Anna Turner

Dr Anna Turner

Freshwater Ecologist

Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences

Biography

From 2018-2022 I completed my PhD on environmental drivers of chytrid fungus prevalence and intensity in populations of endangered Southern Bell frogs in the semi-arid region of southern NSW and the temperate region of east Gippsland. I aged frogs using skeltochronology and used survival rates to develop a stochastic population model with my supervisory team. Three papers have been published from the thesis and I was awarded the University Medal at graduation.

I am a freshwater ecologist working as a Research Associate with the Murrumbidgee FlowMER program based at Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW.

We work to monitor the environmental response to Commonwealth environmental water delivery to wetlands in the Murrumbidgee catchment area. This includes surveying fish, frogs, turltes, tadpoles, waterbirds, vegetation and water quality in the wetlands and creek system. With a small team we collect and manage data, write reports for government and community and help advise on best use of environmental water (volume and timing) with a team of stakeholders.

Research
  • Wetland ecology
  • Amphibian conservation
  • Wildlife disease
Publications
Full publications list on CRO

Recent publications

  • Turner, A., Heard, G., Mathwin, R., Bradshaw, C. J. A., Hall, A., & Wassens, S. (2025). Cool-season environmental water delivery increases extinction risk for chytrid-infected amphibians. Conservation Science and Practice, 7(5), 1-11. Article e70022. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70022
  • Wassens, S., Huntley, S., Bino, G., Hall, A., Pay, T., Talbot, S., Beard, A., Sundblom, C., Cardwell, N., & Turner, A. (2025). Biodiversity and habitat associations for mid-Murrumbidgee flow regulated creek systems 2023-24: Final technical report Work Order 18. Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.
  • Stelling, F., Wassens, S., Pengelly, A., Prasad, K., Talbot, S., Hall, A., Dupond, N., & Turner, A. (2025). A collection of threatened and migratory species of the Murrumbidgee Valley: Threatened species poster. Digital content, Charles Sturt University. https://media.flow-mer.org.au/threatened-species-poster.pdf
  • Znidersic, E., Turner, A., Talbot, S., & Wassens, S. (2024). Australasian bittern Fact Sheet.
  • Turner, A., Talbot, S., Sundblom, C., Wassens, S., & Stelling, F. (2024). The Bidgee Bulletin: Quarterly Newsletter of the Murrumbidgee Monitoring Program. Winter 2024. Issue 20. (pp. 1-7). . Charles Sturt University.