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Southeast Queensland (southeast + queensland)
Selected AbstractsLevel of Concern and Precaution Taking Among Australians Regarding Travel During Pandemic (H1N1) 2009: Results From the 2009 Queensland Social SurveyJOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010FACTM, FAFPHM, FFTM ACTM, FFTM RCPSG, Peter A. Leggat MD Background. Global disease outbreaks, such as the recent Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (the so-called Swine flu), may have an impact on travel, including raising the concerns of travelers. The objective of this study was to examine the level of concern of Australians regarding travel during Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and how this impacted on their travel. Methods. Data were collected by interviews as part of the Queensland Social Survey (QSS) 2009. Specific questions were incorporated regarding travel and Pandemic (H1N1) 2009. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze associations between demographic variables and concern and likelihood of cancelling travel. Results. There were 1,292 respondents (41.5% response rate). The sample was nearly equally divided between males and females (50.2% vs 49.8%). Younger people (18,34 y) were under-represented in the sample; older people (>55y) were over-represented in the sample. About half (53.2%) of respondents indicated some level of concern about Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 when traveling and just over one-third (35.5%) indicated they would likely cancel their air travel if they had a cough and fever that lasted more than one day. When cross-tabulating these responses, people who expressed concern regarding Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 when they traveled were more likely than those without concern to cancel their air travel if they had a cough and fever lasting more than one day (44.7% vs 27.7%, ,2 = 33.53, p < 0.001). People with higher levels of education [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 0.651], people with higher incomes (AOR: 0.528) and people living outside of metropolitan Southeast Queensland (AOR: 0.589) were less likely to be concerned about Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 when traveling, and younger people (AOR: 0.469) were less likely than others to cancel travel if they had a cough and fever. Conclusions. Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 was of some concern to more than half of Queensland travelers. None-the-less, the majority of Queenslanders would not have postponed their own travel, even if they exhibited symptoms consistent with Pandemic (H1N1) 2009. [source] THE 200 KM CITY: BRISBANE, THE GOLD COAST, AND SUNSHINE COASTAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Peter Spearritt Brisbane; infrastructure; Southeast Queensland; traffic; urban planning Since the 1970s, several Southeast Queensland coastal towns in areas marketed as the ,Gold Coast' and the ,Sunshine Coast' have merged with each other and joined with Brisbane to become one of the world's longest urban coastal strips. The population of this 200 km long city is fast approaching three million. This urban pattern reflects the preferences of many Australians about where and in what type of housing they would like to live. The unplanned nature of this growth raises several policy challenges relating to resource use and traffic congestion. [source] Fine-scale spatial genetic correlation analyses reveal strong female philopatry within a brush-tailed rock-wallaby colony in southeast QueenslandMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 12 2004S. L. HAZLITT Abstract We combine spatial data on home ranges of individuals and microsatellite markers to examine patterns of fine-scale spatial genetic structure and dispersal within a brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) colony at Hurdle Creek Valley, Queensland. Brush-tailed rock-wallabies were once abundant and widespread throughout the rocky terrain of southeastern Australia; however, populations are nearly extinct in the south of their range and in decline elsewhere. We use pairwise relatedness measures and a recent multilocus spatial autocorrelation analysis to test the hypotheses that in this species, within-colony dispersal is male-biased and that female philopatry results in spatial clusters of related females within the colony. We provide clear evidence for strong female philopatry and male-biased dispersal within this rock-wallaby colony. There was a strong, significant negative correlation between pairwise relatedness and geographical distance of individual females along only 800 m of cliff line. Spatial genetic autocorrelation analyses showed significant positive correlation for females in close proximity to each other and revealed a genetic neighbourhood size of only 600 m for females. Our study is the first to report on the fine-scale spatial genetic structure within a rock-wallaby colony and we provide the first robust evidence for strong female philopatry and spatial clustering of related females within this taxon. We discuss the ecological and conservation implications of our findings for rock-wallabies, as well as the importance of fine-scale spatial genetic patterns in studies of dispersal behaviour. [source] Pollination biology of the sclerophyllous shrub Pultenaea villosa Willd. (Fabaceae) in southeast Queensland, AustraliaPLANT SPECIES BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009JANE E. OGILVIE Abstract The pollination biology of the common shrub Pultenaea villosa Willd. was examined in a subtropical dry sclerophyll forest in eastern Australia. We determined floral phenology and morphology, the timing of stigma receptivity and anther dehiscence, nectar availability, the plant breeding system, and flower visitors. The shrub's flowers are typical zygomorphic pea flowers with hidden floral rewards and reproductive structures. These flowers require special manipulation for insect access. A range of insects visited the flowers, although bees are predicted to be the principle pollinators based on their frequency on the flowers and their exclusive ability to operate the wing and keel petals to access the reproductive structures. Nectar and pollen are offered as rewards and were actively collected by bees. Nectar is offered to visitors in minute amounts at the base of the corolla. In Toohey Forest, P. villosa flowers in spring and is the most abundant floral resource in the understory of the forest at this time. The breeding system experiment revealed that P. villosa requires outcrossing for high levels of seed set and that the overlap of stigma receptivity and pollen dehiscence within the flower suggests the potential for self-incompatibility. [source] Response of an open-forest ant community to invasion by the introduced ant, Pheidole megacephalaAUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2000C. Vanderwoude Abstract The introduced tramp ant, Pheidole megacephala, is a well-known pest of urban areas and coastal dune ecosystems in eastern Australia. Until recently, establishment and spread of P. megacephala colonies has been regarded as likely only in disturbed areas. Here we describe the extent of an established colony of P. megacephala in a long undisturbed open forest near Maryborough in southeast Queensland and compare ant community structure with those of nearby uninfested sites. Tuna baiting revealed three distinct zones: (i) a zone totally dominated by P. megacephala (at least 10 ha) where few other ant ant species were detected; (ii) a zone where P. megacephala was absent and many other ant species were found; and (iii) a zone where opportunists (species of Ochetellus and Paratrechina) competed with P. megacephala at baits. Pitfall trapping over a 9-month period resulted in 12 species being recorded at the infested site, compared with a mean of 25 species recorded at adjoining uninfested forest. Over 94% of ants recorded in pitfalls at the infested site were P. megacephala. Most notably, P. megacephala had completely displaced dominant Dolichoderines (species of Iridomyrmex), subordinate Camponotini (species of Camponotus, Opisthopsis and Polyrhachis) and other species of Pheidole which are common at forest sites. [source] The future of IPM: whither or wither?AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Myron P Zalucki Abstract The acronym IPM (integrated pest management) has been around for over 50 years and now not only supposedly guides research and extension in pest management but also markets pesticides, is claimed to be undertaken by many growers, and even resonates with public perceptions and politicians. Whether or not IPM programs are sustainable in the longer term under the conflicting stresses and strains of the modern agricultural environment is debatable. We analyse three case studies of IPM development in Australia: citrus IPM in central Queensland, Brassica IPM in southeast Queensland and Helicoverpa management in cotton in eastern Australia. Many management practices for these pests have changed over time. In the more stable citrus system classical biological control along with changed practices (reduced pesticide use) have effectively controlled imported scale insect pests. In Brassicas and cotton, IPM is predominantly of the sample and spray variety where, increasingly, less broad-spectrum insecticides are used and, in cotton, Helicoverpa management includes the deployment of transgenic plants. We question whether or not IPM principles are always consistent with market forces and whether or not the approach is universally applicable for all pest insects when implemented at the small (field or farm) scale. Farmers will adopt cost-effective approaches that minimise their financial risks. For Australia as a whole over the last 30 years insecticide input costs per hectare have increased faster than the price index, reflecting more costly insecticides, changes to the combinations of crops grown and an increase in the overall area of crops cultivated together with possible concomitant changes in pest abundance. Any pest crisis will ensure rapid changes in practice and adoption of technologies, in order to mitigate the short-term financial stresses caused. However, regression to former practices tends to follow (e.g. in Brassica crops). In most cases, we cannot objectively test if changed management practices are responsible for changes in pest abundance, as is often claimed, or if the latter is simply a consequence of the weather and/or related large-scale landscape features (e.g. area of host plants). We argue that for many systems the future of pest management practice will require a change to landscape or area-wide approaches. We suspect, given how entrenched the acronym has become, whatever the nature of the approach it will be called IPM. [source] Development time and survival of Verrallina funerea (Theobald) (Diptera: Culicidae) immatures and other brackish water mosquito species in southeast Queensland, AustraliaAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Jason A L Jeffery Abstract,Verrallina funerea (Theobald) is a brackish water mosquito that is recognised as an important pest and vector in southeast Queensland, Australia. Immature development time and survival of Ve. funerea was defined in the laboratory in response to a range of temperatures (17,34°C) and salinities (0,35 parts per thousand (p.p.t)). The expression of autogeny in this species was also assessed. Salinity only had a slight effect on mean development time from hatching to adult emergence (7.0,7.4 d at salinities of 0, 17.5 and 31.5 p.p.t) and survival was uniformly high (97.5,99.0%). Mean development times were shorter at 26, 29 and 32°C (7.0, 6.8 and 6.8 d, respectively) and longest at 17°C (12.2 d). The threshold temperature (t) was 5.8°C and the thermal constant (K) was 142.9 degree-days above t. Survival to adulthood decreased from >95% (at 17,29°C) to 78% (at 32°C) and 0% (at 34°C). No expression of autogeny was observed. Immature development times of Ve. funerea, Ochlerotatus vigilax (Skuse) and Oc. procax (Skuse) were then determined under field conditions at Maroochy Shire. Following tide and rain inundation, cohorts of newly hatched larvae were monitored daily by dipping, and time until pupation was noted. Tidal inundation triggered hatching of Ve. funerea and Oc. vigilax larvae whereas Oc. procax larvae were found only after rain inundation. Estimates of Ve. funerea and Oc. vigilax field development times were similar (8,9 d) while Oc. procax development time was slightly longer (9,10 d). Based on these survey results, control activities targeting Ve. funerea must be initiated 4 d (if using Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis de Barjac) or 5 d (if using s -methoprene) after inundation. However, Casuarina glauca Sieber canopy and branchlets covering breeding habitats may present a problem for the penetration of such treatments. [source] | ||||||||||