DrTy Matthews

My research focuses on the importance of river flow regimes for aquatic biota
and spans across freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems. This work began
by describing the influence of high (i.e. flooding) and low flows (induced by
drought) on the population dynamics of estuarine, benthic invertebrates. This
then expanded into freshwater ecosystems, and has involved testing the
influence of varying flow regimes on benthic algae, macroinvertebrates and
fish. These tests have involved comparisons of plant and animal assemblages in
unregulated and regulated streams, together with perennial and intermittent
streams. I have supervised PhD research that assessed the importance of
estuarine outflow on the productivity of near-shore coastal environments.
Another major theme of my research includes assessing the importance of
drought refuges for the persistence of biota in aquatic ecosystems. These
projects test important ecological theory and are also strongly applied, so
this research is providing new ecological knowledge and guiding environmental
management.