Matthew Luskin

Source: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/26286 Parent: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/1246

Associate Professor

Matthew Luskin

Email: : m.luskin@uq.edu.au

Phone: : +61 7 336 52527

Positions

UQ Amplify Associate Professor : School of the Environment : Faculty of Science

Overview

Background

Matthew heads the Ecological Cascades Lab [link] in the UQ School of the Environment, is a Chief Investigator with the UQ Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, is the Director of the TERN Wildlife Observatory of Australia, and is an ARC DECRA Fellow from 2022-2025.

We are accepting qualified PhD students for domestic and international wildlife projects. Potential PhD topics include: How does the loss of apex predators influence lower trophic levels? How does selective hunting of particular species (e.g. pigs) affect non-hunted competitors (e.g. deer)? How does wildlife influence plant communities and traits? How do invasive predators affect biodiversity? How can we integrate existing camera trap datasets to conduct powerful analyses and for monitoring? How will climate change impact the phenology of trees and thus fruit resources for animals?

Our lab is interested in all aspects of wildlife ecology, including food-web ecology, plant-animal interactions, and applied conservation science. We have experience with tropical forests in Southeast Asia using a variety of flora and fauna sampling techniques (cameras, vegetation surveys, fenced animal exclosures, invasive species, hunting surveys, and before-after zoonotic disease). We also run the largest camera trapping surveys across the Wet Tropics forests of Queensland. Most sampling is geared to assess the impacts of habitat fragmentation, agriculture, hunting, climate change, and invasive species on wildlife communities and plant-animal interactions.

Prior to joining UQ, Matthew worked with the Smithsonian Institute’s Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) to coordinate surveys of wildlife communities in Sumatra, Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. These projects link apex predators to herbivores to trees and have revealed how oil palm expansion has restructured ecological communities and triggered trophic cascades. Matthew has now begun a large long-term project in the Dja Faunal Reserve of Cameroon with the Congo Basin Institute and collaborates closely with UCLA on these projects. Matthew obtained his PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley.

Availability

Associate Professor Matthew Luskin is: : Available for supervision

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, University of California

Works

Search Professor Matthew Luskin’s works on UQ eSpace

All (73) Journal Article (69) Other Outputs (2) Conference Publication (1) Book Chapter (1)

Featured

2024

Journal Article

CamTrapAsia: A dataset of tropical forest vertebrate communities from 239 camera trapping studies

Mendes, Calebe P., Albert, Wido R., Amir, Zachary, Ancrenaz, Marc, Ash, Eric, Azhar, Badrul, Bernard, Henry, Brodie, Jedediah, Bruce, Tom, Carr, Elliot, Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben, Davies, Glyn, Deere, Nicolas J., Dinata, Yoan, Donnelly, Christl A., Duangchantrasiri, Somphot, Fredriksson, Gabriella, Goossens, Benoit, Granados, Alys, Hearn, Andrew, Hon, Jason, Hughes, Tom, Jansen, Patrick, Kawanishi, Kae, Kinnaird, Margaret, Koh, Sharon, Latinne, Alice, Linkie, Matthew, Loi, Federica ... Luskin, Matthew Scott (2024). CamTrapAsia: A dataset of tropical forest vertebrate communities from 239 camera trapping studies. Ecology, 105 (6) e4299, 1-3. doi: 10.1002/ecy.4299

CamTrapAsia: A dataset of tropical forest vertebrate communities from 239 camera trapping studies

Featured

2023

Journal Article

Mesopredators in forest edges

Luskin, Matthew Scott, Arnold, Lindsey, Sovie, Adia, Amir, Zachary, Chua, Marcus Aik Hwee, Dehaudt, Bastien, Dunn, Ashlea, Nursamsi, Ilyas, Moore, Jonathan H. and Mendes, Calebe P. (2023). Mesopredators in forest edges. Wildlife Letters, 1 (3), 107-118. doi: 10.1002/wll2.12023

Mesopredators in forest edges

Featured

2023

Journal Article

The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature

Moore, Jonathan H., Gibson, Luke, Amir, Zachary, Chanthorn, Wirong, Ahmad, Abdul Hamid, Jansen, Patrick A., Mendes, Calebe P., Onuma, Manabu, Peres, Carlos A. and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2023). The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature. Biological Reviews, 98 (5), 1829-1844. doi: 10.1111/brv.12985

The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature

Featured

2023

Journal Article

Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity

Brodie, Jedediah F., Mohd-Azlan, Jayasilan, Chen, Cheng, Wearn, Oliver R., Deith, Mairin C. M., Ball, James G. C., Slade, Eleanor M., Burslem, David F. R. P., Teoh, Shu Woan, Williams, Peter J., Nguyen, An, Moore, Jonathan H., Goetz, Scott J., Burns, Patrick, Jantz, Patrick, Hakkenberg, Christopher R., Kaszta, Zaneta M., Cushman, Sam, Coomes, David, Helmy, Olga E., Reynolds, Glen, Rodríguez, Jon Paul, Jetz, Walter and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2023). Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity. Nature, 620 (7975), 807-812. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06410-z

Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity

Featured

2023

Journal Article

Mid-sized felids threatened by habitat degradation in Southeast Asia

Decœur, Henri, Amir, Zachary, Mendes, Calebe P., Moore, Jonathan H. and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2023). Mid-sized felids threatened by habitat degradation in Southeast Asia. Biological Conservation, 283 110103, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110103

Mid-sized felids threatened by habitat degradation in Southeast Asia

Featured

2023

Journal Article

The mass mortality of Asia's native pigs induced by African swine fever

Luskin, Matthew Scott, Moore, Jonathan H., Mendes, Calebe P., Nasardin, Musalmah Bt, Onuma, Monubu and Davies, Stuart J. (2023). The mass mortality of Asia's native pigs induced by African swine fever. Wildlife Letters, 1 (1), 8-14. doi: 10.1002/wll2.12009

The mass mortality of Asia's native pigs induced by African swine fever

Featured

2023

Journal Article

Rewilding in Southeast Asia: Singapore as a case study

Lamperty, Therese, Chiok, Wen Xuan, Khoo, Max D. Y., Amir, Zachary, Baker, Nick, Chua, Marcus A. H., Chung, Yi Fei, Chua, Yen Kheng, Koh, Joshua J.‐M., Lee, Benjamin P. Y.‐H., Lum, Shawn K. Y., Mendes, Calebe P., Ngiam, Jonathan, ODempsey, Anthony, Png, Kenny G. C., Sophie, Adia R., Tan, Lorraine, Teo, Robert, Thomas, Noel, Tianjiao, Li, Tze‐Ming, Bryan Lim, Loo, Adrian H. B., Wardle, David A. and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2023). Rewilding in Southeast Asia: Singapore as a case study. Conservation Science and Practice, 5 (3) e12899, 1-11. doi: 10.1111/csp2.12899

Rewilding in Southeast Asia: Singapore as a case study

Featured

2022

Journal Article

Megafauna extinctions produce idiosyncratic Anthropocene assemblages

Amir, Zachary, Moore, Jonathan H., Negret, Pablo Jose and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2022). Megafauna extinctions produce idiosyncratic Anthropocene assemblages. Science Advances, 8 (42) eabq2307, 1-11. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abq2307

Megafauna extinctions produce idiosyncratic Anthropocene assemblages

Featured

2021

Journal Article

Wildlife disturbances as a source of conspecific negative density-dependent mortality in tropical trees

Luskin, Matthew Scott, Johnson, Daniel J., Ickes, Kalan, Yao, Tze Leong and Davies, Stuart J. (2021). Wildlife disturbances as a source of conspecific negative density-dependent mortality in tropical trees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288 (1946) 20210001, 1-10. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0001

Wildlife disturbances as a source of conspecific negative density-dependent mortality in tropical trees

Featured

2020

Journal Article

When do Janzen–Connell effects matter? A phylogenetic meta‐analysis of conspecific negative distance and density dependence experiments

Song, Xiaoyang, Lim, Jun Ying, Yang, Jie and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2020). When do Janzen–Connell effects matter? A phylogenetic meta‐analysis of conspecific negative distance and density dependence experiments. Ecology Letters, 24 (3) ele.13665, 608-620. doi: 10.1111/ele.13665

When do Janzen–Connell effects matter? A phylogenetic meta‐analysis of conspecific negative distance and density dependence experiments

2025

Journal Article

The use, misuse and opportunities for structural equation modelling ( SEM ) in wildlife ecology

Mendes, Calebe Pereira and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2025). The use, misuse and opportunities for structural equation modelling ( SEM ) in wildlife ecology. Journal of Applied Ecology, 62 (12), 3210-3226. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.70189

The use, misuse and opportunities for structural equation modelling ( SEM ) in wildlife ecology

2025

Journal Article

Thirty years of arboreal wildlife trends in an African rainforest under evolving threats and researchers' presence

Dehaudt, Bastien, Bose, Ruksan, Avoto, Jean Jacques, Brittain, Stephanie, Bruce, Tom, Chen, Emily K., Forzi, Francis A., Hardesty, Britta D., Holbrook, Kimberly M., Lamperti, Aaron M., Parker, V. Thomas, Poulsen, John R., Russo, Nicholas J., Simpoh, Ernest, Wang, Benjamin C., Whitney, Kenneth D., Smith, Thomas B. and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2025). Thirty years of arboreal wildlife trends in an African rainforest under evolving threats and researchers' presence. Biological Conservation, 312 111475, 111475. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111475

Thirty years of arboreal wildlife trends in an African rainforest under evolving threats and researchers' presence

2025

Other Outputs

Shared loss and potential recovery of large carnivores and vultures

Fester, Karl Sebastian M., Luskin, Matthew Scott, Wolf, Christopher, Ripple, William J. and Maron, Martine (2025). Shared loss and potential recovery of large carnivores and vultures. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/7d20cdc

Shared loss and potential recovery of large carnivores and vultures

2025

Journal Article

Species characteristics modulate tropical mammal responses to forest quality in Southeast Asia

Joshi, Pradeep Raj, Semper-Pascual, Asunción, Vallejo-Vargas, Andrea F., Sheil, Douglas, Luskin, Matthew S., Moore, Jonathan and Bischof, Richard (2025). Species characteristics modulate tropical mammal responses to forest quality in Southeast Asia. Biological Conservation, 310 111388, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111388

Species characteristics modulate tropical mammal responses to forest quality in Southeast Asia

2025

Journal Article

Fungicide effects on wild plants: insights from a global meta‐analysis

Song, Xiaoyang, Corlett, Richard T., Yang, Jie and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2025). Fungicide effects on wild plants: insights from a global meta‐analysis. New Phytologist, 248 (3) nph.70530, 1491-1500. doi: 10.1111/nph.70530

Fungicide effects on wild plants: insights from a global meta‐analysis

2025

Journal Article

Declines of ebony and ivory are inextricably linked in an African rainforest

Deblauwe, Vincent, Luskin, Matthew Scott, Assola, Serge Désiré, Hardy, Olivier J., Jansen, Simon, Loubières, Céline, Mempong, Gaston Guy, Ntsihe, Jean Mathurin, Oum Ndjock, Gilbert, Onguene Kwecheu, Eric Rostand, Powell, Luke L., Sonké, Bonaventure and Smith, Thomas B. (2025). Declines of ebony and ivory are inextricably linked in an African rainforest. Science Advances, 11 (35) eady4392, eady4392. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ady4392

Declines of ebony and ivory are inextricably linked in an African rainforest

2025

Journal Article

Range-wide camera trapping for the Australian cassowary reveals habitat associations with rainfall and forest quality

Anderson, Skye Elise, Amir, Zachary, Bruce, Tom and Luskin, Matthew Scott (2025). Range-wide camera trapping for the Australian cassowary reveals habitat associations with rainfall and forest quality. Ecology and Evolution, 15 (6) e71464, 1-12. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71464

Range-wide camera trapping for the Australian cassowary reveals habitat associations with rainfall and forest quality

2025

Journal Article

The utility of dynamic forest structure from GEDI lidar fusion in tropical mammal species distribution models

Burns, Patrick, Kaszta, Zaneta, Cushman, Samuel A., Brodie, Jedediah F., Hakkenberg, Christopher R., Jantz, Patrick, Deith, Mairin, Luskin, Matthew Scott, Ball, James G. C., Mohd-Azlan, Jayasilan, Burslem, David F. R. P., Cheyne, Susan M., Haidir, Iding, Hearn, Andrew James, Slade, Eleanor, Williams, Peter J., Macdonald, David W. and Goetz, Scott J. (2025). The utility of dynamic forest structure from GEDI lidar fusion in tropical mammal species distribution models. Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 6 1563430. doi: 10.3389/frsen.2025.1563430

The utility of dynamic forest structure from GEDI lidar fusion in tropical mammal species distribution models

2025

Journal Article

Mapping Multiple Wild Pig Species’ Population Dynamics in Southeast Asia During the African Swine Fever Outbreak (2018–2024)

Lieb, Zoë E., Meijaard, Erik, Brodie, Jedediah F., Shabrani, Adi, Mohd‐Azlan, Jayasilan, Supriatna, Jatna, Struebig, Matthew John, Deere, Nicolas J., Spencer, Katie L., Heon, Suipeng, Wong, Lok‐Jinn, Juiling, Suzika, Hearn, Andrew, Coudrat, Camille N. Z., Jati, Agus Sudibyo, Linkie, Matthew, Ngoprasert, Dusit, Das, Dhritiman, Wearn, Oliver R., Gray, Russell J., Cabanas, Al John C., Chankhao, Andaman, Saisamorn, Apinya, Azhar, Badrul, Lee, Benjamin P. Y.‐H., Goossens, Benoit, Traeholt, Carl, MacDonald, David W., Lastica‐Ternura, Emilia A. ... Luskin, Matthew Scott (2025). Mapping Multiple Wild Pig Species’ Population Dynamics in Southeast Asia During the African Swine Fever Outbreak (2018–2024). Conservation Letters, 18 (3) e13105, 3. doi: 10.1111/conl.13105

Mapping Multiple Wild Pig Species’ Population Dynamics in Southeast Asia During the African Swine Fever Outbreak (2018–2024)

2025

Journal Article

Correction: Identifying remnant biodiversity hotspots in Southern Asia reveals disequilibrium in mammalian communities

Sartor, Caroline Charão, Kaszta, Zaneta, Kamler, Jan, Hearn, Andrew J., Ash, Eric, Bolongon, Gilmoore, Can, Özgün Emre, Channa, Phan, Cheyne, Susan, Fitzmaurice, Amy, Haidir, Iding Achmad, Kyaw, Pyae Phyoe, Luskin, Matthew Scott, Singh, Priya, Rasphone, Akchousanh, Tan, Cedric Kai Wei, Yadav, Bhupendra Prasad, Rostro-García, Susana, Cushman, Samuel A. and Macdonald, David W. (2025). Correction: Identifying remnant biodiversity hotspots in Southern Asia reveals disequilibrium in mammalian communities. Biodiversity and Conservation, 34 (6), 2259-2260. doi: 10.1007/s10531-025-03067-0

Correction: Identifying remnant biodiversity hotspots in Southern Asia reveals disequilibrium in mammalian communities

Funding

Current funding

2025 - 2028

Airborne eDNA for northern bettongs

ARC Linkage Projects

Open grant

Past funding

2021 - 2025

Using big data to untangle ecological cascades in tropical forests

ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Associate Professor Matthew Luskin is: : Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Doctor Philosophy

##### Plant traits and plant-animal interactions in tropical

Principal Advisor

Other advisors: Dr John Dwyer - Doctor Philosophy

##### Leveraging large camera-trapping datasets to untangle multiple threats to terrestrial and understory bird communities in tropical forests

Principal Advisor

Other advisors: Professor Richard Fuller - Doctor Philosophy

##### Impacts of Ecosystem and Habitat Dynamics on Wildlife Conservation

Principal Advisor - Doctor Philosophy

##### Volatile synchrony: Pulse reproductive events of giant canopy trees, and the fauna they impact.

Principal Advisor

Other advisors: Dr Andrew Letten - Doctor Philosophy

##### Human impacts on wildlife sociality

Principal Advisor

Other advisors: Professor Robbie Wilson - Doctor Philosophy

##### Drivers of declining apex predator trends in Asian counties

Principal Advisor

Other advisors: Dr Simon Hart - Doctor Philosophy

##### Improving biodiversity outcomes in West African cocoa

Associate Advisor

Other advisors: Professor Richard Fuller, Dr Wilma J. Blaser Hart, Dr Simon Hart - Doctor Philosophy

##### Assessing links between declines in large carnivores and vultures

Associate Advisor

Other advisors: Professor Martine Maron - Doctor Philosophy

##### Investigation into prevalence of carnivore viruses with a focus on Canine distemper virus in domestic and wild carnivores in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia.

Associate Advisor

Other advisors: Professor Ricardo Soares Magalhaes - Doctor Philosophy

##### Towards a Holistic Understanding of Artisanal Small-Scale Mining Impacts on Wet-Tropical Forest: A Regional Analysis, Kalimantan, Indonesia

Associate Advisor

Other advisors: Associate Professor Laura Sonter, Professor Stuart Phinn

View all 10 current supervisions View less