Matthew Greenlees Tropical Ecology Research Facility Middle Point, NT Ph: (08) 8984 9137 Fax: (08) 8984 9139 e-mail: mgre7830@mail.usyd.edu.au

Current Research Publications

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From a very young age I have been fascinated by anything and everything to do with reptiles. After growing up (somewhat), I realised I would need to find an excuse to be able to spend vast amounts of time playing with them. So, it is fortuitous that I have more than a mild interest in ecology and evolution and have managed to complete a Science degree. Given my aforementioned interests, and in concert with my personality disorders, it seems I was destined to end up in the Shine lab.

I completed honours in 2005 under the co-supervision of Professor Shine, Dr Jonno Webb and Dr Greg Brown. My project involved an investigation into some aspects of foraging and competition by the introduced cane toad on a tropical floodplain. Due to their well-documented toxicity when ingested, most previous studies on interactions between toads and native fauna have tended to focus on those with potential predators of toads. Few studies however have attempted to investigate how toads interact as predators or competitors.

By constructing natural field enclosures I was able to quantify the impact of toads on native invertebrate communities and then compare this to the impact of some native frogs (the giant burrowing frog, Cyclorana australis and Dahl’s frog, Litoria dahlii). Using the same enclosures I was able to experimentally investigate competition between toads and giant burrowing frogs, determining the affect of intra and interspecific competition on foraging success and behaviour of both species. To round off my project I conducted field surveys in areas with and without toads to predict how my experimental findings would possibly extrapolate to the field.

Following honours I was employed as a research assistant based at Fogg Dam on the Adelaide River floodplain in the Northern Territory, where I conducted the field work and experiments for my honours project. My job entailed continuing research into the impacts toads have on invertebrate communities and investigating potential interactions between toads and everything from fish to small mammals to reptiles.

 

This year I commenced a PhD aboard the good ship Cane Toad under the guidance of the Team Bufo Admiral and Commanders. This will most likely be to further investigate interactions between cane toads and native frogs, thereby continuing my itinerant lifestyle and providing further opportunity to generally run amok in the Top End.

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