I study how human activities impact tropical rainforest plant and wildlife communities.  I am especially interested in how vulnerable wildlife and plant species are affected by major land-use and climate change.  My work spans much of the tropical world, including the Amazon and tropical Australia.

I have maintained a long-term involvement at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project in Brazil, which is the largest, longest-running experimental study into how human land-use impacts rainforest communities. This dataset has also contributed significantly to our current understanding of forest dynamics, floristic diversity and carbon stock and pulses in tropical rainforests.  

In Australia, I have developed an extensive research program that continues my work in global change and tropical forests at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO), where we have initiated an ambitious experiment to induce an artificial drought in order to study its effects on rainforest biodiversity.  My other research programs include understanding the biotic and abiotic drivers of secondary forest composition and carbon sequestration, and how fragmentation and human land-use influences disease vectors. I am the lead investigator on >$2 million in research grants and have authored/coauthored more than 130 peer-reviewed research articles. 

You can see the Daintree Drought Experiment on JCU’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5386WYkyWw; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFDZ_LNn00. See researchers from my lab Dr David Tng and Dr Deborah Apgaua:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCa9WfSQXGk

Teaching

• BZ2490: Toolkit for the Field Biologist (Level 2; CNS & TSV)
• BZ2725: Australian Terrestrial Diversity (Level 2; CNS)
• BZ3230: Ecological Research Methods (Level 3; CNS & TSV)
• BZ3620: Tropical Flora of Australia (Level 3; CNS)
• BZ5230: Ecological Research Methods (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5620: Tropical Flora of Australia (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5925: Australian Terrestrial Diversity (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5930: Conservation in a Changing World: Issues and Solutions (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5990: Toolkit for the Field Biologist (Level 5; CNS & TSV)

Interests

Research

• Ecology Conservation Biology Restoration Ecology Climate Change Rainforest Ecology
• A short youtube video can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5386WYkyWw
• Research Seminar on the Daintree Drought Experiment Can be seen here https://mediasite.jcu.edu.au/Mediasite/Play/67d312078b274f768eaff24df7e02e861d
• TEDX talk can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFDZ_LNn00

Experience

• 2010 to 2015 - Tropical Leader, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2001 to 2009 - Post-doctoral researcher, STRI (Brazil & Panama)
• 1996 to 2001 - Herbarium manager, BDFFP (Brazil)
• 1990 to 1995 - Conservation officer, QNPWS (Cairns)

Research Disciplines

• Environmental management (4104)
• Ecology (3103)
• Plant biology (3108)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Terrestrial systems and management (1806)
• Expanding knowledge (2801)

Awards

• 2018 to 2023 - European Research Council Advanced Grant 2018, ($2.4 million Euros). Role: collaborator, Lead Investigator: Dr Lourens Poorter
• 2020 to 2022 - Lead Investigator, ARC Discovery Grant ($395,000) Drought effects and insect attack on rainforests
• 2014 to 2017 - ARC Future Fellow ($680,000), Global Change: Rainforest responses to experimental drought
• 2012 to 2015 - Lead Investigator, ARC Discovery Grant ($365,000), Response and vulnerability of tropical rainforest plants to experimental drought
• 2011 to 2014 - Lead investigator, ARC Linkage Grant ($460,000), Accelerating species and biomass gains in tropical secondary forests
• 2011 to 2014 - Lead Investigator, NERP/RRRC Grant ($102,000), Land use and disease dynamics across the Torres Straits

Fellowships

• 2015 to 2050 - Fellow of the Royal Society of Quensland
• 2007 to 2009 - NSF Post-doctoral Fellow, STRI Panama
• 2004 to 2006 - Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, STRI Panama
• 2002 to 2004 - NASA LBA Post-doctoral Fellow, INPA Brazil & STRI Panama

Memberships

• 2020 to 2021 - ERC Expert Panel
• 2011 to 2019 - Deputy Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee of the Wet Tropics Management Authority, Cairns
• 2009 to 2016 - Research Associate, Smithsonian Tropical Reseach Institute
• 1996 to 2016 - Research Associate, Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, Brazil
• 2013 to 2015 - President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC)
• 2009 to 2011 - Councilor of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation

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

• Binks O, Cernusak L, Liddell M, Bradford M, Coughlin I, Bryant C, Palma A, Hoffmann L, Alam I, Carle H, Rowland L, Oliveira R, Laurance S, Mencuccini M and Meir P (in press) Vapour pressure deficit modulates hydraulic function and structure of tropical rainforests under nonlimiting soil water supply. New Phytologist,
• Correa D, Stevenson P, Umaña M, Coelho L, Filho D, Salomão R, Leão do Amaral I, Wittmann F, de Almeida Matos F, Castilho C, Phillips O, Guevara J, Carim M, Magnusson W, Sabatier D, Molino J, Irume M, Martins M, da Silva Guimarães J, Banki O, Fernandez Piedade M, Pitman N, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Ramos J, Luize B, Moraes de Leão Novo E, Núñez Vargas P, Silva T, Venticinque E, Manzatto A, Reis N, Terborgh J, Casula K, Honorio Coronado E, Montero J, Schöngart J, López D, Costa F, Quaresma A, Zartman C, Killeen T, Marimon B, Marimon-junior B, Vásquez R, Mostacedo B, Demarchi L, Feldpausch T, Assis R, Baraloto C, Engel J, Petronelli P, Castellanos H, Brilhante de Medeiros M, Simon M, Andrade A, Camargo J, Laurance S, Laurance W, Rincón L, Schietti J, Sousa T, de Sousa Farias E, Lopes M, Magalhães J, Nascimento H, Lima de Queiroz H, Aymard C. G, Brienen R, Cardenas Revilla J, Vieira I, Cintra B, Feitosa Y, Duivenvoorden J, Mogollón H, Araujo-murakami A, Ferreira L, Lozada J, Comiskey J, de Toledo J, Damasco G, Dávila N, Garcia-Villacorta R, Lopes A, Vicentini A, Draper F, Arboleda N, Valverde F, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, Gomes V, Neill D, de Aguiar D, Arroyo L, Carvalho F, de Souza F, do Amaral D, Feeley K, Gribel R, Pansonato M, Barlow J, Berenguer E, Ferreira J, Fine P, Guedes M, Jiménez E, Licona J, Mora M, Villa Zegarra B, Cerón C, Fonty É, Henkel T, Householder J, Maas P, Silveira M, Stropp J, Thomas R, Machado Durgante F, Baker T, Daly D, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Milliken W, Pennington T, Paredes M, Molina P, Fuentes A, Klitgaard B, Peña J, Peres C, Silman M, Tello J, Campelo W, Chave J, Di Fiore A, Hilário R, Phillips J, Rivas-Torres G, Van Andel T, von Hildebrand P, de Oliveira Pereira L, Barbosa E, Barbosa F, de Matos Bonates L, de Sá Carpanedo R, Doza H, Gomez R, Gonzales T, Gonzales G, Hoffman B, Junqueira A, Malhi Y, de Andrade Miranda I, Pinto L, Prieto A, de Jesus Rodrigues D, Rudas A, Ruschell A, Silva N, Vela C, Vos V, Zent S, Zent E, Noronha J, Albuquerque B, Cano A, Márquez Y, Costa J, Flores B, Galbraith D, Holmgren M, Kalamandeen M, Nascimento M, Oliveira A, Ramírez-angulo H, Rocha M, Scudeller V, Sierra R, Tirado M, Van Der Heijden G, Torre E, Vriesendorp C, Pombo M, Reategui M, Baider C, Balslev H, Cárdenas S, Casas L, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Linares-Palomino R, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Torres-lezama A, Giraldo L, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Parada G, Alexiades M, de Oliveira E, Garcia-Cabrera K, Hernandez L, Cuenca W, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Arevalo F, Sampaio A, Valderrama Sandoval E, Gamarra L and Ter Steege H (2023) Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 32 (1). pp. 49-69
• Pos E, de Souza Coelho L, de Andrade Lima Filho D, Salomão R, Amaral I, De Almeida Matos F, Castilho C, Phillips O, Guevara J, de Jesus Veiga Carim M, López D, Magnusson W, Wittmann F, Irume M, Martins M, Sabatier D, da Silva Guimarães J, Molino J, Bánki O, Piedade M, Pitman N, Mendoza A, Ramos J, Hawes J, Almeida E, Barbosa L, Cavalheiro L, dos Santos M, Luize B, de Leão Novo E, Vargas P, Silva T, Venticinque E, Manzatto A, Reis N, Terborgh J, Casula K, Coronado E, Montero J, Marimon B, Marimon-Junior B, Feldpausch T, Duque A, Baraloto C, Arboleda N, Engel J, Petronelli P, Zartman C, Killeen T, Vasquez R, Mostacedo B, Assis R, Schöngart J, Castellanos H, de Medeiros M, Simon M, Andrade A, Camargo J, Demarchi L, Laurance W, Laurance S, de Sousa Farias E, Lopes M, Magalhães J, Nascimento H, de Queiroz H, Aymard G, Brienen R, Revilla J, Costa F, Quaresma A, Vieira I, Cintra B, Stevenson P, Feitosa Y, Duivenvoorden J, Mogollón H, Ferreira L, Comiskey J, Draper F, de Toledo J, Damasco G, Dávila N, Garcia-villacorta R, Lopes A, Vicentini A, Noronha J, Barbosa F, de Sá Carpanedo R, Emilio T, Levis C, de Jesus Rodrigues D, Schietti J, Souza P, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, Gomes V, Lloyd J, Neill D, de Aguiar D, Araujo-murakami A, Arroyo L, Carvalho F, de Souza F, do Amaral D, Feeley K, Gribel R, Pansonato M, Barlow J, Berenguer E, Ferreira J, Fine P, Guedes M, Jimenez E, Licona J, Mora M, Peres C, Zegarra B, Cerón C, Henkel T, Maas P, Silveira M, Stropp J, Thomas-Caesar R, Baker T, Daly D, Dexter K, Householder J, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Pennington T, Paredes M, Fuentes A, Pena J, Silman M, Tello J, Chave J, Valverde F, Di Fiore A, Hilário R, Phillips J, Rivas-Torres G, van Andel T, von Hildebrand P, Barbosa E, de Matos Bonates L, Doza H, Fonty É, Gómez R, Gonzales T, Gonzales G, Guillaumet J, Hoffman B, Junqueira A, Malhi Y, de Andrade Miranda I, Pinto L, Prieto A, Rudas A, Ruschel A, Silva N, Vela C, Vos V, Zent E, Zent S, Albuquerque B, Cano A, Correa D, Costa J, Flores B, Holmgren M, Nascimento M, Oliveira A, Ramirez-Angulo H, Rocha M, Scudeller V, Sierra R, Tirado M, Umaña M, van der Heijden G, Torre E, Vriesendorp C, Wang O, Young K, Reategui M, Baider C, Balslev H, Cárdenas S, Casas L, Farfan-Rios W, Ferreira C, Linares-Palomino R, Mendoza C, Mesones I, Torres-Lezama A, Giraldo L, Villarroel D, Zagt R, Alexiades M, Garcia-Cabrera K, Hernandez L, Milliken W, Cuenca W, Pansini S, Pauletto D, Arevalo F, Sampaio A, Sandoval E, Gamarra L, Boenisch G, Kattge J, Kraft N, Levesley A, Melgaço K, Pickavance G, Poorter L and ter Steege H (2023) Unraveling Amazon tree community assembly using Maximum Information Entropy: a quantitative analysis of tropical forest ecology. Scientific Reports, 13.
• Apgaua D, Tng D and Laurance S (2022) Tropical wet and dry forest tree species exhibit contrasting hydraulic architecture. Flora, 291.
• Bauman D, Fortunel C, Cernusak L, Bentley L, McMahon S, Rifai S, Aguirre-Gutiérrez J, Oliveras I, Bradford M, Laurance S, Delhaye G, Hutchinson M, Dempsey R, McNellis B, Santos-Andrade P, Ninantay-Rivera H, Chambi Paucar J, Phillips O and Malhi Y (2022) Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits. Global Change Biology, 28 (4). pp. 1414-1432
• Bauman D, Fortunel C, Delhaye G, Malhi Y, Cernusak L, Bentley L, Rifai S, Aguirre-Gutierrez J, Menor I, Phillips O, McNellis B, Bradford M, Laurance S, Hutchinson M, Dempsey R, Santos-Andrade P, Ninantay-Rivera H, Chambi Paucar J and McMahon S (2022) Tropical tree mortality has increased with rising atmospheric water stress. Nature, 608. pp. 528-533
• Blasdell K, Morand S, Laurance S, Doggett S, Hahs A, Trinh K, Perera D and Firth C (2022) Rats and the city: Implications of urbanization on zoonotic disease risk in Southeast Asia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119 (39).
• Marca?Zevallos M, Moulatlet G, Sousa T, Schietti J, Coelho L, Ramos J, Lima Filho D, Amaral I, de Almeida Matos F, Rincón L, Cardenas Revilla J, Pansonato M, Gribel R, Barbosa E, Miranda I, Bonates L, Guevara J, Salomão R, Ferreira L, Dantas do Amaral D, Pitman N, Vriesendorp C, Baker T, Brienen R, Carim M, Guimarães J, Núñez Vargas P, Huamantupa?Chuquimaco I, Laurance W, Laurance S, Andrade A, Camargo J, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Vásquez R, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Mogollón H, Marimon?Junior B, Marimon B, Killeen T, Farias E, Neill D, de Medeiros M, Simon M, Terborgh J, Carlos Montero J, Licona J, Mostacedo B, García?Villacorta R, Araujo?Murakami A, Arroyo L, Villarroel D, Dávila N, Coelho de Souza F, Carvalho F, Comiskey J, Alonso A, Dallmeier F, Oliveira A, Castilho C, Lloyd J, Feldpausch T, Ríos Paredes M, Castaño Arboleda N, Cárdenas López D, Aymard Corredor G, Di Fiore A, Rudas A, Prieto A, Barbosa F, Noronha J, Rodrigues D, Carpanedo R, Honorio Coronado E, Peres C, Milliken W, Fuentes A, Tello J, Cerón C, Klitgaard B, Tirado M, Sierra R, Young K, Rivas?Torres G, Stevenson P, Cano A, Wang O, Baider C, Barlow J, Ferreira J, Berenguer E, Stropp J, Balslev H, Ahuite Reategui M, Mesones I, Valderrama Sandoval E, Gonzales T, Pansini S, Reis N, Sampaio A, Vos V, Palacios Cuenca W, Manzatto A, Farfan?Rios W, Silman M, Garcia?Cabrera K, von Hildebrand P, Guedes M, Costa J, Phillips J, Vela C, de Toledo J, Pauletto D, Valverde F, Umaña M, Phillips O, Magnusson W, Ter Steege H and Costa F (2022) Local hydrological conditions influence tree diversity and composition across the Amazon basin. Ecography, 2022 (11).
• Piovezan?Borges A, Valente?Neto F, Urbieta G, Laurance S and de Oliveira Roque F (2022) Global trends in research on the effects of climate change on Aedes aegypti: international collaboration has increased, but some critical countries lag behind. Parasites & Vectors, 15.
• Potts E, Tng D, Apgaua D, Curran T, Engert J and Laurance S (2022) Growth form and functional traits influence the shoot flammability of tropical rainforest species. Forest Ecology and Management, 522.
• Sousa T, Schietti J, Ribeiro I, Emilio T, Herrera Fernandez R, ter Steege H, Castilho C, Esquivel-Muelbert A, Baker T, Pontes-Lopes A, Silva C, Silveira J, Derroire G, Castro W, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Ruschel A, Prieto A, Nogueira Lima A, Rudas A, Araujo-Murakami A, Parada Gutierrez A, Andrade A, Roopsind A, Manzatto A, Di Fiore A, Torres-Lezama A, Dourdain A, Marimon B, Marimon B, Burban B, van Ulft B, Herault B, Quesada C, Mendoza C, Stahl C, Bonal D, Galbraith D, Neill D, de Oliveira E, Hase E, Jimenez-Rojas E, Vilanova E, Arets E, Berenguer E, Alvarez-Davila E, Honorio Coronado E, Almeida E, Coelho F, Cornejo Valverde F, Elias F, Brown F, Bongers F, Arevalo F, Lopez-Gonzalez G, van der Heijden G, Aymard G, Llampazo G, Pardo G, Ramirez-Angulo H, do Amaral I, Guimaraes Vieira I, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Comiskey J, Singh J, Silva Espejo J, Del Aguila-Pasquel J, Zwerts J, Talbot J, Terborgh J, Ferreira J, Barroso J, Barlow J, Camargo J, Stropp J, Peacock J, Serrano J, Melgaco K, Ferreira L, Blanc L, Poorter L, Valenzuela Gamarra L, Aragao L, Arroyo L, Silveira M, Cristina Penuela-Mora M, Nunez Vargas M, Toledo M, Disney M, Rejou-Mechain M, Baisie M, Kalamandeen M, Pallqui Camacho N, Davila Cardozo N, Silva N, Pitman N, Higuchi N, Banki O, Alvarez Loayza P, Graca P, Morandi P, van der Meer P, van der Hout P, Naisso P, Camargo P, Salomao R, Thomas R, Boot R, Umetsu R, Silva R, Burnham R, Zagt R, Vasquez Martinez R, Brienen R, Ribeiro S, Lewis S, Vieira S, de Almeida Reis S, Fauset S, Laurance S, Feldpausch T, Erwin T, Killeen T, Wortel V, Chama Moscoso V, Vos V, Huaraca Huasco W, Laurance W, Malhi Y, Magnusson W, Phillips O and Costa F (2022) Water table depth modulates productivity and biomass across Amazonian forests. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 31 (8). pp. 1571-1588
• Tng D, Apgaua D, Paz C, Dempsey R, Cernusak L, Liddell M and Laurance S (2022) Drought reduces the growth and health of tropical rainforest understory plants. Forest Ecology and Management, 511.

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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 134+ research outputs authored by Prof Susan Laurance from 1997 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

• Rainforest plant flammability and recovery post-fire (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• The functional traits of rainforest plant species that increase their sensitivity to drought. (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• The effects of rainforest fragmentation on parasite infections in terrestrial mammals (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)

Completed

• Floristic diversity and patch dynamics in hyper-disturbed tropical lowland rainforest fragments in north Queensland: no evidence for cyclone-disturbance and fragmentation driving species assemblages toward (2019, Masters , Primary Advisor)
• Using mosquito excreta to enhance mosquito-borne disease surveillance (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Maintaining connectivity for tropical rainforest mammals in agricultural landscapes (2018, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• A new classification approach: improving the regional ecosystem classification system in Queensland, Australia (2020, PhD , Primary Advisor)

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.