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)
• BZ3225: Technological Applications in Ecology (Level 3; CNS)
• BZ3230: Ecological Research Methods (Level 3; CNS & TSV)
• BZ3620: Tropical Flora of Australia (Level 3; CNS)
• BZ5061: Behavioural Ecology (Level 5; TSV)
• BZ5225: Technological Applications in Ecology (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5230: Ecological Research Methods (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5620: Tropical Flora of Australia (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5925: Australian Terrestrial Diversity (Level 5; CNS)
• BZ5990: Toolkit for the Field Biologist (Level 5; CNS)

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)
• Forestry sciences (3007)
• Ecology (3103)

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, NERP/RRRC Grant ($102,000), Land use and disease dynamics across the Torres Straits
• 2011 to 2014 - Lead investigator, ARC Linkage Grant ($460,000), Accelerating species and biomass gains in tropical secondary forests

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

• 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
• Draper F, Costa F, Arellano G, Phillips O, Duque A, Macía M, Ter Steege H, Asner G, Berenguer E, Schietti J, Socolar J, de Souza F, Dexter K, Jørgensen P, Tello J, Magnusson W, Baker T, Castilho C, Monteagudo-Mendoza A, Fine P, Ruokolainen K, Coronado E, Aymard G, Dávila N, Sáenz M, Paredes M, Engel J, Fortunel C, Paine C, Goret J, Dourdain A, Petronelli P, Allie E, Andino J, Brienen R, Pérez L, Manzatto Â, Zambrana N, Molino J, Sabatier D, Chave J, Fauset S, Villacorta R, Réjou-Méchain M, Berry P, Melgaço K, Feldpausch T, Sandoval E, Martinez R, Mesones I, Junqueira A, Roucoux K, de Toledo J, Andrade A, Camargo J, del Aguila Pasquel J, Santana F, Laurance W, Laurance S, Lovejoy T, Comiskey J, Galbraith D, Kalamandeen M, Aguilar G, Arenas J, Guerra C, Flores M, Llampazo G, Montenegro L, Gomez R, Pansonato M, Moscoso V, Vleminckx J, Barrantes O, Duivenvoorden J, de Sousa S, Arroyo L, Perdiz R, Cravo J, Marimon B, Junior B, Carvalho F, Damasco G, Disney M, Vital M, Diaz P, Vicentini A, Nascimento H, Higuchi N, Van Andel T, Malhi Y, Ribeiro S, Terborgh J, Thomas R, Dallmeier F, Prieto A, Hilário R, Salomão R, Silva R, Casas L, Vieira I, Araujo-Murakami A, Arevalo F, Ramírez-Angulo H, Torre E, Peñuela M, Killeen T, Pardo G, Jimenez-Rojas E, Castro W, Cabrera D, Pipoly J, de Sousa T, Silvera M, Vos V, Neill D, Vargas P, Vela D, Aragão L, Umetsu R, Sierra R, Wang O, Young K, Prestes N, Massi K, Huaymacari J, Gutierrez G, Aldana A, Alexiades M, Baccaro F, Céron C, Muelbert A, Rios J, Lima A, Lloyd J, Pitman N, Gamarra L, Oroche C, Fuentes A, Palacios W, Patiño S, Torres-Lezama A and Baraloto C (2021) Amazon tree dominance across forest strata. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5. pp. 757-767
• Falster D, Gallagher R, Wenk E, Wright I, Indiarto D, Andrew S, Baxter C, Lawson J, Allen S, Fuchs A, Monro A, Kar F, Adams M, Ahrens C, Alfonzetti M, Angevin T, Apgaua D, Arndt S, Atkin O, Atkinson J, Auld T, Baker A, von Balthazar M, Bean A, Blackman C, Bloomfeld K, Bowman D, Bragg J, Brodribb T, Buckton G, Burrows G, Caldwell E, Camac J, Carpenter R, Catford J, Cawthray G, Cernusak L, Chandler G, Chapman A, Cheal D, Cheesman A, Chen S, Choat B, Clinton B, Clode P, Coleman H, Cornwell W, Cosgrove M, Crisp M, Cross E, Crous K, Cunningham S, Curran T, Curtis E, Daws M, DeGabriel J, Denton M, Dong N, Du P, Duan H, Duncan D, Duncan R, Duretto M, Dwyer J, Edwards C, Esperon-Rodriguez M, Evans J, Everingham S, Farrell C, Firn J, Fonseca C, French B, Frood D, Funk J, Geange S, Ghannoum O, Gleason S, Gosper C, Gray E, Groom P, Grootemaat S, Gross C, Guerin G, Guja L, Hahs A, Harrison M, Hayes P, Henery M, Hochuli D, Howell J, Huang G, Hughes L, Huisman J, Ilic J, Jagdish A, Jin D, Jordan G, Jurado E, Kanowski J, Kasel S, Kellermann J, Kenny B, Kohout M, Kooyman R, Kotowska M, Lai H, Laliberte E, Lambers H, Lamont B, Lanfear R, van Langevelde F, Laughlin D, Laugier-kitchener B, Laurance S, Lehmann C, Leigh A, Leishman M, Lenz T, Lepschi B, Lewis J, Lim F, Liu U, Lord J, Lusk C, Macinnis-Ng C, McPherson H, Magallon S, Manea A, Lopez-Martinez A, Mayfeld M, McCarthy J, Meers T, van der Merwe M, Metcalfe D, Milberg P, Mokany K, Moles A, Moore B, Moore N, Morgan J, Morris W, Muir A, Munroe S, Nicholson A, Nicolle D, Nicotra A, Niinemets U, North T, O'Reilly-Nugent A, O'Sullivan O, Oberle B, Onoda Y, Ooi M, Osborne C, Paczkowska G, Pekin B, Pereira C, Pickering C, Pickup M, Pollock L, Poot P, Powell J, Power S, Prentice I, Prior L, Prober S, Read J, Reynolds V, Richards A, Richardson B, Roderick M, Rosell J, Rossetto M, Rye B, Rymer P, Sams M, Sanson G, Sauquet H, Schmidt S, Schoenenberger J, Schulze E, Sendall K, Sinclair S, Smith B, Smith R, Soper F, Sparrow B, Standish R, Staples T, Stephens R, Szota C, Taseski G, Tasker E, Thomas F, Tissue D, Tjoelker M, Tng D, de Tombeur F, Tomlinson K, Turner N, Veneklaas E, Venn S, Vesk P, Vlasveld C, Vorontsova M, Warren C, Warwick N, Weerasinghe L, Wells J, Westoby M, White M, Williams N, Wills J, Wilson P, Yates C, Zanne A, Zemunik G and Zieminska K (2021) AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora. Scientific Data, 8.
• ForestPlots.net et al. , [Bird M, [Laurance S, [Laurance W and [Ishida F (2021) Taking the pulse of Earth's tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots. Biological Conservation, 260.
• Gely C, Laurance S and Stork N (2021) The effect of drought on wood-boring in trees and saplings in a tropical forest. Forest Ecology and Management, 489.
• Katovai E, Katovai D, Campbell M, Laurance S, Edwards W and Laurance W (2021) Structural recovery of logged forests in the Solomon Islands: implications for conservation and management. Tropical Conservation Science, 14.
• Palma A, Goosem M, Fensham R, Goosem S, Preece N, Stevenson P and Laurance S (2021) Dispersal and recruitment limitations in secondary forests. Journal of Vegetation Science, 32 (1).
• Pivovaroff A, McDowell N, Rodrigues T, Brodribb T, Cernusak L, Choat B, Grossiord C, Ishida Y, Jardine K, Laurance S, Leff R, Li W, Liddell M, Mackay D, Pacheco H, Peters J, de J. Sampaio Filho I, Souza D, Wang W, Zhang P and Chambers J (2021) Stability of tropical forest tree carbon-water relations in a rainfall exclusion treatment through shifts in effective water uptake depth. Global Change Biology, 27. pp. 6454-6466
• Addicott E, Laurance S, Bannink P and Thompson S (2020) The intertidal plant communities in north-eastern Australia, their carbon stores and vulnerability to extreme climate events. Aquatic Conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems, 30 (12). pp. 2298-2312
• Engert J, Vogado N, Freebody K, Byrne B, Murphy J, Sheather G, Snodgrass P, Nugent L, lloyd D and Laurance S (2020) Functional trait representation differs between restoration plantings and mature tropical rainforest. Forest Ecology and Management, 473.
• Esquivel-Muelbert A, Phillips O, Brienen R, Fauset S, Sullivan M, Baker T, Chao K, Feldpausch T, Gloor E, Higuchi N, Houwing-Duistermaat J, Lloyd J, Liu H, Malhi Y, Marimon B, Marimon Junior B, Monteagudo-Mendoza A, Poorter L, Silveira M, Vilanova Torre E, Alvarez Davila E, del Aguila Pasquel J, Almeida E, Alvarez Loayza P, Andrade A, Aragão L, Araujo-Murakami A, Arets E, Arroyo L, Aymard C. G, Baisie M, Baraloto C, Camargo P, Barroso J, Blanc L, Bonal D, Bongers F, Boot R, Brown F, Burban B, Camargo J, Castro W, Moscoso V, Chave J, Comiskey J, Valverde F, Lola da Costa A, Cardozo N, Di Fiore A, Dourdain A, Erwin T, Llampazo G, Guimaraes Veira I, Herrera R, Honorio Coronado E, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Jimenez-Rojas E, Killeen T, Laurance S, Laurance W, Levesley A, Lewis S, Ladvocat K, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Lovejoy T, Meir P, Mendoza C, Morandi P, Neill D, Lima A, Núñez Vargas P, De Oliveira E, Pallqui Camacho N, Pardo G, Peacock J, Pena-Claros M, Peñuela-Mora M, Pickavance G, Pipoly J, Pittman N, Prieto A, Pugh T, Quesada C, Ramírez-Angulo H, Reis S, Rejou-Machain M, Restrepo Correa Z, Rodriguez Bayona L, Rudas A, Salomão R, Serrano J, Silva Espejo J, Silva N, Singh J, Stahl C, Stropp J, Swamy V, Talbot J, ter Steege H, Terborgh J, Thomas R, Toledo M, Torres-lezama A, Gamarra L, van der Heijden G, van der Meer P, van der Hout P, Martinez R, Vieira S, Cayo J, Vos V, Zagt R, Zuidema P and Galbraith D (2020) Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests. Nature Communications, 11.
• Gely C, Laurance S and Stork N (2020) How do herbivorous insects respond to drought stress in trees? Biological Reviews, 95. pp. 434-448

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 123+ 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

• The effects of rainforest fragmentation on parasite infections in terrestrial mammals (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
• Rainforest plant flammability and recovery post-fire (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Opportunities for REDD+ to minimise forest carbon emissions and mitigate climate change in Southeast Asia (2017, Masters , Secondary Advisor)
• 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)
• A new classification approach: improving the regional ecosystem classification system in Queensland, Australia (2020, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Examining spatio-temporal patterns of seed dispersal by a terrestrial non-obligate frugivore (2017, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Maintaining connectivity for tropical rainforest mammals in agricultural landscapes (2018, PhD , Secondary 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.