Dr Annabel Smith
Lecturer in Wildlife Management
School of the Environment
+61 7 336 52188
Researcher biography
RESEARCH INTERESTS Fire Ecology, Restoration Ecology, Ecological Genomics, Wildlife Science, Conservation Biology, Invasive Plants
My research group studies fire ecology and conservation biology. Currently, we are working on:
- Using fire to benefit plant biodiversity and manage invasive plants
- Predicting effects of changing fire regimes on plant-animal interactions
- Native grassland restoration
- Biodiversity in agricultural landscapes
We have a special interest in plants and animals living in fire-prone areas because of the fascinating fact that these ecosystems are never static but continually re-shaped by cycles of fire and regeneration. While being grounded in fundamental biology and ecological theory, our research is always aimed at improving knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Our work has applications in fire management, biological invasion and threatened species conservation.
TECHNICAL APPROACHES: POPULATION GENETICS | SPATIAL LANDSCAPE GENETICS | DEMOGRAPHIC SIMULATION MODELLING | STATISTICAL MODELLING OF POPULATIONS & COMMUNITIES | BIOINFORMATICS | SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN R | We also know how to drop a hand-made 1 x 1 m polypipe quadrat on the ground and do good old-fashioned field work.
TEACHING: I teach ecology, wildlife science and environmental science at UQ. My teaching and coordination activities have included Elements of Ecology (AGRC1032), Wildlife Technology (ANIM3018) and People Fire & Environment (ENVM3215 / ENMV7530).
EDITORIAL I am Associate Editor for Wildlife Letters (2023–)
I was Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology for four years (2018–2022).
CURRICULUM VITAE
- 2019 – current Lecturer, University of Queensland
- 2018 – 2022 Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Ecology
- 2018 – 2019 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
- 2016 – 2017 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
- 2015 – 2016 Post-doctoral Research Assistant, University of Melbourne
- 2015 – 2016 Self-employed Consultant Ecologist, Canberra
- 2012 – 2014 Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Australian National University
EDUCATION
2012 PhD in Ecology, Australian National University
2006 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation Honours, Flinders University
2005 BSc in Biodiversity Conservation, Flinders University
Publications
Journal Articles
Bird, Rhiannon R., Zsoldos, Rebeka R., Jimenez Sandoval, Martha V., Watson, Shania J. and Smith, Annabel L. (2025). Wildfire in rainforest margins is associated with variation in mammal diversity and habitat use. Wildlife Research, 52 (2) WR24103, 1-13. doi: 10.1071/wr24103
Brunt, Tamielle and Smith, Annabel L. (2025). Habitat Quality and Water Availability Affect Genetic Connectivity of Platypus Across an Urban Landscape. Animal Conservation. doi: 10.1111/acv.13011
Brunt, Tamielle, Cecil, Matt, Griffiths, Josh, Adams‐Hosking, Christine, Murray, Peter J. and Smith, Annabel L. (2025). Environmental DNA reveals habitat variables driving platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) distribution across an urbanised landscape. Ecology and Evolution, 15 (1) e70783. doi: 10.1002/ece3.70783
Roberts, Isobel, Milner, Richard N. C., Howland, Brett, Lumbers, James, Gilbert, Maree and Smith, Annabel L. (2024). Effects of abiotic restoration through rock addition on invertebrate functional diversity in native temperate grasslands. Restoration Ecology, 32 (7) e14192. doi: 10.1111/rec.14192
Csergő, Anna M., Healy, Kevin, O'Connell, Darren P., Baudraz, Maude E. A., Kelly, David J., Ó Marcaigh, Fionn, Smith, Annabel L., Villellas, Jesus, White, Cian, Yang, Qiang and Buckley, Yvonne M. (2023). Spatial phenotypic variability is higher between island populations than between mainland populations worldwide. Ecography, 2024 (1) e06787, 1-13. doi: 10.1111/ecog.06787
Charles, Felicity E., Brady, Megan J. and Smith, Annabel L. (2023). Use of road infrastructure for movement by common terrestrial vertebrates. Wildlife Letters, 1 (3), 97-106. doi: 10.1002/wll2.12019
Smith, Annabel L., Kanjithanda, Raagini M., Hayashi, Tobias, French, Jack and Milner, Richard N. C. (2023). Reducing herbicide input and optimising spray method can minimise non‐target impacts on native grassland plant species. Ecological Applications, 33 (5) e2864, e2864. doi: 10.1002/eap.2864
Di, Binyin, Firn, Jennifer, Buckley, Yvonne M., Lomas, Kate, Pausas, Juli G. and Smith, Annabel L. (2022). The impact of roadside burning on genetic diversity in a high‐biomass invasive grass. Evolutionary Applications, 15 (5), 790-803. doi: 10.1111/eva.13369
Villellas, Jesus, Ehrlén, Johan, Crone, Elizabeth E., Csergő, Anna Mária, Garcia, Maria B., Laine, Anna‐Liisa, Roach, Deborah A., Salguero‐Gómez, Roberto, Wardle, Glenda M., Childs, Dylan Z., Elderd, Bret D., Finn, Alain, Munné‐Bosch, Sergi, Bachelot, Benedicte, Bódis, Judit, Bucharova, Anna, Caruso, Christina M., Catford, Jane A., Coghill, Matthew, Compagnoni, Aldo, Duncan, Richard P., Dwyer, John M., Ferguson, Aryana, Fraser, Lauchlan H., Griffoul, Emily, Groenteman, Ronny, Hamre, Liv Norunn, Helm, Aveliina, Kelly, Ruth ... Buckley, Yvonne M. (2021). Phenotypic plasticity masks range‐wide genetic differentiation for vegetative but not reproductive traits in a short‐lived plant. Ecology Letters, 24 (11) ele.13858, 1-16. doi: 10.1111/ele.13858
Kelly, Luke T., Giljohann, Katherine M., Duane, Andrea, Aquilué, Núria, Archibald, Sally, Batllori, Enric, Bennett, Andrew F., Buckland, Stephen T., Canelles, Quim, Clarke, Michael F., Fortin, Marie-Josée, Hermoso, Virgilio, Herrando, Sergi, Keane, Robert E., Lake, Frank K., McCarthy, Michael A., Morán-Ordóñez, Alejandra, Parr, Catherine L., Pausas, Juli G., Penman, Trent D., Regos, Adrián, Rumpff, Libby, Santos, Julianna L., Smith, Annabel L., Syphard, Alexandra D., Tingley, Morgan W. and Brotons, Lluís (2020). Fire and biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Science, 370 (6519) eabb0355, eabb0355-+. doi: 10.1126/science.abb0355
Driscoll, Don A., Smith, Annabel L., Blight, Samantha and Sellar, Ian (2020). Interactions among body size, trophic level, and dispersal traits predict beetle detectability and occurrence responses to fire. Ecological Entomology, 45 (2), 300-310. doi: 10.1111/een.12798
Smith, Annabel L., Hodkinson, Trevor R., Villellas, Jesus, Catford, Jane A., Csergő, Anna Mária, Blomberg, Simone P., Crone, Elizabeth E., Ehrlén, Johan, Garcia, Maria B., Laine, Anna-Liisa, Roach, Deborah A., Salguero-Gómez, Roberto, Wardle, Glenda M., Childs, Dylan Z., Elderd, Bret D., Finn, Alain, Munné-Bosch, Sergi, Baudraz, Maude E. A., Bódis, Judit, Brearley, Francis Q., Bucharova, Anna, Caruso, Christina M., Duncan, Richard P., Dwyer, John M., Gooden, Ben, Groenteman, Ronny, Hamre, Liv Norunn, Helm, Aveliina, Kelly, Ruth ... Buckley, Yvonne M. (2020). Global gene flow releases invasive plants from environmental constraints on genetic diversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (8), 201915848-4227. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1915848117
Smith, Annabel L., Kujala, Heini, Lahoz-Monfort, José J., Guja, Lydia K., Burns, Emma L., Nathan, Ran, Alacs, Erika, Barton, Philip S., Bau, Sana, Driscoll, Don A., Lentini, Pia E., Mortelliti, Alessio, Rowe, Ross and Buckley, Yvonne M. (2019). Managing uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions. Conservation Letters, 12 (3) e12620, e12620. doi: 10.1111/conl.12620
Catford, Jane A., Smith, Annabel L., Wragg, Peter D., Clark, Adam T., Kosmala, Margaret, Cavender-Bares, Jeannine, Reich, Peter B. and Tilman, David (2019). Traits linked with species invasiveness and community invasibility vary with time, stage and indicator of invasion in a long-term grassland experiment. Ecology Letters, 22 (4), 593-604. doi: 10.1111/ele.13220
Smith, Annabel (2018). Increasing editorial diversity: strategies for structural change. Fire, 1 (3), 42. doi: 10.3390/fire1030042
Kelly, Luke, Brotons, Lluís, Giljohann, Katherine, McCarthy, Michael, Pausas, Juli and Smith, Annabel (2018). Bridging the divide: integrating animal and plant paradigms to secure the future of biodiversity in fire-prone ecosystems. Fire, 1 (2) 29, 29-8. doi: 10.3390/fire1020029
Smith, Annabel L., Barrett, Russell L. and Milner, Richard N. C. (2018). Annual mowing maintains plant diversity in threatened temperate grasslands. Applied Vegetation Science, 21 (2), 207-218. doi: 10.1111/avsc.12365
Smith, Annabel L. (2018). Successional changes in trophic interactions support a mechanistic model of post-fire population dynamics. Oecologia, 186 (1), 129-139. doi: 10.1007/s00442-017-4016-z
Olah, George, Smith, Annabel L., Asner, Gregory P., Brightsmith, Donald J., Heinsohn, Robert G. and Peakall, Rod (2017). Exploring dispersal barriers using landscape genetic resistance modelling in scarlet macaws of the Peruvian Amazon. Landscape Ecology, 32 (2), 445-456. doi: 10.1007/s10980-016-0457-8
McDougall, Alice, Milner, Richard N. C., Driscoll, Don A. and Smith, Annabel L. (2016). Restoration rocks: integrating abiotic and biotic habitat restoration to conserve threatened species and reduce fire fuel load. Biodiversity and Conservation, 25 (8), 1529-1542. doi: 10.1007/s10531-016-1136-4
Smith, Annabel L., Blanchard, Wade, Blair, David P., McBurney, Lachlan, Banks, Sam C., Driscoll, Don A. and Lindenmayer, David B. (2016). The dynamic regeneration niche of a forest following a rare disturbance event. Diversity and Distributions, 22 (4), 457-467. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12414
Smith, Annabel L., Landguth, Erin L., Bull, C. Michael, Banks, Sam C., Gardner, Michael G. and Driscoll, Don A. (2016). Dispersal responses override density effects on genetic diversity during post-disturbance succession. Proceedings of the Royal Society B - Biological Sciences, 283 (1827) 20152934, 20152934. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2934
Barton, Philip S., Lentini, Pia E., Alacs, Erika, Bau, Sana, Buckley, Yvonne M., Burns, Emma L., Driscoll, Don A., Guja, Lydia K., Kujala, Heini, Lahoz-Monfort, Jose J., Mortelliti, Alessio, Nathan, Ran, Rowe, Ross and Smith, Annabel L. (2015). Guidelines for using movement science to inform biodiversity policy. Environmental Management, 56 (4), 791-801. doi: 10.1007/s00267-015-0570-5
Banks, Sam C., Lorin, Thibault, Shaw, Robyn E., McBurney, Lachlan, Blair, David, Blyton, Michaela D.J., Smith, Annabel L., Pierson, Jennifer C. and Lindenmayer, David B. (2015). Fine-scale refuges can buffer demographic and genetic processes against short-term climatic variation and disturbance: a 22-year case study of an arboreal marsupial. Molecular Ecology, 24 (15), 3831-3845. doi: 10.1111/mec.13279
Smith, Annabel L., Bull, C. Michael, Gardner, Michael G. and Driscoll, Don A. (2014). Life history influences how fire affects genetic diversity in two lizard species. Molecular Ecology, 23 (10), 2428-2441. doi: 10.1111/mec.12757
Driscoll, Don A., Banks, Sam C., Barton, Philip S., Ikin, Karen, Lentini, Pia, Lindenmayer, David B., Smith, Annabel L., Berry, Laurence E., Burns, Emma L., Edworthy, Amanda, Evans, Maldwyn J., Gibson, Rebecca, Heinsohn, Rob, Howland, Brett, Kay, Geoff, Munro, Nicola, Scheele, Ben C., Stirnemann, Ingrid, Stojanovic, Dejan, Sweaney, Nici, Villaseñor, Nélida R. and Westgate, Martin J. (2014). The trajectory of dispersal research in conservation biology: systematic review. PLoS ONE, 9 (4) e95053, e95053. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095053
Lindenmayer, David B., Blanchard, Wade, McBurney, Lachlan, Blair, David, Banks, Sam C., Driscoll, Don A., Smith, Annabel L. and Gill, A. M. (2014). Complex responses of birds to landscape- level fire extent, fire severity and environmental drivers. Diversity and Distributions, 20 (4), 467-477. doi: 10.1111/ddi.12172
Barton, Philip S., Ikin, Karen, Smith, Annabel L., MacGregor, Christopher and Lindenmayer, David B. (2014). Vegetation structure moderates the effect of fire on bird assemblages in a heterogeneous landscape. Landscape Ecology, 29 (4), 703-714. doi: 10.1007/s10980-014-0017-z
Smith, Annabel L., Blair, David, McBurney, Lachlan, Banks, Sam C., Barton, Philip S., Blanchard, Wade, Driscoll, Don A., Gill, A. Malcolm and Lindenmayer, David B. (2014). Dominant drivers of seedling establishment in a fire-dependent obligate seeder: climate or fire regimes?. Ecosystems, 17 (2), 258-270. doi: 10.1007/s10021-013-9721-9
Teasdale, Luisa C., Smith, Annabel L., Thomas, Mailyn, Whitehead, Catherine A. and Driscoll, Don A. (2013). Detecting invertebrate responses to fire depends on sampling method and taxonomic resolution. Austral Ecology, 38 (8), 874-883. doi: 10.1111/aec.12024
Lindenmayer, D. B., Blanchard, W., McBurney, L., Blair, D., Banks, S. C., Driscoll, D., Smith, A. L. and Gill, A. M. (2013). Fire severity and landscape context effects on arboreal marsupials. Biological Conservation, 167, 137-148. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2013.07.028
Banks, Sam C., Cary, Geoffrey J., Smith, Annabel L., Davies, Ian D., Driscoll, Don A., Gill, A. Malcolm, Lindenmayer, David B. and Peakall, Rod (2013). How does ecological disturbance influence genetic diversity?. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 28 (11), 670-679. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.08.005
Smith, Annabel L., Bull, C. Michael and Driscoll, Don A. (2013). Successional specialization in a reptile community cautions against widespread planned burning and complete fire suppression. Journal of Applied Ecology, 50 (5), 1178-1186. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12119
Driscoll, Don A., Banks, Sam C., Barton, Philip S., Lindenmayer, David B. and Smith, Annabel L. (2013). Conceptual domain of the matrix in fragmented landscapes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 28 (10), 605-613. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.06.010
Smith, A. L., Bull, C. M. and Driscoll, D. A. (2013). Skeletochronological analysis of age in three ‘fire-specialist’ lizard species. The South Australian Naturalist, 87 (1), 6-17.
Smith, Annabel, Meulders, Brendon, Michael Bull, C. and Driscoll, Don (2012). Wildfire-induced mortality of Australian reptiles. Herpetology Notes, 5, 233-235.
Driscoll, Don A., Smith, Annabel L., Blight, Samantha and Maindonald, John (2012). Reptile responses to fire and the risk of post-disturbance sampling bias. Biodiversity and Conservation, 21 (6), 1607-1625. doi: 10.1007/s10531-012-0267-5
Smith, Annabel L., Bull, C. Michael and Driscoll, Don A. (2012). Post-fire succession affects abundance and survival but not detectability in a knob-tailed gecko. Biological Conservation, 145 (1), 139-147. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2011.10.023
Smith, Annabel L., Gardner, Michael G., Bull, C. Michael and Driscoll, Don A. (2011). Primers for novel microsatellite markers in “fire-specialist” lizards (Amphibolurus norrisi, Ctenotus atlas and Nephrurus stellatus) and their performance across multiple populations. Conservation Genetics Resources, 3 (2), 345-350. doi: 10.1007/s12686-010-9359-2
Smith, Annabel L., Gardner, Michael G., Fenner, Aaron L. and Bull, C. Michael (2009). Restricted gene flow in the endangered pygmy bluetongue lizard (Tiliqua adelaidensis) in a fragmented agricultural landscape. Wildlife Research, 36 (6), 466. doi: 10.1071/wr08171
Bull, C. Michael, Smith, Annabel, Gardner, Michael and Fenner, Aaron (2009). Genotypes and nematode infestations in an endangered lizard, Tiliqua adelaidensis. Applied Herpetology, 6 (3), 300-305. doi: 10.1163/157075408x386150
Gardner, Michael G., Sanchez, Juan J., Dudaniec, Rachael Y., Rheinberger, Leah, Smith, Annabel L. and Saint, Kathleen M. (2008). Tiliqua rugosa microsatellites: isolation via enrichment and characterisation of loci for multiplex PCR in T-rugosa and the endangered T-adelaidensis. Conservation Genetics, 9 (1), 233-237. doi: 10.1007/s10592-007-9316-0