PhD Candidate: Zahra Emlaei

PhD Supervisors: Associate Professor Paul Rymer (WSU), Associate Professor Rachael Nolan (WSU), Dr Michael Franklin (WSU)

Project Summary: Fragmentation and changes in fire regimes pose significant threats to biodiversity and ecosystem function, often interacting synergistically to exacerbate conservation challenges.

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of habitat fragmentation, altered fire regimes, and climate change on leaf traits, while also exploring the potential of leaf spectroscopy for estimating these stresses in open grassy woodland species.

In this study, we will measure five functional leaf traits—fresh weight, dry weight, water potential, dark-adapted fluorescence, and leaf spectral signature—using samples from four plant types (tree, shrub, grass, and forb) collected across at least 20 sites in the Cumberland Plain. These sites will differ in patch size, degree of isolation, and fire history. At each site, leaves will be collected from two dominant species of each plant type, sampling five individual plants per species. Sampling locations will include edges (within 5-20 meters of forest fragment margins) and forest interiors (at least 100 meters from fragment margins). Leaves will be preserved in plastic bags and kept cool to maintain water content until laboratory analysis.

The primary objective is to assess how habitat fragmentation and altered fire regimes influence leaf traits and to explore the potential of leaf spectroscopy for estimating plant stress in open grassy woodland species. Key questions include: Do plants exhibit stress in their spectral signatures due to habitat fragmentation, and altered fire regimes? Are fire and fragmentation-related stresses affecting leaf traits? By addressing these questions, this study aims to enhance our understanding of the interactions between environmental stressors and plant functional traits, contributing to effective conservation strategies.