Contact Details

Campus:	Cairns
Telephone:	+61 7 4042 1076
Fax:	+61 7 4042 1284
Email:	paul.gadek@jcu.edu.au

Research Interests

I have a broad experience and expertise in many aspects of plant biology, plant biotechnology, management of pure and applied competitively funded and consultancy projects, and fungal and plant pathogen research.My research interests in plant biology range from systematics and taxonomy, evolution and phylogenetics, biogeography, population and species biology, anatomy and morphology, applied projects aimed at measuring biodiversity, and the ecology, conservation and management of our plant resources. I am interested in concepts of rarity, primitiveness and endemism within the Australian rainforest flora, and in processes of speciation, adaptive radiation, biogeography and dispersal, particularly within tropical plant groups. The plant groups I have a particular interest in include Epacridaceae, Sapindaceae, Myrtaceae, Cupressaceae, Rhizophoraceae, Lauraceae, Idiospermaceae, Clusiaceae and cycads.

I am interested in the conservation and management of tropical ecosystems, and I currently direct a project that is looking at the distribution and impact of soil pathogens on rainforest flora. I have recently supervised projects on revegetation strategies of tropical ecosystems, and biodiversity surveys of microfungi in rainforest leaf litter and truffle diversity.

I have established a Centre within JCU (Centre for Tropical Agri-Tech Research, CTAR) that links plant bioindustry and biotechnology research, sustainable agricultural practice, and economic and educational capacity building expertise within JCU pertaining to tropical regional agri- and bioindustries.

Currently five research units report within CTAR:

• Regional Bioindustries Unit

• Rapid Assessment Unit

• Agroforestry and Novel Crops Unit

• Molecular Farming Unit

• Cairns Analytical Unit

The Regional Bioindustries Unit has been involved in producing reports on the feasibility of integrated production and processing of new bioproducts; regional development of biobased industries for RIRDC; and undertaken an assessment of the feasibility of establishing a technology business incubator in the Cairns region for CREDC and Qld State Development.The Rapid Assessment Unit is a collaboration with QDPI&F Emerging Technologies, and is looking at non-invasive assessment of food safety and quality.Current research includes an ARC-L project to predict avocado quality by non-invasive assessment.The Agroforestry and Novel Crops Unit undertakes research into tropical tree domestication and the development of novel crops, agroforestry, agro-ecosystem function and development of sustainable and profitable land-use systems, processing and commercialisation and clonal approaches to tree improvement and production.

Further information on CTAR, and opportunities for research projects can be found on the following websites:

http://www.jcu.edu.au/atfi/JCUDEV_003573.html

http://www.sd.qld.gov.au/dsdweb/v3/guis/templates/webapps/biotech/gui_biotech_view.cfm?id=1399542&startrow=21

The Australian Tropical Herbarium is a new national herbarium for Australia, located in the Australian Tropical Forest Institute building at James Cook University’s Cairns campus.As well as being one of the JCU representatives on the Australian Tropical Herbarium (ATH) Board, I lead the research activities of the molecular laboratory of ATH.

Recent and Current Projects Include

• Rarity, primitiveness and endemism in the Australian rainforest flora, particularly what processes underlay high species diversity in the Wet Tropics. Current projects include groups within Myrtaceae and Sapindaceae.

• Processes of speciation, adaptive radiation, biogeography and dispersal, particularly within tropical plant groups.

• Conservation and management of tropical ecosystems, and particularly the impact of rainforest soil pathogens.

• Rainforest revegetation strategies.

• Biodiversity survey of microfungi in rainforest leaf litter.

• Prediction of fruit safety and quality by non-invasive assessment.

• Biotech application of plant endophytes.

Teaching

I have primary responsibility for

BT3400 Tropical Flora of Australia

And contribute to:

AG1003 Plant Biology for Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

BT1001 Introduction to Plant Science

BT2400 Flowering Plant Diversity

BZ3450 Ecological and Conservation Genetics

Selected Recent Publications (2005 – 2007)

Full publication list

Harrington, M.G., Edwards, K.J., Johnson, S.A., Chase, M.W. and Gadek, P.A. (2005) Phylogenetic inference in Sapindaceae using matK and rbcL DNA sequences.Systematic Botany 30(2): 366-382.

Harrington, M. G., Gadek, P. A. and Edwards, W. (2005) The potential for predation induced somatic embryogenesis in storage cotyledons.Oikos 111: 215-220.

Gadek, P. A., Holden, P. and Bitomsky, J. (2005) Fostering collaborative regional development in biobased industries: A case study – stage 1. RIRDC publication 05/134.ISBN 1 74151 197 6.

Biffin, E., Craven, L., Tuiawa, M., Crisp, M. and Gadek, P.A. (2005) South Pacific Cleistocalyx transferred to Syzygium (Myrtaceae). Blumea 50: 383-388.

Gadek, P. A. (2005) The Future of Tropical Agricultural Science.In Cairns 2020/2050 Business Research Manual, publisher Cairns 2020/2050 BRM Partnership, Cairns, Australia.Pp 382-391.

Paulus, B., Gadek P. A. and Hyde, K. D. (2006) Successional patterns of microfungi in fallen leaves of Ficus pleurocarpa (Moraceae) in an Australian rainforest.Biotropica 38(1): 42-51.

Biffin, E., Craven, L. A., Crisp, M. D. and Gadek, P. A.(2006) Molecular systematics of Syzygium (Myrtaceae) and allied genera: evidence from the chloroplast genome. Taxon 55(1): 79-94.

Abell, S. E., Gadek, P. A., Pearce, C. and Congdon, B.(2006) Seasonal resource availability and use by an endangered tropical mycophagus marsupial.Biological Conservation 132 (4): 533-540.

Paulus, B., Gadek P. A. and Hyde, K. D. (2006). Discostroma ficicola sp. nov. (Amphisphaeriaceae) and a key to species of Discostroma.Sydowia 58(1): 76-90.

Paulus, B., Kanowski, J., Gadek, P. A. and Hyde, K. D. (2006) Diversity and distribution of saprobic microfungi in leaf litter of an Australian wet tropics rainforest.Mycological Research 110: 1441-1454

Biffin, E., L.A. Craven, M.D. Crisp, P.A. Gadek & M.A. Harrington. (In press). Evolutionary relationships within Syzygium s.l. (Myrtaceae): Molecular phylogeny and new insights on morphology. Proc. Sixth fl. Males. Symp.

Biffin, E., Harrington, M. G., Crisp, M., Craven, L. A. and Gadek, P. A. (2007).Structural partitioning, paired-sites models and evolution of the ITS rDNA transcript in Syzygium and Myrtaceae.Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43: 124-139.

Yuhu, L., Nianhe, X. and Gadek, P. A. (2007). Sapindaceae. In: Flora of China volume 12, ppMissouri Botanic Gardens.