Rate My Professor Philip Ladd

Philip Ladd serves as an Adjunct in the Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Murdoch University and is recognized as emeritus staff in the School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences. His research focuses on pollination ecology, plant anatomy, plant population ecology, plant morphology, reproductive biology, pollination strategies, fire ecology, and adaptations in Australian flora. He examines xeromorphy, serotiny, habitat fragmentation effects on biodiversity, and the distinctive plants of southwestern Western Australia, including families like Proteaceae, Myrtaceae, Casuarinaceae, Fabaceae, and Asteraceae. Ladd also investigates parasitic plants, phylloclades as adaptations to arid environments, convergent leaf structures, and orchid ecology in urban bushland.

Ladd has produced 106 peer-reviewed publications, accumulating over 2,300 citations. Key recent contributions include "Myrtaceae anther glands: morphology, anatomy and variation in glandular contents" (2024), "Pollination strategies are exceptionally complex in southwestern Australia – a globally significant ancient biodiversity hotspot" (2024), "Phylloclades of Jacksonia (Fabaceae)—leaf-like branches as adaptation to seasonally arid environments" (2024), "Micropeltation in Myrtaceae: a neglected subject" (2024), "The evolutionary and ecological significance of phylloclade formation: A morpho-anatomical approach" (2024), "Convergent morphology and anatomy in the microphyllous leaves of selected heathland Myrtaceae and Asteraceae" (2023), "Ecology of orchids in urban bushland reserves" (2023), "Morphological and anatomical variations in stem-related photosynthetic structures of the Fabaceae" (2025), and "Reductions in fitness due to an endoparasitic plant are comparable to the impacts of hemiparasites" (2025). Earlier works feature "Early inflorescence development in the grasses (Poaceae)" (2013). He co-led the Black Cockatoo habitat conservation grant (2008-2011), supervised PhD theses such as "Orchids as Indicators of Ecosystem Health in Urban Bushland Fragments" (2009), serves on the editorial board of Plant Ecology, and is Honorary Curator of the William & Lynda Steere Herbarium (MURU).