The University of Western Australia

Dr Natasha Banning

Research Fellow
School of Earth and Environment

Contact details

Address

School of Earth and Environment
The University of Western Australia (M087)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 3969

Fax

6488 1050

Email

natasha.banning@uwa.edu.au

Location

Room 2.202, Soil Science Building, Crawley campus

Key research

-Soil microbial ecology and nutrient cycling

-Restoration of forest ecosystems post-mining

-Restoration of mining residues

-Methanogenesis

-Molecular approaches to analysis of microbial diversity and function in the environment

Publications

Journal articles

Banning N.C., Grant C.D., Jones D.L. and Murphy D.V. (2008) Recovery of soil chemical and microbial characteristics and their relationship to nitrogen cycling in a forest rehabilitation chronosequence. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 40:2021-2031.

Banning, NC and Murphy, DV. (2008) Effect of heat-induced disturbance on microbial biomass and activity in forest soil and the relationship between disturbance effects and microbial community structure. Applied Soil Ecology 40: 109-119.

Parkes RJ, Cragg, BA, Banning N, Brock F, Webster G, Fry JC, Hornibrook ERC, Pancost R, Kelly S, Knab N, Rinna, J and Weightman AJ. (2007) Biogeochemistry and biodiversity of methane cycling in subsurface marine sediments (Skagerrak, Denmark). Environmental Microbiology 9(5):1146-1161.

Banning, N., Brock, F., Fry, J.C., Parkes, R.J., Hornibrook, E.R.C. and Weightman, A.J. (2005) Investigation of methanogen population structure and activity in a brackish lake sediment. Environmental Microbiology. 7: 947-960.

Banning, N., Toze, S. and Mee, B.J. (2003). Persistence of biofilm-associated Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in groundwater and treated effluent in a laboratory model system. Microbiology (UK). 149: 47-55.

Banning, N., Toze, S. and Mee, B.J. (2002). Escherichia coli survival in groundwater and effluent measured using a combination of propidium iodide and the green fluorescent protein. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 93: 69-76.

Book Chapters
Banning, N. (2002). Interactions of bacterial pathogens with aquatic biofilms. In: Asche, V (ed). Recent Advances in Microbiology. Vol 9. Australian Society for Microbiology. Melbourne pp 55-62 (ISBN: 0-9581565-0-6).

Conference papers
Banning, N., Willers, J., Grant, C.D., Grigg, A. and Murphy, D.V. (2007). Combined thinning and burning impacts soil N cycling in rehabilitation jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. In: Xu, Z., Johnson, C.E., Chen, C., Blumfield, T.J. (Eds) Linking Local Management to Global Change Challenges: The Proceedings of the International Symposium on Forest Soils and Ecosystem Health. Centre for Forestry and Horticultural Research, Griffith University, Brisbane pp. 13-14. (ISBN: 978-1-921291-16-6)

Banning, N., Toze, S. and Mee, B.J. (2002). Interaction of Escherichia coli with groundwater and reclaimed water biofilms. In: Dillon, P.J. (ed) Management of Aquifer Recharge for Sustainability. A.A Balkema Publishers, The Netherlands pp. 143-146. (ISBN: 90 5809 527 4)

Conference presentations from 2006:
Banning N.C., C.D. Grant, A. Grigg, E.L. Brodie, G.L. Andersen, D.B. Gleeson and D.V. Murphy (2008) Successional changes in soil microbial communities in post-mining rehabilitation forest ecosystems. 12th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Cairns, Australia.

K.-R. Dias, R. Parkinson, J. Horswell, N. Banning, P. Greenwood, A. Vass, M. Tibbett (2008) Soil microbial community response to cadaver decomposition. 12th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Cairns, Australia.

Banning N and Murphy DV (2006) Resistance and resilience of forest soil microbial communities to temperature stress. 11th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria.

Lalor BM, Cookson WR, Banning N, Murphy DV and Grant CD (2006) Microbial functional diversity as an indicator of soil resilience to forest management practices. IUSS World Congress of Soil Science, Philidelphia, USA.

Funding received

ARC Linkage Grant $790,000 (2007-2011)
FNAS Start-up Grant $10,000 (2006)
Alcoa World Alumina, Australia small project research funding $70,000 (2005-2008)
Centre for Groundwater Studies Research Scholarship (2003)
Australian Postgraduate Award Research Scholarship (1998-2002)

Industrial relevance

I have conducted research at UWA with scientists from Alcoa World Alumina, Australia through the ARC Linkage Grant scheme since 2004. The overall research aims have been to improve fundamental understanding of soil processes in rehabilitated and natural ecosystems. This understanding is necessary to assist industry in the long-term sustainable management of rehabilitated areas after mining and mining residue storage areas.

Memberships

International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) Ordinary Member: 2006-current
Australian Society of Soil Science Inc (ASSSI) Ordinary Member: 2006-current
International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) Ordinary Member: 2006-current
Society for General Microbiology UK (SGM) Ordinary Member: 2003-2004
Australian Society of Microbiology (ASM) Ordinary Member: 1999-2003

Honours and awards

UWA Travel Grant for Early Career Researchers $300 (2007)
ASM Vic Skerman Student prize for best review article $3000 (2002)
Wellcome Trust & New Scientist New Millenial Science Essay Competition $500 (2002)
ASM WA branch Becton Dickinson Travel prize $2000 (2000)

Teaching

Involved in co-supervision of Honours and PhD students. Currently have scholarship available for PhD student associated with ARC-Linkage Project, to start March 2009

Current projects

ARC Linkage Grant (2007-2011) Identifying limitations to the establishment of microbial communities and sustainable nutrient cycling in bauxite residue sand under rehabilitation.

Research profile

Research profile and publications