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Dr Catherine Yule

Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of School (Education)

PhD ( James Cook University, Australia)
Telephone: +603 - 5514 6104
Fax: +603 - 5514 6364
E-mail: Catherine.Yule@artsci.monash.edu.my   		Links
Area of Expertise
Research Interest
Selected Journals
Book and Book chapters
Current Research Projects
Prospective Research Projects
Research Students
Research Assistants  
Area of Expertise:

Tropical aquatic ecology, freshwater invertebrates, tropical peat swamps, leaf litter decomposition

Research Interest:


Interests include ecology of tropical rivers, lakes, peat swamps and mangrove forests. Present research focuses on the ecology of tropical peat swamp forests, an extreme and endangered environment (pH 3.5, low nutrients, low oxygen). Biodiversity of the flora, fauna and fungi is being studied. New species of algae, fungi and invertebrates have been discovered, including forms never before observed.

Another topic of interest is the invertebrate shredders of Malaysian streams along an altitudinal gradient.

Selected Journal Papers:


Yule, C.M. and Gomez, L. (2008). Leaf litter decomposition in a tropical peat swamp forest in Peninsular Malaysia. Wetlands Ecology and Management. DOI: 10.1007/s11273-008-9103-9   

Jackson, C.R., Liew, K.C. and Yule, C.M (2008) Structural and functional changes with depth in microbial communities in tropical peat swamp forest sediments. Microbial Ecology DOI: 10.1007/s00248-008-9409-4  

Wells A, Yule CM (2008) The caddisflies (Trichoptera) from a tropical peat swamp in Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia, including two new species. Aquatic Insects 30: 69-76

Morse JC, Bae YJ, Munkhjargal G, Sangpradub N, Tanida K, Vshivkova TS, Wang B, Yang L, Yule CM (2007) Freshwater biomonitoring with macroinvertebrates in East Asia. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5: 33-42

Voglmayr H, Yule CM (2006) Polyancora globosa gen. et sp. nov., an aeroaquatic fungus from Malaysian peat swamp forests. Mycological Research 110:1242-1252

Books and Book chapters:


Wantzen, K.M., Yule, C.M., Mathooko, J. M. and C. Pringle. (2008) Organic-matter dynamics and processing in tropical streams. Pp 43-64.In: Dudgeon, D (Ed) Tropical Stream Ecology. Academic Press. London.    

Wantzen, K. M., Yule, C.M, Tockner, K., Junk W.J. (2008) Riparian wetlands of streams: tropical and temperate systems. Pp 119-217. In: Dudgeon, D (Ed) Tropical Stream Ecology. Academic Press. London.    

Yule CM, Yong HS (eds) (2004) Freshwater Invertebrates of the Malaysian Region. Academy of Sciences Malaysia, 861 pp

W antzen KM, Yule CM, Mathooko JM, Pringle C (2008) Organic-matter dynamics and processing in tropical streams. In: Dudgeon D (ed) Tropical Stream Ecology. Academic Press, London, pp 43-64

Wantzen KM, Yule CM, Tockner K, Junk WJ (2008) Riparian wetlands of streams: tropical and temperate systems. In: Dudgeon D (ed) Tropical Stream Ecology. Academic Press, London, pp 119-217

Current Research Projects:


Recent studies have focused on invertebrate shredders in Malaysian streams as part of a collaborative worldwide study entitled ‘Biodiversity effects on ecosystem function. A test with a consumer guild across latitudes’ funded by the National Geographic Society. We are investigating an altitudinal gradient in shredder richness and abundance.

Another study is on carbon cycling in a tropical Malaysian peat swamp. Nutrient dynamics are being investigated with results suggesting that bacteria support a large proportion of aquatic biomass. Terrestrial and aquatic litter and fruit decomposition has been found to be extremely slow, despite the presence of fungi and bacteria.

Prospective Research Projects:

I am happy to supervise projects related to the ecology of tropical peatswamps, streams and lakes, particularly studies related to trophic interactions, nutrient cycling and leaf litter decomposition. I am willing to discuss any potential projects that are related to tropical aquatic ecology.

Research Students:

Honours ( Present )
  1. Tay Chien Wen – commenced August 2007 The Sungai Janging aquatic ecosystem: a survey of microbes and invertebrate fauna as indicators of water quality
Honours (Past)
  1. Gomez, Lalita. 2002. The influence of water hyacinths (Eichhornia crasipes) on the ecology of tin mine lakes in Malaysia.
  2. Uththamarajan, Priscilla. 2002. An ecological study of pollution and disturbance in Malaysian tin mine lakes.
  3. Cheah, Christina. 2003. Freshwater invertebrates of Mongondow North Sulawesi, Indonesia: A study on the impacts of gold mining and agriculture on benthic invertebrate communities.
  4. Chin, Melissa. 2003. Ecology of a tropical peat swamp: a study of the influence of pH on the macroinvertebrate fauna and trophic dynamis in the Tanjung Karang Irrigation Project District.
  5. Lim, John. 2003. A study of the macroinvertebrate fauna of a tropical peat swamp with consideration of the impact of disturbance.
  6. Supramaniam, Meera. 2005. A survey of the benthic algae of Southeast Pahang & North Selangor tropical peat swamp forests, Malaysia.
Masters (Present)
  1. Liew Kong Cheng – Commenced August 2007. Bacterial Communities Related to Carbon Cycling in Malaysian Peat Swamp Forests.
  2. Lim Tse Yuen – Commenced August 2007. Bioactivity of Selected Peat Swamp Plants (Co-supervision with Dr YY Lim)
Masters (Past)
  • Gomez, Lalita. 2006. Leaf Litter Decomposition in a Tropical Peat Swamp Forest in Peninsular Malaysia.
Research Assistants:

Khang Su Li - Carbon cycling in a Malaysian peat swamp