Dr John Scott is researching biological control of invasive Mediterranean weeds.

Dr John K Scott: researching biocontrol, climate change and Mediterranean weeds

Dr Scott is protecting Australia’s Mediterranean climate regions from invasive weed species.

• 2 December 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

Dr Scott's main research activities include the ecology, management, biological control and climate change consequences of invasive plants in Australia, principally on weeds with origins in countries around the Mediterranean basin and southern Africa.

This work includes aspects of:

• plant, insect and pathogen ecology
• genetics and phylogeny of plants and associated organisms
• host range studies
• prediction of climate change risks of weed invasions.

Current weed targets being researched by Dr Scott and his team in Western Australia (WA) with colleagues in France, South Africa and eastern Australia include:

• Moraea species (formerly Homeria), Cape tulip
• Rubus fruticosus agg., blackberry
• Asparagus asparagoides, bridal creeper
• Euphorbia paralias and Euphorbia terracina 
• Passiflora foetida, stinking passionfruit
• cropping weeds
• climate change and invasive plants.

Background

Dr Scott's past research has included ecological and biological control studies on the following weed species:

• Chrysanthemoides monilifera, bitou bush
• Emex species, doublegee, lesser jack
• Fumaria species, fumitory
• Lepidium latifolium, perennial pepperweed
• Raphanus raphanistrum, wild radish
• Rumex species, docks and sorrels
• Sonchus species, sow thistle
• Tribulus terrestris, puncturevine
• Zantedeschia aethiopica, arum lily.

This work has included:

• two extended stays in France, 1981-84, 1998-2002
• five years in South Africa - Grahamstown 1985 and Cape Town 1986-90.

Dr Scott returned to CSIRO's Floreat laboratory in Western Australia in 2002.

Academic qualifications

Dr Scott has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, 1974
• Doctor of Philosophy, also from the University of Western Australia, 1981
• Graduate Diploma in Technology Management from Deakin University, Victoria, Australia, 1995.

Dr Scott's Honours thesis was titled The regeneration of bauxite mining sites. His doctoral thesis was titled Destruction of Banksia flowers and seeds by insects: interactions in time and space.

Achievements

Dr Scott has published over 180 scientific papers, has chaired or been involved in organisation of conferences in Australia and France and is an associate editor of BioControl.

Dr Scott is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia, and has supervised PhD and Honours students from Universities in Western Australia and France.

Currently, he is a member of the Gorgon Quarantine Expert Panel, and the CSIRO representative on the Australian Weeds Committee.

Learn more about CSIRO research on Invasive plants.