In an era of major environmental change, Earth’s biodiversity is experiencing a mass upheaval, with thousands of species declining towards extinction, while the distribution of countless other species has been reshaped by human actions. My research focuses on understanding the factors that govern this reorganisation of Earth’s biological wealth.
My research is at the nexus of ecological theory and conservation biology and incorporates field ecology, population modelling and global scale comparative analyses. Much of my current work focuses on investigating how and why different species, and populations within species, exhibit variable responses to global change. Ultimately, through understanding species responses to global change, my work aims to predict species responses to the novel conditions of the future and inform applied conservation efforts. While I work across taxonomic groups, I have particular expertise in amphibian ecology and wildlife disease ecology.
I completed my PhD at The Australian National University in 2015. I then took up a postdoctoral position at James Cook University, working with a leading wildlife disease ecology group. I returned to The Australian National University in mid-2016 to take up a postdoctoral position in the Fenner School. In 2021, I commenced an ARC DECRA co-hosted by the Fenner School and Research School of Biology at ANU.
I am also interested in understanding factors that shape the occurrence of wildlife in human-modified landscapes and have conducted research in farmland regions in south-eastern Australia, and the traditional rural landscapes of Transylvania, Romania.
Lots of my research has focused on amphibian declines and more specifically, the impacts of the devastating chytrid fungus. My work on this topic ranges from global-scale assessments of species’ declines (check out the amazing video below summarizing our latest research by @MyFrogCroaked and @katieggarrett), to species-specific work focused on understanding mechanisms of species coexistence with chytrid fungus.
Ben Scheele's Research 