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Melaleuca deanei F.Muell. is a rare, serotinous shrub with a naturally restricted distribution centred over the sandstone ridges around Sydney. Sexual reproduction and seedling recruitment occur rarely, and plants appear to spread and persist largely by clonal root suckering. A potentially outcrossing breeding system, combined with extensive clonality, place M. deanei at a high risk of reproductive failure. Knowledge of the extent of its clonality and breeding system, and an understanding of the distribution and abundance of genetic diversity within and among its populations, will assist conservation management. The present study reports on the extent of clonality, breeding system, levels of genetic diversity, and population differentiation within small, medium and large populations of M. deanei from the northern and southern distribution regions. Multiple stems were found to comprise single genets up to ~10 m diameter on the ground and molecular evidence points to an outcrossing breeding system. Genetic diversity was positively correlated with population size and significant genetic differentiation was shown between northern and southern regions using clustering analyses. Recommendations for in situ and ex situ conservation management based on these results are provided.

Melaleuca deanei F.Muell. is listed under state and national protection legislation occurring as small, disjunct populations restricted to the Central Coast botanical district of New South Wales. This paper reports on the population structure, reproductive output and phenology of large and small field populations of M. deanei, compared with three common congeneric species in the area, namely, Melaleuca nodosa (Sol. ex Gaertn.) Sm., Melaleuca thymifolia Sm. and Melaleuca styphelioides Sm. Both M. deanei and M. styphelioides had few seedlings per population at the sites studied. Results indicated that seedling recruitment is rare and would appear to require specific conditions. In addition, M. deanei had a low incidence of flowering within the small populations, significantly fewer fruiting plants per population and significantly lower numbers of viable seeds per square metre, most likely compounding its limited recruitment. Flowering, when it occurred in M. deanei, was from mid to late October through to late November–early December with increased flowering in response to fire and along road edges. Further study is needed to determine reproductive success at the individual-plant level, the breeding system and recruitment requirements of these species.

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Bloodstain evidence is a highly valued form of physical evidence commonly found at scenes involving violent crimes. However, painting over bloodstains will often conceal this type of evidence. There is limited research in the scientific literature that describes methods of detecting painted-over bloodstains. This project employed a modified digital single-lens reflex camera to investigate the effectiveness of infrared (IR) photography in detecting latent bloodstain evidence beneath a layer or multiple layers of paint. A qualitative evaluation was completed by comparing images taken of a series of samples using both IR and standard (visible light) photography. Further quantitative image analysis was used to verify the findings. Results from this project indicate that bloodstain evidence can be detected beneath up to six layers of paint using reflected IR; however, the results vary depending on the characteristics of the paint. This technique provides crime scene specialists with a new field method to assist in locating, visualizing, and documenting painted-over bloodstain evidence.