Dr Annabel Smith

Lecturer in Wildlife Management

School of Agriculture and Food Sciences

+61 7 54601 692

annabel.smith@uq.edu.au

View researcher profile

Researcher biography

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

My research group studies wildlife & ecology in southeast Queensland, Australia. Currently, we are working on:

Platypus distribution & conservation
Mammal community dynamics post-fire
Plant-animal interactions with changing fire regimes
Interactions between fire regimes & invasive plants
Restoration of native grassland

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 Statistical modelling of species distributions, population genomics, landscape genomics resistance modelling, spatial demographic and genetic simulation modelling, programming, SNP analysis, remote-area and rural field work with native Australian animals and plants

TEACHING: I teach ecology, wildlife management and wildlife technology. In ecology and wildlife management, my teaching covers species distributions; population ecology; species interactions (including competition, predation, parasitism and mutualism); community ecology (including species diversity and co-existence); conservation biology, and the impacts of global change on biodiversity. In wildlife technology, my teaching covers soundscape analysis; movement ecology and wildlife tracking; computer vision, image analysis and artificial intelligence; remote sensing, big data and molecular technology.

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– Lecturer in Wildlife Management, University of Queensland

2018–2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin

2016–2018 Postdoctoral Reseach Fellow, Trinity College Dublin

2015–2016 Freelance Ecological Consultant

2012–2014 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian National University

EDUCATION

2012 PhD Australian National University

2006 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation Honours, Flinders University

2005 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation, Flinders University

Publications

Journal Articles (34)

Journal Articles

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), 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

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

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

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

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, 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

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

Animal science