Ms Eleanor Dormontt

Biography/ Background

After completing Honours in 2004 at the University of Bristol in the UK, I worked for the Sussex Wildlife Trust on ancient woodland characterisation and whole landscape level evaluation of important conservation areas. In 2007 I relocated to Adelaide to begin my PhD on the evolution of invasiveness in Senecio madagascariensis, a weed of eastern coastal pastures in Australia. Using a combination of molecular and ecological studies I am evaluating the importance of various hypotheses in the successful invasion of this "fireweed". My principal supervisor is Andrew Lowe, Professor of Plant Conservation Biology at the University of Adelaide; and Head of Science, State Herbarium and Biological Survey, Department for Environment and Heritage

Qualifications

Current Position:
PhD Candidate at the Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity, funded by the ARC discovery project “Why do only some exotics become invasive? Combining ecological and genomic approaches to address alternative hypotheses in a recent Australian weed” (2007-present).

Previous Education:
BSc (Hons) Biology, University of Bristol (2001-2004).

Awards:
Council of Australasian Weed Societies: Annual Student Travel Award - $3000 (2008).
Australian Biological Resources Study: Student Bursary for Travel and Conference - $500 (2007).

Teaching Interests

I am currently a tutor and demonstrator for the following undergraduate courses at the University of Adelaide:

Molecules, Genes and Cells
Biology I: Organisms
Ecological Issues

Research Interests

As examples of contemporary colonisations, invasive species offer a unique opportunity to study the processes of establishment and spread from both an ecological and evolutionary perspective. Despite relatively short introduction histories, many invasive species show evidence of divergence from their putative sources in the native range, indicating that rapid adaptation may be occurring.

Using the Australian weed Senecio madagascariensis, I am investigating whether adaptive evolution may have facilitated invasion. Specifically I am testing various hypotheses including the potential roles of hybridisation with a native congeneric; admixture between multiple sources of introduction; and selection of adaptive genes in specific environments. Using a combination of historical, ecological, geographical and molecular data, I am seeking to better understand the invasion dynamics of this species and the extent to which Australian populations are differentiating from their South African source(s).

My work will have several wide-ranging implications, including influencing risk-assessment criteria for biosecurity, aiding in the search for suitable biocontrol agents, and broadening our general understanding of the mechanisms of evolution.

Publications

Wilson, J.R.U., Dormontt, E.E., Prentis, P., Lowe, A.J. & Richardson, D.M. (in press) Something in the way you move: dispersal pathways affect invasion success. Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

Prentis, P.J., Wilson, J.R.U., Dormontt, E.E., Richardson, D.M. & Lowe, A.J. (2008) Adaptive evolution in invasive species. Trends in Plant Science, 13, 288-294.

Dormontt, E.E. (2008) The evolutionary consequences of hybridisation between a native and invasive Senecio. 16th Australian Weeds Conference Proceedings (eds R. D. Van Klinken, V. A. Osten, F. D. Panetta & J. C. Scanlan), pp. 146. Queensland Weeds Society, Brisbane.

N.B. Please see "Files" at the bottom of this webpage for pdf copies of these publications (not available for "in press" articles).

Professional Associations

Weed Management Society of South Australia

Community Engagement

Conferences and Meetings:
Poster presentation at the Symposium "Fifty years of invasion ecology - the legacy of Charles Elton", hosted by DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch, South Africa (2008).

Invited oral presentation at the 1st SA Weeds Conference, hosted by the Weed Management Society of South Australia, Adelaide (2008).

Attendance at the National Fireweed Conference, hosted by the Bega Valley Fireweed Association, Bega (2008).

Oral presentation at the 16th Australian Weeds Conference, hosted by the Weed Society of Queensland, Cairns (2008).

Attendance at the 9th International Conference on the Ecology and Management of Alien Plant Invasions, hosted by the Weeds Society of Western Australia, Perth (2007).

Oral presentation at the West Weald Landscape Project Launch, hosted by the Sussex Wildlife Trust, UK (2006).

Files

• Prentis et al 2008 - Prentis_et_al_2008.pdf [391.8K] (application/pdf)
• Dormontt 2008 - Eleanor_Dormontt_16AWC_paper.pdf [142.7K] (application/pdf)

Entry last updated: Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011