Quantifying condition-dependence in sexual selection. This research centres on testing evolutionary models of sexual selection. The project has relevance for understanding the role of mutations in reducing the fitness of populations and hence has implications for the conservation of endangered species and for human health. The research also investigates how investment in one trait, such as horns, will take resources away from another, like muscle. This has implications for animal production. The ....Quantifying condition-dependence in sexual selection. This research centres on testing evolutionary models of sexual selection. The project has relevance for understanding the role of mutations in reducing the fitness of populations and hence has implications for the conservation of endangered species and for human health. The research also investigates how investment in one trait, such as horns, will take resources away from another, like muscle. This has implications for animal production. The project utilises pest species as research models and will hence provide further understanding of pest life-history, knowledge critical to the success of control programmes. Australian science will further benefit through the research fellow's established collaborations with international scientists.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100709
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Assessing pollination services of honey bees in native ecosystems and threats posed by parasites. The European honeybee is our most abundant pollinator but we know little about its role in native Australian ecosystems or how its many diseases may affect its ability to pollinate. This project will determine whether honeybees are important pollinators of native plants and how a common parasite affects their pollination ability.
Functional-trait approach to restoration of species-rich shrublands. The project aims to deliver management tools that will help mining companies to meet restoration targets and to improve the field of trait-based predictive restoration ecology. Species-rich kwongan shrublands of south-west Australia are a biodiversity treasure. Despite their global and national conservation value, little is known about which plant traits are most important for community assembly and diversity maintenance. This ....Functional-trait approach to restoration of species-rich shrublands. The project aims to deliver management tools that will help mining companies to meet restoration targets and to improve the field of trait-based predictive restoration ecology. Species-rich kwongan shrublands of south-west Australia are a biodiversity treasure. Despite their global and national conservation value, little is known about which plant traits are most important for community assembly and diversity maintenance. This project plans to use plant functional traits related to nutrient and water acquisition to predict plant community assembly under different soil resource availabilities and thus assist in successful rehabilitation of this native vegetation after closure of sand-mining operations.Read moreRead less
Seagrass adaptation and acclimation responses to extreme climatic events. This project aims to advance our understanding of how temperate marine plants in their northern limit will respond to the effects of synergistic stressors from extreme events combined with climate change. The project will study Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where a semi-permanent, salinity gradient maintained by shallow seagrass banks has resulted in unique ecosystems like stromatolites to persist. Expected outc ....Seagrass adaptation and acclimation responses to extreme climatic events. This project aims to advance our understanding of how temperate marine plants in their northern limit will respond to the effects of synergistic stressors from extreme events combined with climate change. The project will study Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where a semi-permanent, salinity gradient maintained by shallow seagrass banks has resulted in unique ecosystems like stromatolites to persist. Expected outcomes include practical solutions for building resilience to climate change mitigation in marine ecosystems. This will benefit the broader Australian community through changing how we manage significant resources and services these systems support, such as fisheries, coastal protection.Read moreRead less
Physiological effects of extreme hot weather on animals’ metabolism, development, body size and cell lifespan. This project aims to determine the physiological effects of extreme hot weather on animals’ metabolism, development, body size and cell lifespan. Body size in animals is negatively related to latitude; individuals are relatively small in hot climates. The project will test the idea that the adverse effects of heat during development constrain body size. The project will draw on physiolo ....Physiological effects of extreme hot weather on animals’ metabolism, development, body size and cell lifespan. This project aims to determine the physiological effects of extreme hot weather on animals’ metabolism, development, body size and cell lifespan. Body size in animals is negatively related to latitude; individuals are relatively small in hot climates. The project will test the idea that the adverse effects of heat during development constrain body size. The project will draw on physiology, endocrinology, behaviour and cell biology and study birds across Australian climates and in a temperature-controlled laboratory. The outcomes of the project will provide insight into regional variation in species vulnerabilities to climate variation and inform biodiversity management.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100018
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding bioacoustics in plants. From lush tropical rainforests to small urban gardens, plants take advantage of the surrounding soundscape to flourish, yet how they do this is still unknown. This will be the first experimental study to explore how and why plants sense sound in their environment, hence pioneering a brand-new research area in behavioural and evolutionary ecology.
Understanding coastal biodiversity: The impact of marine production subsidies upon arid coastal environments. Many of the Earth's coastlines have productive seas next to arid terrestrial habitats. Much of the coastline of Western Australia is arid. Our project will determine if biodiversity in fringing terrestrial areas is controlled by the supply of marine plant material that is transported to land by waves, wind and birds. A consequence of increasing coastal usage is associated growing anthrop ....Understanding coastal biodiversity: The impact of marine production subsidies upon arid coastal environments. Many of the Earth's coastlines have productive seas next to arid terrestrial habitats. Much of the coastline of Western Australia is arid. Our project will determine if biodiversity in fringing terrestrial areas is controlled by the supply of marine plant material that is transported to land by waves, wind and birds. A consequence of increasing coastal usage is associated growing anthropogenic pressures on the coastal environment. Our aim is to enhance awareness of the interactions that occur between terrestrial and marine systems, and hence to increase the capacity of the public and private sector to manage marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and the interface between them.Read moreRead less
Effect of deep-sea drilling on sustainability of deep-sea ecosystems. Offshore oil and gas production makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy and enhances our energy security. Australia's vast deep-sea reserves of hydrocarbons lie on the NW Shelf and in Bass Strait, ecological 'hot spots' that are extremely vulnerable to the impact of exploration, extraction and production. Using deep-sea equipment, we will conduct the field experiments that are essential to understanding the ....Effect of deep-sea drilling on sustainability of deep-sea ecosystems. Offshore oil and gas production makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy and enhances our energy security. Australia's vast deep-sea reserves of hydrocarbons lie on the NW Shelf and in Bass Strait, ecological 'hot spots' that are extremely vulnerable to the impact of exploration, extraction and production. Using deep-sea equipment, we will conduct the field experiments that are essential to understanding these ecosystems and the impact of deep-sea structures. Our advances will produce data and develop methodologies that will make Australia a world leader in reconciling our deep-sea energy and environmental needs.Read moreRead less
Ecological and genetic connectivity in seagrasses: the role of sexual reproduction, dispersal and recruitment on meadow restoration. This project's goal is to study the role of dispersal in contemporary demographics and genetics of an Australian seagrass genus Posidonia. The expected outcome of this project is to understand the importance of long-distance dispersal of seeds in determining resilience of seagrasses to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
Genes to ecosystems: drivers of resilience in underwater marine forests. This project seeks to determine if population connectivity and thermal stress limits the ecological performance and capacity for biological adaptation of seaweed forests to environmental change. The rates of warming in Australia’s temperate marine environments are among the fastest in the world, threatening seaweed forests that support rich marine life and generate substantial socioeconomic values. By integrating studies of ....Genes to ecosystems: drivers of resilience in underwater marine forests. This project seeks to determine if population connectivity and thermal stress limits the ecological performance and capacity for biological adaptation of seaweed forests to environmental change. The rates of warming in Australia’s temperate marine environments are among the fastest in the world, threatening seaweed forests that support rich marine life and generate substantial socioeconomic values. By integrating studies of connectivity among seaweed forests along replicate coastlines on both sides of the Australian continent, with field and breeding experiments, this project expects to expose the role of genetic diversity in mediating ecological resilience to rapid environmental change.Read moreRead less