Publications

Publications

Underlined authors = Honours, Masters or PhD candidate

2023

Gill, B., Edwards, A.M,, Parrott, M., Scicluna, E., Robert, K.A. (accepted Mar 2023). Female mate choice in the fat-tailed dunnart, Sminthopsis crassicaudata, influences offspring sex ratio, but not fecundity. Australian Journal of Zoology.

Dimovski, A., Griffiths, S.R., Fanson, K.V., Eastick, D.L., Robert, K.A. (accepted Feb 2023). A light-exploiting insectivorous bat shows no melatonin disruption under lights with different spectra. Royal Society Open Science. [link to online article] 

Terry, R., Simms, A., Stockfeld, G., Robert, K.A., VanDyke, J. (accepted Jan 2023). Effectiveness of plastic mesh for protecting artificial turtle nests from red fox (Vulpes vulpes) predation. Austral Ecology.

2022

Williams-Kelly, K.S., Robert, K.A., Palme, R., Fanson, K.V. (2022). Validation of an enzyme immunoassay for the non-invasive measurement of faecal androgen metabolites in spinifex hopping mice (Notomys alexis). Australian Mammalogy. [link to online article]

Ross, R., Anderson, B., Bienvenu, B., Scicluna, E., Robert, K.A. (2022). WildTrack: An IoT system for tracking passive RFID microchipped wildlife for ecology research. Automation 3(3), 426-438. [link to online article]

Eastick, D.L., Griffiths, S.R., Yen, J.D.L., Robert, K.A. (2022). Size at birth, postnatal growth and reproductive timing in an Australian microbat. Integrative organismal biology 4(1), obac030. [link to online article]

Griffiths, S.R., Robert, K.A., Semmens, K., Lentini, L.E. (2022). “Set and forget” does not work when it comes to fissure roosts carved into live trees for bats. Restoration Ecology e13751. [link to online article]

Mayer-Pinto, M., Jones, T.M., Swearer, S.E., Robert, K.A., Bolton, D., Aulsebrook, A.E., Dafforn, K.A., Dickerson, A.L., Dimovski, A.M., Hubbard, N., McLay, L., Pendoley, K., Poore, A.G.B., Thums, M., Willmott, N.J., Yokochi, K., Fobert, E.K. (2022). Light pollution: A landscape-scale issue requiring cross-realm consideration. UCL Open Environment;(4):07.[link to online article]

Griffiths, S.R., Robert, K.A., Jones, C.S. (2022). Chainsaw hollows carved into live trees provide well-insulated supplementary shelters for wildlife during heat wave conditions. Wildlife Research 49(7): 596-609. [link to online article]

2021

Robert, K.A., Dimovski, A.M. , Robert, J.A., Griffiths, S.R. (2021) Low-cost flight intercept traps for temporal sub-sampling of flying insects attracted to artificial light at night. Journal of Visualized Experiments. E63156. [link to online article]

Scicluna, E., Gill, B., Robert, K.A. (2021) Fat-tailed dunnarts (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) of the Werribee grasslands: a case study of a species in decline. Australian Journal of Zoology 69(2): 27-32. [link to online article]

Gangloff, E.J., Manes, M.B., Schwartz, T.S., Robert, K.A., Huebschman, N., Bronikowski, A.M. (2021). Multiple paternity in garter snakes with evolutionarily divergent life-histories. Journal of Heredity. esab043. [link to online article]

Buxton, J.T.,  Robert, K.A., Marshall, A.T., Dutka, T.L, Gibb, H (2021) A cross-species test of the function of cuticular traits in ants.  Mymecological News. 31: 31-46. [link to online article]

Featured interview of James in the Mymecological News Blog “A cross-species test of the function of ant pilosity and sculpturing”

2020

Walker, M.J., Griffiths, S.R., Jones, C.S. Robert, K.A. (2020) The influence of meal size on the digestive energetics of Gould’s wattled bat, Chalinolobus gouldii. Australian Journal of Zoology. DOI:10.1071/ZO20028 [link to online article]

Awarded best student paper in the Australian Journal of Zoology 2019

Eastick, D.L., Edwards, A.M., Griffiths, S.R., Spencer, S.J., Robert, K.A. (2020) Validation of quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) as a non-invasive measure of body composition in an Australian microbat. Australian Mammalogy 43(2): 196-202. [link to online article]

Griffiths, S., Lumsden, L., Robert, K.A., Lentini, P. (2020) Nest boxes do not cause a shift in bat community composition in an urbanised landscape​. Scientific Reports. 10:6210.   [link to online article]

Parsons, L., Ross, R., Robert, K. (2020) A survey on wireless sensor network technologies in pest management applications. SN Applied Sciences. 2:28.  [link to online article]

Atkins, Z.A., Clemann, N., Chapple, D.G., Edwards, A.M., Sinsch, U., Hantzschmann, A.M., Schroder, M., Scroggie, M.P., Robert, K.A. (2020) Demographic and life history variation in two sky-island populations of an endangered alpine lizard. Journal of Zoology 310(1): 34-44.   [link to online article]

2019

Atkins, Z.A., Amor, M.D., Clemann, N., Chapple, D.G., While, G.M., Gardner, M.G., Haines, M.L., Harrisson, K.A., Schroder, M., Robert, K.A. (2019) Allopatric divergence drives the genetic structuring of an endangered alpine endemic lizard with a sky-island distribution. Animal Conservation 23(1): 104-118. [link to online article]

Edwards, A., Cameron, E., Deakin, J., Ezaz, T., Pereira, J., Ferguson-Smith, M., Robert, K.A. (2019) Sexual conflict in action: an antagonistic relationship between maternal and paternal sex allocation in the tammar wallaby, Notamacropus eugenii. Ecology and evolution 9:4340-4348. [link to online article]

Eastick, D.L., Tattersall, G., Watson, S., Lesku, J.A., Robert, K.A. (2019) Cassowary casques act as thermal windows. Scientific Reports 9:1966. [link to online article]

Featured in New Scientist, February 2019 “Cassowaries’ strange headgear helps them stay cool in the heat”

Featured in The Age, February 2019 “Cassowary mystery cracked: Nature gifts giant bird an inbuilt ‘airconditioner'”

Featured in The Sydney Morning Herald, February 2019 “Cassowary mystery cracked: Nature gifts giant bird an inbuilt ‘airconditioner'”

Featured in SBS News February 2019 “Researchers have answered a 200 year old mystery surrounding Australia’s iconic cassowary'”

Featured in Audubon News April 2019 “Did scienticts just settle a  200 year old debate about cassowary'”

2018

Griffiths, S., Lumsden, L.,Bender, R., Irvine, R., Godinho, L.N., Visintin, C., Eastick, D.L., Robert, K.A., Lentini, P.E. (2018) Long-term monitoring suggests bat boxes may alter local bat community structure. Australian Mammalogy 41(2): 273-278. [link to online article]

Dimovski, A. & Robert, K.A. (2018) Artificial light pollution: shifting spectral wavelengths to mitigate physiological and health consequences in a nocturnal marsupial mammal. Journal of Experimental Zoology. 2018:1–9. [link to online article]

Griffiths, S., Lentini, P., Semmens, K., Watson, S., Lumsden, L., Robert, K.A. (2018) Chainsaw-Carved Cavities Better Mimic the Thermal Properties of Natural Tree Hollows than Nest Boxes and Log Hollows. Forests 9(5): 235. [link to online article]

Journal Cover – May 2018

Featured in The Sydney Morning Herald, May 2018 “Could chainsaws fix our animal habitat problem?”

Jeronimo, S., Khadraoui, M., Wang, D., Martin, K., Lesku, J.A., Robert, K.A., Schlicht, E., Forstmeier, W., Kempenaers, B. (2018) Plumage colour manipulation has no effect on social dominance or fitness in zebra finches. Behavioural Ecology. 29(2):459–467. [link to online article]

Atkins, Z.S., Clemann, N., Schroder, M., Chapple, D.G., Davis, N.E., Robinson, W., Wainer, J., Robert, K.A. (2018) Consistent temporal variation in the diet of an endangered alpine lizard across two sky-islands. Austral Ecology. 43: 339-351. [link to online article]

2017

Humphrey, J., Robert, K.A., & Leonard, S. (2017) Elliot traps found to be ineffective for the survey of swamp skink (Lissolepis coventryi): a cautionary tale of outdated survey guidelines. Wildlife Research.  44(6-7):514-522. [link to online article]

Griffiths, S.R., Bender, R., Godinho, L.N., Lumsden, L.F., & Robert, K.A. (2017) Bat boxes are not a silver bullet conservation tool. Mammal Review. 47: 261-265. [link to online article]

Noy, E.E., Scott, M.K., Rayment, D.J., Grommen, S.V.H., Robert, K.A., & DeGroef, B. (2017) Molecular cloning and tissue distribution of Crh and Pomc mRNA in the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata), an Australian marsupial. Gene. 627: 26-31. [link to online article]

Griffiths, S.R., Rowland, J.A., Briscoe, N.J., Lentini, P.E., Handasyde, K.A., Lumsden, L.F., & Robert, K.A. (2017) Surface reflectance drives nest box temperature profiles and thermal stability for target taxa. PLoS ONE 12(5): e0176951. [link to online article]

2016

Khan, N., Peters, R., Richardson, E., & Robert, K.A. (2016) Maternal corticosterone exposure has transgenerational effects on grand-offspring. Biology Letters 12: 20160627. [link to online article]

Khan, N., Peters R., & Robert, K.A. (2016) Compensating for a stressful start: maternal corticosterone, offspring survival, and size at fledging in the Zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. Emu. 116(3): 262-272. [link to online article]

Schwanz, L.E & Robert, K.A. (2016) Costs of rearing the wrong sex: Cross-fostering to manipulate offspring sex in Tammar wallabies. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0146011. [link to online article]

2015

Robert, K.A., Lesku, J.A., Partecke, J., & Chambers, B. (2015) Artificial light at night desynchronizes strictly seasonal reproduction in a wild mammal. Proc. R. Soc. B. 282:20151745. doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.1745 [link to online article] 

 

Featured in Science, October 2015 “Light pollution – Stay away from the light”

Interviewed by ABC Radio National October 2015 “Light pollution delays wallaby reproduction”

Featured in The Royal Society Blog, October 2015 “Wallaby babies arrive late due to artificial light at night”

Featured in Science News, September 2015 “Lights at night trick wild wallabies into breeding late”

Featured in ABC Science News, September 2015,  “Light pollution delays wallaby reproduction and puts joeys at risk”

Featured in Smithsonian magazine, September 2015 “Mother wallabies are delaying births due to bright lights”

Featured in Discovery News, October 2015 “Light pollution delays wallaby reproduction”

Featured in ABC News, March 2018 “The Dark Side of Light: How light pollution is damaging our world”

Featured in ABC News, June 2020 “Light pollution is bad for us and wildlife”

Featured in ABC News, Jan 2021 “New push to cut light pollution in WA”

Moore, E.P.B., Hayward, M. & Robert, K.A. (2015) High density, maternal condition and stress are associated with male-biased sex allocation in a marsupial. Journal of Mammalogy. 96(6): 1203–1213. [link to online article]

Rehenberg, L.K., Robert, K.A., Watson, S., & Peters, R.A. (2015) The effects of social interaction and environment enrichment on the space use, behaviour and stress of house cats facing a novel environment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 169: 51-61.  [link to online article]

Featured in BBC Earth, August 2015 “What happens when cats get stressed”

Atkins, Z., Clemann, N. & Robert, K.A. (2015) Shelter site selection aids persistence of a threatened alpine lizard (Liopholis guthega) a decade after severe fire in south-eastern Australia. Journal of Herpetology. 49(2):222-229. [link to online article]

2014

Schwanz, L.E & Robert, K.A. (2014) Proximate and ultimate explanations of mammalian sex allocation in a marsupial model. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 68(7):1085–1096.  [link to online article]

2013

Khan, N. & Robert, K.A. (2013) Does sex matter? Differential responses to corticosterone administration in the Zebra finch. Zoology 116(5):293-299. [link to online article]

Robert, K.A. & Schwanz, L.E. (2013) Monitoring the Health Status of Free-ranging Tammar Wallabies Using Haematology, Serum Biochemistry and Parasite Loads. Journal of Wildlife Management 77(6): 1232-1243. [link to online article]

2012

Robert, K.A., & Braun, S. (2012) Milk composition during lactation suggests a mechanism for male biased allocation of maternal resources in the Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). PLoS ONE 7(11): e51099. [link to online article]

Featured in Australasian Science Magazine, November 2013

Schwanz, L.E., & Robert, K.A. (2012) Reproductive ecology of wild tammar wallabies in natural and developed habitats on Garden Island, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 60(2): 111-119. [link to online article]

Featured in Science Network WA “Reproduction in tammar wallaby populations explored”

Robert, K.A. (2012) Temporal variation in the behaviour of the Australian Pelican (Pelicanus conspicillatus) in an urban wetland environment. Australian Field Ornithology. 29: 93-101. [link to online article]

2011

Robert, K.A. & Schwanz, L.E. (2011) Review Article – Emerging sex allocation research in mammals: marsupials and the pouch advantage. Mammal Review. 41:1-22. [link to online article]

2010

Robert, K.A., & Bronikowski, A.M. (2010) Evolution of senescence in nature: physiological evolution in populations of garter snake with divergent life histories. American Naturalist. 175:147–159. [link to online article]

Featured in Natural History Magazine, November 2010, Samplings. “Old cold-bloods”

Robert, K.A., Schwanz, L.E., & Mills, H.R. (2010) Offspring sex varies with maternal investment ability: empirical demonstration based on cross-fostering. Biology Letters. 6:242-245. [link to online article

Featured in ABC Science Online, November 2010, News in Science. “Healthy wallabies give birth to boys”

Robert, K.A., & Thompson, M.B. (2010) Review Article – Viviparity and temperature-dependent sex determination. Sexual Development. 4:119-128. [link to online article]

2008

Robert, K.A., Vleck, C. & Bronikowski, A.M. (2008) The effects of maternal corticosterone levels on offspring behaviour in fast and slow-growth garter snakes (Thamnophis elegans). Hormones and Behavior. 55: 24-32. [link to online article]

2007

Robert, K.A., Brunet-Rossinni, A. & Bronikowski, A.M. (2007) Testing the “free radical theory of aging” hypothesis: Physiological differences in long lived and short lived Colubrid snakes. Aging Cell 6(3): 395-404. [link to online article]

Featured in Outside JEB, The Journal of Experimental Biology 2007 “Aging Snakes”

Robert, K.A. & Thompson, M.B. (2007) Is basking opportunity in the montane water skink, Eulamprus tympanum, a species with temperature-dependant sex determination, compromised by the presence of a predator scent? Journal of Herpetology 41(2): 287-293. [link to online article]

2006

Robert, K.A., Thompson, M.B., & Seebacher, F. (2006) Thermal biology of a viviparous lizard with temperature-dependent sex determination. Journal of Thermal Biology 31: 292-301. [link to online article]

Robert, K.A. (2006) An inexpensive video surveillance technique for wildlife studies. Herpetological Review 37(1): 54-56. [link to online article]

2003

Robert, K.A., Thompson, M.B., & Seebacher, F. (2003) Facultative sex allocation in the viviparous lizard Eulamprus tympanum, a species with temperature-dependent sex determination. Australian Journal of Zoology 51(4): 367-370. [link to online article]

Robert, K.A. & Thompson, M.B. (2003) Reconstructing the DS1921 Thermochron iButton to reduce size and weight as a new technique in the study of small animal thermal biology. Herpetological Review 34(2): 130-132. [link to online article]

2001

Robert, K.A. & Thompson, M.B. (2001) Sex Determination – Viviparous lizard selects sex of embryos. Nature 412: 698-699. [link to online article]

2000

Robert, K.A. & Thompson, M.B. (2000) Energy consumption by embryos of the viviparous lizard, Eulamprus tympanum, during development. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 127: 481-486. [link to online article]

Robert, K.A. & Thompson, M.B. (2000) Influence of feeding on the metabolic rate of the lizard, Eulamprus tympanum. Copeia 3: 851-855. [link to online article]