Lesley Hughes

Prof Lesley Hughes

B.Sc. (Hons) (USYD), PhD (Macquarie University)

Impacts of climate change on species and natural ecosystems
Evolutionary ecology of plant-insect interactions
Spatial and evolutionary organization of biodiversity

Founding Member, Australian Climate Council
Member, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
Member of the Land Sector Carbon & Biodiversity Board
Former Climate Commissioner, Australian Climate Commission
Professorial Fellow, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University
Member of Climate Scientists Australia
Australian Ecological Research Award (AERA), presented by the Ecological Society of Australia
Appointed member, Botanic Gardens Trust
Australian Representative on the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Climate Change
Lead Author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth & Fifth Assessment Reports (AR4 & AR5), Working Group II.
NSW Scientific Committee, Deputy Chair 2003-2004, Chair 2005-2008
Appointed member Expert Advisory Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity, Australian Greenhouse Office and the Department of Climate Change
Appointed member, management committee, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF)
Co-convenor of the Terrestrial Biodiversity Adaptation Research Network

Books Sections and Chapters:

Hughes L Climate change impacts on species interactions: assessing the threat of cascading extinctions In: Extinction Risk from Climate Change (ed. Hannah L) Island Press (in press)

Steffen W, Burbidge A, Hughes L, Kitching R, Lindenmayer D. Musgrave W, Stafford Smith M. and Werner P. (2009) Australia’s Biodiversity and Climate Change. CSIRO Publishing, Canberra

Hughes L (2008) 10 things to do about climate change. In Ten Commitments. (Lindenmayer D, Dovers S, Harriss Olson M, Morton S eds) pp 133-142. CSIRO Publishing, Canberra

Hennessy K, Fitzharris B, Bates B, Harvey N, Howden M, Hughes L, Salinger J, Warrick R. (2007) Chapt 11. Australia and New Zealand In: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, Working Group II, Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability. IPCC, Geneva.

Contributing Author to: Midgley G et al. Chapt 4. (2007) Ecosystems In: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report, Working Group II, Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability. IPCC, Geneva

Root TL & Hughes, L (2005) Changes in phenology and ecological interactions. Pp 61-69 In: Climate Change and Biodiversity (TE Lovejoy and L Hannah, eds), Yale University Press, New Haven.

Drake BG, Hughes L, Johnson EA, Seibel BA, Cochrane MA, Fabry VJ, Rasse D, Hannah L (2005) Synergistic effects. Pp 296-316 In: Climate Change and Biodiversity (TE Lovejoy and L Hannah, eds), Yale University Press, New Haven.

Pittock B ed. (2003) Climate Change: An Australian Guide to the Science and Potential Impacts. Major Contributors: Arthington A, Booth T, Cowell P, Hennessy K, Howden M, Hughes L, Jones, R, Lake S, Lyne V, McMichael T, Mullett T, Nicholls N, Torok, S, Woodruff R. Australian Greenhouse Office, Commonwealth of Australia

Hughes, L (2000) Climate change and biodiversity. In: Resetting the Compass: Australia’s Journey Towards Sustainability (D. Yencken & D. Wilkinson eds) p197

Refereed Journal Papers:

Hughes L. Can Australian biodiversity adapt to climate change? (in press, Royal Zoological Society)

Harvey KJ, Nipperess DA, Britton DR, Hughes L. How important is enemy release as a mechanism behind the invasion success of Senecio madagascariensis? A comparison of herbivory and herbivore assemblages among invasive, non-invasive and native Senecio species (in press, Biological Invasions)

O’Donnell, J., Gallagher, R. V., Wilson, P. D., Downey, P. O., Hughes, L. & Leishman, M. R. Invasion hotspots for non‐native plants in Australia under climate change. Global Change Biology (in press, accepted 26th July, 2011)

Nipperess DA, Beattie AJ, Faith DP, Ginn SG, Kitching RL, Reid CAM, Russell T, Hughes L (2011) Plant phylogeny as a surrogate for turnover in beetle assemblages Biodiversity Conservation DOI 10.1007/s10531-011-0185-y

Hughes L. (2011) Climate change and Australia: Key vulnerable regions. Regional Environmental Change 11: S189-S195

Moir ML, Vesk PA, Brennan KEC, Keith DA, Hughes L, McCarthy MA (2011). Identifying and managing co-threatened invertebrates by assessing coextinction risk. Conservation Biology 25: 787-796

Gallagher, R.V., Hughes, L., Leishman, M.R. & Wilson, P.O. (2010) Predicted impact of exotic vines on an endangered ecological community under future climate change. Biological Invasions 12: SI 4049-4063

Gallagher RV, Beaumont LJ, Hughes L & Leishman MR. (2010) Evidence for climatic niche shifts between native and novel ranges in exotic plant species. Journal of Ecology 98:790-799

Moir ML, Vesk PA, Brennan KEC, Keith DA, Hughes L, McCarthy MA (2010) Current constraints and future directions in estimating co-extinction. Conservation Biology 24: 682-690

Roubicek AJ, Van Der Wal J, Beaumont LJ, Pitman AJ, Wilson P, Hughes L (2010)

Does the choice of climate baseline matter in ecological niche modelling? Ecological Modelling 221: 2280-2286

Lindenmayer DB, Steffen W, Burbidge AA, Hughes L, Kitching R, Musgrave W, Stafford Smith M, and Werner P. (2010) Conservation strategies in response to rapid climate change: Australia as a case study. Biological Conservation 143: 1587-1593

Sinclair R, Hughes L. (2010) Leaf Miners: The Hidden Herbivores. Austral Ecology 35: 300-313

Beaumont LJ, Gallagher RV, Thuiller W, Downey PO, Leishman MR, Hughes L. (2009) Climatic niche shifts among invasive species can lead to underestimations of current and future biological invasions Ecography 32:757-764

Wilson, PD, Downey PO, Leishman M, Gallagher R, Hughes L, O’Donnell J (2009) Weeds in a warmer world: predicting the impact of climate change on Australia’s alien plant species using MaxEnt. Plant Protection Quarterly 24: 84-97

Hughes L. (2009) The NSW Scientific Committee: assessment procedures and independence. Ecological Management and Restoration 10 (S1) S140-S142

Keith DA, Orscheg C, Simpson CC, Clarke PJ, Hughes L, Kennelly SJ, Major RE, Soderquist TR, Wilson AL, Bedward M. (2009) Estimating extent and rates of broad-scale habitat loss for ecological communities: a case study of vegetation clearing in a semi-arid woodland. Biological Conservation 142: 1469-1479.

Beaumont LJ, Gallagher RV, Downey PO, Thuiller W, Leishman MR,, Hughes L. (2009) Different climatic envelopes among invasive populations may lead to underestimations of current and future biological invasions. Diversity and Distributions 15: 409-420

Kingsford RT, Watson JEM, Lundquist, C J, Venter O, Hughes L, Johnston EL, Atherton J, Gawel M, Keith DA, Mackey BG, Morley C, Possingham HP, Raynor B, Recher H F, Wilson KA. (2009) Major conservation policy issues for biodiversity in Oceania, Melanesia, Micronesia, New Zealand and Polynesia Conservation Biology 23: 834-840.

Morton SR, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Lindenmayer DB, Harriss Olson M, Hughes L, McCulloch MT. McIntyre S, Nix HA, Prober SM, Saunders DA, Andersen AN, Burgman MA, Lefroy EC, Lonsdale WM, Lowe I, McMichael AJ, Parslow JS, Steffen W, Williams JE, Woinarski JCZ (2009) The big ecological questions inhibiting effective environmental management in Australia. Austral Ecology 34, 1-9

Gallagher RV, Beaumont LJ, Hughes L, Leishman MR & Downey PO (2008) Projecting the impact of climate change on bitou bush distributions in Australia. Plant Protection Quarterly 23: 37

Beaumont LJ, Hughes L, Pitman A.J. (2008) Why is the choice of future climate scenarios for species distribution modelling important? Ecology Letters 11: 1135-1146

Hoegh-Guldberg O, Hughes L, McIntyre, SL, Lindenmayer DB, Parmesan C, Possingham HP, Thomas CD (2008) Assisted colonization and rapid climate change. Science 321, 345-346

Sinclair RJ, Hughes L. (2008) Incidence of leaf mining in different vegetation types across rainfall, canopy cover and latitudinal gradients Austral Ecology 33: 353-360

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2008) Abundance-body mass relationships among insects along a latitudinal gradient Austral Ecology 33: 253-260

Coll M, Hughes L. (2008) Effects of elevated CO2 on an insect omnivore: a test for nutritional effects mediated by host plants and prey. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 123: 271-279

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2007) Potential host colonisation by insect herbivores in a warmer climate: a transplant experiment. Global Change Biology 13: 1539-1549

Beaumont LJ, Pitman AJ, Hughes L and Poulsen M. (2007) Where will species go? Improving projections of species future distributions using new climate modeling techniques. Global Change Biology 13: 1368-1385

Gallagher R, Beaumont L, Downey PO, Hughes L, Leishman MR (2006) Assessing the potential impacts of climate change on weeds in New South Wales: establishing priorities. Proceedings of the 15th Australian Weeds Conference (eds C Preston, ND Crossman, JH Watts) Adelaide, 24-28th September 2006, pp. 35-39

Beaumont LJ, McAllan IAW and Hughes L. (2006) A matter of timing: changes in the first date of arrival and last date of departure of Australian migratory birds. Global Change Biology 12: 1339-1354

Walther G-R, Hughes L, Vitousek P and Stenseth NC (2005) Consensus on climate change. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20: 648-649

Beaumont LJ, Hughes L and Poulsen M. (2005) Predicting species distributions: use of climatic parameters in BIOCLIM and its impact on predictions of species’ current and future distributions. Ecological Modelling 186: 250-269

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2005) Diversity and assemblage structure of phytophagous Hemiptera along a latitudinal gradient: predicting the potential impacts of climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography 14: 249-262

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2005) Arthropod community structure along a latitudinal gradient: implications for future impacts of climate change. Austral Ecology 30, 281-297

Chambers LE, Hughes L and Weston MA. (2005) Climate change and its impact on Australia’s Avifauna. Emu 105: 1-20

Andrew NR and Hughes L. (2005) Herbivore damage along a latitudinal gradient: relative impacts of different feeding guilds. Oikos 108:176-182

Michael CA, Gillings MR, Holmes AJ, Hughes L, Andrew NR, Holley MP and Stokes HW (2004) Mobile gene cassettes: a fundamental resource for bacterial evolution. American Naturalist. 164, 1-12.

Andrew NR & Hughes L (2004) Species diversity and structure of phytophagous beetle assemblages along a latitudinal gradient: predicting the potential impacts of climate change. Ecological Entomology 29: 527-542

Cameron A, Thomas CD, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, Collingham YC, Erasmus| BFN, de Siqueira MF, Grainger A, Hannah L, Hughes L, Huntley B, Jaarsveld AS, Midgley GF, Miles L, Ortega-Huerta MA, Peterson AT, Phillips OL, Williams SE. (2004) Will climate change catch us off guard? Conservation in Practice 5: 28-29

Thomas CD, Williams SE, Cameron A, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, Collingham YC, Erasmus| BFN, de Siqueira MF, Grainger A, Hannah L, Hughes L, Huntley B, Jaarsveld AS, Midgley GF, Miles L, Ortega-Huerta MA, Peterson AT, Phillips OL. (2004) Extinction risk from climate change: reply Nature online 1 July www.nature.com/nature

Johns CV, Stone C & Hughes L. (2004) Feeding preferences of the Christmas beetle Anoplognathus chloropyrus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and four paropsine species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelida) on selected Eucalyptus grandis clonal foliage. Australian Forestry 67: 184-190

Peel D, Pitman AJ, Hughes L, Narisma G & Pielke RA Sr (2004) The impact of realistic biophysical parameters for eucalypts on the simulation of the January climate of Australia. Environmental Modelling & Software 20: 595-612

Thomas CD, Cameron A, Green RE, Bakkenes M, Beaumont LJ, Collingham YC, Erasmus| BFN, de Siqueira MF, Grainger A, Hannah L, Hughes L, Huntley B, Jaarsveld AS, Midgley GF, Miles L, Ortega-Huerta MA, Peterson AT, Phillips OL, Williams SE. (2004) Extinction risk from climate change. Nature 427: 145-148.

Johns C.V., Beaumont L. and Hughes L. (2003) Effects of CO2 and temperature on development and consumption rates of Octotoma championi and O. scabripennis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) feeding on Lantana camara. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 108:169-178.

Hughes, L. (2003) Climate change and Australia: trends, projections and research directions. Austral Ecology 28: 423-443.

Grimbacher P.S. and Hughes L. (2002) Response of ant communities and ant-seed interactions to bush regeneration. Ecological Management and Restoration 3: 188-199.

Beaumont L. and Hughes L. (2002) Potential changes in the distributions of latitudinally restricted Australian butterflies in response to climate change. Global Change Biology 8: 954-971.

Johns CV and Hughes L. (2002) Interactive effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on the leaf-miner Dialectica scalariella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in Paterson’s Curse, Echium plantagineum (Boraginaceae). Global Change Biology 8: 142-152

Hughes L. and Bazzaz F. A. (2001) Interactions between aphids and host plants at elevated CO2: a comparison of five species pairs. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata.99: 87-96

Hughes, L. (2000) Climate signatures in ecology: reply. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15: 287

Hughes, L. (2000) Biological consequences of global warming: is the signal already apparent? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15: 56-61

Hughes, L., Wagner, D., Chang, B., and Pierce, NE. (2000) Effects of mating history on the reproductive behaviour and fecundity of the ant-tended lycaenid butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 47: 119-128

Other publications:

Steffen W, Hughes L (2011) The Critical Decade – South Australian Impacts, Climate Commission Secretariat, Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency, Canberra

Steffen W, Hughes L (2011) The Critical Decade – Consequences fro new England nad Northwest NSW Region, Climate Commission Secretariat, Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency, Canberra

Steffen W, Hughes L (2011) The Critical Decade – Illawarra/South Coast Impacts, Climate Commission Secretariat, Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency, Canberra

Steffen W, Hughes L (2011) The Critical Decade – Western Australian Climate Change Impacts, Climate Commission Secretariat, Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency, Canberra

Steffen W, Hughes L (2011) The Critical Decade –Impacts for Gippsland, Victoria, Climate Commission Secretariat, Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency, Canberra

Hughes L, McMichael T (2011) The Critical Decade: Climate Change and Health. Climate Commission Secretariat, Department of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency, Canberra

Hughes L, Hobbs R, Hopkins A, McDonald J, Stafford Smith M, Steffen W, Williams, SE, Stadler F (2010) National Climate Change Adaptation Research Plan: Terrestrial Biodiversity. National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility & Department of Climate Change.

Steffen W, Burbidge A, Hughes L, Kitching R, Lindenmayer D. Musgrave W, Stafford Smith M. and Werner P. (2009) Australia’s Biodiversity and Climate Change. Technical Synthesis. Department of Climate Change

Steffen W, Burbidge A, Hughes L, Kitching R, Lindenmayer D. Musgrave W, Stafford Smith M. and Werner P. (2009) Australia’s Biodiversity and Climate Change. Summary for Policy Makers 2009, Department of Climate Change

Krockenberger AK, Kitching R, Turton SM (eds) plus 12 other authors including Hughes L (2004) Environmental Crisis: Climate Change and Terrestrial Biodiversity in Queensland. Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management. Rainforest CRC, Cairns, QLD, Australia

Howden M, Hughes L, Dunlop M, Zethoven I, Hilbert D. Chilcott C and Crutch G (2003) Report on BDAC workshop of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Australia. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.

Dunlop, M., Howden, M., and Hughes, L. (2003) Biodiversity and Climate Change in Australia. In R. Douglas, J. Goldie and B. Furnass (eds). “In Search Of Sustainability” online conference. August 2003. http://www.isosconference.org.au/

Possingham, H., Hughes, L. & Howden M. (2003) Biodiversity and Climate Change: possible impacts, adaptive response and research needs. Pp 103-116 in: Living with Climate Change: A National Conference on Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. 18-19th December, 2002, Australian Academy of Sciences, Canberra.

Hughes L (2003) Recent impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems. In: Howden M, Hughes L, Dunlop M, Zethoven I, Hilbert D. Chilcott C and Crutch G (2003) Report on BDAC workshop of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Australia. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.

Hughes L (2003) Indicators of Climate Change. In: Howden M, Hughes L, Dunlop M, Zethoven I, Hilbert D. Chilcott C and Crutch G (2003) Report on BDAC workshop of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Australia. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.

Hughes L (2003) Climate change and biodiversity in Australia. In: Climate Impacts on Australia’s Natural Resources: Current and Future Challenges Conference Workbook. Proceedings of a conference held 25-27th November, 2003, Surfers Paradise, pp28-29.

Hughes L. (2001) Climate change and biodiversity in Australia. Lifelines 7: 32-34