Dr Bill Ellis
Previous studies
BSc(Hons) Australian National University, Canberra
M. Env. Law Australian National University, Canberra
PhD Zoology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane
Research Interests
In the interest of conformity I’ll slot in a few interests, but like most people in the lab I am interested in a pretty wide range of things. I started my studies by running late for school because I was interested in watching ants; this interest grew into a full-scale war on the ant colonies around the Puckapunyal region in central Victoria, culminating in my cementing a number of nests at age 8. I learned then that ants will burrow through wet cement, after which their nest becomes impenetrable, but also becomes a veritable “fun factory” for a lad armed with a dollar’s worth of fireworks.
I have since restricted myself to non-explosive research, starting with physiology of microbats and gradually diversifying within the world of koalas, as much of a contradiction as that seems. I began by investigating endocrinology, dabbled in immunology, diced with physiology and have now stuck to spatial ecology.
Like all of the team, my best work lies ahead, but unlike some its not far over the horizon – its just over there. My most interesting research projects are unfolding across the islands off Mackay, where I am recording the vocalizations of koalas and matching this with fine scale movement dynamics and habitat use to understand who koalas talk to and what they say.
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Funding
I have been lucky enough to be funded by Rio Tinto Coal Australia and The San Diego Zoo over the past ten to fifteen years. Sean FitzGibbon has also been a strong supporter of my research interests and I one of the unheralded philanthropists of his era.
Personal Interests
I love football.
Selected Publications and why they’re selected
Ellis, W., Melzer, A. and Bercovitch, F. (2009). Spatiotemporal dynamics of habitat use by koalas: the checkerboard model. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 63(8):
This is an analysis of how koalas utilize space and resources, it explains how solitary animals live in groups.
Ellis, W., Melzer, A., Clifton, I.D. and Carrick, F.N. (2009). Climate change and the koala: energy and water. Aust Zoologist Accepted for Publication.
This paper explains what climate change is likely to mean for an animal that gets all its water from its food.
Woodward, W., Ellis, W.A., Carrick, F.N., Tanizaki, M, Bowen, D. and P. Smith (2008). Koalas on North Stradbroke Island: diet, tree use and reconstructed landscapes. Wild. Res. 35:606-611
This paper shows that revegetated landscapes can be built to suit koalas.
Tucker, G, Melzer, A. and Ellis, W. (2007). The development of habitat utlisation by sub-adult koalas. Aust J Zool 55; 285–289.
This paper talks about St Bees Island, which is a great study site.
Ellis, Bill. (2003). Integration of natural resources management under Queensland mining legislation. 20 EPLJ. 20 64 – 75
In this paper I discuss why the EPA should monitor our mines
Ellis, W.A.H., Melzer, A., Carrick, F.N. and Hasegawa, M. (2002). Tree use, diet and home range of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) at Blair Athol, central Queensland. Wildl. Res. 29 303-311
In this manuscript we pointed out that koalas don’t always sit in their food trees.
Ellis, W.A., Hale, P.T and Carrick, F. (2002). Breeding dynamics of koalas in open woodlands. Wildl. Res. 29 19-25
I like this paper because it’s the first to look at mating systems in koalas, using data.
Ellis, W., Carrick, F.N., Lundgren, P., Veary, A. and Cohen, B. (1999). The use of faecal cuticle examination to determine the dietary composition of koalas. Aust. Zool. 31(1) 127-133
This is the diet analysis method underpinning most good koala work.
Houlden, B.A., Costello, B.H., Sharkey, D., Fowler, E.V., Meltzer, A., Ellis, W., Carrick, F., Baverstock, P.R. and Elphinstone, M.S. (1999). Phylogeographical differentiation in the mitochondrial control region in the koala Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss, 1817). Molec. Ecol. 8: 999-1011
This is the best paper on phylogeography of koalas.
Ellis, W.A.H., Sullivan, B.J., Lisle, A.T. and Carrick, F.N. (1998). The spatial and temporal distribution of koala faecal pellets. Wildl. Res. 25: 663 – 668
This paper explains why pellet collections are so unreliable in habitat assessment for koalas
Ellis, W.A.H., Melzer, A., Green, B., Newgrain, K., Hindell M.A. and Carrick, F.N. (1995). Seasonal variation in water flux, field metabolic rate and food consumption of free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Aust. J. Zool. 43:59-68
It was about now that we started to wonder why koalas used non-food trees
Ellis, W.A.H., Girjes, A.A., Carrick, F.N. and Melzer, A. (1993). Chlamydial infection in koalas under relatively little alienation pressure. Aust. Vet. J. 70 (11) 427-428
This was interesting, we found that disease and habitat alienation were related.
Girjes, A.A., Ellis, W.A.H., Carrick, F.N. and Lavin, M.F. (1993) Some aspects of the immune response of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and in vitro neutralization of Chlamydia psittaci (koala strains). FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. 6:21-30
In this paper we pointed out that koalas could defend themselves against Chlamydia.
Ellis, W.A.H., White, N.A., Kunst, N.D. and Carrick, F.N. (1990). Response of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) to re-introduction to the wild after rehabilitation. Aust. Wildl. Res. 17: 421-426
The first work looking at survival and behaviour of translocated Qld koalas.