Contacts
Main Research Interest
Ecology of arboreal folivores
My first degree was agricultural science at Sydney University, where I also did a Master's degree on amino acid metabolism in chickens. I then moved to the University of New England for a part-time Ph.D. on the nutrition, digestive physiology and metabolism of rat kangaroos while working as tutor in nutrition. It was during this time that I started collaborative work with Brian Green of CSIRO using the doubly-labelled water technique to measure field metabolic rates. This experience with DLW led me to managing Ken Nagy's environmental physiology laboratory at UCLA, where I also researched the nutrition, metabolism, energetics, reproduction and disease status of desert tortoises. My next move was to Aberdeen in Scotland where I first worked with John Speakman on the link between home range and energetics in voles before becoming senior lecturer in nutrition at the Scottish Agricultural College. A yearning for Australia's environment and its blue skies proved the driving force for a return home, punctuated by a few months pedalling from Boston to Oregon and then down the west coast of the USA.
Research interests
Nutrition of domestic and wild species, nutritional ecology, animal energetics, physiological zoology and the physiological and anatomical changes that occur with selection of domestic animals.
Funding
1996. Scottish Office ROAME: Awarded £75000 to study the physiological relationship between genetic selection for high growth rates in broiler chickens and the growing incidence of metabolic diseases.
1996. Animal Health Trust (Britain): Awarded £5000 to study the causes of metabolic diseases in poultry.
1991. CSIRO/University Research Grants Scheme: With Dr Brian Green of CSIRO I was awarded A$10,000 to study field metabolism in Long-Nosed Potoroos.
Publications 2004-10
Andrew, R.L., Wallis, I.R., Harwood, C.E., Foley, W.J. 2010. Genetic and environmental contributions to variation and population divergence in a broad-spectrum foliar defence of Eucalyptus tricarpa. Annals of Botany 105: 707-717.
Edwards, M.J., Wallis, I.R., Foley, W.J. 2010. Acid loads induced by the detoxification of plant secondary metabolites do not limit feeding by common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). J Comp Physiol B 180: 247-257.
DeGabriel, J.L., Moore, B.D., Shipley, L.A., Krockenberger, A.K., Wallis, I.R., Johnson, C.N., Foley, W.J. 2009. Inter-population differences in the tolerance of a marsupial folivore to plant secondary metabolites. Oecologia 161: 539-548.
Felton, A.M., Felton, A., Raubenheimer, D., Simpson, S.J., Foley, W.J., Wood, J.T., Wallis, I.R., Lindenmayer, D.B. 2009. Protein content of diets dictates the daily energy intake of a free-ranging primate. Behavioral Ecology 20: 685-690.
Henery, M.L., Henson, M., Wallis, I.R., Stone, C., Foley, W.J. 2008. Predicting crown damage to Eucalyptus grandis by Paropsis atomaria with direct and indirect measures of leaf composition. Forest Ecology and Management 255: 3642-3651.
Henery, M.L., Wallis, I.R., Stone, C., Foley, W.J. 2008. Methyl jasmonate does not induce changes in Eucalyptus grandis leaves that alter the effect of constitutive defences on larvae of a specialist herbivore. Oecologia 156: 847-859.
Östrand, F., Wallis, I.R., Davies, N.W., Matsuki, M., Steinbauer, M.J. 2008. Causes and Consequences of Host Expansion by Mnesampela privata. Journal of Chemical Ecology 34: 153-167.
Andrew, R.L., Peakall, R., Wallis, I.R., Foley, W.J. 2007. Spatial distribution of defense chemicals and markers and the maintenance of chemical variation. Ecology 88(3): 716-728.
Henery, M.L., Moran, G.F., Wallis, I.R., Foley, W.J. 2007. Identification of quantitative trait loci influencing foliar concentrations of terpenes and formylated phloroglucinol compounds in Eucalyptus nitens . New Phytologist 176: 82-95.
Huang, Z., Jia, X., Turner, B.J., Dury, S.J., Wallis, I.R., Foley, W.J. 2007. Estimating Nitrogen in Eucalypt Foliage by Automatically Extracting Tree Spectra from HyMap(TM) Data. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 73(4): 397-401.
Marsh, K.J., Wallis, I.R., Foley, W.J. 2007. Behavioural contributions to the regulated intake of plant secondary metabolites in koalas. Oecologia 154: 283-290.
Marsh, K., Wallis, I., Andrew, R., Foley, W., (2006) “The Detoxification Limitation Hypothesis: Where Did it Come From and Where is it Going?”, Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol 32, pp 1247-1266.
Marsh, K.J., Wallis, I.R., McLean, S., Sorensen, J.S., Foley, W.J. 2006. Conflicting demands on detoxification pathways influence how common brushtail possums choose their diets. Ecology 87(8): 2103-2112.
Foley, W., Lawler, I., Moore, B., Marsh, K., Wallis, I., (2004) "Diet selection in marsupial folivores of Eucalyptus : the role of plant secondary metabolites", in The Biology of Australian Possums and Gliders , Ross L. Goldingay and Stephen M. Jackson (eds) First edition, Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW, pp 207-221.
Foley, W., Lawler, I., Moore, B., Wallis, I., (2004) "Ecological, Physiological and Behavioural Interactions between Marsupial Folivores and Eucalyptus Antifeedants", Sixth International Symposium of Poisonous Plants, Glasgow, Scotland, 6/08/2001, pp 215-222.
Huang, Z., Turner, B., Dury, S., Wallis, I., Foley, W., (2004) "Estimating foliage nitrogen concentration from HYMAP data using continuum, removal analysis", Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol 93, pp 18-29.
Moore, B., Wallis, I., Marsh, K., Foley, W., (2004) "The role of nutrition in the conservation of the marsupial folivores of eucalypt forests", in Conservation of Australia's Forest Fauna (second edition) , Daniel Lunney (eds) Second edition, Royal Zoological Society of NSW, NSW, Australia, pp 549-575.
Moore, B., Wallis, I., Palá-Paúl, J., Brophy, J., Willis, R., Foley, W., (2004) "Antiherbivore Chemistry of Eucalyptus --Cues and Deterrents for Marsupial Folivores", Journal of Chemical Ecology, Vol 30, Issue 9, pp 1743-1769.
Moore, B., Wallis, I., Wood, J., Foley, W., (2004) "Foliar nutrition, site quality, and temperature influence foliar chemistry of Tallowwood (Eucalyptus microcorys)", Ecological Monographs, Vol 74, Issue 4, pp 553-568.
Scrivener, N., Johnson, C., Wallis, I., Takasaki, M., Foley, W., Krockenberger, A., (2004) "Which trees do wild common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) prefer? Problems and solutions in scaling laboratory findings to diet selection in the field", Evolutionary Ecology Research, Vol 6, pp 77-87.
Andrew, R., Peakall, R., Wallis, I., Wood, J., Knight, E., Foley, W., (2005) "Marker-Based Quantitative Genetics in the Wild?: The Heritability and Genetic Correlation of Chemical Defenses in Eucalyptus", Genetics, Vol 171, pp 1989-1998.
Manning, R., Wallis, I., (2005) "Seed yields in canola ( Brassica napus cv. Karoo) depend on the distance of plants from honeybee apiaries", Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, Vol 45, pp 1307-1313.
Marsh, K., Wallis, I., Foley, W., (2005) "Detoxification rates constrain feeding in common brushtail possums ( Trichosurus vulpecula )", Ecology, Vol 86, Issue 11, pp 2946-2954.
Moore, B., Foley, W., Wallis, I., Cowling, A., Handasyde, K., (2005) " Eucalyptus foliar chemistry explains selective feeding by koalas", Biology Letters, Vol 1, pp 64-67.
Moore, B., Marsh, K., Wallis, I., Foley, W., (2005) "Taught by animals: how understanding diet selection leads to better zoo diets", International Zoo Yearbook, Vol 39, pp 43-61.
Wallis, I., (2005) "Road Kills", Nature Australia, Vol 28, Issue 6, pp 55-61.
Wallis, I., Foley, W., (2005) "The Rapid Determination of Sideroxylonals in Eucalyptus Foliage by Extraction with Sonication followed by HPLC", Phytochemical Analysis, Vol 16, pp 49-54.
Wiggins, N., Marsh, K., Wallis, I., Foley, W., McArthur, C., (2006) "Sideroxylonal in Eucalyptus foliage influences foraging behaviour of an arboreal folivore", Oecologia, Vol 147, pp 272-279.
Possible Honours Projects
Any project on nutrition or animal energetics. There are many simple experiments with chickens that can answer outstanding questions in nutrition and physiology. Also, I have access to blood from various populations of desert tortoises that might be used to determine geographical separation of this endangered reptile.
