Tennakoon

Phone:      (03) 43137954
Email:        k.tennakoon@federation.edu.au
Room:       BER Bldg 901 - Room 219
Position:   Lecturer
Discipline: Environmental Science

Biography

Kushan’s current research is focused in plant responses to environmental change, especially native flora in degraded habitats and those co-occurring with invasive Acacias. He is also involved with developing propagation and agronomic practices of selected native species for urban gardening and studying the silviculture of economically important trees such as Sandalwood (Santalum spp.) and Agarwood (Aquilaria spp.).

Kushan has received numerous professional awards during his academic career. These include the University of Peradeniya Scholarship awarded for achieving best results in Bachelor of Science Hons. Degree, and International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) from the University of Western Australia for his doctoral studies. As a mid- career researcher, he was awarded the J. William Fulbright Senior Fellowship, USA to pursue advanced research in the areas of plant ecophysiology. He was a recipient of the Third World Academy of Science (TWAS- Trieste, Italy) Young Scientist Award for Biology. This is awarded to recognise and support outstanding achievements made by mid-career Biologists from developing countries whose research work has significantly contributed to the advancement of sciences. Prior to joining FedUni, Kushan has served as an associate professor at the University of Brunei Darussalam and  adjunct associate professor at the Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA.

Qualifications

  • PhD – University of Western Australia
  • BSc (Hons) – University of Peradeniya

Teaching areas

  • Landscape Restoration and Mine Site Rehabilitation SCENV 3120
  • Environmental Change SCENV 3501
  • Australian Flora SCENV 2101
  • Invasive Species SCENV 2804
  • Research Supervision: Available for Hons & Postgraduate student supervision

Professional associations

  • Member, International Parasitic Plants Association, Botanical Society of America

Research interests

Invasive & Parasitic Plants, Agronomy of Medicinal Plants, Land Restoration and Rehabilitation, Plant Eco Physiology and Phytochemistry

Publications (last 5 years)

Refereed Articles

Le QV, Tennakoon KU, Metali F, Sukri RS. 2019. Photosynthesis in co-occurring invasive Acacia spp. and native Bornean heath forest trees at the post-establishment invasion stage. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 38 (3), 230-243. doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2018.1530602

A Yusoff, Tennakoon KU, SM Jaafar, DNANP Zaman, RS Sukri. 2019.  Effects of Acacia invasion on leaf litter nutrient and soil properties of coastal Kerangas forests in Brunei Darussalam Scientia Bruneiana 18 (1), 1-10

SS Yapa, AJ Mohotti, M Seneviratne, BL Peiris, Tennakoon KU. 2018. Prevalence of mistletoes in fruit and timber trees in the wet and intermediate zone of Sri Lanka. 2018. Tropical Agricultural Research 29 (4), 330-340

Jay F. Bolin, Tennakoon KU, MA Majid, Duncan D. Cameron.2017. Isotopic evidence of partial mycoheterotrophy in Burmannia coelestis (Burmanniaceae). Plant Species Biology (Wiley- Blackwell). DOI: 10.1111/1442-1984.12116

Tennakoon KU, R Rosli and Q V  Le. 2016. Biology of aerial parasitic vines in Brunei Darussalam: Cuscuta and Cassytha. Scientia Bruneiana 15: 58-65. Special Issue to commemorate 30th Anniversary of University of Brunei Darussalam:. ISSN : 1819-9550

Q V Le, Tennakoon KU, F Metali, L BL Lim & J F Bolin.2016. Ecophysiological Responses Of Mistletoe Dendrophthoe curvata (Blume) Miquel (Loranthaceae) to Varying  Environmental Parameters Depend On Host Associations – Journal of Tropical Forest Science 28 (1):59-67

YC Lim, R Rajabalaya, H F Lee, Tennakoon KU , QV Le , A Idris,I N Zulkipli, N Keasberry , SR David (2016). REVIEW: Parasitic Mistletoes of Genera Scurrula and Viscum: From Bench to Bedside.  Molecules 21, 1048: 1-34 doi:10.3390/molecules21081048

A. Suhaili, R Sukri & Tennakoon KU. 2015. comparison of seedling emergence and soil seed bank composition of an Acacia plantation and AN adjacent tropical Heath forest in Brunei Darussalam. Biotropia 22(2:140 - 150. DOI: 10.11598/btb.2015.22.2.487

Zolkepli Z, Andery Lim, P Ekanayake, Tennakoon KU. 2015. Efficiency enhancement of cocktail dye of Ixora coccinea and Tradescantia spathacea in DSSC. Journal of Biophysics. Article ID 582091, 8 pages DOI.org/10.1155/2015/582091.

10.N K Ishak, Z Sulaiman, Tennakoon KU. 2015. Comparative Study on Growth Performance of Transgenic Rice Nipponbare (Over-Expressing OsNHX1) and its Wild-type under Different Salinity Regimes. Rice Science (Elsevier) 22(5): 931- 934. doi:10.1016/j.rsci.2015.06.002

Q V Le, Tennakoon KU, Metali F, Lim LBL, Bolin JF. 2015. The Impacts of Cuscuta australis infection on photosynthesis of the host Mikania micrantha under drought conditions. Weed Biology & Management (Wiley)15: 138-146. doi:10.1111/wbm.12077

Andery Lim, N Manaf, Tennakoon KU, Lim LBL, Bandara S, Ekanayake P. 2015. Higher performance of DSSC with dyes from Cladophora spp. As mixed co-sensitized through synergistic effect. Journal of Biophysics. Online version: Article ID 510467- 8 pages. Doi: dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/510467.

F Metali, KA Salim, Tennakoon KU and DFRP Burslem. 2015. Controls on foliar nutrient and Al concentrations in a tropical tree flora: phylogeny, soil chemistry and interactions among elements. New Phytologist. 205 (1), 280-292. DOI: 10.1111/nph.12987

Q V Le, Tennakoon KU, Metali F, Lim LL, Bolin JF. 2015. Host specific variation in photosynthesis of an obligate xylem-tapping mistletoe Dendrophthoe curvata (Blume) Miquel in Bornean heath forest. Nordic Journal of Botany. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Early view online version DOI: 10.1111/njb.00628.

Tennakoon KU, Chak WH, Lim LBL, Bolin J. 2015. Mineral nutrition of the hyperparasitic mistletoe Viscum articulatum Burm. f. (Viscaceae) in tropical Brunei Darussalam. Plant Species Biology (Wiley- Blackwell) 29: 101-107 . DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-1984.2012.00391.x

M.S. Ashton, I.A.U.N. Gunatilleke C.V.S. Gunatilleke Tennakoon KU, P.S. Ashton. 2014. Use and cultivation of plants that yield products other than timber from South Asian tropical forests, and their potential in forest restoration- Review Forest Ecology and Management:329, 360-374. DOI:dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2014.02.030.

UM. Goodale, Graeme P. Berlyn, Timothy G. Gregoir, Tennakoon KU, and Ashton PMS. 2014. Pioneer Seedling Survival and Growth in Spatially Heterogeneous Canopy Microenvironments. Biotropica 46(2)- 183-193. DOI: 10.1111/btp.12088

Research gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kushan_Tennakoon

Google Scholar: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kushan_Tennakoon