Assistant Professor Michael Renton

Key Research

• Computational simulation modelling of plants in complex biological, agricultural and ecological systems, including areas such as:
• evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds in agricultural systems and the effect of different genetics and management strategies on the rate of this evolution
• competition between species, individual plants, and parts of plants and the effect of spatial patterns on this competition
• weed seed bank population dynamics and the effects of different seed biology and management strategies
• seed dormancy and germination, and the influence of environmental factors and management options
• the way that plant structure emerges over time in relationship with physiology and environment
• the optimisation of land use sequencing and analysis of tactical and strategic decisions in agricultural systems, taking into account the effects of factors such as weeds, disease, plant nutrients, yields, economics and climate variability
• water use, root architecture, drought and climate change, in relation to applications such as the prediction and management of the establishment and survival of annual and perennial crop and pasture plants in drought-susceptible environments, or the long-term health of natural ecosystems in the face of climate change
• constructing useful decision support systems for managing agricultural and natural ecosystems
• the spread of biological organisms such as weeds and crop diseases

The modelling approaches in which I have interest and experience include:

• individual-based simulation
• continuous and discrete dynamical systems, including chaotic systems and S-systems
• constructing statistical 'summary models' to represent more complex bio-physical simulation models
• numerical/computational simulation of the movement of biological substances or organisms
• L-systems for modelling dynamic plant architecture
• statistical modelling including regression and multi-variate analysis

Major research interests

• Agent-based modelling
• Biostatistical modelling
• Complex biological systems
• Computational simulation modelling
• Cropping and pasture systems
• Dynamical system modelling
• Evolution of herbicide resistance
• Plant physiology/ecology

Publications

View Publications here >>

Funding received

• Top-up PhD scholarship from the Centre for Plant Architecture Informatics 2000
• Grant for post-doctoral project on ‘Modelling Structural Development of Apple Trees’ in France 2004
• Grant for six month extension to ‘Modelling Structural Development of Apple Trees’ project 2005
• ‘Weed Seed Wizard’ project funded by CRC for Australian Weed Management 2007-2008 ($50,000)
• ‘Quantifying Protein in Wheat Decision Support System’ project funded by Dept. of Agriculture and Food WA 2008-2009 ($145,000)
• ‘Aerial Detection of Plant Pathogens’ project funded by CRC for National Plant Biosecurity 2008-2010 ($102,000)
• Award for Best Scientific Program in Program 2 for the ‘Weed Seed Wizard’ project by the CRC for Australian Weed Management 2008
• ‘Summary Models for Complex Agricultural Production Simulation Models’ project funded by CRC for Future Farm Industries 2008-2010 ($39,000)
• ‘Spatial Colonisation by Seagrass’ project funded by Dept. of Industry and Resources and Cockburn Cement 2008 ($15,000)
• ‘Herbicide Resistance Model Interface Development’ project funded by Western Australian Herbicide Initiative 2008 ($15,000)
• ‘Extension to Weed Seed Wizard’ project funded by CRC for Australian Weed Management 2008 ($20,000)
• ‘Spatial Colonisation by Seagrass’ project funded by Dept. of Industry and Resources and Cockburn Cement 2009 ($20,000)
• ‘PestFax’ project funded by Dept. of Agriculture and Food WA 2008 ($6,000)
• Improving Student Learning grant entitled ‘Understanding Ecological Population Dynamics Using Interactive Computer Simulations’ awarded by the Centre for Teaching and Learning UWA 2008 ($3,000)
• ‘Rootmap’ project funded by the University of Tasmania 2008-2009 ($30,000)
• ‘Modelling Organism Spread for Rapid Response’ project funded by CRC for National Plant Biosecurity 2008-2010 ($380,000) - approved
• ‘Modelling Evolution and Management of Pesticide Resistance in Stored Grain Pests’ project funded by CRC for National Plant Biosecurity 2008-2010 ($102,000)
  

Industrial relevance

• Agriculture - including cropping and pastures
• Horticulture
• Ecology and conservation biology
  

Memberships

• Treasurer of the Asian Pacific Weed Science Society
• State Representative of the Yoga Teacher's Association of Australia

Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Woodland and Forest Health
School of Plant Biology
University of Western Australia (M084)
35 Stirling Highway CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Ph: +61 (8) 6488 1959
Fax: +61 (8) 6488 1108
[ Email Michael ]

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