Stuart Halse - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Stuart Halse

Research paper thumbnail of Incorporating Research Results into Wetland Management: Lessons from Recovery Catchments in Saline Landscapes

Hydrobiologia, Dec 1, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Research in Calcretes and Other Deep Subterranean Habitats Outside Caves

Ecological studies, 2018

The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out r... more The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out recently in Australia is the Australian emphasis on the fauna that occurs deep underground, but outside caves, across large parts of the landscape. This work has shown that the Australian arid zone, particularly in the western half of the continent, is rich in subterranean fauna, with the geologies supporting most species being calcrete and alluvium in the case of stygofauna and iron-rich rocks in the case of troglofauna. It is likely that, altogether, as many as 4500 species of stygofauna and troglofauna occur in the two most species-rich regions of Western Australia — the Pilbara and Yilgarn. Striking characteristics of the stygofauna communities in these regions include little overlap in species composition of communities of the hyporheic zone and deeper groundwater, very high levels of endemism in individual calcrete bodies, and the existence of extensive radiations of candonid ostracods in the Pilbara and copepods in calcretes of the Yilgarn. Characteristics of the troglofauna communities include extremely small ranges of many species, with linear ranges of 1–2 km apparently being common, and extensive radiation of schizomids and some other invertebrate groups in iron formations of the Pilbara.

Research paper thumbnail of Wing moult, body measurements and condition indices of Spur-winged Geese

Research paper thumbnail of What does sampling tell us about the ecology of troglofauna?

ARPHA Conference Abstracts, Sep 26, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Movement Patterns of Great, Intermediate and Little Egrets from Australian Breeding Colonies

Research paper thumbnail of Impacts of Drainage Disposal on Biodiversity in Wetlands of the Western Australian Wheatbelt

Research paper thumbnail of Conservation and Impact Assessment of Subterranean Fauna in Australia

Ecological studies, 2018

The focus on conservation of subterranean fauna has been greater in Western Australia than other ... more The focus on conservation of subterranean fauna has been greater in Western Australia than other parts of Australia because the subterranean fauna is richer. All fauna is protected at the species level in Western Australia and actions that may reasonably be expected to result in loss of a subterranean (or any surface) species cannot lawfully be approved. However, the practical challenges to protecting subterranean species that occur in the broad landscape, rather than in well-defined caves, include assessing whether a species is threatened when there is very little information about subterranean species distributions and the difficulty of stopping economically important projects for hidden species that appear to have little value. Documenting subterranean fauna communities in development areas usually requires large sampling effort and determining the ranges of rarer species is always difficult, especially for troglofauna. Using geological information to predict species ranges is also challenging because below-ground mapping of the geological characteristics likely to control subterranean fauna occurrence requires extensive drilling and is therefore expensive. The process of identifying which subterranean species are present can also be challenging because the taxonomic framework for the Australian fauna is poorly developed; there are rather different selective pressures on the morphology of subterranean species compared with their surface relatives and dispersal capacity is poor, which complicates the use of genetics to identify species. While the main threats to subterranean fauna include mining, water supply and agriculture, the lack of strong public support for their conservation is also a threat that needs to be addressed.

Research paper thumbnail of Pilbarophreatoicus platyarthricus n.gen., n.sp. (Isopoda: Phreatoicidea: Amphisopidae) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia

Records of The Australian Museum, Jun 7, 1999

Research paper thumbnail of Riddles in the dark: Assessing diversity patterns for cryptic subterranean fauna of the Pilbara

Diversity and Distributions, Oct 23, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Giardia Isolated from the Straw-Necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) in Western Australia

Journal of Parasitology, Oct 1, 1996

Research paper thumbnail of Diet and size of the digestive organs of Spur-winged Geese

Research paper thumbnail of Invertebrate traits, diversity and the vulnerability of groundwater ecosystems

Functional Ecology

Groundwater comprises the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. It has a distinct regime of... more Groundwater comprises the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. It has a distinct regime of extreme, yet stable environmental conditions that have favoured the development of similar morphological and functional traits in the resident invertebrate fauna (stygofauna). The analysis of community traits is increasingly used as an alternative to taxonomy‐based assessments of biodiversity, especially for monitoring ecosystem status and linking the functions of organisms to ecological processes, yet it has been rarely applied to stygofauna and groundwater ecosystems. In this paper, we review the variation in functional traits among the invertebrate fauna of this important ecosystem. We focus on the stygofauna and processes of alluvium and fractured rock aquifers that are typified by small voids and fissures that constrain the habitats and environmental conditions. As a first step, we compare trait variability between groundwater and surface water invertebrate communities and then exa...

Research paper thumbnail of Subterranean Fauna of the Arid Zone

On the Ecology of Australia’s Arid Zone, 2018

Subterranean fauna can be divided into two broad groups – stygofauna are aquatic and occur in gro... more Subterranean fauna can be divided into two broad groups – stygofauna are aquatic and occur in groundwater, while troglofauna are air-breathing and occur in the unsaturated zone from depths of a metre or so below the ground surface down to the water table. Defining exactly which species are covered by the term subterranean fauna is quite complex, because of the different life histories of many vertebrate and invertebrate species, and the habitat differences between caves and the much more extensive, but less studied underground matrix outside caves. However, a useful starting point for understanding the general characteristics of subterranean species is provided by various schemes that categorise species according to their dependence on the underground environment. These schemes are discussed in detail by Sket (2008), but, in summary, species occurring only in the aphotic zone of caves or deep underground are classified as troglobites or stygobites (Table 1). The terms troglophiles and stygophiles are applied to species found in parts of caves where there is some penetration of light or to species that use surface habitats for one (usually short) part of their life history. Occasionally, troglophilic or stygophilic species may have some surface populations and some wholly subterranean populations. The third category, trogloxenes and stygoxenes, is applied to primarily surface species that regularly make use of caves or underground habitats, often as a refugium during periods of adverse conditions (such as drought) in their usual surface habitat.

Research paper thumbnail of Research in Calcretes and Other Deep Subterranean Habitats Outside Caves

Cave Ecology, 2018

The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out r... more The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out recently in Australia is the Australian emphasis on the fauna that occurs deep underground, but outside caves, across large parts of the landscape. This work has shown that the Australian arid zone, particularly in the western half of the continent, is rich in subterranean fauna, with the geologies supporting most species being calcrete and alluvium in the case of stygofauna and iron-rich rocks in the case of troglofauna. It is likely that, altogether, as many as 4500 species of stygofauna and troglofauna occur in the two most species-rich regions of Western Australia — the Pilbara and Yilgarn. Striking characteristics of the stygofauna communities in these regions include little overlap in species composition of communities of the hyporheic zone and deeper groundwater, very high levels of endemism in individual calcrete bodies, and the existence of extensive radiations of candonid ostracods in the Pilbara and copepods in calcretes of the Yilgarn. Characteristics of the troglofauna communities include extremely small ranges of many species, with linear ranges of 1–2 km apparently being common, and extensive radiation of schizomids and some other invertebrate groups in iron formations of the Pilbara.

Research paper thumbnail of Variation in the basal body temperature of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in Tasmania

Mammalia, 1988

... Leirs, Herwig / Lunde, Darrin / Mitchell-Jones, Anthony J. / Moutou, Francois / Shenbrot, Geo... more ... Leirs, Herwig / Lunde, Darrin / Mitchell-Jones, Anthony J. / Moutou, Francois / Shenbrot, Georgy I. / Taylor, Peter J. / Vieira, Marcus Vinicius. ... SA HALSE, RW ROSE. ... LES OS DE L'AVANT-BRAS DU SEMNOPITHÈQUE by Georges OLIVIER and Jean-Henri SOUTOUL; Opportunistic ...

Research paper thumbnail of Spineless indicators

The Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management joined forces with research... more The Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management joined forces with researchers in three of Perth's universities in a project to assess the ecological health of the state's rivers and streams. They used macroinvertebrates as indicators of river health.

Research paper thumbnail of Two new species of stygobitic Anzcyclops (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Cyclopidae) from Australia

Records of the Western Australian Museum, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Bennelongia barangaroo De Deckker 1981

<i> Bennelongia barangaroo</i> lineage Remarks De Deckker (1981a) described<i> ... more <i> Bennelongia barangaroo</i> lineage Remarks De Deckker (1981a) described<i> B. barangaroo</i> from Lake Buchanan (QLD – Type locality), but also reported the same species from other localities in QLD, NSW, SA, WA and New Zealand. However, as in De Deckker's (1981a) re-description of<i> B. australis</i> (Brady, 1886) (see Martens<i> et al.</i> 2012), at least two different species within this lineage were illustrated under the same name. The (type) specimens of<i> B. barangaroo</i> in De Deckker's (1981a) figure 7 from Lake Buchanan have a short, sub-quadrate, slightly ventrally pointed lapel on the antero-ventral side of the RV. The specimens from a pool 25 km N of Cue (WA) ( De Deckker 1981a: fig. 9), however, appear to have an elongated lapel, much as is the case in<i> B. calei</i> sp. nov. (see below). We thus decided previously ( Shearn<i> et al.</i> 2012) that the true<i> B. barangaroo</i> needs to be established based on new material from the type locality. Fortunately, De Deckker (1981a) illustrated the valves and soft parts of the holotype male, which facilitated identification, and allowed Shearn<i> et al.</i> (2012) to confidently describe<i> B. dedeckkeri</i> as a different species within the<i> B. barangaroo</i> lineage. Shearn<i> et al.</i> (2012) also described<i> B. mckenziei</i> as a second new species from QLD, characterised by a total absence of the lapel on the RV. Diagnosis of the<i> B. barangaroo</i> lineage All species of the<i> B. barangaroo</i> lineage (re-)described here share a number of features: all have relatively elongated and wide (in dorsal view) carapaces, mostly green in colour, relatively smooth (but hirsute) in adults. The RV has an internal eyelet at the posteroventral internal side, mostly situated directly internally of the lapel. This eyelet is best visible with transparent light; although in most species it is also visible on SEM micrographs (see various illustrations below).

Research paper thumbnail of Bennelongia harpago De Deckker & McKenzie 1981

<i> Bennelongia harpago</i> lineage Remarks This lineage only consists of one species... more <i> Bennelongia harpago</i> lineage Remarks This lineage only consists of one species (<i> B. harpago</i> De Deckker, 1981), which can be diagnosed from the other described lineages of<i> Bennelongia</i> by using the description below.

Research paper thumbnail of Bennelongia pinpi

<i> Bennelongia pinpi</i> lineage Remarks The combination of a pronounced anteroventr... more <i> Bennelongia pinpi</i> lineage Remarks The combination of a pronounced anteroventral beak-like structure of the LV with the absence of an anteroventral lapel of the RV and bulbous expansion in its place will enable the diagnosis of this lineage amongst all currently described<i> Bennelongia</i> species as detailed in Martens<i> et al.</i> (2012).

Research paper thumbnail of Incorporating Research Results into Wetland Management: Lessons from Recovery Catchments in Saline Landscapes

Hydrobiologia, Dec 1, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Research in Calcretes and Other Deep Subterranean Habitats Outside Caves

Ecological studies, 2018

The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out r... more The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out recently in Australia is the Australian emphasis on the fauna that occurs deep underground, but outside caves, across large parts of the landscape. This work has shown that the Australian arid zone, particularly in the western half of the continent, is rich in subterranean fauna, with the geologies supporting most species being calcrete and alluvium in the case of stygofauna and iron-rich rocks in the case of troglofauna. It is likely that, altogether, as many as 4500 species of stygofauna and troglofauna occur in the two most species-rich regions of Western Australia — the Pilbara and Yilgarn. Striking characteristics of the stygofauna communities in these regions include little overlap in species composition of communities of the hyporheic zone and deeper groundwater, very high levels of endemism in individual calcrete bodies, and the existence of extensive radiations of candonid ostracods in the Pilbara and copepods in calcretes of the Yilgarn. Characteristics of the troglofauna communities include extremely small ranges of many species, with linear ranges of 1–2 km apparently being common, and extensive radiation of schizomids and some other invertebrate groups in iron formations of the Pilbara.

Research paper thumbnail of Wing moult, body measurements and condition indices of Spur-winged Geese

Research paper thumbnail of What does sampling tell us about the ecology of troglofauna?

ARPHA Conference Abstracts, Sep 26, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Movement Patterns of Great, Intermediate and Little Egrets from Australian Breeding Colonies

Research paper thumbnail of Impacts of Drainage Disposal on Biodiversity in Wetlands of the Western Australian Wheatbelt

Research paper thumbnail of Conservation and Impact Assessment of Subterranean Fauna in Australia

Ecological studies, 2018

The focus on conservation of subterranean fauna has been greater in Western Australia than other ... more The focus on conservation of subterranean fauna has been greater in Western Australia than other parts of Australia because the subterranean fauna is richer. All fauna is protected at the species level in Western Australia and actions that may reasonably be expected to result in loss of a subterranean (or any surface) species cannot lawfully be approved. However, the practical challenges to protecting subterranean species that occur in the broad landscape, rather than in well-defined caves, include assessing whether a species is threatened when there is very little information about subterranean species distributions and the difficulty of stopping economically important projects for hidden species that appear to have little value. Documenting subterranean fauna communities in development areas usually requires large sampling effort and determining the ranges of rarer species is always difficult, especially for troglofauna. Using geological information to predict species ranges is also challenging because below-ground mapping of the geological characteristics likely to control subterranean fauna occurrence requires extensive drilling and is therefore expensive. The process of identifying which subterranean species are present can also be challenging because the taxonomic framework for the Australian fauna is poorly developed; there are rather different selective pressures on the morphology of subterranean species compared with their surface relatives and dispersal capacity is poor, which complicates the use of genetics to identify species. While the main threats to subterranean fauna include mining, water supply and agriculture, the lack of strong public support for their conservation is also a threat that needs to be addressed.

Research paper thumbnail of Pilbarophreatoicus platyarthricus n.gen., n.sp. (Isopoda: Phreatoicidea: Amphisopidae) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia

Records of The Australian Museum, Jun 7, 1999

Research paper thumbnail of Riddles in the dark: Assessing diversity patterns for cryptic subterranean fauna of the Pilbara

Diversity and Distributions, Oct 23, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Giardia Isolated from the Straw-Necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) in Western Australia

Journal of Parasitology, Oct 1, 1996

Research paper thumbnail of Diet and size of the digestive organs of Spur-winged Geese

Research paper thumbnail of Invertebrate traits, diversity and the vulnerability of groundwater ecosystems

Functional Ecology

Groundwater comprises the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. It has a distinct regime of... more Groundwater comprises the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. It has a distinct regime of extreme, yet stable environmental conditions that have favoured the development of similar morphological and functional traits in the resident invertebrate fauna (stygofauna). The analysis of community traits is increasingly used as an alternative to taxonomy‐based assessments of biodiversity, especially for monitoring ecosystem status and linking the functions of organisms to ecological processes, yet it has been rarely applied to stygofauna and groundwater ecosystems. In this paper, we review the variation in functional traits among the invertebrate fauna of this important ecosystem. We focus on the stygofauna and processes of alluvium and fractured rock aquifers that are typified by small voids and fissures that constrain the habitats and environmental conditions. As a first step, we compare trait variability between groundwater and surface water invertebrate communities and then exa...

Research paper thumbnail of Subterranean Fauna of the Arid Zone

On the Ecology of Australia’s Arid Zone, 2018

Subterranean fauna can be divided into two broad groups – stygofauna are aquatic and occur in gro... more Subterranean fauna can be divided into two broad groups – stygofauna are aquatic and occur in groundwater, while troglofauna are air-breathing and occur in the unsaturated zone from depths of a metre or so below the ground surface down to the water table. Defining exactly which species are covered by the term subterranean fauna is quite complex, because of the different life histories of many vertebrate and invertebrate species, and the habitat differences between caves and the much more extensive, but less studied underground matrix outside caves. However, a useful starting point for understanding the general characteristics of subterranean species is provided by various schemes that categorise species according to their dependence on the underground environment. These schemes are discussed in detail by Sket (2008), but, in summary, species occurring only in the aphotic zone of caves or deep underground are classified as troglobites or stygobites (Table 1). The terms troglophiles and stygophiles are applied to species found in parts of caves where there is some penetration of light or to species that use surface habitats for one (usually short) part of their life history. Occasionally, troglophilic or stygophilic species may have some surface populations and some wholly subterranean populations. The third category, trogloxenes and stygoxenes, is applied to primarily surface species that regularly make use of caves or underground habitats, often as a refugium during periods of adverse conditions (such as drought) in their usual surface habitat.

Research paper thumbnail of Research in Calcretes and Other Deep Subterranean Habitats Outside Caves

Cave Ecology, 2018

The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out r... more The outstanding difference between traditional subterranean fauna studies and those carried out recently in Australia is the Australian emphasis on the fauna that occurs deep underground, but outside caves, across large parts of the landscape. This work has shown that the Australian arid zone, particularly in the western half of the continent, is rich in subterranean fauna, with the geologies supporting most species being calcrete and alluvium in the case of stygofauna and iron-rich rocks in the case of troglofauna. It is likely that, altogether, as many as 4500 species of stygofauna and troglofauna occur in the two most species-rich regions of Western Australia — the Pilbara and Yilgarn. Striking characteristics of the stygofauna communities in these regions include little overlap in species composition of communities of the hyporheic zone and deeper groundwater, very high levels of endemism in individual calcrete bodies, and the existence of extensive radiations of candonid ostracods in the Pilbara and copepods in calcretes of the Yilgarn. Characteristics of the troglofauna communities include extremely small ranges of many species, with linear ranges of 1–2 km apparently being common, and extensive radiation of schizomids and some other invertebrate groups in iron formations of the Pilbara.

Research paper thumbnail of Variation in the basal body temperature of the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in Tasmania

Mammalia, 1988

... Leirs, Herwig / Lunde, Darrin / Mitchell-Jones, Anthony J. / Moutou, Francois / Shenbrot, Geo... more ... Leirs, Herwig / Lunde, Darrin / Mitchell-Jones, Anthony J. / Moutou, Francois / Shenbrot, Georgy I. / Taylor, Peter J. / Vieira, Marcus Vinicius. ... SA HALSE, RW ROSE. ... LES OS DE L'AVANT-BRAS DU SEMNOPITHÈQUE by Georges OLIVIER and Jean-Henri SOUTOUL; Opportunistic ...

Research paper thumbnail of Spineless indicators

The Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management joined forces with research... more The Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management joined forces with researchers in three of Perth's universities in a project to assess the ecological health of the state's rivers and streams. They used macroinvertebrates as indicators of river health.

Research paper thumbnail of Two new species of stygobitic Anzcyclops (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Cyclopidae) from Australia

Records of the Western Australian Museum, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Bennelongia barangaroo De Deckker 1981

<i> Bennelongia barangaroo</i> lineage Remarks De Deckker (1981a) described<i> ... more <i> Bennelongia barangaroo</i> lineage Remarks De Deckker (1981a) described<i> B. barangaroo</i> from Lake Buchanan (QLD – Type locality), but also reported the same species from other localities in QLD, NSW, SA, WA and New Zealand. However, as in De Deckker's (1981a) re-description of<i> B. australis</i> (Brady, 1886) (see Martens<i> et al.</i> 2012), at least two different species within this lineage were illustrated under the same name. The (type) specimens of<i> B. barangaroo</i> in De Deckker's (1981a) figure 7 from Lake Buchanan have a short, sub-quadrate, slightly ventrally pointed lapel on the antero-ventral side of the RV. The specimens from a pool 25 km N of Cue (WA) ( De Deckker 1981a: fig. 9), however, appear to have an elongated lapel, much as is the case in<i> B. calei</i> sp. nov. (see below). We thus decided previously ( Shearn<i> et al.</i> 2012) that the true<i> B. barangaroo</i> needs to be established based on new material from the type locality. Fortunately, De Deckker (1981a) illustrated the valves and soft parts of the holotype male, which facilitated identification, and allowed Shearn<i> et al.</i> (2012) to confidently describe<i> B. dedeckkeri</i> as a different species within the<i> B. barangaroo</i> lineage. Shearn<i> et al.</i> (2012) also described<i> B. mckenziei</i> as a second new species from QLD, characterised by a total absence of the lapel on the RV. Diagnosis of the<i> B. barangaroo</i> lineage All species of the<i> B. barangaroo</i> lineage (re-)described here share a number of features: all have relatively elongated and wide (in dorsal view) carapaces, mostly green in colour, relatively smooth (but hirsute) in adults. The RV has an internal eyelet at the posteroventral internal side, mostly situated directly internally of the lapel. This eyelet is best visible with transparent light; although in most species it is also visible on SEM micrographs (see various illustrations below).

Research paper thumbnail of Bennelongia harpago De Deckker & McKenzie 1981

<i> Bennelongia harpago</i> lineage Remarks This lineage only consists of one species... more <i> Bennelongia harpago</i> lineage Remarks This lineage only consists of one species (<i> B. harpago</i> De Deckker, 1981), which can be diagnosed from the other described lineages of<i> Bennelongia</i> by using the description below.

Research paper thumbnail of Bennelongia pinpi

<i> Bennelongia pinpi</i> lineage Remarks The combination of a pronounced anteroventr... more <i> Bennelongia pinpi</i> lineage Remarks The combination of a pronounced anteroventral beak-like structure of the LV with the absence of an anteroventral lapel of the RV and bulbous expansion in its place will enable the diagnosis of this lineage amongst all currently described<i> Bennelongia</i> species as detailed in Martens<i> et al.</i> (2012).