ANBG Theatrette,
Clunies Ross Street Acton ACT 2601
Canberra, 2601 Australia
Canberra, 2601 Australia
Jay will summarise his work on the interesting strategies desert plants use to overcome the complex and extreme environment that is the Australian desert.
Abstract
After widespread plant mortality at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in 2019 associated with a record-breaking drought and heatwave, Anangu (Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara People) were concerned and wanted to know why plants were being impacted. Over the last three years of my PhD, I have been working with Anangu researching why ecologically and culturally significant plants are dying during extreme heatwaves and drought. We conducted a range of field-based studies and glasshouse experiments to untangle the physiological drivers of plant death. Some of the plants we’ve worked on include the iconic mulga (Acacia aneura), desert oak (Allocasuarina decaisneana), and spinifex (Triodia pungens).
After working as a botanist in Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land, Jay wanted more of a scientific challenge, so he decided to take on a PhD based at ANU working with Anangu and Parks Australia on desert plants. With the kind support of a Friends of ANBG Student Research Scholarship, he has thrown himself into the project. He will share both the scientific and personal journeys he has been on in the last 3.5 years and give a summary of his work.
Booking Link
One-hour talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations to support Gardens’ programs and development and thank all those who have donated.
Please note: unless otherwise indicated, talks are in the ANBG Theatrette.
It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; several talks are booked out very quickly. The booking link for each talk is on the www.friendsanbg.org.au/calendar entry for the talk. Bookings can be made about 30 days in advance until Wednesday night before the talk.
The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Some summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG Library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au