EucFACE Reveals That Australian Trees Limited By Lack Of Nutrients

 

The EucFACE experiment exposes native woodland to elevated carbon dioxide. We found that:

  • Despite consistent increases in leaf photosynthesis, eucalypts could not put on more wood, stem and leaf growth under elevated CO2.
  • When phosphorus was added in tests, productivity increased by 35%.
  • Findings completely opposite to overseas FACE experiments that found a 23% increase in tree productivity with elevated CO2.
  • Findings demonstrate the importance of Australian science with implications for global climate change models.

Latest News, Events And Highlights

Jul 26
Dr Yaojie Lu (HIE PhD Completion Seminar)

Weds July 26 2017

Completing the PhD journey is worth celebrating! Years of hard work, experiments that only sometimes cooperate, and too much coffee is just part of the long and winding road towards the PhD! At HIE, we want to celebrate the journey with a special PhD Completion Seminar, our first being Yaojie Lu. Please join us on Wednesday as Yaojie shares with us the journey, the findings and the experience of doing PhD studies at HIE.

Nov 6
Annual TERN OzFlux Meeting 2017

November 2017

The Annual OzFlux Meeting brings the flux community together every year to learn the latest in environmental monitoring and scientific techniques.

Please join us in 2017 at the beautiful Hawkesbury campus of Western Sydney University, home to the Cumberland Plains Observatory and unique field facilities.

Positions Vacant

New positions vacant at HIE.

  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Environmental Microbiome - 23rd July 2017
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Greenhouse Horticulture - 13 August 2017
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Microbial / Ecosystem Ecology - 15 August 2017
PhD (HDR) Scholarship: Insect Pollination of Crops

"I am seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to study insect pollinators and crop pollination as part of our major new research project, "Healthy bee populations for sustainable pollination in horticulture", co-funded through Horticulture Innovation Australia's "Pollination Plus" program. Applications close 21 July 2017".

PhD (HDR) Scholarship: Pollinators, Floral Resources and Climate Change

"I am looking for a highly motivated PhD student to conduct research at field sites and in controlled-environment facilities exploring the availability and quality of floral resources across different seasons, and factors influencing pollinator choice of foraging plants."

Supporting Healthy Bees And Healthy Crops
"Taking an international approach to pollination research" aims to explore opportunities to protect native bees and honeybees by better understanding which ones contribute to different crops' pollination, and to develop ways to better provide pollinating insects with the right food sources to thrive under different crops and in different seasons.

2017 QS University Rankings

 

The international Quacarelli Symonds Subject Rankings are a worldwide ranking of major disciplines. The criteria for designating a ranking are:

  • Academic peer review
  • Faculty/Student ratio
  • Citations per faculty
  • Employer reputation
  • International student ratio
  • A measurement of the diversity of the student community
  • International staff ratio

For Agriculture and Forestry, and the Environmental Sciences, these 2017 rankings place Western Sydney University within the top 3% of universities in the world.

 

Quacarelli Symonds Rankings Agriculture and Forestry Top 200 2017

Quacarelli Symonds Rankings Environmental Sciences Top 300 2017

Jen Peters Wins HIE's Three Minute Thesis 2017

29 June 2017

PhD student Jen Peters won the 2017 HIE Round of the annual Three Minute Thesis Competition, with a stellar presentation 'A look inside leaves'. Awarded Runner-Up was PhD student Jonathan Finch with his talk 'Very Niche Ecology' and People's Choice Award went to Kirsten Ball's fabulously enthusiastic talk 'Native under-vine for cheaper wine'.

Presenting a complex research story inside three minutes is a tough ask yet our students presented with flair and passion to showcase their research directions and how they are relevant to everyday people.

'Success Showcase' Magazine

Success Showcase
Autumn Edition Of Success Showcase Magazine

Welcome to the Autumn Success Showcase, our showcase magazine of news, research, stories and features from the Hawkesbury Institute...

Summer 2015 Showcase
Summer Edition Of Success Showcase Magazine

Selecting Red Gums for a warmer, drier Australia of the future and much more...