Visiting Fellow
Population ecology, conservation biology, evolutionary ecology
Phone: +61 2 6125 9221
Fax: + 61 (0)2 6125 0746
E-mail: Janet.Gardner@anu.edu.au

Janet completed her PhD at the ANU (BoZo) in 2003, coming from a background in applied research working for various government agencies around Australia. Her PhD research focused on the social organization and demography of the speckled warbler, Chthonicola sagittata and contributed to knowledge of the evolution of avian mating systems and life history traits, and identified aspects of the species’ biology that might be linked to its population decline.

Following her PhD and a period of maternity leave, Janet worked on several short-term projects before being appointed as an Associate Lecturer in the Schools of Botany & Zoology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (ANU), where she contributed to tutoring, lecturing and coordinating undergraduate courses over a two-year period. This was followed by an appointment as Research Associate on an ARC funded project investigating interspecific communication and the evolution of avian alarm calls.

Professional Activities

Janet’s work tends to focus on the effects of anthropogenic habitat modification on the persistence of avian species, their breeding systems and life history strategies. She uses the study of individuals as a means to address questions about evolution and underlying mechanisms of change. She is currently funded by the CSIRO to investigate the effects of climate change and habitat fragmentation on avian morphology. Using the largest group of Australian passerines as a model system, she combines the use of museum skins with ptilochronology (study of feather growth rates) and GIS technology to identify the relative roles of climate and habitat in shaping avian size-temperature relationships.

Selected Publications

Gardner JL, Heinsohn R and Joseph L (2009). Shifting latitudinal clines in avian body size correlate with global warming in Australian passerines. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B 276: 3845-3852

Magrath RD, Pitcher BJ and Gardner JL (2009). Recognition of other species’ aerial alarm calls: speaking the same language or learning another? Proceedings of the Royal Society London B276: 769-774

Russell AF, Langmore NE, Gardner JL and Kilner RM (2008). Maternal investment tactics in superb fairy-wrens. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B 275: 29-36

Gardner JL and Heinsohn RG (2007). Probable consequences of high female mortality for speckled warblers living in habitat remnants. Biological Conservation 135: 489-499

Gardner J, Marsack P, Trueman J, Calcott B and Heinsohn R (2007). Story-telling: an essential part of science. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 22: 510

Gardner JL (2007). Predation risk is unlikely to account for the failure of subordinate speckled warblers to help at the nest. Journal of Avian Biology 38: 443-449

Gardner JL (2005). Assessing the impact of habitat loss on woodland birds: new directions. In The State of Australia’s Birds 2005 Woodlands and Birds.

Gardner, JL (2004). Winter flocking behaviour of speckled warblers and the Allee effect. Biological Conservation 118: 195-204

Gardner, JL, Magrath, RD and Kokko, H (2003). Stepping stones of life: natal dispersal in the group-living but noncooperative speckled warbler. Animal Behaviour66: 521-530