The University of Western Australia
Asst/Prof Nicola Mitchell
Assistant Professor
Contact details
| Address | School of Animal Biology The University of Western Australia (M092) 35 Stirling Highway CRAWLEY WA 6009 Australia |
|---|---|
| Phone | 6488 4510 |
| Fax | 6488 1029 |
| njm@cyllene.uwa.edu.au | |
| Personal homepage | http://www.ceb.uwa.edu.au/our_people/nicola_mitchell |
Biography
A consistent theme in my research is understanding how the developmental environment selected by nesting vertebrates affects the phenotype of their young - a fertile area of investigation because of the interplay between developmental physiology and hot topics in ecology, including sexual selection, maternal effects and the impact of climate change on species distributions. I mostly work with amphibian and reptile models.
Key research
- Modelling the impact of global climate change on the physiology and distribution of frogs and reptiles
- Identifying direct fitness benefits arising from mate choice
- Identifying physiological constraints that affect sexually selected signals
Major research interests
- Ecophysiology
- Sexual selection
Qualifications
BSc Tas., PhD Adel.
Publications
Mitchell, N. J. & Janzen, F. J. 2009 Temperature-dependent sex determination and contemporary climate change. Sexual Development, (in press).
Mitchell, N.J., Allendorf, F.W., Keall, S.N., Daugherty, C.H. and Nelson, N.J. 2009. Demographic effects of temperature-dependent sex determination: will tuatara survive global warming? Global Change Biology, (in press).
Andrewartha, S.J, Mitchell, N.J. and Frappell, P.B. 2008. Phenotypic differences in terrestrial frog embryos: effect of water potential and phase. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211, 3800-3807.
Mitchell, N. J., Kearney, M. R., Nelson, N. J. and Porter, W. P. 2008 Predicting the fate of a living fossil: how will global warming affect sex determination and hatching phenology in tuatara? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275, 2186-2193.
Hoare, J. M., Pledger, S., Keall, S. N., Nelson, N. J., Mitchell, N. J. and Daugherty, C. H. 2006 Conservation implications of a disproportionate decline of female body condition in the Brothers Island tuatara, Sphenodon guntheri. Animal Conservation 9, 456-462.
Mitchell, N.J., Nelson, N.J., Cree, A., Pledger, S., Keall, S.N. and Daugherty, C.H. 2006 Support for a unique pattern of temperature-dependent sex determination in archaic reptiles: evidence from two species of tuatara (Sphenodon). Frontiers in Zoology 2006, 3:9
Mitchell, N.J. 2005 Nest swapping in an Australian toadlet (Pseudophryne bibroni): do males respond to chemical signals? Herpetological Review 36: 19-21
Bell, B.D., Carver, S., Mitchell, N.J. and Pledger, S. 2004 The recent decline of a New Zealand endemic: how and why did populations of Archey’s frog Leiopelma archeyi crash over 1996-2001? Biological Conservation 120: 193-203.
Mitchell, N.J. and Seymour, R.S. 2003 The effects of nest temperature, nest substrate and clutch size on the oxygenation of embryos and larvae of the Australian moss frog, Bryobatrachus nimbus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 76: 60-71.
Mitchell, N.J. 2002 Low tolerance of embryonic desiccation in the terrestrial nesting frog Bryobatrachus nimbus (Anura: Myobatrachinae). Copeia 102: 364-373.
Mitchell, N.J. 2002 Nest site selection in a terrestrial-breeding frog with protracted development. Australian Journal of Zoology 50: 225-236.
Mitchell, N.J. 2001 The energetics of endotrophic development in the frog Geocrinia vitellina (Anura: Myobatrachinae). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 74: 832-842.
Mitchell, N.J. 2001 Males call more from wetter nests: effects of substrate water potential on reproductive behaviours of terrestrial toadlets. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 268: 87-93.
Seymour, R.S., Roberts, J.D., Mitchell, N.J. and Blaylock, A.J. 2000 Influence of environmental oxygen on development and hatching of aquatic eggs of the Australian Frog, Crinia georgiana. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73:501-507.
Mitchell, N.J., and R.S. Seymour. 2000 Effects of temperature on the energy cost and timing of embryonic and larval development of the terrestrially breeding moss frog, Bryobatrachus nimbus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73:829-840.
Mitchell, N.J., Allendorf, F.W., Keall, S.N., Daugherty, C.H. and Nelson, N.J. 2009. Demographic effects of temperature-dependent sex determination: will tuatara survive global warming? Global Change Biology, (in press).
Andrewartha, S.J, Mitchell, N.J. and Frappell, P.B. 2008. Phenotypic differences in terrestrial frog embryos: effect of water potential and phase. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211, 3800-3807.
Mitchell, N. J., Kearney, M. R., Nelson, N. J. and Porter, W. P. 2008 Predicting the fate of a living fossil: how will global warming affect sex determination and hatching phenology in tuatara? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275, 2186-2193.
Hoare, J. M., Pledger, S., Keall, S. N., Nelson, N. J., Mitchell, N. J. and Daugherty, C. H. 2006 Conservation implications of a disproportionate decline of female body condition in the Brothers Island tuatara, Sphenodon guntheri. Animal Conservation 9, 456-462.
Mitchell, N.J., Nelson, N.J., Cree, A., Pledger, S., Keall, S.N. and Daugherty, C.H. 2006 Support for a unique pattern of temperature-dependent sex determination in archaic reptiles: evidence from two species of tuatara (Sphenodon). Frontiers in Zoology 2006, 3:9
Mitchell, N.J. 2005 Nest swapping in an Australian toadlet (Pseudophryne bibroni): do males respond to chemical signals? Herpetological Review 36: 19-21
Bell, B.D., Carver, S., Mitchell, N.J. and Pledger, S. 2004 The recent decline of a New Zealand endemic: how and why did populations of Archey’s frog Leiopelma archeyi crash over 1996-2001? Biological Conservation 120: 193-203.
Mitchell, N.J. and Seymour, R.S. 2003 The effects of nest temperature, nest substrate and clutch size on the oxygenation of embryos and larvae of the Australian moss frog, Bryobatrachus nimbus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 76: 60-71.
Mitchell, N.J. 2002 Low tolerance of embryonic desiccation in the terrestrial nesting frog Bryobatrachus nimbus (Anura: Myobatrachinae). Copeia 102: 364-373.
Mitchell, N.J. 2002 Nest site selection in a terrestrial-breeding frog with protracted development. Australian Journal of Zoology 50: 225-236.
Mitchell, N.J. 2001 The energetics of endotrophic development in the frog Geocrinia vitellina (Anura: Myobatrachinae). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 74: 832-842.
Mitchell, N.J. 2001 Males call more from wetter nests: effects of substrate water potential on reproductive behaviours of terrestrial toadlets. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 268: 87-93.
Seymour, R.S., Roberts, J.D., Mitchell, N.J. and Blaylock, A.J. 2000 Influence of environmental oxygen on development and hatching of aquatic eggs of the Australian Frog, Crinia georgiana. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73:501-507.
Mitchell, N.J., and R.S. Seymour. 2000 Effects of temperature on the energy cost and timing of embryonic and larval development of the terrestrially breeding moss frog, Bryobatrachus nimbus. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73:829-840.
Roles, responsibilities and expertise
Temperature-dependent sex determination
Climate change adaptation
Sexual Selection
Nest site selection
Water balance physiology
Egg physiology
Climate change adaptation
Sexual Selection
Nest site selection
Water balance physiology
Egg physiology
Funding received
2009-12 ARC Linkage
2008 FNAS start-up grant for research initiatives
2008 Australian Geographic Sociery
2007 UWA Small Grant
2005-8 ARC Discovery (APD Fellowship)
2002 Journal of Experimental Biology Travelling Fellowship
2000 Royal Society (London) Banks Alecto Fellowship
2008 FNAS start-up grant for research initiatives
2008 Australian Geographic Sociery
2007 UWA Small Grant
2005-8 ARC Discovery (APD Fellowship)
2002 Journal of Experimental Biology Travelling Fellowship
2000 Royal Society (London) Banks Alecto Fellowship
Memberships
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Australian Society of Herpetologists
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Australian Society of Herpetologists
Previous positions
2005-9 ARC Postdoctoral Fellow (University of Western Australia)
2005 University of Western Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship (declined)
2003 La Trobe University Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
2003 Visiting Research Fellow, Australian National University
2002 Visiting Research Fellow, Colorado State University
2000 Visiting Research Fellow, Victoria University of Wellington
2005 University of Western Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship (declined)
2003 La Trobe University Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
2003 Visiting Research Fellow, Australian National University
2002 Visiting Research Fellow, Colorado State University
2000 Visiting Research Fellow, Victoria University of Wellington
Teaching
Joint course co-ordinator (with Pieter Poot)
BIOL 2261 Introduction to Conservation Biology
Contributor
ENVT2221 Global Climate Change and Biodiversity
ANIM3304 Behavioural Ecology
BIOL 2261 Introduction to Conservation Biology
Contributor
ENVT2221 Global Climate Change and Biodiversity
ANIM3304 Behavioural Ecology
Current external positions
Associate Editor, Austral Ecology
Current projects
Honest signalling in terrestrial breeding frogs
Dissociated breeding in turtle frogs
Mechanistic models for assisted migration of the Western Swamp Tortoise
Dissociated breeding in turtle frogs
Mechanistic models for assisted migration of the Western Swamp Tortoise
Research profile
