Ecology Matters16 Aug 2022

Patt Finnerty

“I’m trying to understand how we can use or manipulate herbivore foraging behaviour just using plant odour rather than having to use fences or shooting or all these quite abrasive control methods."

Patt is a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney and was awarded the 2021 Jill Landsberg Trust Fund Scholarship.

With his supervisors, Patt was among the first to show that mammalian herbivores like the swamp wallaby and the African elephant, use smell to find and choose between food options. Now, Patt is looking at whether introducing the smell of less-favoured or unpalatable plants can be used to deter herbivores from other, high-value plants.

Patt’s research aims to provide alternatives to lethal control or fencing for land managers wishing to protect ecologically or economically valuable plants from browsing damage.

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Patt conducts his research on the traditional lands of the Kurrin-gai.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form) or by becoming a member (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Henry Lydecker

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