The ecology and biology of Aldrovanda

Adam received his PhD in Botany from the University of Western Australia in 2014 and has since published over 75 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, as well as two books. A recipient of the Research Fellowship in Restoration Ecology at Curtin University, his work focusses primarily on improving the ecological and sociocultural outcomes of ecological restoration, particularly in the semi-arid and monsoon tropical regions of Australia and in landscapes disturbed by mining activities. However, he has a particular passion for carnivorous plants, and has published widely on their ecology, biology, and conservation.

Adam talks about the ecology and biology of Aldrovanda, a rootless aquatic carnivore possessing unique underwater snapping traps, focusing particularly on how it reproduces and disperses in the face of the species rapid global decline. The talk includes details of recent expeditions into the remote North Kimberley region of Western Australia, where Adam and PhD student Thilo Krueger discovered an enormous population of Aldrovanda - only to find it almost gone two years later.