Professor Glenda Wardle
People_

Professor Glenda Wardle

AM
Professor of Ecology and Evolution
School of Life and Environmental Sciences
Professor Glenda Wardle

Glenda Wardle is a Professor of Ecology and Evolution in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney, co-lead Desert Ecology Research Group, member of the Sydney Institute of Agriculture and the Citizen Science Node of the Charles Perkins Centre.

Glenda’s leadership roles include, WWF Board and member Eminent Scientists Group, Chair of the Ecosystem Science Council of Australia, TERN NSW Regional ambassador, Biodiversity theme lead for the ARC Centre for Data Analytics for Resources and Environments (DARE), Chair Steering Committee for the ARDC Machine Observation Data Processing Infrastructure Project (MODS), Oceania Ecological Forecasting Initiative, joint-lead (OEFI), Sydney Environment Institute Advisory Committee and Curator, John Ray Herbarium.

I am motivated by using ecological and evolutionary knowledge to provide solutions for the challenges we face in living healthy lives and keeping the planet and its biodiversity intact for future generations.

My research bridges predictive modeling, long-term experiments, and ecosystem forecasting, transforming our understanding of ecological dynamics and resilience, especially in drylands.

I am interested in supervising students with a passion for research who want to combine good data, robust models and conceptual thinking. Especially, if interested in plants and ecosystems in drylands.

Sydney Environment Institute, “Biodiversity is Everyone’s Business”, Suwen Chen (Business School), Catherine Grueber, Brigitte Sommer, Emma Thompson, Glenda Wardle (SOLES).

Australian Research Council Discovery Grant.“Ecological forecasts of species response to fire, drought and heatwaves” Wardle, Dickman, Greenville, Tulloch, Newsome (USyd), Dietze (Boston University).

International consortium, Nutrient Network, lead for two sites,https://nutnet.org/

International consortium, Droughtnet, lead for three sites

International consortium on Biodesert, lead for 4 sites

International consortium, PlantPopNet, co-founder

Australasian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC), Ecological Society of America (ESA), Ecological Society of Australia, (ESA), ILTER, INTECOL, Rangeland Society, Royal Zoological Society, NSW, Society for Conservation Biology, The Order of Australia Association

Past associations: American Geophysical Union, British Ecological Association (BES), New Zealand Ecological Society, Oceania Pollinator Initiative (OPI).

Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to science in the field of ecology and evolution (2024)

Whitley Award commendation for Conservation Zoology. Co-authored chapter of book: Legge et al. (eds.). Monitoring threatened species and ecological communities CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. (2018)

International Association for Public Participation-Australasia’s Core Value Awards Environment category, Highly Commended for Ecosystem Science Long Term Plan (2015)

Ecological Society of Australia Members Service Award (2014)

Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision (2011)

Ecology and Evolution, Wildlife and conservation, Environment
Project titleResearch student
Near-term ecological forecasting: A Bayesian framework for modelling spatio-temporal population dynamics in extreme environmentsHashini GOLUWA MAKKALA GUNADASA
Supporting genetically informed restoration of a non-model species Melaleuca quinquenervia in light of the recent Myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) incursion in NSW.Karina GUO
Ears on Recovery: Post-Megafire Responses of Birds across different Fire Severities and Historic Fire Frequencies.Eleanor HADFIELD
Fauna Recovery Under Novel Fire RegimesEmily SIMPSON
Ecohydrological modelling of flood and groundwater dependent ecosystemsRasanthi WIMALASURIYA

Publications

Book Chapters

  • Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Wardle, G. (2018). Determining trends in irruptive desert species. In S. Legge, D. Lindenmayer, N. Robinson, B. Scheele, D. Southwell, B. Wintle (Eds.), Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities, (pp. 279-290). Clayton: CSIRO Publishing. [More Information]
  • Nano, C., Jobson, P., Wardle, G. (2017). Arid Shrublands and Open Woodland of Inland Australia. In David Keith (Eds.), Australian Vegetation, (pp. 626-650). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Wardle, G. (2017). Developing the desert - potential effects on wildlife. In Rishard Kingsford (Eds.), Lake Eyre Basin rivers: environmental, social and economic importance, (pp. 63-74). Clayton South: CSIRO Publishing. [More Information]

Journals

  • Schoenefuss, P., Kutt, A., Kern, P., Moffatt, K., Bon, J., Wardle, G., Dickman, C., Hurwood, D., Baker, A. (2024). An investigation into the utility of eastern barn owl pellet content as a tool to monitor small mammal diversity in an arid ecosystem. Austral Ecology, 49(3), e13503. [More Information]
  • Lyster, R., Couzens, E., Wardle, G. (2024). Australia's Biodiversity and the Bushfire Climate Catastrophe: Neoliberalism, Causality, Responsibility and Recovery. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 40(3), 168-197.
  • Stringer, E., Gruber, B., Sarre, S., Wardle, G., Edwards, S., Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Duncan, R. (2024). Boom-bust population dynamics drive rapid genetic change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(18), e2320590121. [More Information]

Conferences

  • Cross, R., Quinnell, R., Rhodes, P., Wardle, G., Bell, T., Motion, A., Hubble, T., Dancso, Z., Murphy, D., Gongora, J. (2019). Extending the boundaries of non-Indigenous science to embrace the cultural curriculum by creating a living compendium of practice. ACSME, Sydney: The University of Sydney.
  • Cheung, C., Wardle, G., Quinnell, R. (2015). Campus Flora: a digital education and engagement tool to turn whole campuses into interactive learning spaces. Ecological Society of Australia Annual Conference. Ecological Society of Australia.
  • Emery, N., Wardle, G., Henwood, M., Offord, C. (2014). Experimental evidence confirms the interactive effect of soil and climate on predicted plant distributions. Ecological Society of Australia 2014 Annual Conference, Alice Springs: ESA Publications Division.

Report

  • Greenville, A., Spencer, E., Newsome, T., Dickman, C., Wardle, G. (2021). Post-fire Vertebrate Pest and Wildlife Survey. Sydney: Blue Mountains City Council.

Other

  • Gilbert, G., Jeon, Y., Stears, M., Wardle, G., Costello, A. (2020), Moving beyond lockdown: how might citizen action help tackle the public health crisis?.

2024

  • Schoenefuss, P., Kutt, A., Kern, P., Moffatt, K., Bon, J., Wardle, G., Dickman, C., Hurwood, D., Baker, A. (2024). An investigation into the utility of eastern barn owl pellet content as a tool to monitor small mammal diversity in an arid ecosystem. Austral Ecology, 49(3), e13503. [More Information]
  • Lyster, R., Couzens, E., Wardle, G. (2024). Australia's Biodiversity and the Bushfire Climate Catastrophe: Neoliberalism, Causality, Responsibility and Recovery. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 40(3), 168-197.
  • Stringer, E., Gruber, B., Sarre, S., Wardle, G., Edwards, S., Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Duncan, R. (2024). Boom-bust population dynamics drive rapid genetic change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(18), e2320590121. [More Information]

2023

  • Hill, P., Gruber, B., Dickman, C., Dinnage, R., Duncan, R., Edwards, S., Greenville, A., Sarre, S., Stringer, E., Wardle, G. (2023). Episodic population fragmentation and gene flow reveal a trade-off between heterozygosity and allelic richness. Molecular Ecology, 32(24), 6766-6776. [More Information]
  • Tulloch, A., Healy, A., Silcock, J., Wardle, G., Dickman, C., Frank, A., Aubault, H., Barton, K., Greenville, A. (2023). Long-term livestock exclusion increases plant richness and reproductive capacity in arid woodlands. Ecological Applications, 33(8), e2909. [More Information]
  • Llewelyn, J., Strona, G., Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Wardle, G., Lee, M., Doherty, S., Shabani, F., Saltré, F., Bradshaw, C. (2023). Predicting predator–prey interactions in terrestrial endotherms using random forest. Ecography, 2023 (9). [More Information]

2022

  • Verhoeven, E., Wardle, G., Roth, G., Greenville, A. (2022). Characterising the spatiotemporal dynamics of drought and wet events in Australia. Science of the Total Environment, 846(157480). [More Information]
  • van Etten, E., Brooks, M., Greenville, A., Wardle, G. (2022). Editorial: Fire regimes in desert ecosystems: Drivers, impacts and changes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, 1-3. [More Information]
  • Price, J., Sitters, J., Ohlert, T., Tognetti, P., Brown, C., Seabloom, E., Borer, E., Prober, S., Bakker, E., Macdougall, A., Dickman, C., Wardle, G., et al (2022). Evolutionary history of grazing and resources determine herbivore exclusion effects on plant diversity. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 6(9), 1290-1298. [More Information]

2021

  • Cross, R., Quinnell, R., Bell, T., Rhodes, P., Dancso, Z., Hubble, T., Wardle, G., Lewis, M., Motion, A., Murphy, D., Gongora, J. (2021). 'You'll Never Get Cultural Competence in Science': An Australian Perspective on Integrating Cultural Competence into Science Teaching Via Cultural Accountability. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 29(3), 62-74. [More Information]
  • Villellas, J., Ehrlén, J., Crone, E., Csergo, A., Garcia, M., Laine, A., Roach, D., Salguero-Gómez, R., Wardle, G., Childs, D., et al (2021). Phenotypic plasticity masks range-wide genetic differentiation for vegetative but not reproductive traits in a short-lived plant. Ecology Letters, 24(11), 2378-2393. [More Information]
  • Greenville, A., Spencer, E., Newsome, T., Dickman, C., Wardle, G. (2021). Post-fire Vertebrate Pest and Wildlife Survey. Sydney: Blue Mountains City Council.

2020

  • Sparrow, B., Foulkes, J., Wardle, G., Leitch, E., Caddy-Retalic, S., van Leeuwen, S., Tokmakoff, A., Thurgate, N., Guerin, G., Lowe, A. (2020). A vegetation and soil survey method for surveillance monitoring of rangeland environments. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 8, 1-18. [More Information]
  • Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Wardle, G., Bytheway, J. (2020). Class Conflict: Diffuse Competition between Mammalian and Reptilian Predators. Diversity, 12(9), 355. [More Information]
  • Sparrow, B., Edwards, W., Munroe, S., Wardle, G., Guerin, G., Bastin, J., Morris, B., Christensen, R., Phinn, S., Lowe, A. (2020). Effective ecosystem monitoring requires a multi-scaled approach. Biological Reviews, 95(6), 1706-1719. [More Information]

2019

  • Nguyen, V., Buckley, Y., Salguero-Gómez, R., Wardle, G. (2019). Consequences of neglecting cryptic life stages from demographic models. Ecological Modelling, 408, 1-11. [More Information]
  • Greenville, A., Wardle, G., Ritchie, E., Newsome, T. (2019). Demise of the dingo. Austral Ecology, 44(3), 555-569. [More Information]
  • Cross, R., Quinnell, R., Rhodes, P., Wardle, G., Bell, T., Motion, A., Hubble, T., Dancso, Z., Murphy, D., Gongora, J. (2019). Extending the boundaries of non-Indigenous science to embrace the cultural curriculum by creating a living compendium of practice. ACSME, Sydney: The University of Sydney.

2018

  • Tulloch, A., Auerbach, N., Avery-Gomm, S., Bayraktarov, E., Butterfield, N., Dickman, C., Ehmke, G., Fisher, D., Grantham, H., Holden, M., Wardle, G., et al (2018). A decision tree for assessing the risks and benefits of publishing biodiversity data. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2(8), 1209-1217. [More Information]
  • Greenville, A., Burns, E., Dickman, C., Keith, D., Lindenmayer, D., Morgan, J., Heinze, D., Mansergh, I., Gillespie, G., Einoder, L., Wardle, G., et al (2018). Biodiversity responds to increasing climatic extremes in a biome-specific manner. Science of the Total Environment, 634, 382-393. [More Information]
  • Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Wardle, G. (2018). Determining trends in irruptive desert species. In S. Legge, D. Lindenmayer, N. Robinson, B. Scheele, D. Southwell, B. Wintle (Eds.), Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities, (pp. 279-290). Clayton: CSIRO Publishing. [More Information]

2017

  • Greenville, A., Dickman, C., Wardle, G. (2017). 75 years of dryland science: Trends and gaps in arid ecology literature. PloS One, 12(4), e0175014. [More Information]
  • Nano, C., Jobson, P., Wardle, G. (2017). Arid Shrublands and Open Woodland of Inland Australia. In David Keith (Eds.), Australian Vegetation, (pp. 626-650). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Caddy-Retalic, S., Andersen, A., Aspinwall, M., Breed, M., Byrne, M., Christmas, M., Dong, N., Evans, B., Fordham, D., Guerin, G., Wardle, G., et al (2017). Bioclimatic transect networks: Powerful observatories of ecological change. Ecology and Evolution, 7(13), 4607-4619. [More Information]

2016

  • Frank, A., Wardle, G., Greenville, A., Dickman, C. (2016). Cattle removal in arid Australia benefits kangaroos in high quality habitat but does not affect camels. The Rangeland Journal, 38(1), 73-84. [More Information]
  • Popic, T., Davila, Y., Wardle, G. (2016). Cheater or mutualist? Novel florivory interaction between nectar-rich Crotalaria cunninghamii and small mammals. Austral Ecology, 41(4), 396-404. [More Information]
  • Tredennick, A., Adler, P., Grace, J., Harpole, W., Borer, E., Seabloom, E., Anderson, T., Bakker, J., Biederman, L., Brown, C., Wardle, G., et al (2016). Comment on "Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness". Science, 351(6272), 1-3. [More Information]

2015

  • Emery, N., Henwood, M., Offord, C., Wardle, G. (2015). Actinotus helianthi populations across a wide geographic range exhibit different climatic envelopes and complex relationships with plant traits. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 176(8), 739-750. [More Information]
  • Cheung, C., Wardle, G., Quinnell, R. (2015). Campus Flora: a digital education and engagement tool to turn whole campuses into interactive learning spaces. Ecological Society of Australia Annual Conference. Ecological Society of Australia.
  • Cheung, C., Wardle, G., Quinnell, R. (2015). Campus Flora: a digital education and engagement tool to turn whole campuses into interactive learning spaces. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of Australia, 3(45), 17-19.

2014

  • Greenville, A., Wardle, G., Tamayo, B., Dickman, C. (2014). Bottom-up and top-down processes interact to modify intraguild interactions in resource-pulse environments. Oecologia, 175(4), 1349-1358. [More Information]
  • Emery, N., Wardle, G., Henwood, M., Offord, C. (2014). Experimental evidence confirms the interactive effect of soil and climate on predicted plant distributions. Ecological Society of Australia 2014 Annual Conference, Alice Springs: ESA Publications Division.
  • Andersen, A., Beringer, J., Bull, C., Byrne, M., Cleugh, H., Christensen, R., French, K., Harch, B., Hoffmann, A., Lowe, A., Wardle, G., et al (2014). Foundations for the future: A long-term plan for Australian ecosystem science. Austral Ecology, 39(7), 739-748. [More Information]

2013

  • Renner, M., Brown, E., Wardle, G. (2013). Averaging v. outlier removal. Decrypting variance among cryptic Lejeunea species (Lejeuneaceae: Jungermanniopsida) using geometric morphometrics. Australian Systematic Botany, 26(1), 13-30. [More Information]
  • Tischler, M., Dickman, C., Wardle, G. (2013). Avian functional group responses to rainfall across four vegetation types in the Simpson Desert, central Australia. Austral Ecology, 38(7), 809-819. [More Information]
  • Popic, T., Davila, Y., Wardle, G. (2013). Evaluation of Common Methods for Sampling Invertebrate Pollinator Assemblages: Net Sampling Out-Perform Pan Traps. PloS One, 8(6), 1-9. [More Information]

2012

  • Greenville, A., Wardle, G., Dickman, C. (2012). Extreme climatic events drive mammal irruptions: regression analysis of 100-year trends in desert rainfall and temperature. Ecology and Evolution, 2(11), 2645-2658. [More Information]
  • Frank, A., Dickman, C., Wardle, G. (2012). Habitat use and behaviour of cattle in a heterogeneous desert environment in central Australia. The Rangeland Journal, 34(3), 319-328. [More Information]
  • Lindenmayer, D., Gibbons, P., Bourke, M., Burgman, M., Dickman, C., Ferrier, S., Fitzsimons, J., Freudenberger, D., Garnett, S., Groves, C., Wardle, G., et al (2012). Improving biodiversity monitoring. Austral Ecology, 37(3), 285-294. [More Information]

2011

  • Morton, S., Smith, D., Dickman, C., Dunkerley, D., Friedel, M., McAllister, R., Reid, J., Roshier, D., Smith, M., Walsh, F., Wardle, G., et al (2011). A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia. Journal of Arid Environments, 75(4), 313-329. [More Information]
  • Gurevitch, J., Fox, G., Wardle, G., Inderjit, -., Taub, D. (2011). Emergent insights from the synthesis of conceptual frameworks for biological invasions. Ecology Letters, 14(4), 407-418. [More Information]
  • Divljan, A., Parry-Jones, K., Wardle, G. (2011). One hundred and forty days in the life of a flyingfox tooth-fairy: Estimating the age of pups using tooth eruption and replacement. Symposium on the Biology and Conservation of Australasian Bats, Mosman: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. [More Information]

2010

  • Buckley, Y., Ramula, S., Blomberg, S., Burns, J., Crone, E., Ehrlen, J., Knight, T., Pichancourt, J., Quested, H., Wardle, G. (2010). Causes and consequences of variation in plant population growth rate: a synthesis of matrix population models in a phylogenetic context. Ecology Letters, 13(9), 1182-1197. [More Information]
  • Burns, J., Blomberg, S., Crone, E., Ehrlen, J., Knight, T., Pichancourt, J., Ramula, S., Wardle, G., Buckley, Y. (2010). Empirical Tests of Life-History Evolution Theory using Phylogenetic Analysis of Plant Demography. Journal of Ecology, 98(2), 334-344. [More Information]
  • Dickman, C., Greenville, A., Beh, C., Tamayo, B., Wardle, G. (2010). Social organization and movements of desert rodents during population "booms" and "busts" in central Australia. Journal of Mammalogy, 91(4), 798-810. [More Information]

2009

  • Renner, M., Brown, E., Wardle, G. (2009). Evidence for species recognition on the basis of a single specimen: Nephelolejeunea carcharias sp. nov. (Lejeuneaceae: Jungermanniopsida). Systematic Botany, 34(4), 615-624. [More Information]
  • Renner, M., Brown, E., Wardle, G. (2009). Lejeunea pocsii R.M.Schust. Is a heterotypic synonym of L. Helmsiana (Steph.) Steph. (Lejeuneaceae, Marchantiophyta). Nova Hedwigia, 89(3-4), 335-348. [More Information]
  • Williams, M., Wardle, G. (2009). Pinus radiata invasion in New South Wales: the extent of spread. Plant Protection Quarterly, 24(4), 146-156.

2008

  • Tierney, D., Wardle, G. (2008). The relative fitness of parental and hybrid Kunzea (Myrtaceae): The interaction of reproductive traits and ecological selection. American Journal of Botany, 95(2), 146-155. [More Information]
  • Davila, Y., Wardle, G. (2008). Variation in native pollinators in the absence of honeybees: implications for reproductive success of an Australian generalist-pollinated herb Trachymene incisa (Apiaceae). Linnean Society. Botanical Journal, 156(3), 479-490. [More Information]

2007

  • Davila, Y., Wardle, G. (2007). Bee boys and fly girls: Do pollinators prefer male or female umbels in protandrous parsnip, Trachymene incisa (Apiaceae)? Austral Ecology, 32(7), 798-807. [More Information]
  • Williams, M., Wardle, G. (2007). Pine and eucalypt litterfall in a pine-invaded eucalypt woodland: The role of fire and canopy cover. Forest Ecology and Management, 253(1-3), 1-10. [More Information]
  • Williams, M., Wardle, G. (2007). Pinus radiata invasion in Australia: Identifying key knowledge gaps and research directions. Austral Ecology, 32(7), 721-739. [More Information]

2006

  • Divljan, A., Parry-Jones, K., Wardle, G. (2006). Age determination in the grey-headed flying fox. Journal of Wildlife Management, 70(2), 607-611. [More Information]

2005

  • Tierney, D., Wardle, G. (2005). Differential seed ecology in the shrubs Kunzea rupestris, K-capitata and associated hybrids (Myrtaceae): the function of thin-walled fruit in a fire-prone vegetation. Australian Journal of Botany, 53(4), 313-321. [More Information]
  • Williams, M., Wardle, G. (2005). The influence of vegetation structure and composition on invasibility by Pinus radiata in the Blue Mountains, NSW. Cunninghamia, 9(2), 285-294.
  • Williams, M., Wardle, G. (2005). The invasion of two native Eucalypt forests by Pinus radiata in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. Biological Conservation, 125(1), 55-64. [More Information]

2003

  • Wardle, G. (2003). Experimental determination of seed emergence and carry-over in the soil seed bank of the herbaceous perennial, Trachymene incisa (Apiaceae). Austral Ecology, 28(2), 161-172. [More Information]
  • Warton, D., Wardle, G. (2003). Site-to-site variation in the demography of a fire-affected perennial, Acacia suaveolens, at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Austral Ecology, 28(1), 38-47. [More Information]

2002

  • Davila, Y., Wardle, G. (2002). Reproductive ecology of the Australian herb Trachymene incisa subsp. incisa (Apiaceae). Australian Journal of Botany, 50(5), 619-626. [More Information]

Selected Grants

2021

  • Community Response for Fire Recovery in Blue Gum Forest and Grose Valley, Van Ogtrop F, Greenville A, Wardle G, Dickman C, Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute/Client Commissioned Research

2020

  • Ecological forecasts of species response to fire, drought and heatwaves, Wardle G, Dickman C, Greenville A, Tulloch A, Newsome T, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)
  • ARC Training Centre for Data Analytics for Resources and Environments DARE, Vervoort R, Marshall L, Ramos F, Wardle G, Tao D, Girolami M, Kohn R, Cripps E, Lindsay M, Oppermann I, Webster J, Korbel M, Salles T, Tanaka E, Scalzo R, Johnson F, Gosling J, Chandra R, Greenville A, Cripps S, Hirst V, Bell J, Black J, Jessell M, Czarnota A, Azizi L, Gibson L, Symington N, Dupen P, Gallagher M, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Industrial Transformation Training Centres (ITTC)

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