Dr Topa Petit |
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| Position: | Senior Lecturer | |
| Division/Portfolio: | Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment | |
| School/Unit: | School of Natural and Built Environments | |
| Campus: | Mawson Lakes Campus | |
| Office: | P2-37 | |
| Telephone: | +61 8 830 25194 | |
| Fax: | +61 8 830 25082 | |
| Email: | Sophie_dot_Petit_at_unisa_dot_edu_dot_au | |
| URL for Business Card: | http://people.unisa.edu.au/Sophie.Petit | |
To visit my web site, click here.
Division of Information Technology, Engineering & the Environment (ITEE)
Teaching interests
- ecology and biodiversity conservation
I teach the following courses
| ENVT 4006 | Research Methods in Biodiversity, Environmental and Park Management |
| ENVT 4008 | Biodiversity, Environmental and Park Management Thesis 2 |
| BIOL 2022 | Conservation Biology |
| BIOL 2023 | Ecology |
| ENVT 3006 | Wildlife Ecology for Management |
Research interests
- conservation of biodiversity
- wildlife ecology
- plant-animal interactions; mutualisms (especially pollination)
- environmental management; environmental sustainability
- ethics and animals
Research Degree Supervisor
I have a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Miami, a B.Sc. in agriculture from the University of Kentucky, and a D.E.S.S. in business administration from the University of Pau. As indicated on my web site (http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/staff/sophiepetit/index.asp) I am interested in plant-animal interactions, conservation biology, keystone mutualisms, wildlife research, the ethical treatment of animals, and other aspects of ecology and environmental management. My students and I conduct various research projects in these fields. We work in association with other institutions such as SA Department of Environment and Heritage, the Plant Biodiversity Centre, the South Australian Museum, and many others in Australia and overseas. One of my research projects examines the ecology and conservation of an endangered South Australian spider orchid, including its relationship with mammals, pollinating wasps, orchid mycorrhizae, and evil leprechauns. I am also an Associate Researcher at the Institute for Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity (CARMABI) in the Netherlands Antilles. My research there focuses on bats and columnar cacti. I also work on the ecology of pygmy possums and their associated plants in South Australia, and with PhD students I have projects in the arid zone (the role of cracks in clays for biodiversity conservation) and Fiji (the role of bats in rainforest health). Some of my research projects appear on the Sustainable Environments Research Group web page at http://www.unisa.edu.au/sergChange | Staff home page help