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Professor Paul Gadek

Professor

Professor Paul Gadek

Member of the:

Australian Institute of Biology (MAIBiol)

Australian Systematic Botany Society (ASBS)

Ecological Society of Australia (ESA)

Botanical Society of America (BSA)

American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT)

International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IOPT)

International Organization of Plant Biosystematists (IOPB).

Research Interests

I have a diverse array of research interests centred on plant biology, ranging from systematics and taxonomy, evolution and phylogenetics, biogeography, population and species biology, anatomy and morphology, applied projects aimed at measuring biodiversity, and the ecology, conservation and management of our plant resources. I have conducted and published research on many aspects of plant phylogenetics and evolution for more than two decades, the latter decade concentrating particularly on research utilising molecular data. I, along with my students and collaborators, have made a significant contribution to an understanding of several major elements in the Australian Flora. I currently conduct and supervise research within a number of broad areas: I am interested in concepts of rarity, primitiveness and endemism within the Australian rainforest flora, and particularly what processes underlay high species diversity in the Wet Tropics.. I have projects underway that examine these aspects within the families Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Sapindaceae and Clusiaceae. I have begun to examine the similarities and differences between our rainforests and those of the East African Arc, in collaboration with Dr. Lovett. I am interested in processes of speciation, adaptive radiation, biogeography and dispersal, particularly within tropical plant groups. I have projects underway that examine these aspects within the families Epacridaceae, Sapindaceae, Myrtaceae, Cupressaceae, Rhizophoraceae, and cycads. Several projects are identifying and interpreting the ecological factors limiting colonisation within a phylogenetic framework.

I am interested in the conservation and management of tropical ecosystems, and I currently direct a project on rainforest soil pathogens. This involves a number of subprojects, including GIS analysis of environmental attributes, mapping and impact assessments of pathogens, floristic effects on rainforest communities, biology and ecology of soil pathogens, and molecular investigations of the population dynamics of pathogens. I also supervise a project on rainforest revegetation strategies. Both these projects seek to develop protocols for management use. I conduct research on the relationship between seedling growth and population structure in Idiospermaceae; and I supervise a project on the correlation between cyanogenesis in Macadamia species and ecological attributes and population dynamics of this genus. I supervise projects undertaking inventories of plants on reef islands; and a biodiversity survey of microfungi in rainforest leaf litter.

Recent and Current Projects Include

  • Rarity, primitiveness and endemism in the Australian rainforest flora, particularly what processes underlay high species diversity in the Wet Tropics. Current projects include Lauraceae , Myrtaceae, Sapindaceae and Clusiaceae. I am also interested in the similarities and differences between our rainforests and those of the East African Arc.

  • Processes of speciation, adaptive radiation, biogeography and dispersal, particularly within tropical plant groups. Projects underway include Epacridaceae, Sapindaceae, Myrtaceae, Cupressaceae, Rhizophoraceae, and cycads.

  • Conservation and management of tropical ecosystems, a current project looks at rainforest soil pathogens. This involves a number of subprojects, including GIS analysis of environmental attributes, mapping and impact assessments of pathogens, floristic effects on rainforest communities, biology and ecology of soil pathogens, and molecular investigations of the population dynamics of pathogens.

  • Rainforest revegetation strategies. Both these projects seek to develop protocols for management use.

  • The relationship between seedling growth and population structure in Idiospermaceae.

  • The correlation between cyanogenesis in Macadamia species and ecological attributes and population dynamics of this genus.

  • Biodiversity survey of microfungi in rainforest leaf litter.

  • Biodiversity of the Australian Tropics.

Teaching

AG1003

Plant Biology for Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

BT1001

Introduction to Plant Science

BT3400

Tropical Flora of Australia

Selected Publications

Gadek, P. A. & Martin, H. A. (1981) Pollen morphology in the sub-tribe Metrosiderinae of the tribe Leptospermoideae (Myrtaceae) and its taxonomic significance. Aust. J. Bot. 29:159-184.

Quinn, C. J. & Gadek, P. A. (1981) Biflavonoids of Dacrydium sensu lato. Phytochem. 20:677-681.

Gadek, P. A. (1982) Biflavonoids from the seed testa of Cycadales. Phytochem. 21 :889-890.

Gadek, P. A. & Martin, H. A. (1982) Exine ultrastructure of myrtaceous pollen. Aust. J. Bot. 30:75-86.

Gadek, P. A. & Quinn, C. J. (1982) Amentoflavone from Callitris Ventenat. Phytochem. 21:248-249.

Gadek, P. A. & Quinn, C. J. (1983) Biflavones of the sub-family Callitroideae, Cupressaceae. Phytochem. 22:969-972.

Gadek, P.A., Quinn, C.J. & Ashford, A.E. (1984) Localization of the biflavonoid fraction in plant leaves, with special reference to Agathis robusta (C. Moore ex F. Muell.) F.M. Bail. Aust. J. Bot. 32:15-31.

Gadek, P.A. & Quinn, C.J. (1985) Biflavones of the subfamily Cupressoideae, Cupressaceae. Phytochem. 24:267-272.

Wannan, B.S., Waterhouse, J.T., Gadek, P.A. & Quinn, C.J. (1985) Biflavonyls and the affinities of Blepharocarya. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 13:105-108.

Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. (1987) Biflavones and the affinities of Cupressus funebris Endl. Phytochemistry 26(9):2551-2.

Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. (1988) Pitting of transfusion tracheids in Cupressaceae. Aust. J. Bot. 36:81-92.

Quinn, C. J. and Gadek, P. A. (1988) The sequence of xylem maturation in the leaves of Cupressaceae. American J. Bot. 75(9):1344-1351.

Martin, H. A. & Gadek, P. A. (1988) Identification of Eucalyptus spathulata pollen and its presence in the fossil record. Memoirs Ass. Australas. Palaeontols 5:311-327.

Gadek, P. A., Bruhl, J. J. and Quinn, C. J. (1989) Exine structure in the 'Cotuleae' (Anthemideae, Asteraceae). Grana 28(3):163-178.

Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. (1989) Biflavones of Taxodiaceae. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 17(5):365-372.

Gadek, P. A., Quinn, C. J., Rodman, J. E., Karol, K. G., Conti, E., Price, R. A. and Fernando, E. S. (1992) Affinities of the Australian endemic Akaniaceae: new evidence from rbcL sequences. Aust. Syst. Bot. 5:717-24.

Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. (1993) A preliminary analysis of relationships within the Cupressaceae sensu stricto based on rbcL sequences. Annals Missouri Bot. Gdns. 80: 581-586.

Chase, M. W., D. E. Soltis, R. G. Olmstead, D. Morgan, D. H. Les, B. D. Mishler, M. R. Duvall, R. A. Price, H. G. Hills, Y.-L. Qiu, K. A. Kron, J. H. Rettig, E. Conti, J. D. Palmer, J. R. Manhart, K. J. Sytsma, H. J. Michaels, W. J. Kress, K. G. Karol, W. D. Clark, M. Hedren, B. S. Gaut, R. K Jansen, K.-J. Kim, C. F. Wimpee, J. F. Smith, G. R., Furnier, S. H. Strauss, Q.-Y. Xiang, G. M. Plunkett, P. S. Soltis, S. Swensen, S. E. Williams, P. A. Gadek, C. J. Quinn, L. E. Eguiarte, E. Golenberg, G. H. Learn Jr., S. W. Graham, S. C. H. Barrett, S. Dayanandan, and V. A. Albert. (1993). Phylogenetics of seed plants: an analysis of nucleotide sequences from the plastid gene rbcL. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 80: 528-580.

Fernando, E. S., P. A. Gadek, D. M. Crayn, and C. J. Quinn. (1994). Rosid affinities of Surianaceae: molecular evidence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 2(4):.344-350.

Brunsfeld, S.J., Soltis, P.S., Soltis, D.E., Gadek, P.A., Quinn, C.J., Strenge, D. and Ranker, T.A. (1994) Phylogenetic relationships among genera of the conifer families Taxodiaceae and Cupressaceae: evidence from rbcL sequences. Syst. Bot. 19(2): 253-262.

Fernando, E. S., P. A. Gadek and C. J. Quinn. (1995) Simaroubaceae, an artificial construct: evidence from rbcL sequence variation. Am. J. Bot.82(1): 92-103.

Crayn, D. A., Fernando, E. S., Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. (1995) A reassessment of the familial affinities of the Mexican genus Recchia Mosiho and Sesse ex DC. Brittonia 47: 397-402.

Powell, J. M., D. M. Crayn, P. A. Gadek, C. J. Quinn, D. A. Morrison, and A. R. Chapman. (1996) A re-assessment of relationships within Epacridaceae. Annals Botany 77:305-315.

Crayn, D. M., K. A. Kron, P. A. Gadek and C. J. Quinn. (1996) Delimitation of Epacridaceae: molecular evidence. Annals Botany 77:317-321.

Gadek, P. A., Quinn, C. J., Fernando, E. S., Hoot, S. B., Teresas, T., Sheahan, M. C. and Chase, M. (1996) Sapindales: molecular delimitation and infraordinal groups. American Journal of Botany 83:802-811.

Gadek, P. A., Wilson, P. G. and Quinn, C. J. (1996) Phylogenetic reconstruction in Myrtaceae using matK: the position of Psiloxylon and Heteropyxis. Australian Systematic Botany 9(3):283-290.

Powell, J. M., Morrison, D. A., Gadek, P. A., Crayn, D. M. and Quinn, C. J. (1997) Generic concepts within Styphelieae (Epacridaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 10:15-29.

Crayn, D. M., Kron, K. A. Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. (1998) Phylogenetics and Evolution of Epacridaceae: a molecular analysis using the chloroplast gene rbcL with a reappraisal of the position of Lebetanthus. Australian Journal of Botany 46:187-200

Kron, K. A., Fuller, R., Crayn, D. M., Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. (1999) Molecular systematics of the vaccinioids and epacrids using matK sequence data. Plant Systematics and Evolution 218(1-2): 55-65.

Gadek, P. A. (1999) Introduction and Overview. In P. A. Gadek (ed.) Patch deaths in tropical Queensland rainforests: association and impact of Phytophthora cinnamomi and other soil-borne pathogens. CRC-TREM, pp.1-8.

Gadek P. A. (1999) (editor) Patch deaths in Tropical Queensland Rainforests: association and impact of Phytophthora cinnamomi and other soil-borne pathogens. CRC-TREM Technical Report, Cairns. ISBN 0 646 36601 7.

Gadek, P.A., Alpers, D.L. Heslewood, M.M. and Quinn, C.J. 2000 Relationships within Cupressaceae sensu lato: a combined morphological and molecular approach. American Journal of Botany 87: 1044-1057.

Conran, J. G., Wood, G. A., Martin, P. G., Dowd, J. M., Quinn, C. J., Gadek, P. A. and Price, R. A. 2000 Generic relationships within and between the gymnosperm families Podocarpaceae and Phyllocladaceae based on an analysis of the CP gene rbcL. Australian Journal of Botany 48: 715-724.

Edwards, K. and Gadek, P. A. 2001 Evolutionary history of Alectryon in Australia. In: I. Metcalf, J. M. B. Smith, M. Morwood and I. Davidson (eds) Faunal and floral migrations and evolution in SE Asia-Australasia. Balkema: Lisse. Pp.243-252.

Edwards, W., Gadek, P. A., Weber, E., and Warboys, S. 2001 The idiosyncratic phenomenon of regeneration from cotyledons in the idiot fruit tree, Idiospermum australiense (Idiospermaceae). Austral Journal of Ecology 26(3): 246-253.

Taaffe, G., Brown, E. A., Crayn, D. M., Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. 2001 Generic concepts in Styphelieae: resolving the limits of Leucopogon. Australian Journal of Botany 49: 107-120.

Edwards, K. J. and Gadek, P. A. 2001 Evolution and Biogeography of Alectryon (Sapindaceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 20(1): 14-26.

Gadek, P. A., Gillieson, D., Edwards, W., Landsberg, J. and Pryce, J. (2001) Rainforest Dieback Mapping and Assessment in the World Heritage Wet Tropics Area. Report to Wet Tropics Management Authority. Rainforest CRC:Cairns. 90pp.

Cherry, W., Gadek, P. A., Brown, E. A. and Quinn, C. J. Systematics of an aberrant new member of Styphelieae: Pentachondra dehiscens sp. nov. Australian Systematic Botany 14(4): 513-533.

Wilson, P. G., OÕBrien, M. M., Gadek, P. A. and Quinn, C. J. Myrtaceae revisited: A reassessment of infrafamilial groups. American Journal of Botany (in press).

Gillieson, D., Landsberg, J., Gadek, P. A. and Edwards, W. Rainforest dieback mapping and assessment in Tropical North Queensland. In: Holland, P. (ed.) Proceedings of the New Zealand Geographical Society and the Institute of Australian Geographers. University of Otago Press. (in press).

Pryce, J., Edwards, W. and Gadek, P. A. The distribution of Phytophthora cinnamomi at different spatial scales: when can a negative result be considered positively? Austral Ecology (in press).

Edwards, W. and Gadek, P. A. Multiple resprouting from diaspores and single cotyledons in the Australian tropical tree species Idiospermum australiense. Journal of Tropical Ecology (in press).

Contact Details

Professor Paul Gadek