My research examines broad ecological and evolutionary questions, including applied problems.  I take an integrative approach, using a combination of controlled experiments and observational studies to test hypotheses.  Much of my research has used reptiles and amphibians as model systems, but I am broadly interested in a variety of groups.

I am interested in the relationship between vertebrates and habitat structure, and study habitat use and shelter site selection, predator avoidance and thermoregulation, as they relate to habitat.  These interests have lead me to study the influence of various anthropogenic effects, such as logging, grazing, and weeds and their control, on vertebrate populations. 

The amphibian disease, chytridiomycosis, is strongly influenced by the environment selected by host amphibians.  Thus, behaviour and habitat selection by amphibians have important effects on disease dynamics in this system, and these relationships have drawn me to study this system in collaboration with colleagues at JCU and elsewhere.

Invasive species, as predators, prey and competitors can have negative effects on native species.  With an industry partner I have developed a trap that exploits the signalling system of invasive amphibians to selectively remove mature reproductive individuals from populations, as a means of local control for these pests. 

Adaptation to environmental pressures has lead to many amazing animal charactersitics.  Lizard skin shows adaptations ranging from high to low adhesivness and from superhydrophobicity to rapid water transport, depending on species and their environments.  I have been examining these traits with collaborators in chemistry and physics at JCU, and from the University of Idaho.

For more information see my Vertebrate Ecology Lab website.

Teaching

• AG1007: Introduction to Plants and Animals for Veterinary Science (Level 1; TSV)
• BS1001: Introduction to Biological Processes (Level 1; TSV)
• BZ2490: Toolkit for the Field Biologist (Level 2; CNS & TSV)
• BZ2705: Australian Vertebrate Fauna (Level 2; TSV)
• BZ3215: Conservation Biology (Level 3; CNS & TSV)
• BZ3725: Herpetology (Level 3; TSV)
• BZ5215: Conservation Biology (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• BZ5705: Australian Vertebrate Fauna (Level 5; TSV)
• BZ5725: Herpetology (Level 5; TSV)
• BZ5990: Toolkit for the Field Biologist (Level 5; CNS)
• SC5901: Special Topic 1 (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• SC5902: Special Topic 2 (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• SC5903: Literature Review (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• SC5909: Minor Project and Seminar (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• SC5912: Minor Project, Seminar and Literature Review (1 of 2) (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• SC5913: Minor Project, Seminar and Literature Review (2 of 2) (Level 5; CNS & TSV)

Interests

Research

• Relationship between vertebrates and habitat structure
• Behaviour and habitat selection
• Signalling system of cane toads

Awards

• 2007 - Dean’s Award for Best Research Group JCU
• 1986 - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Postgraduate Fellowship
• 1984 - Queensland Federation of University Women - Audrey Jorss, Freda Freeman Fellowship

Fellowships

• 1995 to 1997 - JCU Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 1993 to 1995 - Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 1991 to 1993 - CSIRO Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Neilly H, Nordberg E, VanDerWal J and Schwarzkopf L (2018) Arboreality increases reptile community resistance to disturbance from livestock grazing. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55 (2). pp. 786-799
• Xie J, Indraswari K, Schwarzkopf L, Towsey M, Zhang J and Roe P (2018) Acoustic classification of frog within-species and species-specific calls. Applied Acoustics, 131. pp. 79-86
• Bower D, Mengersen K, Alford R and Schwarzkopf L (2017) Using a Bayesian network to clarify areas requiring research in a host–pathogen system. Conservation Biology, 31 (6). pp. 1373-1382
• Greenspan S, Bower D, Roznik E, Pike D, Marantelli G, Alford R, Schwarzkopf L and Scheffers B (2017) Infection increases vulnerability to climate change via effects on host thermal tolerance. Scientific Reports, 7.
• Greenspan S, Bower D, Webb R, Roznik E, Stevenson L, Berger L, Marantelli G, Pike D, Schwarzkopf L and Alford R (2017) Realistic heat pulses protect frogs from disease under simulated rainforest frog thermal regimes. Functional Ecology, 31. pp. 2274-2286
• Greenspan S, Bower D, Webb R, Berger L, Rudd D, Schwarzkopf L and Alford R (2017) White blood cell profiles in amphibians help to explain disease susceptibility following temperature shifts. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 77. pp. 280-286
• McKnight D, Schwarzkopf L, Alford R, Bower D and Zenger K (2017) Effects of emerging infectious diseases on host population genetics: a review. Conservation Genetics, 18. pp. 1235-1245
• Muller B and Schwarzkopf L (2017) Success of capture of toads improved by manipulating acoustic characteristics of lures. Pest Management Science, 73 (11). pp. 2372-2378
• Muller B and Schwarzkopf L (in press) Relative effectiveness of trapping and hand-capture for controlling invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina). International Journal of Pest Management, pp. 1-8
• Neilly H and Schwarzkopf L (2017) The response of an arboreal mammal to livestock grazing is habitat dependant. Scientific Reports, 7.
• Parsons S, Kutt A, Vanderduys E, Perry J and Schwarzkopf L (2017) Exploring relationships between native vertebrate biodiversity and grazing land condition. The Rangeland Journal, 39 (1). pp. 25-37
• Tingley R, Ward-Fear G, Schwarzkopf L, Greenlees M, Phillips B, Brown G, Clulow S, Webb J, Capon R, Sheppard A, Strive T, Tizard M and Shine R (2017) New weapons in the toad toolkit: a review of methods to control and mitigate the biodiversity impacts of invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina). Quarterly Review of Biology, 92 (2). pp. 123-149

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 125+ research outputs authored by Prof Lin Schwarzkopf from 1983 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Pathology and Epidemiology of Ranavirus Infection in Australian Freshwater Turtles (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Life Finds a Way: The Recovery of Frog Populations From a Chytridiomycosis Outbreak (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Environmental influences on geographic variations in body size in greater gliders (Petauroides volans) (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Life in the Canopy in a Changing Climate: What Factors Increase Species Vulnerability to Climate Change in Tropical Forest Canopies and how does this Effect Species Interactions in the Canopy Community? (PhD , Advisor Mentor)
• Population trends, habitat requirements and conservation recommendations for an endangered marsupial, the northern bettong (Bettongia tropica). (PhD , Advisor Mentor)
• The Effect of Invasive Toad Calls on the Calls of other Frogs (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• An Examination of Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) Behaviour: How Can We Use This Knowledge to Refine Trapping Regimes? (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Faunal Responses to Different Cattle Grazing Strategies (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Habitat Modelling as a tool for conservation of the Black-Throated Finch southern subspecies (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Evolution and ecological adaptations of skin morphology of geckos (squamata, Gekkota) (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Understanding the Ecology and Impacts of the Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus Frenatus) (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM)
• Ecology and management of Chital Deer in North Queensland (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

• The impacts of cattle grazing on arboreal reptiles (2018, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The ecology of an arboreal rainforest gecko: Saltuarius cornutus (2017, Masters , Primary Advisor)
• Patterns in physiological trait variation delineate potential impacts of climate change on ectotherms (2016, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Thermal thresholds in the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Population and disease dynamics of the amphibian chytrid fungus in the stream-associated frog Litoria rheocola (2013, Masters , Primary Advisor)
• The Hawksbill Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, (Linnaeus 1766): Ecological Insights of a Resident Population in the Northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. (2013, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The role of cutaneous bacteria in resistance of Australian tropical rainforest frogs to the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (2013, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Predator guild interactions in northern Australia: behaviour and ecology of an apex predator, the dingo Canis lupus dingo, and an introduced mesopredator, the feral cat Felis catus (2014, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Effects of individual behaviour on host-pathogen interactions: Australian rainforest frogs and the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (2014, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Dynamics of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in Isolated Patches of Lowland Rainforest. (2015, Masters , Primary Advisor)
• Acoustic Behaviour and Mating System of Cane Toads (Rhinella marina): Understanding and Exploiting Vocal Communication for Application to Control (2015, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• The impact of weeds and prescribed fire on faunal diversity (2016, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Fire management and biodiversity in Northern Australia (2016, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Thermoregulation in tropical lizards (2014, PhD , Primary Advisor)

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit the JCU Research Data Catalogue.

• Schwarzkopf, L. (2015) Eastern water skinks (Eulamprus quoyii) life-history data. James Cook University
• Pintor, A. (2015) Hydroregulation in the tropical skink Carlia rubrigularis. James Cook University
• Pintor, A. (2015) Physiological determinants of tolerance to climatic extremes in small ectotherms. James Cook University
• Pintor, A. (2015) Latitudinal trends in thermal traits in a clade of small reptilian ectotherms. James Cook University
• Pintor, A. (2015) Acclimation of cold tolerance in Carlia longipes. James Cook University
• Pintor, A. (2015) Tests of the Climatic Variability Hypothesis in Australian Skinks. James Cook University

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.