Dylan Westaway

Developing a regional species distribution model and validating with independent survey data: a case study of an avian apex predator, the greater sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa) Context Comprehensive understanding of the distribution and habitat requirements of wildlife species is crucial for the development of effective conservation strategies. For cryptic predators, such as...

🚨 New research

🦉 Using citizen science data, we created a regional SDM for the cryptic sooty owl (Tyto tenebricosa). We then used field surveys and occupancy modelling to validate the SDM.

🌳 We discuss factors driving habitat suitability and conservation implications for this apex predator

Areas of ocean that are cooler than average are shown in BLUE.

Nice one, Grant! 🔥

Cool idea @ellapouton.bsky.social. Looking forward to reading the paper 🙌🏻

Is there a potential to strengthen ecological processes as a way to restore fire regimes?

🔥 🔥 New Paper Out! 🔥 🔥

@adrianregos.bsky.social @bakxbakx.bsky.social @fmoreira65.bsky.social @lluisbrotons.bsky.social and our other co-authors explore this

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I am happy to share my final PhD chapter in @oikosjournal.bsky.social

The 2019–20 wildfires altered vegetation structure yet had little effect on most species’ relative abundance. However, several species shifted their diel activity in burnt landscapes.

doi.org/10.1002/oik....

#FireEcology

Genome-wide diversity and MHC characterisation in a critically endangered freshwater turtle susceptible to disease - Immunogenetics Small, isolated populations are often vulnerable to increased inbreeding and genetic drift, both of which elevate the risk of extinction. The Bellinger River turtle (Myuchelys georgesi) is a criticall...

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Mr Dutton appears to have very little understanding of the broad functioning of the CSIRO and its achievements. WiFi anyone?
www.csiro.au/en/research/...

Some pics from helping Josh Fastuca, set up field sites for his honours research. Josh will be using a variety of methods to assess the effect of cats, foxes and rabbits on herpetofauna.

Carrying around tin and tiles brought back repressed memories from my PhD 😆 Excited to see what Josh finds!

🚨 New research out today from my PhD exploring population genetics of 3 lizard species across fragmented and continuous habitat.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

An important bit of detail in this story:

“They also lower the intensity of bushfires by burying leaves & branches that fuel fires, thereby shaping whole ecosystems.”

Don’t clear native vegetation if you want high crop yields South Australian ecologists have provided irrevocable proof why native vegetation is critical for healthy crop yield.

“South Australian scientists have demonstrated a clear link between the proximity of native vegetation (which attracts pollinators) and higher crop yields, showing why widespread clearance of native vegetation is not a good idea.”

theaimn.net/dont-clear-n...

A purple and white graphic featuring episode 786 of Our Hen House podcast. The title reads 'The Truth About Regenerative Grazing' with the Our Hen House logo. Below are headshots of Jennifer Molidor and Ashley Capps, alongside their powerful quotes about regenerative grazing and plant-based sustainability. The Our Hen House logo shows a white hen with a microphone.

🚨 EXPOSED: The Truth About Regenerative Grazing 🚨 Environmental experts @jennifermolidor.bsky.social and Ashley Capps reveal why this "sustainable" beef trend is pure greenwashing. Must-listen episode with @jasminsinger.com & @marisul.bsky.social! 🎧 ourhenhouse.org/ep786

Gas giant Santos fined $10,000 for 25,000-litre oil spill off Pilbara coast The energy giant has pleaded guilty to causing an oil spill in 2022, that leaked 25,000 litres of oil off WA's north-west coast. Santos will pay a $10,000 fine and $9,700 in court costs for failing to...

Accused by a whistleblower of covering up an oil spill that killed dolphins and sea snakes, Santos get fined just $10k 🤯

Santos spends up to $US3.3m per year on a private jet for their executives so I don’t think AUD10k is going to hurt them.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...

*angry react*

A small cute spider with ridiculously large eyes and strong black and white transverse bands looks like an Anime cartoon- but it isn't.

Here's my #EmotionalSupportSpood, a Pellenes bitaeniata from the north-west slopes of NSW Australia. #Spiders #OzNature #Cute #Salticidae

I've recently been trialling some thermal binoculars to help with creature tracking. Pretty impressed so far, picking up lots of things that are often tough to get eye shine out of, like this chuditch (western quoll) #WildOz

Surely soy over oat?

One of the best things about Perth is that you can normally order an oat flat white <150m from a weedy seadragon #WildOz

Nutrients, isolation and lack of grazing limit plant diversity in restored wetlands Restoration of plant diversity in wetlands is challenging, but our results point to potential remedies: plan restoration areas near colonisation sources of the target biota, restore hydrology to near...

Restored vs Near-natural #wetlands: lower plant diversity incl rare species - but #grazing had positive effect as did available species pool size, prior presence of near-natural habitat & restored #hydrology; high soil Fe+N had negative effects🌿🐂💦 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#YearInReview: Animal agriculture harms the environment and is a major driver of the climate crisis.

Novel meat & dairy alternatives can provide more sustainable ways for humanity to source its protein, according to a UNEP report issued earlier this year: www.unep.org/resources/wh...

Post-Doc position in the KZLab! Immune responses to pathogen infections in frogs We are looking for an NSF-funded post-doc in our lab in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin. The work will examine immune mechanisms that potentially underlie…

Hey All, plz repost, and share with grads, post-docs and disease folks! We are hiring a post-doc to work on mechanisms of immune responses of frog hosts to Bd infections. Deadline is February 1, 2025. Details for the position can be found at the link below. 🐸🐸🐸

zamudiolab.org/2024/12/17/p...

Wildlife restoration in fragmented agricultural landscapes: trialling wild-to-wild translocation with two common reptiles #ESAus2024

Dylan Westaway’s PhD work w/ @biodiversityguy.bsky.social, finding 84% survival rate of translocated dragon lizards to isolated habitat patches in highly fragmented landscapes. And no sign of ⬆️ post-translocation movement rate. Hope for ⬆️ resilience of our rad reptiles❤️. So good! #ESAus2024

How food and farming will determine the fate of planet Earth Agriculture has disrupted the planet more than anything we have ever done, including burning fossil fuels. A sustainable future depends on recognizing this fact – and radically changing how we farm an...

Overall, the global food system does more damage to the planet than anything else we do, even burning fossil fuels.

drawdown.org/insights/how...

1 of 6 reticulated pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) we saw taking advantage of the smorgasbord of bats roosting in this Balinese cave

Some holiday herping in Bali:

- Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus)
- White-lipped put viper (Trimeresurus albolabris)
- Mangrove cat snake (Boiga dendrophila)
- Oriental vine snake (Ahaetulla prasina)

A noodle in a haystack: determining the conservation status of the rare and Data Deficient Ravensthorpe Range slider, Lerista viduata Context One-seventh of the ~157,000 species assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are Data Deficient (DD), with insufficient information to assess their extinction risk. Such a statistic...

Our new paper, led by PhD student Luke Bonifacio, demonstrating that the Data Deficient Ravensthorpe Range slider qualifies for listing as Critically Endangered. @monashbiol.bsky.social. www.publish.csiro.au/PC/PC24048

Roadrunner with a copperhead snake. Creepy, yet cool at the same time. #wildlife #birds #texas