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Welcome!
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In the Lab of Animal Ecology we work on a range of subjects in whole organism biology, but focus on evolutionary ecology, which is concerned with the ways organisms respond adaptively to changes in their social, ecological, and physical environment. Our model species include native bats (e.g., flying-foxes; ghost bats) and birds (e.g., cuckoos, reed warblers, lyrebirds, bowerbirds, larks, ducks), and a range of invasive species, but we are not limited to these taxonomic groups.
We also have strong, parallel interests in conservation and climate change biology, and particularly in the impacts of extreme weather and climate events on biodiversity. Here much of our work is about building a mechanistic understanding of the vulnerability of biodiversity to extreme weather and climate events, and about identifying priority areas in the landscape for management and conservation under environmental change.
The Lab of Animal Ecology is led by Professor Justin Welbergen, and is home to an international ensemble of researchers with high-profile projects on charismatic species in remote parts of the world.
We are based at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University. The university is ranked 1st in the world by the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings for its success in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also ranked 2nd in Australia for Ecology in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), with Ecology being the core strength of the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment.
We also have strong, parallel interests in conservation and climate change biology, and particularly in the impacts of extreme weather and climate events on biodiversity. Here much of our work is about building a mechanistic understanding of the vulnerability of biodiversity to extreme weather and climate events, and about identifying priority areas in the landscape for management and conservation under environmental change.
The Lab of Animal Ecology is led by Professor Justin Welbergen, and is home to an international ensemble of researchers with high-profile projects on charismatic species in remote parts of the world.
We are based at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University. The university is ranked 1st in the world by the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings for its success in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is also ranked 2nd in Australia for Ecology in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), with Ecology being the core strength of the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment.
Recent papers:
- DALZIELL, A.H. & WELBERGEN, J.A. (2025) Expanding perspectives on mimicry ('News & Views' article). Nature Ecology & Evolution, DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02775-8
- WU, N.C., VILLADA-CADAVID, T., WELBERGEN, J.A. & TURBILL, C. (2025) Seasonal fattening among bat populations globally: storing energy for survival in a changing world. Ecology Letters, DOI: 10.1111/ele.70155
- MO, M., COUTTS-MCCLELLAND, K., KYRIACOU, T, DAVIES, J., HAWKINS, WEHMEYER, S., OLIVER, L., YABSLEY, S., MEADE, J. & WELBERGEN, J.A. (in press). Recent roosting of little red flying-foxes (Pteropus scapulatus, Pteropodidae) at two sites in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Australian Mammalogy
- BARRATT, A., WELBERGEN, J.A., MOORE, B. & TURBILL, C. (2025). Torpor use in response to perceived predation risk in a small, free-living bird. Behavioral Ecology, DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araf069/8160173
- WALKER, M.J., WELBERGEN, J.A., MEADE, J., REARDON, T.B., MARTIN, J.M., BOARDMAN, W.S., TURBILL, C. (2025) Controlled hyperthermia by flying-foxes in the wild: understanding mammalian tolerance to hotter summer conditions. Journal of Thermal Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2025.104153
- MO, M., OLIVER, L., SAXON, M., YABSLEY, S.H., MCCARTHY, E.D., CLARK, M., ELLISON, M., ROACHE, M., CHAMBERS, J., SIMMONS, C.M., PIETENS, B., MEADE, J., DAVIES, J. & WELBERGEN, J.A. 2025. Flying-fox colonies, extreme heat events and the need for empirically tested intervention methods: towards a temperature-humidity index for the Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus. Australian Zoologist, DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2025.020
- DORRESTEIN, A., RUST, H.P.R., MACGREGOR, N.A., TIERNAN, B., JANKOWSKI, A., WOINARSKI, J.C.Z., JAMES, D., FLAKUS, S., SCHULZ, M., PAHOR, S., MANN, A., DESMOND, B. & WELBERGEN, J.A. (2025). Factors affecting the detection probability of a critically endangered flying-fox: consequences for monitoring and conservation. Wildlife Research, DOI: 10.1071/WR24030
- MEADE, J., MARTIN, J.M., MCKEOWN, A., TURBILL, C., WALKER, M.J., BOARDMAN, W.S.J & WELBERGEN J.A. (2025) Flight behaviour and short-distance homing by nomadic grey-headed flying-foxes: a pilot study. Movement Ecology, DOI: 10.1186/s40462-025-00532-x
- MEADE, J., MCCARTHY, E.D., YABSLEY, S.H., GRADY S.C., MARTIN, J.M. & WELBERGEN J.A. (2025). Using night-time drone-acquired thermal imagery to monitor flying-fox productivity – a proof of concept. Remote Sensing, DOI: 10.3390/rs17030518
- BRUCE, T., ... with DALZIELL, A.H., WELBERGEN, J.A. et al (2025). Large-scale and long-term wildlife research and monitoring using camera traps: a continental synthesis. Biological Reviews, DOI: 10.1111/brv.13152
- WU, N. C., WELBERGEN, J. A., VILLADA-CADAVID, T., LUMSDEN, L. F., & TURBILL, C. (2024). Vulnerability of Southern Hemisphere bats to white-nose syndrome based on global analysis of fungal host specificity and cave temperatures. Conservation Biology, e14390. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14390
- BACKHOUSE, F., MIRANDO, H., HERWOOD, T., *ODOM, K. J., *DALZIELL, A. H., & *WELBERGEN, J. A. (2024). Display court ecology in male Albert's Lyrebirds. Emu - Austral Ornithology, DOI: 10.1080/01584197.2024.2400931 [*These authors contributed equally]
- DORRESTEIN, A., WESTCOTT, D., MARTIN, J.M., PHALEN, D., ROSE, K. & WELBERGEN, J.A., (2024). Bat mating systems—A review and recategorisation. Ecology and Evolution, 14(8):p.e70149.
- TURBILL, C., WALKER, M., BOARDMAN, W., MARTIN, J., MCKEOWN, A., MEADE, J. & WELBERGEN, J. A. (2024) Torpor use in the wild by one of the world's largest bats. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1137
- BACKHOUSE, F., WELBERGEN, J. A., ROBINSON, B. W., & DALZIELL, A. H. (2024). Performative manipulation of the environment by displaying Albert’s lyrebirds. The American Naturalist, doi: 10.1086/730523
- VOIGT, C. C., BERNARD*, E., HUANG*, J. C. C., FRICK*, W. F., KERBIRIOU*, C., MACEWAN*, K., MATHEWS*, F., RODRÍGUEZ-DURÁN*, A., SCHOLZ*, C., WEBALA*, P. W., WELBERGEN*, J. A., WHITBY* M. (2024). Towards solving the global green-green dilemma between wind energy production and bat conservation. BioScience, doi: 10.1093/biosci/biae02 [*contributed equally, in alphabetical order]
- MO, M., TIMMISS, L.A., PEARSON, T., KERR, M.T., STEVES, S. AND WELBERGEN, J.A., (2024). "Normalising” flying-foxes: a bold vision for improving the public perceptions of our largest and most conspicuous bats. Australian Zoologist, doi: 10.7882/AZ.2024.001
- MO, M., MEADE, J., ROFF, A., TIMMISS, L.A., GIBSON, R. AND WELBERGEN, J.A. (2024). Impact assessment of the Australian 2019–20 megafires on roost sites of the vulnerable grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus). Global Ecology and Conservation, doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02822
