Webinars, seminars and events

The Queensland Herbarium hosts free public webinars/seminars, usually once a month, between 12pm and 1pm. Extra webinars/seminars are frequently scheduled so please check this website for updates.

These are live streamed using Microsoft Teams webinar and sometimes presented live in person in the F.M. Bailey Room at the Queensland Herbarium, Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha Rd, Toowong (room limits apply).

22 April 2024, 12–1pm

Navigating Evolution’s Labyrinth: Genetic Adaptation and Speciation in Senecio

Daniel Ortiz-Barrientos, Professor and ARC Future Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland [Online and live in person]

In this talk I will present a narrative of discovery within the Senecio lautus species complex, focusing on the genetic and ecological drivers that orchestrate adaptation and spur speciation. Tracing our research arc over the past ten years, I will showcase how we've homed in on the genetic intricacies and ecological forces that shape adaptation. The presentation will span our rigorous analysis of adaptive traits, their ecological contexts, and the looming influence of climate change on these patterns. By elucidating the strategies species use to adapt and eventually diverge, the insights gained from our deep dive into Senecio not only shed light on this particular genus but also contribute to a grander evolutionary picture, enriching our understanding of biodiversity and its ever-changing nature.

13 May 2024, 12–1pm

Photoluminescence in fur: prevalence, chemistry, preservation, and the visual function question

Linda Reinhold, MPhil Graduate, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University (Cairns) [Online]

The recent surge in interest of brightly photoluminescent (fluorescent and/or phosphorescent) mammals has involved intense speculation about a visual function for the phenomenon. I will start with a background on the discovery and physics of photoluminescence in fur, while busting some misconceptions. Photoluminescence is a common but unpredictable characteristic across wild mammal species of the Wet Tropics, and worldwide. The underlying chemistry has implications for the loss of photoluminescence post-mortem. For the rest of this talk, I will detail a world-first experiment using real-fur models and remote cameras to test if wild nocturnal vertebrates react with different frequency to photoluminescent vs non-photoluminescent ‘rats’ in the field.

8 July 2024, 12–1pm

DNA Barcoding to enhance conservation of Sunshine Coast heathlands

Dr Hilary Pearl, Centre for Bioinnovation School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of Sunshine Coast [Online]

In one of the fastest growing regions of Australia, the Sunshine Coast, the pre-European mosaic of wetlands, heathlands, woodlands, and rainforest has been transformed into an urbanised landscape. This study developed out of concern for the continued losses, and fragmentation of heathlands in the region. The Sunshine Coast heathlands matter: they contain endemic and endangered species, areas of peat, and people have been deeply connected to them for millennia. This study used new tools to assess their diversity and distinctiveness, determine factors which correlate with the variation in their diversity, and assess their conservation status, including their extent, fragmentation, and connectivity. This is a story of hope: within the matrix of heathlands remaining on the Sunshine Coast, opportunities exist using careful planning, to protect their overall diversity and distinctiveness into the future, with the targeting of specific locations, and with the engagement of the local community.

12 August 2024, 12–1pm

Plant diversity and distinctiveness of the dry rainforest communities of the Central Queensland Coast

Marion Howard, Centre for Bioinnovation School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of Sunshine Coast [Online]

Plant communities were assessed using a phylogeny built using DNA Barcoding. Because the distribution of plant species is reliant on dispersal characteristics, categories of seed size, fruit type and dispersal vectors were used to support other results that suggested the location of phylogenetically distinct communities.