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  • Dr Lizzy Lowe

    Dr Lizzy Lowe

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    https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=J-cet-4AAAAJ&hl=en
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Dr Lizzy Lowe

Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow

Staff Member Details
Email: lizzy.lowe@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Joondalup  
Room: JO19.365  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3792-3178

Dr Lizzy Lowe has over 10 years’ experience as an entomologist and knowledge broker. Her work uses social and ecological methods to develop strategies to improve the monitoring and management of biodiversity in cities. Her current research investigates the impact of urban greening practices on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Lizzy works to develop evidence-based strategies for governments and communities to evaluate the impact of their efforts, and improve public engagement in urban biodiversity conservation initiatives.

Dr Lowe undertook her honours at UWA before moving to The University of Sydney to undertake her PhD on the topic of spiders and their responses to urbanisation. She has worked as a researcher at The University of Hamburg, The University of Auckland and Macquarie University, and led the Extension and Communications team at Cesar Australia.

Research Areas and Interests

  • Urban Ecology
  • Entomology
  • Biodiversity monitoring and evaluation
  • Green Infrastructure
  • Socio-ecological monitoring
  • Evaluation of biodiversity management practice

Professional Memberships

  • 2022 - present: Invertebrates Australia (Program Lead)
  • 2024 - present: Ecological Society of Australia, Policy working group (member)
  • 2025 – Australasian Green Infrastructure Network, Management committee (Member)
  • 2025: The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (Member)
  • 2024: present – Society of Conservation Biology (member)

Awards and Recognition

National and International Awards

  • 2019German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Green talents award International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development
  • 2018  Science and Technology Australia, Superstars of STEM
  • 2017Falling walls International Science Forum, Australian finalist
  • 2015Ecological Society and Office of Environment and Heritage NSW, Prize for Outstanding Outreach
  • 2015Famelab International Science Communication Competition, Australian National Finalist

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Sydney, 2016.

Research Outputs

2022

Journal Articles

  • Lowe, L., Steven, R., Morris, R., Parris, K., Aguiar, A., Webb, C., Bugnot, A., Dafforn, K., Connolly, R., Mayer Pinto, M. (2022). Supporting urban ecosystem services across terrestrial, marine and freshwater realms. Science of the Total Environment, 817(2022), article number 152689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152689.
  • Kotze, D., Lowe, L., Macivor, J., Ossola, A., Norton, B., Hochuli, D., Mata, L., Moretti, M., Gagné, S., Handa, I., Jones, T., Threlfall, C., Hahs, A. (2022). Urban forest invertebrates: how they shape and respond to the urban environment. Urban Ecosystems, 25(6), 1589-1609. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-022-01240-9.
  • Mammola, S., Malumbres-Olarte, J., Arabesky, V., Barrales-Alcalá, D., Barrion-Dupo, A., Benamú, M., Bird, T., Bogomolova, M., Cardoso, P., Chatzaki, M., Cheng, R., Chu, T., Classen-Rodríguez, L., Čupić, I., Dhiya'ulhaq, N., Drapeau Picard, A., El-Hennawy, H., Elverici, M., Fukushima, C., Ganem, Z., Gavish-Regev, E., Gonnye, N., Hacala, A., Haddad, C., Hesselberg, T., Tian Ho, T., Into, T., Isaia, M., Jayaraman, D., Karuaera, N., Khalap, R., Khalap, K., Kim, D., Korhonen, T., Kralj-Fišer, S., Land, H., Lin, S., Loboda, S., Lowe, L., Lubin, Y., Martínez, A., Mbo, Z., Miličić, M., Kioko, G., Nanni, V., Norma-Rashid, Y., Nwankwo, D., Painting, C., Pang, A., Pantini, P., Pavlek, M., Pearce, R., Petcharad, B., Pétillon, J., Raberahona, O., Russo, P., Saarinen, J., Segura-Hernández, L., Sentenská, L., Uhl, G., Walker, L., Warui, C., Wiśniewski, K., Zamani, A., Chuang, A., Scott, C. (2022). The global spread of misinformation on spiders. Current Biology, 32(16), R871-R873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.026.
  • Willmott, N., Wong, B., Lowe, L., McNamara, K., Jones, T. (2022). WILDLIFE EXPLOITATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC CHANGE: INTERACTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 97(1), 15-35. https://doi.org/10.1086/718748.
  • Herberstein, M., McLean, D., Lowe, L., Wolff, J., Khan, K., Smith, K., Allen, A., Bulbert, M., Buzatto, B., Eldridge, M., Falster, D., Fernandez Winzer, L., Griffith, S., Madin, J., Narendra, A., Westoby, M., Whiting, M., Wright, I., Carthey, A. (2022). AnimalTraits - a curated animal trait database for body mass, metabolic rate and brain size. Scientific Data, 9(1), article number 265. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01364-9.
  • Mammola, S., Malumbres-Olarte, J., Arabesky, V., Barrales-Alcalá, D., Barrion-Dupo, A., Benamú, M., Bird, T., Bogomolova, M., Cardoso, P., Chatzaki, M., Cheng, R., Chu, T., Classen-Rodríguez, L., Čupić, I., Dhiya'ulhaq, N., Drapeau Picard, A., El-Hennawy, H., Elverici, M., Fukushima, C., Ganem, Z., Gavish-Regev, E., Gonnye, N., Hacala, A., Haddad, C., Hesselberg, T., Tian Ho, T., Into, T., Isaia, M., Jayaraman, D., Karuaera, N., Khalap, R., Khalap, K., Kim, D., Korhonen, T., Kralj-Fišer, S., Land, H., Lin, S., Loboda, S., Lowe, L., Lubin, Y., Martínez, A., Mbo, Z., Miličić, M., Kioko, G., Nanni, V., Norma-Rashid, Y., Nwankwo, D., Painting, C., Pang, A., Pantini, P., Pavlek, M., Pearce, R., Petcharad, B., Pétillon, J., Raberahona, O., Saarinen, J., Segura-Hernández, L., Sentenská, L., Uhl, G., Walker, L., Warui, C., Wiśniewski, K., Zamani, A., Scott, C., Chuang, A. (2022). An expert-curated global database of online newspaper articles on spiders and spider bites. Scientific Data, 9(1), article number 109. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01197-6.
  • Aceves-Aparicio, A., Narendra, A., McLean, D., Lowe, L., Christian, M., Wolff, J., Schneider, J., Herberstein, M. (2022). Fast acrobatic maneuvers enable arboreal spiders to hunt dangerous prey. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 119(40), article number e2205942119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2205942119.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Pekár, S., Wolff, J., Černecká, L., Birkhofer, K., Mammola, S., Lowe, L., Fukushima, C., Herberstein, M., Kučera, A., Buzatto, B., Djoudi, E., Domenech, M., Enciso, A., Pinanez Espejo, Y., Febles, S., Garcia, L., Goncalves-Souza, T., Isaia, M., Lafage, D., Líznarová, E., Macias-Hernández, N., Magalhaes, I., Malumbres-Olarte, J., Michálek, O., Michalik, P., Michalko, R., Milano, F., Munevar, A., Nentwig, W., Nicolosi, G., Painting, C., Petillon, J., Piano, E., Privet, K., Ramirez, M., Ramos, C., Řezáč, M., Ridel, A., Růžička, V., Santos, I., Sentenská, L., Walker, L., Wierucka, K., Zurita, G., Cardoso, P. (2021). The World Spider Trait database: a centralized global open repository for curated data on spider traits. Database: the Journal of Biological Databases and Curation, 2021(2021), article number baab064. https://doi.org/10.1093/database/baab064.
  • Saunders, M., Barton, P., Bickerstaff, J., Frost, L., Latty, T., Lessard, B., Lowe, L., Rodriguez, J., White, T., Umbers, K. (2021). Limited understanding of bushfire impacts on Australian invertebrates. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 14(3), 285-293. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12493.
  • Threlfall, C., Marzinelli, E., Ossola, A., Bugnot, A., Bishop, M., Lowe, L., Imberger, S., Myers, S., Steinberg, P., Dafforn, K. (2021). Toward cross-realm management of coastal urban ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 19(4), 225-233. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2323.

2020

Journal Articles

  • Jeliazkov, A., Mijatovic, D., Chantepie, S., Andrew, N., Arlettaz, R., Barbaro, L., Barsoum, N., Bartonova, A., Belskaya, E., Bonada, N., Brind'amour, A., Carvalho, R., Castro, H., Chmura, D., Choler, P., Chong-Seng, K., Cleary, D., Cormont, A., Cornwell, W., De Campos, R., De Voogd, N., Doledec, S., Drew, J., Dzoick, F., Eallonardo, A., Edgar, M., Farneda, F., Flores Hernandez, D., Frenettep-Dussault, C., Fried, G., Gallardo, B., Gibb, H., Gonçalves-Souza, T., Higuti, J., Humbert, J., Krasnov, B., Le Saux, E., Lopez-Baucells, A., Lowe, L., Marteinsdottir, B., Martens, K., Meffert, P., Mellado-Díaz, A., Menz, M., Meyer, C., Miranda, J., Mouillot, D., Ossala, A., Pakeman, R., Pavoine, S., Pekin, B., Pino, J., Pocheville, A., Pomati, F., Poschlod, P., Prentice, H., Purschke, O., Raevel, V., Reitalu, T., Renema, W., Ribera, I., Robinson, N., Robroek, B., Rocha, R., Shieh, S., Spake, R., Staniaszek-Kik, M., Stanko, M., Terjerina-Garro, F., Ter Braak, C., Urban, M., Van Klink, R., Villéger, S., Wegman, R., Westgate, M., Wolff, J., Żarnowiec, J., Zolotarev, M., Chase, J. (2020). A global database for metacommunity ecology, integrating species, traits, environment and space. Scientific Data, 7(1), Article number 6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0344-7.
  • Lowe, L., Wolff, J., Aceves-Aparicio, A., Birkhofer, K., Branco, V., Cardoso, P., Chichorro, F., Fukushima, C., Gonçalves-Souza, T., Haddad, C., Isaia, M., Krehenwinkel, H., Audisio, T., MacÍas-Hernández, N., Malumbres-Olarte, J., Mammola, S., McLean, D., Michalko, R., Nentwig, W., Pekár, S., Pétillon, J., Privet, K., Scott, C., Uhl, G., Urbano-Tenorio, F., Wong, B., Herberstein, M. (2020). Towards establishment of a centralized spider traits database. Journal of Arachnology, 48(2), 103-109. https://doi.org/10.1636/0161-8202-48.2.103.

2019

Journal Articles

  • Lowe, L., Latty, T., Webb, C., Whitehouse, M., Saunders, M. (2019). Engaging urban stakeholders in the sustainable management of arthropod pests. Journal of Pest Science, 92(3), 987-1002. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-019-01087-8.
  • Rathnayake, D., Lowe, L., Rempoulakis, P., Herberstein, M. (2019). Effect of natural predators on Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) control by sterile insect technique (SIT). Pest Management Science, 75(12), 3356-3362. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.5477.
  • Bugnot, A., Hose, G., Walsh, C., Floerl, O., French, K., Dafforn, K., Hanford, J., Lowe, L., Hahs, A. (2019). Urban impacts across realms: Making the case for inter-realm monitoring and management. Science of the Total Environment, 648(15 January 2019), 711-719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.134.

2018

Journal Articles

  • Fabricant, S., Burdfield-Steel, E., Umbers, K., Lowe, L., Herberstein, M. (2018). Warning signal plasticity in hibiscus harlequin bugs. Evolutionary Ecology, 32(5), 489-507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-018-9946-3.
  • Lowe, L., Threlfall, C., Wilder, S., Hochuli, D. (2018). Environmental drivers of spider community composition at multiple scales along an urban gradient. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27(4), 829-852. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1466-x.

Research Projects

  • Study into a Natural Asset Company equity structure to transform Western Australia, Grower Group Alliance, South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub grant, 2024 ‑ 2025, $9,000.

Research Student Supervision

Current Supervisions

Co-principal Supervisor

  • Master of Science by Research, Are current rates of insect visitation responsible for plant reproductive failure in Kings Park, Western Australia?

Completed Supervisions

No data available
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