnology Medal, by the Australian Society for Limnology, in 2006.

I am a member of the Editorial Board of Freshwater Biology, the Chair of the Research Sub-Committee of the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), an independent scientist on the Steering Committee for the National Water Commission Framework for Assessing River and Wetland Health (FARWH) and a member of the Technical Expert Group for Queensland wetlands condition and risk assessment. I am a past President and past Newsletter Editor of the Australian Society for Limnology and a member of INTECOLs International Wetlands Conference Committee. I was an independent scientist on the WA Wetlands Coordinating Committee for ten years and completed two terms (6 years) on the WA Conservation Commission (the advisory body to the Department of Conservation and Land Management).

Research Areas

  • Freshwater ecology encompassing standing (wetlands) and flowing (streams and rivers) waters
  • Aquatic community ecology
  • Aquatic bioassessment and biomonitoring
  • Aquatic ecosystem resilience, non-linear dynamics, feedback mechanisms and regime change
  • Impacts of multiple stressors, including climate change, on inland waters

Recent publications

  • Davis, J, Sim, L & Chambers, J (2010). Multiple stressors and regime shifts in shallow aquatic ecosystems in antipodean landscapes Freshwater Biology. in press
  • Ligtermoet, E, Chambers, JM, Kobryn, HT & Davis, JA (2010) Determining the extent and condition of riparian zones in drinking water supply catchments in Sarawak, Malaysia. Water Science and Technology. in press
  • Davis, JA, Lake, PS & Thompson, RT (2010) Freshwater biodiversity and climate change. Chapter 5 in Greenhouse 2009, CSIRO Publishing. in press
  • Stewart, B, Strehlow, K & Davis, JA (2009) Impacts of deep open drains on water quality and biodiversity of receiving waterways in the wheatbelt of Western Australia. Hydrobiologia, 619:103-118.
  • Likens GE,Walker, KF, Davies, PE, Brookes, J, Olley, J, Young, WJ, Thoms, MC, Lake, PS, Gawne, B, Davis, JA, Arthington, AH, Thompson, R & Oliver, RL (2009) Ecosystem science: toward a new paradigm for managing Australias inland aquatic ecosystems. Marine and Freshwater Research 60: 271-279.
  • Giles, JC, Davis, JA, McCauley, RD & Kuchling, G (2009) Voice of the turtle: The underwater acoustic repertoire of the long-necked freshwater turtle, Chelodina oblonga J. Acoust. Soc. Am.126: 434-443
  • Horwitz, P, Rogan, R, Halse, SA, Davis, JA. & Sommer, B (2009) Wetland invertebrate richness and endemism on the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research, 60:1006-1020.
  • Sim, LL, Davis, JA & Chambers, JM (2009). Development of conceptual models for ecological regime change in temporary Australian wetlands.pp 259-279 in New models for ecosystem dynamics and restoration. Hobbs, RJ & Suding, K (eds). Island Press. Washington.
  • Chambers, JM, Davis, JA & McComb, A (2009) Chapter 20. Inland aquatic environments I wetland diversity and physical and chemical processes pp 452-480 in Environmental Biology Edited by Calver, M, Lymbery, A, McComb, J & Bamford, M, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne Australia. 671 pp.
  • Chambers, JM, Davis, JA & McComb, A (2009) Chapter 21. Inland aquatic environments II the ecology of lentic and lotic waters. pp 481-500 in Environmental Biology Edited by Calver, M, Lymbery, A, McComb, J & Bamford, M, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne Australia. 671 pp.
  • Davis, JA and Brock, M (2008) Detecting unacceptable change in the ecological character of Ramsar wetlands. Ecological Management and Restoration. 9:26-32.
  • Bonada, N, Rievadevall, M, Dallas, H, Davis, J, Day, J., Figueroa, Resh, V & Prat, N (2008). Multiscale assessment of macroinvertebrate richness and composition in Mediterranean-climate rivers. Freshwater Biology 53:772-788
  • Brim Box, J, Duguid, A, Read, RE, Kimber RG, Knapton, A, Davis JA, &. Bowland, AE (2008) Central Australian waterbodies:the importance of permanence in a desert landscape. Journal of Arid Environments 72: 1395-1413.
  • Giles, JC Kuchling, G &. Davis, JA (2008) Populations of the Snake-necked Turtle Chelodina oblonga in three suburban lakes of Perth, Western Australia. Herpetological Conservation 3:275-284