Stephen E. Williams

Bio: Stephen E. Williams is an academic researcher from James Cook University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biodiversity & Climate change. The author has an hindex of 53, co-authored 126 publications receiving 25868 citations. Previous affiliations of Stephen E. Williams include International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources & Cooperative Research Centre.

Post-fire Plant Regeneration in Montane Heath of the Wet Tropics, North-Eastern Queensland

Abstract: This paper documents post-fire plant regeneration within a montane heath community of the Wet Tropics. A large proportion of heath plants on Bishop's Peak, Cardwell Range north of Ingham, was observed to resprout after fire, with only one species, Banksia plagiocarpa, a rare shrub that co-dominates the community, identified as a fire-killed, "obligate seeder". Species richness and the seedling density of the co-dominant shrub Allocasuarina littoralis were higher in recently burnt heath compared with sites that remained unburnt for eight years; and five species displayed significantly greater abundance in either recently burnt or unburnt heath. Two years after fire, the height of most A. littoralis plants, both resprouts and seedlings, was below 61cm, and of most B. plagiocarpa seedlings was below 21cm. Seedlings of these shrubs are not expected to begin producing seed for several more years or gain their mature heights until more than eighty years after fire. Therefore, although fire can promote seed germination and species richness in this significant community, fire at intervals of more than eight years are required to allow the maturation of shrubs.

Volume measurements for quicker determination of forest litter standing crop

Abstract: Litter standing crop (LSC) is the quantity of plant detritus on the floor in forested environments. Knowledge of LSC is important in understanding many ecological phenomena. These include studies of litterfall, decomposition/litter turnover rates and nutrient cycling (Anderson et al. 1983, Dent et al. 2006), general plant performance (Benitez-Malvido & Kossmann-Ferraz 1999), other ecosystem processes such as the effects of fire (Odiwe & Muoghalu 2003) and fauna (Frith & Frith 1990, Giaretta et al. 1999, Levings & Windsor 1985). The determination of accurate annual average LSC data, may require monitoring over long periods due to seasonality and sometimes sporadic nature of litterfall and decomposition rates (Clark et al. 2001). Furthermore, the effects of topography and water movement create the need for both representative site selection and sufficient spatial coverage.

Predicted alteration of vertebrate communities in response to climate‐induced elevational shifts

Abstract: Climate change is driving species to migrate to novel areas as current environments become unsuitable. As a result, species distributions have shifted uphill in montane ecosystems globally. Heterogeneous dispersal rates among shifting species could result in complex changes to community assemblages. For example, interspecific differences in dispersal ability could lead to the disruption, or creation, of species interactions and processes within communities, likely amplifying the impact of climate change on ecosystems. Here, we studied the dispersal success of vertebrate species in a tropical montane ecosystem under a climate‐induced uphill shift and assessed the derived impacts on community structures.

State of Wet Tropics Report 2015-2016: ancient, endemic, rare and threatened vertebrates of the wet tropics

Abstract: Each year the Wet Tropics Management Authority prepares a report on the administration of the Act during the year, financial statements for the year, and a report on the state of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. This State of Wet Tropics report satisfies the requirements of Queensland's Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 and the Commonwealth's Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Conservation Act 1994.

Climate change threatens the future of rain forest ringtail possums by 2050

Abstract: The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather escalate the pressure of global warming on biodiversity. Globally, synergistic effects of multiple components of climate change have driven local extinctions and community collapses, raising concern about the irreversible deterioration of ecosystems. Here, we disentangle the pressure of increasing warming and frequency of extreme heatwaves on the population dynamics of tropical ringtail possums (family: Pseudocheiridae).

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Abstract: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

SPAdes, a new genome assembly algorithm and its applications to single-cell sequencing ( 7th Annual SFAF Meeting, 2012)

Abstract: The lion's share of bacteria in various environments cannot be cloned in the laboratory and thus cannot be sequenced using existing technologies. A major goal of single-cell genomics is to complement gene-centric metagenomic data with whole-genome assemblies of uncultivated organisms. Assembly of single-cell data is challenging because of highly non-uniform read coverage as well as elevated levels of sequencing errors and chimeric reads. We describe SPAdes, a new assembler for both single-cell and standard (multicell) assembly, and demonstrate that it improves on the recently released E+V-SC assembler (specialized for single-cell data) and on popular assemblers Velvet and SoapDeNovo (for multicell data). SPAdes generates single-cell assemblies, providing information about genomes of uncultivatable bacteria that vastly exceeds what may be obtained via traditional metagenomics studies. SPAdes is available online ( http://bioinf.spbau.ru/spades ). It is distributed as open source software.