Associate Professor S. "Topa" Petit

Associate Professor UniSA STEM

Mawson Lakes Campus (F2-56)
tel +61 8 830 25194

email Sophie.Petit@unisa.edu.au

Available for media comment
Research Degree Supervisor

About me

I have a four-year Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture (U of Kentucky), a Ph.D. in Biology (U of Miami), and a Masters of Business Administration (U of Pau). As a wildlife ecologist, I study the ecology and interactions of many animals and plants, but I have a special interest in pollination ecology, particularly when it involves bats. I love adventure and exploration, and what a treat to have hard-working, ethical, and humourous research students with whom to share discoveries! Nature conservation is my priority and that of my research students.

I am an associate researcher at NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, CARMABI (Curaçao), the Caribbean Footprint Foundation, and Kangaroo Island Research Station.

UniSA STEM

Harnessing connections across science, technology, engineering and mathematics, UniSA STEM creates innovative solutions and groundbreaking developments across teaching, learning and research.

Tweets by @UniversitySA

About me

In the media

Date	Title
15/02/2022	Bats pollinate like bees – and this fruity tropical plant depends on it, HTTPS://WWW.AUSTRALIANGEOGRAPHIC.COM.AU/BLOGS/CREATURA-BLOG/2022/02/BATS-POLLINATE-LIKE-BEES-AND-THIS-FRUITY-TROPICAL-PLANT-DEPENDS-ON-IT/
07/02/2022	Bats play an active role in plant pollination, HTTPS://WWW.EARTH.COM/NEWS/BATS-PLAY-AN-ACTIVE-ROLE-IN-PLANT-POLLINATION/
04/02/2022	The secret lives of bats reveal botanical mysteries, https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2022/the-secret-lives-of-bats-reveal-botanical-mysteries/
01/07/2021	Conservation concern as alien aphid detected on Kangaroo Island, https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2021/conservation-concern-as-alien-aphid--detected-on-kangaroo-island/
06/09/2020	Study Links Plastic Ingestion and Dietary Metals in Seabirds, https://tasmaniantimes.com/2020/11/study-links-plastic-ingestion-and-dietary-metals-in-seabirds/
21/04/2020	Study says sugar ants could reduce greenhouse gases, https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/6723175/scientists-sweet-discovery-about-sugar-ants/
06/02/2020	Sugar ants’ preference for pee may reduce greenhouse gas emissions, https://www.unisa.edu.au/Media-Centre/Releases/2020/sugar-ants-preference-for-pee-may-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
26/12/2019	It's ‘nature's sports drink': Ants live off urine on dry Australian island, https://www.science.org/content/article/it-s-nature-s-sports-drink-ants-live-urine-dry-australian-island

Research

Research focus

Ecology
Zoology
Biological Sciences
Environmental Sciences
Plant Biology

Highlights

I am interested in biodiversity conservation and management, wildlife ecology, plant-animal interactions (especially flower visitation and pollination by bats, pygmy-possums, and native invertebrates), environmental management, ethics and animals, shelter ecology, nectar ecology, keystone mutualisms.

Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=c-h5SP8AAAAJ&hl=en

Research

Outputs

Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Highlights

Year	Output
2018	Scanlon, AT, Petit, S, Tuiwawa, M & Naikatini, A 2018, 'Response of primary and secondary rainforest flowers and fruits to a cyclone, and implications for plant-servicing bats', Global Change Biology, vol. 24, pp. 3820-3836. Open access 6 4 10
2017	Amato, B & Petit, S 2017, 'A review of the methods for storing floral nectars in the field', Plant Biology, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 497-503. 7 7
2017	Waudby, HP & Petit, S 2017, 'Thermoregulatory value of soil-crack shelters for small vertebrates during extreme desert conditions', Integrative Zoology, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 237-249. 7 7 28
2014	Scanlon, AT, Petit, S, Tuiwawa, M & Naikatini, A 2014, 'High similarity between a bat-serviced plant assemblage and that used by humans', Biological Conservation, vol. 174, pp. 111-119. 24 22
2012	Morrant, DS & Petit, S 2012, 'Strategies of a small nectarivorous marsupial, the western pygmy-possum, in response to seasonal variation in food availability', Journal of Mammalogy, vol. 93, no. 6, pp. 1525-1535. Open access 12 12 1

Chapters

Year	Output
2014	Petit, S 2014, 'Pollination of spider orchids (Caladenia syn. Arachnorchis) by wasps... and others: a lingering post-Darwinian mystery', in R Edens-Meier & P Bernhardt (eds), Darwin's Orchids : then and now, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, ch. 6, pp. 155-172.

Journal Articles

Year	Output
2022	Petit, S, Scanlon, AT, Naikatini, A, Pukala, T & Schumann, R 2022, 'A novel bat pollination system involving obligate flower corolla removal has implications for global Dillenia conservation', PLoS One, vol. 17, no. 2, article no. e0262985. Open access 53
2021	Amato, B, Petit, S & Schumann, R 2021, 'Improving floral nectar storage on filter paper for sugar recovery', Australian Journal of Botany, vol. 69, no. 8, pp. 585-595. Open access
2021	Petit, S, Weyland, JJ, Brumley, C, Kehoe, MA & Wang, C 2021, 'First record of Aphis lugentis in Australia, tended by native ants on Senecio odoratus', Austral Ecology: A Journal of Ecology in the Southern Hemisphere, online, pp. 1-5. 1 1 18
2020	Roman, L, Kastury, F, Petit, S, Aleman, R, Wilcox, C, Hardesty, BD & Hindell, MA 2020, 'Plastic, nutrition and pollution; relationships between ingested plastic and metal concentrations in the livers of two Pachyptila seabirds', Scientific Reports, vol. 10, no. 1, article no. 18023, pp. 1-14. Open access 4 5 57
2020	Waudby, HP, Smith, BP, Robinson, GM, Petit, S & Earl, G 2020, 'Applying a social-ecological system framework to diagnose drivers of dingo management practices', Australian Zoologist, online.
2019	Petit, S, Stonor, MB, Weyland, JJ, Gibbs, J & Amato, B 2019, 'Camponotus ants mine sand for vertebrate urine to extract nitrogen', Austral Ecology: A Journal of Ecology in the Southern Hemisphere, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 168-176. 1 1 125
2019	Waudby, H, Petit, S, Matthews, B, Sharp, A, Pradhan, R & Dale, B 2019, 'Investigation of ticks and red blood cell parasites of a population of reintroduced mainland tammar wallabies (Notamacropus eugenii eugenii)', Australian Mammalogy, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 269-272. 1 1 4
2019	Waudby, HP, Petit, S & Gill, MJ 2019, 'The scientific, financial and ethical implications of three common wildlife-trapping designs', Wildlife Research, vol. 46, no. 8, pp. 690-700. 3 3 5
2018	Scanlon, AT, Petit, S, Tuiwawa, M & Naikatini, A 2018, 'Response of primary and secondary rainforest flowers and fruits to a cyclone, and implications for plant-servicing bats', Global Change Biology, vol. 24, pp. 3820-3836. Open access 6 4 10
2017	Amato, B & Petit, S 2017, 'A review of the methods for storing floral nectars in the field', Plant Biology, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 497-503. 7 7
2017	Gofton, AW, Waudby, HP, Petit, S, Greay, TL, Ryan, UM & Irwin, PJ 2017, 'Detection and phylogenetic characterisation of novel Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in Amblyomma triguttatum subsp. from four allopatric populations in Australia', Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, vol. 8, pp. 749-756. Open access 17 14 2
2017	Thomson, S-M, Droogan-Turniski, A, Wotton, J, Gibbs, J & Petit, S 2017, 'Estimating house mouse ('Mus musculus') densities in a primary and a secondary dune at Little Dip C.P., Robe, S.A.', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 91, no. 1, pp. 21-24.
2017	Waudby, HP & Petit, S 2017, 'Thermoregulatory value of soil-crack shelters for small vertebrates during extreme desert conditions', Integrative Zoology, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 237-249. 7 7 28
2016	Erdem, RM, Kamp, MJ, Gibbs, J & Petit, S 2016, 'Density and live biomass of the Portuguese millipede 'Ommatoiulus moreleti' in two vegetation communities at Cullen Reserve, Robe, South Australia', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 90, no. 2, pp. 93-96.
2015	Aleman, R, Jusaitis, M, Gibbs, J, Ainsley, P, Tiver, F & Petit, S 2015, 'Influence of seed dimorphism and provenance on seed morphology, dispersal, germination and seedling growth of Brachyscome ciliaris (Asteraceae)', Australian Journal of Botany, vol. 63, no. 8, pp. 705-713. Open access 3 3
2015	Petit, S & Waudby, HP 2015, 'Two mosquito species of Billa Kalina Station, stony plains region of South Australia', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 34-36.
2015	Scanlon, AT & Petit, S 2015, 'Capture success of Fijian bats (Pteropodidae) and their evaluation as umbrella species for conservation', Pacific Conservation Biology, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 315-326. 5
2015	Waudby, H & Petit, S 2015, 'Disintegration of cattle hoof prints in cracking-clay soils of the arid South Australian Stony Plains region during a wet period', South Australian Geographical Journal, vol. 113, pp. 5-12.
2015	Waudby, HP & Petit, S 2015, 'Ephemeral plant indicators of livestock grazing in arid rangelands during wet conditions', The Rangeland Journal, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 323-330. 6 6 3
2015	Waudby, HP & Petit, S 2015, 'Small Australian desert vertebrate responses to grazing intensity during La Niña', Ecological Research, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 715-722. 11 10 6
2014	Digby, R, Finos, P, Giacopini, S, Jusaitis, M, Gibbs, J & Petit, S 2014, 'Density of four mid-storey plant species in burnt and unburnt habitat in Bagdad Native Forest Reserve, South Australia', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 12-15.
2014	Murphy, BP, Underwood, T, Halliday, M, Forbes, T, Fielke, J, Suljagic, T, Drummond, A, Heath, M, Gibbs, J, Jusaitis, M & Petit, S 2014, 'Small vertebrate captures two years after prescribed fire in stringybark open forest at Bagdad native forest reserve, Robe, South Australia', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 88 no. 1, pp. 7-11.
2014	Petit, T 2014, 'Western pygmy-possums - Australian bush survivors', pp. 6-10.
2014	Scanlon, A, Petit, S & Bottroff, G 2014, 'The conservation status of bats in Fiji', Oryx: Journal of Fauna and Flora International, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 451-459. Open access 6 5 1
2014	Scanlon, AT, Petit, S, Tuiwawa, M & Naikatini, A 2014, 'High similarity between a bat-serviced plant assemblage and that used by humans', Biological Conservation, vol. 174, pp. 111-119. 24 22
2013	Murphy, BP, Taylor, CM, Heath, M, Gibbs, J & Petit, S 2013, 'Ground cover two years after prescribed fire in stringybark open forest at Bagdad Native Forest Reserve, Robe, South Australia', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 87, no. 2, pp. 85-89.
2013	Scanlon, AT & Petit, S 2013, 'How fecal subsampling methods affect the accuracy of dietary pollen detection', Journal of Mammalogy, vol. 94, no. 6, pp. 1321-1330. Open access 6 4 1
2013	Scanlon, AT, Petit, S & Sternberg, LdS 2013, 'Insectivory in Fijian flying foxes (Pteropodidae)', Australian Journal of Zoology, vol. 61, no. 4, pp. 342-349. 10 7
2013	Walker, AK, Al-Shatti, A, Nguyen, TM, Zheng, Y, Heath, M, Gibbs, J, Jusaitis, M & Petit, S 2013, 'The effect of fire on litter-dwelling invertebrate diversity in Bagdad Native Forest Reserve, Robe, South Australia', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 87, no. 2, pp. 82-84.
2013	Waudby, HP, Petit, S & Brown, G 2013, 'Use of creeks and gilgaied stony plains by cattle in arid rangelands during a wet summer: a case study with GPS/VHF radio collars', Range Management and Agroforestry, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 101-107. 6 6
2013	Waudby, HP, Petit, S & Robinson, G 2013, 'Pastoralists' knowledge of plant palatability and grazing indicators in an arid region of South Australia', The Rangeland Journal, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 445-454. 10 8 2
2012	Mapletoft, EA, Rawlings, RH, Rietveld, D, Petit, S & Gibbs, J 2012, 'The relationship between above- and below- ground biomass of bridal creeper Asparagus asparagoides as a land management tool', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 86, no. 1, pp. 18-21.
2012	Morrant, DS & Petit, S 2012, 'Strategies of a small nectarivorous marsupial, the western pygmy-possum, in response to seasonal variation in food availability', Journal of Mammalogy, vol. 93, no. 6, pp. 1525-1535. Open access 12 12 1
2012	Petit, S & Waudby, HP 2012, 'Standard operating procedures for aluminium box, wire cage, and pitfall trapping, handling, and temporary housing of small wild rodents and marsupials', Australian Journal of Zoology, vol. 60, pp. 392-401. 15 15 1
2012	Petit, S, Waudby, HP, Walker, AT, Zanker, RJ & Mincham, G 2012, 'A non-mutilating method for marking small wild mammals and reptiles', Australian Journal of Zoology, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 64-71. 14 15
2012	Waudby, HP & Petit, S 2012, 'Responses to a survey question on the distribution of western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia', Australian Mammalogy, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 83-87. 1 1
2012	Waudby, HP, Petit, S & Robinson, GM 2012, 'Pastoralists' perceptions of biodiversity and land management strategies in the arid Stony Plains region of South Australia: implications for policy-makers', Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 112, pp. 96-103. 15 14
2011	Morrant, DS & Petit, S 2011, 'Nest use by western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) (Marsupialia:Burramyidae) at Innes National Park, South Australia', Australian Mammalogy, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 28-32. 9
2011	Petit, S 2011, 'Bataille pour sauver les cactus de Curacao', Terra Seca, no. 1, pp. 32-39.
2011	Petit, S 2011, 'Effects of mixed-species pollen load on fruits, seeds, and seedlings of two sympatric columnar cactus species', Ecological Research, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 461-469. 9 8
2011	Petit, S, Rubbo, N & Schumann, RC 2011, 'Nectar collected with microcapillary tubes is less concentrated than total nectar in flowers with small nectar volumes', Australian Journal of Botany, vol. 59, no. 6, pp. 593-599. 9 8
2011	Waudby, HP & Petit, S 2011, 'Comments on the efficacy and use of visible implant elastomer (VIE) for marking lizards', The South Australian Naturalist, vol. 85, no. 1, pp. 13.
2010	Morrant, DS, Petit, S & Schumann, RC 2010, 'Floral nectar sugar composition and flowering phenology of the food plants used by the western pygmy possum, Cercartetus concinnus, at Innes National Park, South Australia', Ecological Research, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 579-589. 21 18
2009	Morrant, DS, Schumann, RC & Petit, S 2009, 'Field methods for sampling and storing nectar from flowers with low nectar volumes', Annals of Botany, vol. 103, no. 3, pp. 533-542. Open access 43 39
2009	Petit, S & Gomez, MDC 2009, 'Mysterious malady of an ecologically important cactus species', vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 64-65.
2009	Petit, S 2009, 'Combatting cactus clearance on Curacao', Cactus and Succulent Journal, vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 16-19.
2009	Petit, S, Jusaitis, M & Bickerton, D 2009, 'Effect of pollen load, self-pollination and plant size on seeds and germination in the endangered pink-lipped spider orchid, Caladenia behrii', Australian Journal of Botany, vol. 57, no. 4, pp. 307-314. 11 4
2008	Arnold, ME, Calliss, DS, Petit, S, Gibbs, J & Gemmell, SJ 2008, 'Estimating Portugese millipede (Ommatoiulus moreleti) biomass in coastal dune and mallee woodland at Robe, South Australia', vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 62-65.
2008	Pestell, AJL, Cooper, S, Saint, K & Petit, S 2008, 'Genetic structure of the western pygmy possum, Cercartetus concinnus Gould (Marsupialia: Burramyidae) based on mitochondrial DNA', Australian Mammalogy, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 191-200.
2008	Scanlon, AT & Petit, S 2008, 'Biomass and biodiversity of nocturnal aerial insects in an Adelaide City park and implications for bats (Microchiroptera)', Urban Ecosystems, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 91-106. 26
2008	Scanlon, AT & Petit, S 2008, 'Effects of site, time, weather and light on urban bat activity and richness: considerations for survey effort', Wildlife Research, vol. 35, no. 8, pp. 821-834. 30 27
2008	Waudby, HP, Petit, S & Weber, DL 2008, 'Human perception and awareness of ticks in a South Australian rural community and implications for management of Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum', Experimental and Applied Acarology, vol. 45, no. 1-2, pp. 71-84. 5 5

Other outputs

Google Scholar

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Organisation	Country
Adelaide Zoo	AUSTRALIA
Botanic Gardens & Parks Authority	AUSTRALIA
CARMABI	CURACAO
Charles Sturt University	AUSTRALIA
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere	AUSTRALIA
Department for Environment and Heritage	AUSTRALIA
Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources	AUSTRALIA
Department of Primary Industries	AUSTRALIA
Kangaroo Island Research Station	AUSTRALIA
Kyoto University	JAPAN
Murdoch University	AUSTRALIA
Private Individual	AUSTRALIA
South Australian Museum	AUSTRALIA
University of Adelaide	AUSTRALIA
University of Miami	UNITED STATES
University of Queensland	AUSTRALIA
University of South Australia	AUSTRALIA
University of Tasmania	AUSTRALIA
University of the South Pacific	FIJI

External engagement & recognition

Engagement/recognition	Year
Member Australasian Bat Society	2017
Member American Society of Mammalogists	2017
Member Australian Mammal Society	2017
Member Biological Society of South Australia	2017
Member Field Naturalists Society, South Australia	2017
Member Fungal Studies Group	2017
Member Ecological Society of Australia	2017
Member Bat Conservation International	2017

Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

My research students and I have had great field adventures. I work with ethical and dedicated researchers who are very smart and a lot of fun.

My favourite undergraduate course to teach is wildlife ecology. Unfortunately, it is not running at the moment. I also taught ecology and conservation biology for many years. Currently, I teach first year ecology (Sustainable Ecosystems), Restoration Ecology, research methods (Environmental Analytical Methods and Advanced Topics in Science), and Environmental and Geospatial Field Project. I enjoy teaching students who work hard and are keen to learn and engage.

Here is what a lovely student wrote about my teaching environmental analytical methods: "Topa went to great lengths in order to make this course as interesting and relevant as possible, which I really enjoyed and appreciate. I admire her passion, which has strengthened my interest in learning about and pursuing a career in science, including the importance of critical thinking and analysing statistics in the real world. I found all of Topa's lectures very engaging, interesting and thorough. This has been my favourite course so far and has inspired me to think about potentially going into the research field in the future. Thank you Topa!"

Teaching & student supervision

Research degree supervision

Supervisions from 2010 shown

Thesis title	Student status
Response of Herpetofauna to fire in the Adelaide Mount Lofy Ranges, South Australia	Current
The role of native pollinators and vegetation as drivers of agricultural productivity in the context of resource scarcity	Current
Direct seeding for the restoration of vascular plants and re-establishment of macro-invertebrates on vacant arid agricultural land, Port Wakefield, South Australia	Completed
Effects of cattle grazing on the biodiversity of cracking-clay gibber-gilgai systems in the arid South Australian rangelands	Completed
Seed biology and germination requirements of Brachyscome species in South Australia	Completed
The role and conservation of bats in Fiji's rainforest	Completed

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Associate Professor S. "Topa" Petit

About me

About me

UniSA STEM

About me

Professional Associations

In the media

Experience

Qualifications

Research

Research focus

Highlights

Projects

Outputs

Highlights

Chapters

Journal Articles

Other outputs

Current research & highlights

External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Collaborations

External engagement & recognition

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

Courses and programs

Courses I teach and/or co-ordinate

Programs I'm associated with

Research degree supervision

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