Associate Professor Jason Nicol
Biography
Associate Professor Jason Nicol is an experienced aquatic botanist who has worked on the ecology of aquatic and riparian vegetation for over 25 years. He has excellent knowledge of the vegetation the lower Murray and Darling Rivers, southeast of South Australia, Mt Lofty Ranges, Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula and Adelaide area.
Current areas of research include impacts of altered hydraulic regimes, plant recruitment, environmental water requirements, environmental flows, ecological risk assessment, restoration ecology, condition and intervention monitoring and seed banks. Ultimately, this research aims to support aquatic ecosystem management and conservation, including the management of flow regimes.
Research interests
- Environmental water and ecosystem water requirements
- Condition and intervention monitoring
- Seed banks
- Vegetation surveying
Qualifications
- Ph.D. 2004, The University of Adelaide
- B.Sc. (Honours, 1st class), 1999, The University of Adelaide
- B.Sc. 1994 The University of Adelaide
Research affiliations
- Affiliate Associate Professor, Flinders University
- Affiliate Senior Lecturer, The University of Adelaide
Professional affiliations
- South Australian representative, Australian Freshwater Sciences Society
- Member, River Murray, Environmental Flows Reference Group
- Member, Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth Scientific Advisory Group
- Member, River Murray Channel and Floodplain Scientific Advisory Group
Publications and reports
The seed bank is the only desiccation resistant life history stage for many submergent aquatic plant species and plays an important role in the recovery of the plant community after disturbance, such as desiccation or elevated salinity, has removed the extant vegetation. Dunn’s a…
The aims of this study were to assess the size and floristic composition of the seed bank of Goolwa Channel, the lower Finniss River and lower Currency Creek (using the seedling emergence technique) and investigate the impact of salinity on germination from the seed bank. Sedimen…
The decline in tree (Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Eucalyptus largiflorens) condition in recent years on the Chowilla Floodplain has become a major concern for managers of the system. Recognition of this issue led to a trial watering of a small flood runner on Monoman Island in sp…
Golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) and silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) are two iconic large-bodied fishes of the lower River Murray and focal species for the delivery of environmental water.As such, understanding of population demographics and processes, including the interaction …
From 2019-20 to 2021-22, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) Project will monitor and evaluate ecological outcomes of environmental water delivery in the Lower Murray, along with six other Selected Areas in the Murray–Darli…
