Research priorities for the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia

Abstract

Developing an organic luminescent solar concentrator (LSC), featuring ultralong lifetime and high transparency simultaneously, is crucial for building-integrated photovoltaic applications, such as solar energy harvesting clear windows. In this paper, a tandem organic LSC is encapsulated and connected with three optically transparent layers, namely an encapsulating epoxy layer and two insulating SiO2 layers that prevent dissolving the organic dyes into the epoxy layer. Experimental results demonstrate that the encapsulated organic LSC maintains the high average transmission of 60% in the visible range of 390-750 nm, and has an ultralong lifetime of ∼ 6.7 × 104 h under illuminated test in laboratory environment, which is around five times longer than that of the organic LSC without any encapsulation. In addition, experiments confirm that most of the photoluminescence radiation generated in the organic dyes is trapped in the high-index SiO2/epoxy/SiO2 structure, and guided between the glass substrate before emerging from the four edges of the organic LSC sample for conversion to electricity. A 30% increase in short-circuit current is attained, in comparison with a similar unencapsulated organic LSC structur

Ecology and predator associations of the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) in the Pilbara

“…However, my results could also be explained by my supplementary analyses of the association between rocky habitats and rivers, where I detected higher terrain ruggedness (i.e. rockier habitats) closer to rivers (Appendix A), which has also been noted in the Pilbara by Cramer et al (2016).…”

“…Such suggestion comes after a documented northern quoll range contraction. Northern quolls used to be distributed in most terrestrial habitat types in northern Australia, including savannah grasslands, closed and open forests, riparian forests, rocky habitats, mangroves, near sugarcane farms, in urban areas, and even in mining areas (Braithwaite and Griffiths 1994;Cramer et al 2016;Oakwood et al 2016;Pollock 1999). However, quolls have disappeared from most of these in recent decades and now favour rocky habitats , where their populations have higher densities than in neighbouring habitats, such as savannah grasslands, woodlands, and vine thickets (Braithwaite and Griffiths 1994;Schmitt et al 1989).…”

“…The Kimberly and Pilbara regions of Western Australia were considered the last remaining strongholds for northern quolls (How et al 2009). However, cane toads have now invaded the Kimberly where they are expected to cause a collapse of quoll populations in the region (Hohnen et al 2016a to previous predictions, the cane toad invasion front is now expected to reach the Pilbara as well (Cramer et al 2016). Thus, within a relatively short time frame, the Pilbara offers one of the last chances to study the northern quoll and its relationships with other species and its habitat without cane toads.…”

“…Thus, within a relatively short time frame, the Pilbara offers one of the last chances to study the northern quoll and its relationships with other species and its habitat without cane toads. Regardless, the Pilbara and its quolls had received little attention until recent work through offsets money from the mining industry, and projects such as the new 10-year northern quoll monitoring program led by the Department of Parks and Wildlife of Western Australia (Cramer et al 2016). Offsets money is meant to counterbalance the negative impacts of the mining industry, for example, by funding research within the environment impacted or the species that inhabit it (Cramer et al 2016).…”

“…Regardless, the Pilbara and its quolls had received little attention until recent work through offsets money from the mining industry, and projects such as the new 10-year northern quoll monitoring program led by the Department of Parks and Wildlife of Western Australia (Cramer et al 2016). Offsets money is meant to counterbalance the negative impacts of the mining industry, for example, by funding research within the environment impacted or the species that inhabit it (Cramer et al 2016). Therefore, offsets money makes for an important contribution to the advancement of scientific understanding, such as our knowledge about northern quolls in the Pilbara.…”