The University of Western Australia

W/Prof Dale Roberts

Winthrop Professor
School of Animal Biology

Contact details

Address

School of Animal Biology
The University of Western Australia (M092)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 2224 / 6488 2251

Fax

6488 1029

Email

dale.roberts@uwa.edu.au

Personal homepage

http://www.ceb.uwa.edu.au/our_people/dale_roberts

Qualifications

BSc PhD Adel.

Biography

Honours (1970) and PhD Adelaide (1976) and moved to The University of Western Australia in 1978

Key research

frogs, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, sexual selection, sperm competition, biogeography, speciation

Publications

Note: publications are listed starting from the most recent for the years 2010 - 2005 only.

2010

Dziminski MA, Roberts JD, Beveridge M, and Simmons LW 2010. Covariation between the strength of selection from sperm competition and ejaculate expenditure among populations of the frog, Crinia georgiana. Behavioral Ecology 21, 322–328
Dziminski M, Roberts JD & Simmons LW 2010. Sperm morphology, motility, and fertilization capacity in the myobatrachid frog Crinia georgiana. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 22, 516-522.
Roberts JD 2010. Taxonomic status of the Australian burrowing frogs Neobatrachus sudelli, N. centralis and Neoruinosus and clarification of the type specimen of N. albipes. Records of the Western Australian Museum 25, 455–458.
Janicke J & Roberts JD 2010. Litoria cyclorhyncha (Spotted Thighed Frog). Saline water. Herpetological Review 41, 199-200.
Anstis, M, Tyler, MJ, Roberts JD, Price, LC & Doughty, P 2010. A new species of Litoria (Anura: Hylidae) with a highly distinctive tadpole from the north-western Kimberley region of Western Australia. Zootaxa 2550, 39-57
Rix, MG, Harvey, MS & Roberts, JD 2010. A revision of the textricellin spider genus Raveniella (Araneae: Araneoidea: Micropholcommatidae): exploring patterns of phylogeny and biogeography in an Australian biodiversity hotspot. Invertebrate Systematics 24, 209–237.

2009

Parsons B, Short J & Roberts JD 2009. Using community observations to predict the occurrence of malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) in the Western Australian wheatbelt. Biological Conservation 142, 364-374.
Simmons LW, Roberts JD & Dziminski MA 2009. Egg-jelly influences sperm motility in the externally fertilizing frog, Crinia georgiana. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22, 225–229.
Dziminski MA, Vercoe PE & Roberts JD 2009. Variable offspring provisioning: a direct test in the field. Functional Ecology 23, 164-171.
Dziminski M, Roberts JD, Beveridge M & Simmons LW 2009. Sperm competitiveness in frogs: slow and steady wins the race. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 276, 3955-3961.
Rix, M.G., Roberts, J.D. and Harvey, M.S. 2009. The spider families Synotaxidae and Malkaridae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea) in Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 25, 295-304.

2008

Browne R, Gaikhorst G, Vitali S, Roberts JD & Matson P 2008. Exogenous hormones induce poor rates of oviposition in the anurans, Litoria moorei and L. aurea. Applied Herpetolog y 5, 81-86.
Rix, M., Harvey M.S. & Roberts J.D. 2008. Molecular phylogenetics of the spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae) using nuclear rRNA genes (18S and 28S). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46, 1031-1048.
Dziminski MA, Roberts JD, Simmons LW 2008. Fitness consequences of parental compatibility in the frog Crinia georgiana. Evolution 62, 879-886.
Driscoll DA & Roberts JD 2007. Genetic subdivision and a hybrid zone defined by allozymes and colour patterns in Geocrinia rosea (Anura: Myobatrachidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 55, 371-376. Note: submitted and accepted in 2008 but published with a 2007 date!
Parsons BC, Short JC & Roberts JD 2008. Contraction in the range of Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) in Western Australia: a comparative assessment using presence-only and
presence–absence datasets Emu, 2008, 108, 221–231
Fox, E.J.S., Roberts J.D. & Bennamoun M. 2008. Call-independent individual identification in birds. Bioacoustics 18, 51–67.
Edwards, D, Keogh, S & Roberts JD 2008. Climatic fluctuations shape the phylogeography of a mesic, direct developing frog from the southwestern Australian biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Biogeography 35, 1803-1815.
Bancroft, WJ, Roberts, JD and Garkaklis, MJ 2008. Vertebrate fauna associates of the Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus) colonies of Rottnest Island: influence of an ecosystem engineer. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 142, 21-30.
Doughty P & Roberts JD 2008. A new species of Uperoleia (Anura: Myobatrachidae) from the high rainfall region of the northwest Kimberley, Western Australia. Zootaxa 1939: 10–18.

2007

Anstis M, Roberts JD & Altig R 2007. Direct development in two Myobatrachid frogs, Arenophryne rotunda Tyler and Myobatrachus gouldii Gray, from Western Australia. Records of the West Australian Museum. 23, 259-271.
Hettyey, A. & Roberts, JD 2007. Sperm traits in the quacking frog (Crinia georgiana), a species with plastic alternative mating tactics. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61, 1303-1310.
Edwards D, Roberts JD & Keogh SJ 2007. Impact of Plio-Pleistocene arid cycling on the population history of a southwestern Australian frog. Molecular Ecology 16, 2782-2796.
Morgan, M, Keogh S & Roberts JD 2007. Molecular phylogenetic dating supports an ancient endemic speciation model in Australia's biodiversity hotspot. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44, 371-385.

2006

Dziminski, M. & Roberts, J. D. 2006. Fitness consequences of maternal provisioning in quacking frogs (Crinia georgiana). Journal of Evolutionary Biology 19, 144-155.
Hettyey, A. & Roberts, J. D. 2006. Sperm traits of the quacking frog, Crinia georgiana: intra- and interpopulation variation in a species with a high risk of sperm competition. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 59: 389-396.
Hero J-M., Morrison C., Gillespie G., Roberts J. D., Newell D., Meyer E., McDonald K., Lemckert F., Mahony M., Osborne W., Hines H., Richards S., Hoskin C., Clarke J., Doak N. & Shoo L. 2006. Overview of the conservation status of Australian Frogs. Pacific Conservation Biology 12, 315-320.

2005

Paini, D. R. & Roberts J. D. 2005. Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) reduce the reproductive output of an Australian native bee (Hylaeus alcyoneus). Biological Conservation 123: 103-112.
Davis R. A. & Roberts, J. D. 2005. Embryonic survival and egg number in small and large populations of the frog Heleioporus albopunctatus in Western Australia. Journal of Herpetology 39,133-138.
Craig, M. D. & Roberts, J. D. 2005. The short-term impact of timber harvesting on the jarrah forest avifauna in south-western Australia: implications for the design and analysis of logging experiments. Biological Conservation 124:177-188.
Bancroft, W. J., Garkaklis, M. J. & Roberts, J. D. 2005. Burrow building in seabird colonies: a soil forming process in island ecosystems. Pedobiologia 49: 149-165.
Bancroft, W. J., Roberts, J. D. & Garkaklis, M. J. 2005. Burrowing seabirds drive decreased diversity and structural complexity, and increased productivity in insular-vegetation communities. Australian Journal of Botany 53, 231-241.
Davis, R. A. & Roberts, J. D. 2005. The population genetic structure of the western spotted frog, Heleioporus albopunctatus (Anura: Myobatrachidae) in a fragmented landscape in south-western Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology. 53, 167-175.
Davis, R. A. & Roberts, J. D. 2005. Operational sex ratio and mating behaviour of the myobatrachid frog Neobatrachus kunapalari. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 87, 97-99.
Paini D.R., Williams M.R., Roberts J.D. 2005. No short-term impact of honey bees on the reproductive success of an Australian native bee. Apidologie 36, 613-621
Bancroft W.J., Roberts J. D. & Garkaklis M.J. 2005. Burrow entrance attrition rate in wedge-tailed shearwater Puffinus pacificus colonies on Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Marine Ornithology 33: 23-26.

Roles, responsibilities and expertise

fire ecology, forest management, frog natural history, evolutionary biology

Future research

Phylogeny of Australian myobatrachid frogs , sperm competition in frogs, call structure evolution in frogs,phylogeography of southwestern Australia fauna

Funding received

ARC Discovery Grant $255,000 (2003 - 2005) with Dr S Keogh, ANU.
ARC Discovery grant$690000 (2005-2009. Sperm competition and the evolution of ejaculates (with L W Simmons, UWA)
WA State Government:$453,884 (2005-7)Perth Zoo Frog Breeding and Research (with Perth Zoo)

Industrial relevance

Strong links with Department of Environment & Conservation, WA,Western Australian Museum

Languages

English

Memberships

Australian Society of Herpetologists, Herpetologist's League, American Society of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists, Society for the Study of Evolution, American Society of Naturalists, Society for Study of Animal Behaviour, International Society for Behavioral Ecology

Honours and awards

Honorary Associate in Terrestrial Zoology, West Australian Museum

Previous positions

at UWA since 1978!

Patents

Nil

Teaching

Coordinate Behavioural Ecology 304, co-supervsie 10 Ph D students and Honours students in Zoology and, Marine Science

Current projects

see above but I am interested broadly in conservation and management of West Australian environments and their fauna

Research profile

Research profile and publications