Dr Catherine Price
Lecturer
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
I'm fascinated by animal behaviour and how sensory information influences animal decision-making, particularly what to eat and where to go. My research aims to improve the techniques we use to recover threatened animals and plants, and draws from behavioural, sensory, and cognitive ecology. My current focus is understanding how mammalian predators use multimodal sensory information (odours and sounds) to find food and how ‘misinformation’ can be used strategically to protect threatened birds from mammalian predators. I use large-scale field experiments to test new ideas and work closely with organic chemists, acoustic engineers, ecologists and wildlife managers in Australia and overseas, especially in New Zealand where I have long-standing collaborations with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research.
My research falls across three main areas:
- Acoustic and multimodal information use – how do predators integrate and use information from more than one sensory channel (eg sound and smell) when foraging? I aim to better understand the sounds emitted by prey and how sound cues influence movement and foraging decisions of predators. My DECRA research aims to test how sound cues influence nest predation by black rats and other predators, such as foxes and feral cats to develop more effective pest management tools for protecting biodiversity. In collaboration with A/Prof Craig Jin (School of Electrical and Information Engineering).
- ‘Misinformation’ as a wildlife management tool – can we address foraging problems using the strategic application of sensory ‘misinformation’? My research has shown that the strategic application of olfactory misinformation has the potential for mitigating impacts of mammalian predators, granivores and herbivores in conservation and agriculture. In collaboration with Prof Peter Banks, Prof Clare McArthur and Dr Malcolm Possell we are developing and testing new approaches to address biodiversity declines and problematic foraging by a range of introduced and native species.
- Conservation behaviour and threatened species management – I collaborate with an international group of behavioural ecologists and conservation managers to apply behavioural techniques and approaches to improve conservation outcomes for threatened species. I have close links with several recovery programs, for example the North Head Long-nosed Bandicoot population, Regent Honeyeater and Bush Stone-curlew.
Current students:
Cassandra Jol – Acoustic ecology of nest predation by Black rats Rattus rattus (Taronga Hons)
Shani Masani (PhD student): An odour a day keeps the predator away: understanding individual predator learning in response to odour pre-exposure (Primary supervisor Peter Banks)
Finn Parker (PhD student): Messing with their minds: Using tactical misinformation to improve pest management strategies (Primary supervisor Peter Banks)
Laura Grant (PhD student) – The influence of individual motivations, sensory cues and perception of risk in vertebrate pest management.(Primary supervisor Peter Banks)
Former students:
Helen Ratcliffe – Multimodal information use by Black rats Rattus rattus (Taronga Hons 2022)
Angeline Anastasia – Testing the potential of two essential oils to mask Eucalyptus punctata seedlings from browsing swamp wallabies Wallabia bicolor (AVBS Hons 2022) (co-supervisor: Clare McArthur)
Laura Grant – Exploiting olfaction: using misinformation strategies on mammalian herbivores to increase plant survival (Honours 2021) (co-supervisors: Clare McArthur, Peter Banks)
Liam Guest – How do neigbours at different spatial scales affect plant vulnerability to being eaten? (Honours 2021) (co-supervisor: Clare McArthur)
Co-supervision:
Bianca McBryde – Part-time predators: the unexpected role of a native herbivore as a threat to an endangered species (Hons 2023) (Primary supervisor: Peter Banks)
Irene Teh – Kicking a habit: how black rats (Rattus rattus) alter foraging with pre-exposure to unrewarding food odours of differing nutritional value (AVBS Hons 2023) (Primary supervisor: Peter Banks)
Katrina Kaverzine (Hons 2022, USYD) – Mice and canola: Are behavioural approaches needed to protect buried seeds? (Primary supervisor: Peter Banks)
Finn Parker (Hons 2019, USYD) – Weaponising wildlife: using predator training to make more effective and motivated predators against alien prey (Primary supervisor: Peter Banks)
Maree Williams (Hons 2016, USYD) – Mechanisms of olfactory learning in free-living predators: do generalist predators use generalist odours when searching for food? (Primary supervisor: Peter Banks)
- Multimodal information use by mammalian predators
- Developing acoustic tools for ecological field research
- Misinformation strategies for protecting plants and prey (with Prof Peter Banks & Prof Clare McArthur)
- Olfactory lures for predator control – systematic literature mapping
- Member of Australasian Wildlife Management Society
- Member of Ecological Society of Australia
- Member of Royal Zoological Society, NSW
- Handling Editor, Terrestrial Vertebrate Ecology, Oecologia
- Discovery Early Career Reseacher Award - commenced mid-2022
-
Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship (Australian Academy of Science) – Highly Commended (2020). "Deceiving herbivores to protect rare and threatened orchids"
(Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research) Collaboration with wildlife and pest management researchers - $NZ7.5million grant | |
(Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research) Collaboration with wildlife and pest management researchers - $NZ7.5million grant |
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| Solving a wicked problem: Can non-lethal methods be used to mitigate the impacts of native predators on endangered native prey? | Bianca MCBRYDE |
Publications
Book Chapters
- Banks, P., Bytheway, J., Carthey, A., Hughes, N., Price, C. (2014). Olfaction and predator-prey interactions amongst mammals in Australia. In Alistair Glen, Christopher Dickman (Eds.), Carnivores of Australia: Past, Present and Future, (pp. 389-404). Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. [More Information]
Journals
- Berger-Tal, O., Price, C., Putman, B., Snijders, L., Nakagawa, S., Wong, B., Adams, C., Blumstein, D., Candolin, U., Gibson, M., et al (2024). Leveraging AI to improve evidence synthesis in conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 39(6), 548-557. [More Information]
- Finnerty, P., Possell, M., Banks, P., Orlando, C., Price, C., Shrader, A., McArthur, C. (2024). Olfactory misinformation provides refuge to palatable plants from mammalian browsing. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 8(4), 645-650. [More Information]
- Johnstone, K., Price, C., Garvey, P. (2024). Personality, sex and capture biases: Challenges for predator monitoring and management. Journal of Applied Ecology. [More Information]
2024
- Berger-Tal, O., Price, C., Putman, B., Snijders, L., Nakagawa, S., Wong, B., Adams, C., Blumstein, D., Candolin, U., Gibson, M., et al (2024). Leveraging AI to improve evidence synthesis in conservation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 39(6), 548-557. [More Information]
- Finnerty, P., Possell, M., Banks, P., Orlando, C., Price, C., Shrader, A., McArthur, C. (2024). Olfactory misinformation provides refuge to palatable plants from mammalian browsing. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 8(4), 645-650. [More Information]
- Johnstone, K., Price, C., Garvey, P. (2024). Personality, sex and capture biases: Challenges for predator monitoring and management. Journal of Applied Ecology. [More Information]
2023
- Parker, F., Price, C., McArthur, C., Bytheway, J., Banks, P. (2023). Native predators can learn new prey cues to overcome naivete and hunt novel alien prey. Biological Conservation, 284. [More Information]
- Parker, F., Price, C., Bytheway, J., Banks, P. (2023). Olfactory misinformation reduces wheat seed loss caused by rodent pests. Nature Sustainability, 6(9), 1041-1044. [More Information]
- van Dooren, T., Price, C., Banks, P., Berger-Tal, O., Chrulew, M., Johnson, J., Lajeunesse, G., Lynch, K., McArthur, C., Parker, F., Oakey, M., Ward-Fear, G., Widin, S., et al (2023). The ethics of intervening in animal behaviour for conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. [More Information]
2022
- Orlando, C., Possell, M., Price, C., Banks, P., Mercorelli, L., McArthur, C. (2022). A new conceptual and quantitative approach to exploring and defining potential open-access olfactory information. New Phytologist, 236(4), 1605-1619. [More Information]
- Price, C., McArthur, C., Norbury, G., Banks, P. (2022). Olfactory misinformation: creating “fake news” to reduce problem foraging by wildlife. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. [More Information]
- Finnerty, P., McArthur, C., Banks, P., Price, C., Shrader, A. (2022). The Olfactory Landscape Concept: A Key Source of Past, Present, and Future Information Driving Animal Movement and Decision-making. BioScience, 72(8). [More Information]
2021
- Bytheway, J., Johnstone, K., Price, C., Banks, P. (2021). A mechanistic understanding of prebaiting to improve interaction with wildlife management devices. Pest Management Science, 77(7), 3107-3115. [More Information]
- Norbury, G., Price, C., Cecilia Latham, M., Brown, S., Latham, D., Brownstein, G., Ricardo, H., McArthur, N., Banks, P. (2021). Misinformation tactics protect rare birds from problem predators. Science Advances, 7(11), eabe4164. [More Information]
- Andrewartha, T., Evans, M., Batson, W., Manning, A., Price, C., Gordon, I., Barton, P. (2021). Outfoxing the fox: Effect of prey odor on fox behavior in a pastoral landscape. Conservation Science and Practice, 3(12), e516. [More Information]
2020
- Price, C., Banks, P., Brown, S., Latham, M., Latham, A., Pech, R., Norbury, G. (2020). Invasive mammalian predators habituate to and generalize avian prey cues: a mechanism for conserving native prey. Ecological Applications, 30(8), e02200. [More Information]
- Garvey, P., Banks, P., Suraci, J., Bodey, T., Glen, A., Jones, C., McArthur, C., Norbury, G., Price, C., Russell, J., et al (2020). Leveraging Motivations, Personality, and Sensory Cues for Vertebrate Pest Management. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 35(11), 990-1000. [More Information]
2019
- Greggor, A., Price, C., Shier, D. (2019). Examining the efficacy of anti-predator training for increasing survival in conservation translocations: A systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence, 8(Suppl1), 1-9. [More Information]
- Lydecker, H., Etheridge, B., Price, C., Banks, P., Hochuli, D. (2019). Landscapes within landscapes: ticks use different ecological niches on the host landscapes of two host species. Acta Tropica, 193, 60-65. [More Information]
- Latham, M., Anderson, D., Norbury, G., Price, C., Banks, P., Latham, A. (2019). Modeling habituation of introduced predators to unrewarding bird odors for conservation of ground-nesting shorebirds. Ecological Applications, 29(1), 1-14. [More Information]
2018
- Price, C., Banks, P. (2018). Habitat augmentation for introduced urban wildlife: The use of piles of railway sleepers as refuge for introduced black rats Rattus rattus. Australian Zoologist, 39(3), 513-519. [More Information]
- Price, C. (2018). Leaving home but nowhere to go: Lessons learnt from almost two decades of Bush Stone-curlew Burhinus grallarius monitoring on the Central Coast of NSW. Australian Zoologist, 39(4), 769-783. [More Information]
2017
- Price, C., Banks, P. (2017). Food quality and conspicuousness shape improvements in olfactory discrimination by mice. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1847), 20162629. [More Information]
- Finnerty, P., Stutz, R., Price, C., Banks, P., McArthur, C. (2017). Leaf odour cues enable non-random foraging by mammalian herbivores. Journal of Animal Ecology, 86(6), 1317-1328. [More Information]
2016
- Bytheway, J., Price, C., Banks, P. (2016). Deadly intentions: naive introduced foxes show rapid attraction to odour cues of an unfamiliar native prey. Scientific Reports, 6, 1-6. [More Information]
- Price, C., Banks, P. (2016). Increased olfactory search costs change foraging behaviour in an alien mustelid: a precursor to prey switching? Oecologia, 182(1), 119-128. [More Information]
- Greggor, A., Berger-Tal, O., Blumstein, D., Angeloni, L., Bessa-Gomes, C., Blackwell, B., St Clair, C., Crooks, K., de Silva, S., Fernandez-Juricic, E., Price, C., et al (2016). Research Priorities from Animal Behaviour for Maximising Conservation Progress. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 31(12), 953-964. [More Information]
2014
- Banks, P., Bytheway, J., Carthey, A., Hughes, N., Price, C. (2014). Olfaction and predator-prey interactions amongst mammals in Australia. In Alistair Glen, Christopher Dickman (Eds.), Carnivores of Australia: Past, Present and Future, (pp. 389-404). Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. [More Information]
2013
- Weerakoon, M., Price, C., Banks, P. (2013). Hair type, intake, and detection method influence Rhodamine B detectability. Journal of Wildlife Management, 77(2), 306-312. [More Information]
- Mason, R., Price, C., Boles, W., Gray, K., Rickard, E., Eldridge, M., Johnson, R. (2013). Isolation and characterisation of microsatellite loci in the bush stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius), a declining Australian bird. Australian Journal of Zoology, 61, 421-423. [More Information]
2012
- Price, C., Banks, P. (2012). Exploiting olfactory learning in alien rats to protect birds' eggs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(47), 19304-19309. [More Information]
Selected Grants
2025
- Odour misinformation: a new way to reduce vertebrate pest damage to plantation seedlings, McArthur C, Possell M, Banks P, Price C, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Federal)/AFWI National Open Call
2024
- Improving predator management by understanding predator use of prey odours, Banks P, Price C, Masani S, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales/Paddy Pallin Science Grant
Current Grants:
2023-2025 - NSW Environmental Trust. Manipulating plant odour to protectthreatened plants from mammalian herbivores. Led by Prof Clare McArthur
2023-2025 - Taronga Field Conservation Grant. Collaboration with Birdlife Australia. Tackling nest predation on Regent Honeyeaters – a newapproach for bird conservation globally(with Prof Peter Banks)
2022–2025 - ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award - Developing sensory tactics to protect prey
2019-2024 - New Zealand Government Endeavour Scheme. Collaboration with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, NZ. Eradication science: eliminating the lastsurvivors to achieve predator freedom
Previous grants:
2018-2019: Sydney South East Asia Centre Cluster grant: Applying foragingecology to reduce human elephant conflict in Sumatra
2017-2018: Margaret Middleton Fund for Endangered Australian Native Vertebrate Animals (Australian Academy of Science). Problem predators: can odour habituation reduce impacts of rogue predators on endangered prey?
2015-2017: New Zealand Government Smart Ideas Grant. Collaboration withLandcare Research, NZ. Chemical camouflage to protect endangeredspecies from invasive predators
In the media
Interview with Geraldine Doogue (ABC Radio National) - How olfactory camouflage can protect Australia's cropshttps://abclisten.page.link/UqkwP2Z3MPvHrkdh8
The Conversation (article): https://theconversation.com/how-to-fool-a-mouse-chemical-camouflage-can-hide-crops-and-cut-losses-by-over-60-202042
The Conversation (article):Scientists used ‘fake news’ to stop predators killing endangered birds — and the result wasremarkable
The Conversation (podcast):How we created fake smells to trick predators and save endangered birds – podcast
ABC Offtrack Bandicoots in backyards: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/offtrack/bandicoots-in-sydney-backyards/6538674