
Mr Brock Hedges
PhD Candidate
School of Biological Sciences
Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology
My research focuses on the conservation and management of Australia's vulnerable ephemeral freshwater resources. I'm using a combination of modern genetic techniques, and traditional ecological techniques to answer a series of questions regarding Australia's freshwater granite rock-holes (gnammas). During my PhD, I plan to:
• Explore the importance of lentic, ephemeral freshwater ecosystems.
• Identify the fauna associated with the Australian granite gnammas at Hiltaba Nature Reserve and generate a CO1 barcode library that can be used in future studies.
• Test the physiological capacity of the gnamma fauna to resist heat and desiccation to assess community vulnerability under a changing climate.
• Test the impact that that the hierarchical island nature of the gnamma systems has on colonisation of the habitat.
• Determine the degree at which the dispersal capacity of the fauna impacts the genetic diversity of the meta-population.
• Test the use of eDNA as a habitat monitoring tool for the Hiltaba gnammas.
• Determine how the freshwater resources made available by Australian gnammas are used by local vertebrate species, and determine whether management must be implemented to exclude invasive pest species.
I completed my honours in 2018, and was awarded a First Class for my thesis titled "Extremophiles in climate vulnerable environments: Invertebrates in the Eyre Peninsula gnammas."
My research focuses on the conservation and management of Australia's vulnerable ephemeral freshwater resources. I'm using a combination of modern genetic techniques, and traditional ecological techniques to answer a series of questions regarding Australia's freshwater granite rock-holes (gnammas). During my PhD, I plan to:
- Explore the importance of lentic, ephemeral freshwater ecosystems.
- Identify the fauna associated with the Australian granite gnammas at Hiltaba Nature Reserve and generate a CO1 barcode library that can be used in future studies.
- Test the physiological capacity of the gnamma fauna to resist heat and desiccation to assess community vulnerability under a changing climate.
- Test the impact that that the hierarchical island nature of the gnamma systems has on colonisation of the habitat.
- Determine the degree at which the dispersal capacity of the fauna impacts the genetic diversity of the gnamma populations.
- Test the use of eDNA as a habitat monitoring tool for the Hiltaba gnammas.
- Determine how the freshwater resources made available by Australian gnammas are used by local vertebrate species, and determine whether management must be implemented to exclude invasive pest species.
I completed my honours in 2018, and was awarded a First Class for my thesis titled "Extremophiles in climate vulnerable environments: Invertebrates in the Eyre Peninsula gnammas."
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Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2014 - 2018 The University of Adelaide Australia BSc (Hons) -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2023 Beasley-Hall, P. G., Hedges, B. A., Cooper, S. J. B., Austin, A. D., & Guzik, M. T. (2023). Diving into spring biodiversity: A natural heritage assessment of Australia’s Great Artesian Basin discharge wetlands.
2021 Hedges, B. A., Austin, A. D., Conran, J. G., Taylor, G. S., Madden, C. P., & Weinstein, P. (2021). A likely association of damselflies with the habitat heterogeneity provided by the freshwater swamp lily, Ottelia ovalifolia, in Eyre Peninsula granite rock-holes, with a review of potential threats to this ephemeral habitat. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 145(2), 152-167.
Scopus1 WoS1
My research is generously funded by the Nature Foundation South Australia, who are also actively collaborating with me at Hiltaba Nature Reserve on the project titled:
'The conservation and management of the Australian freshwater 'gnammas', a keystone, arid-lands habitat.'
To read more about what the NFSA does, visit their website: https://www.naturefoundation.org.au/
I have demonstrated in the following Adelaide University undergraduate courses:
- Ecological Issues I (2019)
- Ecology II (2019)
- Zoology II (2020)
- Evolution and Diversification of Insects III (2020)
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Board Memberships
Date Role Board name Institution name Country 2019 - ongoing Director Office Bearers Australian Entomological Society Australia -
Committee Memberships
Date Role Committee Institution Country 2019 - ongoing Representative General Committee Biology Society of South Australia Australia 2019 - ongoing Secretary School of Biological Sciences Postgraduate Association The University of Adelaide Australia 2018 - 2018 Member AES Conference Organising Committee - Student Subcommittee Australian Entomological Society Australia
Connect With Me
External Profiles