Dr Kim Jenkins
Postdoctoral Fellow (Ecosystem Management), Faculty of Arts and Sciences, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences
Contact
| Email: | kjenkin4@une.edu.au |
| Room: | W55 |
| Fax: | 02 6773 2769 |
| Mobile: | 0409 748 373 |
After completing my undergraduate degree in Marine Ecology and Zoology at the University of Sydney in 1988, I worked as a Research Assistant/Officer at the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre and with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service researching bacterial, invertebrate and waterbird ecology in inland wetlands. In 1990, I pursued my interest in science communication and studied writing and journalism part-time at the University of Technology, while continuing research on wetlands on the Paroo River. In 1992 my research took me to the lower reaches of the Darling River where I investigated the impacts of lakebed cropping on microinvertebrates, soil nutrients and small mammals with the NSW NPWS. In 1996 I commenced my PhD research part-time on the dynamics of aquatic microinvertebrate assemblages after inundation of floodplain lakes; investigating the impacts of river regulation on colonisation pathways and responses to extended drying. Since completing my PhD I have undertaken Postdoctoral research for 12 months with NSW NPWS analysing long term data sets of waterbirds for publication before being appointed as a Zone Coordinator ( Lower Darling River) in the Living Murray Project.
I am presently doing Postdoctoral research on the Macquarie Marshes, a Ramsar floodplain wetland in north western NSW, Australia. I supervise a PhD and Masters student and fourth-year projects in aspects of applied limnology. I give blocks of lectures in water resource management, aquatic ecology and resource survey and biostatistics at second and final year levels. I also teach a postgraduate module in biostatistics. Current research interests include aquatic invertebrate ecology, organic matter and microbial dynamics in floodplain wetlands and rivers, fish recruitment, aquatic food webs and effects of water extraction and catchment land-use (irrigation, agriculture) on aquatic ecosystems.
Areas of Teaching
I presently contribute blocks of lectures to: ECOL202/502 Aquatic Ecology, Lectures on temporary wetlands; EM331/531 Resource Survey and Habitat EvaluationLectures on nested analysis of variance and variance components and the application to an applied research problem as a problem based learning scenario and; EM454/454 LimnologyLectures on floodplain wetlands, the role of microinvertebrates, the impacts of river regulation and lakebed cropping and sustainable management. I supervise two postgraduate students, two summer scholarship student projects and in 2004 a 4 th year Honours student. I also teach a postgraduate module in biostatistics to collaboratively workshop students’ experimental designs and resolve their complex ANOVA designs. I am currently doing the Graduate Certificate in Higher Education at UNE to pursue my interest in teaching biostatistics, science communication and applied aquatic ecology.
Research interests
My current research has four major foci:
- the ecology of arid-zone floodplain wetlands and rivers,
- the responses to flooding in arid-zone floodplain wetlands of the lower trophic levels of aquatic food webs (nutrients, bacterial activity, algae, microinvertebrates, larval fish and macroinvertebrates),
- the use of lower trophic levels, particularly aquatic microinvertebrates, as indicators of decline or improvement in floodplain wetlands, and,
- the effects of river regulation (water extraction, storage and delivery) and catchment land-use on the aquatic ecology of arid-zone floodplain wetlands and rivers.
Since 1990, I have investigated microinvertebrates of arid-zone floodplain wetlands to identify whether their diversity and biomass is an important component of the floodplain-river ecosystem. My results indicate that pulses of microinvertebrates occur after floodplain inundation, with high densities of microcrustaceans (cladocerans, ostracods and copepods) available to sustain pulses of fish recruitment. Work on floodplain lakes on the lower Darling River, in collaboration with Prof. Boulton, identified that cladocerans primarily colonised lakes from dormant resting eggs whereas some taxa (cyclopoid copepods, rotifers) were transported to lakes by floodwaters. Extended floodplain drying (dry 6 versus 20 years), significantly reduced the taxonomic richness of microinvertebrates emerging from dormant resting eggs. In particular, cladoceran densities were significantly reduced when drying extended from 6 to 20 years and these key prey for larval fish were absent from many sites dry for 20 years. Recent work on the Macquarie Marshes, reflected these findings with increased absences of cladocerans, ostracods and rotifers from floodplain dry for 14 versus 4 and 1 years. Examination of lower trophic levels strongly reinforce these results with; declining levels of organic matter, carbon and total nutrients in floodplain soils, declining bacterial breakdown of carbohydrates and declining levels of leachates as drying is extended from 4 to 14 years. These findings illustrate the impacts of extended drying (parching) on the food webs of arid-zone floodplain wetlands due to water extraction for town supply and irrigation.
Current research projects include a 3-year ARC Linkage grant titled ‘setting rehabilitation targets for regulated floodplain wetlands: linking system structure and function’. This project, with a total funding base of $A522,500, is led by myself in conjunction with Dr Ryder (UNE), Prof. Kingsford (UNSW), Mr Johnson (Department of Environment and Conservation), Mr Wettin (Department of Natural Resources) and Dr Kobayashi (DEC). Work on the Macquarie Marshes is further boosted by a 2-year Environmental Trust grant titled ‘environmental flow indicators to monitor floodplain wetland health’ and smaller grants from the State Wetland Advisory Committee, Macquarie Marshes Management Committee and DEC. My research, along with two postgraduate students Phil Morris and Megan Purvis, is specifically aimed at examining the impacts of river regulation on aquatic food webs in floodplain wetlands and the restoration of structural attributes and function with reinstatement of flooding via environmental allocations.
Collaboration with international visiting researchers includes an investigation of microinvertebrate dispersal by waterbirds with Dr Andy Green from the Department of Conservation Biology’s Doñana Biological Station in Sevilla, Spain and an investigation of aquatic food web responses to flooding including impacts of root allelopathy with Prof. David Angeler from the University of Castilla – La Mancha in Toledo, Spain.
Qualifications
- B.Sc. - University of Sydney
- Grad. Dip. Comm. – University of Technology
- Ph D. - University of New England
Publications
Refereed publications:
Jenkins, K.M. & Boulton, A.J. (in review). Detecting impacts and setting restoration targets in arid-zone rivers: aquatic microinvertebrate responses to loss of floodplain inundation. Journal of Applied Ecology.
Boulton, A.J., Sheldon, F., and Jenkins, K.M. 2006. Natural disturbance and aquatic invertebrates in desert rivers. In “Ecology of desert rivers.” (Ed. R.T. Kingsford), pp. 133-153, Cambridge University Press, New York.
Jenkins, K.M., Boulton, A.J. & Ryder, D.S. 2005. A common parched future: Research and management of Australian arid-zone floodplain wetlands. Hydrobiologia 552: 57-73.
Kingsford R.K., Jenkins K.M. and Porter J.L. 2004. Imposed hydrological stability on lakes in arid Australia and effects on waterbirds. Ecology 85(9): 2478-2492.
Jenkins, K.M. & Boulton, A.J. 2003. Connectivity in a dryland river: Short-term aquatic microinvertebrate recruitment following floodplain inundation. Ecology 84: 2708-2723.
Jenkins, K.M., Boulton, A.J. & Gawne, B. 2002. Colonisation pathways of microinvertebrates following flooding in a dryland Australian river. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 28:1444-1447.
Boulton, A.J. & Jenkins, K.M. 1998. Flood regimes and invertebrate communities in floodplain wetlands. In W.D. Williams (Ed.) "Wetlands in a Dry Land: Understanding for Management" pp. 137-148, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Jenkins K.M. and Boulton A.J. 1998. Community dynamics of invertebrates emerging from reflooded lake sediments: flood pulse and aeolian influences. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 24:179-192
Technical reports:
Jenkins K.M. 2006. Links between flow, aquatic productivity and diversity: setting rehabilitation targets for regulated floodplain wetlands. Final report to State Wetland Advisory Committee. University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia. (33 pages).
Jenkins K.M. and Boulton, A.J. 2005. Water regime for inland lakes; sustaining natural productivity. Final report to State Wetland Advisory Committee. University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia. (103 pages).
Jenkins K.M., Asmus, M., Ryder, D.S. and Wolfenden, B.J. 2004. Fish, water quality and macroinvertebrates in the Macquarie Marshes in winter and spring 2003. Report to the Macquarie Marshes Management Committee, Department of Environment and Conservation and Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources. University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia. (44 pages).
Jenkins, Kim, Roberts, Jane, Meredith, Shaun, Jaensch, Roger, Close, Andy, Erny, Mike and Gawne, Ben. 2003. Ecological assessment of flow scenarios for the River Murray: Zone F (Lower Darling River, Great Anabranch of the Darling River, Menindee Lakes. MDBC (33 pages).
Kingsford R.K., Jenkins K.M. and Porter J.P. 2002. Waterbirds and effects of river regulation on Menindee Lakes of the Darling River. NSW NPWS (92 pages).
Jenkins K.M. November 1999. Environmental Values of the Great Anabranch of the Darling River. Report to the Steering Committee of the Darling Anabranch Management Plan. (134 pages).
Jenkins K.M. and Briggs S.V 1997. Wetland invertebrates and lakebed cropping on lakes along the Anabranch of the Darling River. Report to the Murray Darling Basin Commission. (56 pages).
Jenkins K.M. and Briggs S.V. 1997. Wetland invertebrates and flood frequency on lakes along Teryaweynya Creek. Report to the Murray Darling Basin Commission. (40 pages)
Briggs S.V and Jenkins K.M. 1997. Guidelines for managing cropping on lakes in the Murray-Darling Basin. MDBC. (24 pages)
Jenkins, K.M. and Briggs, S.V. 1995. Ecological management of lakebed cropping on the lakes of the Great Anabranch of the Darling River. Final Report to ANCA. (183 pages)
Feature articles:
Jenkins, K.M. Summer 1997. Champions of Science, Peter Franzmann. Ecos No. 93
Jenkins, K.M. Summer 1997. Don’t pump the Paroo. Ecos No. 93
Milner, Richard & Jenkins, Kim. 1996. Metarhizium: a versatile myoinsecticide of the future. Professional Pest Manager Vol. 1
Jenkins, K.M. Autumn 1996. Fungus gets the jump on crickets. Rural Research No. 170
Jenkins, K.M. Autumn 1996. Mulga thinning and fertile patches. Rural Research No. 170
Jenkins, K.M. Spring 1995. River Pollution with Agricultural Chemicals. Rural Research No. 168
Jenkins, K.M. 1995. Lakebed farming. Rural Science Annual
Jenkins, K.M. Winter 1995. Outfoxing the Wily Fox. Rural Research No. 167
Jenkins, K.M. 1995. Windbreaks: a help or hindrance to farmers? Geo 17:3
Jenkins, K.M. Autumn 1995. Growing crops on the land of the fairy shrimp. Rural Research. No. 166
Jenkins, K.M. Summer 1994/95. Windbreaks, how good are they? Rural Research No. 165
Jenkins, K.M. Spring 1994. Fungus wraps up locusts and grasshoppers. Rural Research No. 164
Jenkins, K.M. June 1991. Opening weekend of the duck shooting season. NAPAWI.
Jenkins, K.M. 1989. Protecting the life of a forest and What’s in a tree? Simply Living Vol IV no. 3