Dynamics of animal mediated vegetation establishment and persistence in disturbed landscapes. This project aims to provide strategies and commercial products for the best management of animals in plant community restoration. Ensuring effective seed dispersal and minimizing levels of herbivory will reduce resources expended on restoration and ensure sustainable ecosystems. A small reduction in the costs of individual plant protection not only improves the success of rehabilitation programs but sa ....Dynamics of animal mediated vegetation establishment and persistence in disturbed landscapes. This project aims to provide strategies and commercial products for the best management of animals in plant community restoration. Ensuring effective seed dispersal and minimizing levels of herbivory will reduce resources expended on restoration and ensure sustainable ecosystems. A small reduction in the costs of individual plant protection not only improves the success of rehabilitation programs but save millions of dollars throughout the mining industry and rural areas generally. It will also save thousands of dollars in culling programs. An extension of our study will target roadside hazards where kangaroos and traffic have high impact rates.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560920
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$129,800.00
Summary
Field spectroradiometer and associated equipment for quantitative measurement and characterization of biophysical features and calibration of remotely sensed imagery. This set of equipment will improve and extend existing research capabilities in the field of in-situ remote sensing research and applications, for both aquatic and terrestrial environments. It will contribute to knowledge regarding terrestrial, coastal and estuarine vegetation and linkages to environmental change and will assist in ....Field spectroradiometer and associated equipment for quantitative measurement and characterization of biophysical features and calibration of remotely sensed imagery. This set of equipment will improve and extend existing research capabilities in the field of in-situ remote sensing research and applications, for both aquatic and terrestrial environments. It will contribute to knowledge regarding terrestrial, coastal and estuarine vegetation and linkages to environmental change and will assist in the development of new algorithms, indices and techniques of vegetation discrimination from remotely sensed imagery. It will help in the understanding of reflectance in plants under stress or pest damage. The spectroradiometer will enable the group to expand applications in the field of urban fire hazard mapping, precision agriculture, crop physiology, species mapping, viticulture and canopy modelling.Read moreRead less
Enhancing natural enemy mortality of chrysomelids in young eucalypt plantations through habitat manipulation. Eucalyptus plantations are the future of Australian forestry. In eucalypt plantations leaf-feeding beetles reduce tree growth by an average of 53%, substantially reducing profits. Sustainable management of these pests is best done by maximising the impact of native beneficial agents, eg wasps and spiders. This research will quantify the beneficial insects in plantations and increase ....Enhancing natural enemy mortality of chrysomelids in young eucalypt plantations through habitat manipulation. Eucalyptus plantations are the future of Australian forestry. In eucalypt plantations leaf-feeding beetles reduce tree growth by an average of 53%, substantially reducing profits. Sustainable management of these pests is best done by maximising the impact of native beneficial agents, eg wasps and spiders. This research will quantify the beneficial insects in plantations and increase their efficacy by manipulating the plantation environment so it provides more of the resources (food & shelter) these beneficials require. This approach is significant as it has not been previously attempted in forestry. Our management recommendations will make the plantation sector more profitable and sustainable.Read moreRead less
Pheromone evolution and ecology in insects on intra- and inter-specific scales. The study of pheromones is important because so many insect pests use them as part of their reproductive life cycle, increasing their potential to cause damage to crops and other natural products. My research will improve our understanding of the evolution of pheromones and communication by smell, a subject that has been largely neglected by evolutionary biologists. More specifically, by identifying the ecological fa ....Pheromone evolution and ecology in insects on intra- and inter-specific scales. The study of pheromones is important because so many insect pests use them as part of their reproductive life cycle, increasing their potential to cause damage to crops and other natural products. My research will improve our understanding of the evolution of pheromones and communication by smell, a subject that has been largely neglected by evolutionary biologists. More specifically, by identifying the ecological factors that influence pheromone evolution, the research will help to assess the long-term consequences of the control measures currently used against such pests and, in particular, will have direct applications to the prevention of damage to Australian pine plantations by the invasive five-spined bark beetle, Ips grandicollis. Read moreRead less
Determining generic indicators of stress in eucalypt leaves for application to the remote sensing of canopy condition and productivity modelling. Biotic and abiotic stresses induce generic alterations of leaf chemistry (e.g. chlorophyll, anthocyanins). We will explore the behaviour of eucalypt leaf reflectance to changes in leaf cellular chemistry and structure arising from exposure to a range of stressful factors. We will relate leaf reflectance to physiological processes using a research radia ....Determining generic indicators of stress in eucalypt leaves for application to the remote sensing of canopy condition and productivity modelling. Biotic and abiotic stresses induce generic alterations of leaf chemistry (e.g. chlorophyll, anthocyanins). We will explore the behaviour of eucalypt leaf reflectance to changes in leaf cellular chemistry and structure arising from exposure to a range of stressful factors. We will relate leaf reflectance to physiological processes using a research radiation interception model. We will report on a) the potential integration of data related to stress, into process-based models for eucalypt plantation growth and b) the exploitation of generic reflectance indicators of stress in the remote acquisition of high resolution multispectral imagery with potential to spatially quantify plantation eucalypt health.Read moreRead less
Wandoo crown decline - an ecophysiological diagnosis. Eucalyptus wandoo forests and woodlands once covered a large area in SW Western Australia. Remnants of these ecosystems are now threatened by the Wandoo Crown Decline syndrome. We hypothesise that the progressive dieback of branches is due to drought stress, causing irreversible damage to water supply and/or predisposing trees to fungal disease. The project aims at identifying the physiological mechanism of Wandoo Crown Decline. This knowledg ....Wandoo crown decline - an ecophysiological diagnosis. Eucalyptus wandoo forests and woodlands once covered a large area in SW Western Australia. Remnants of these ecosystems are now threatened by the Wandoo Crown Decline syndrome. We hypothesise that the progressive dieback of branches is due to drought stress, causing irreversible damage to water supply and/or predisposing trees to fungal disease. The project aims at identifying the physiological mechanism of Wandoo Crown Decline. This knowledge is imperative for the assessment of risks for wandoo populations and for the formulation of management options.Read moreRead less
Pest Status and Management of a Creiss psyllid in Eucalyptus plantations. Research studies are required on the ecology and epidemiology of a Creiis psyllid, recently found causing significant damage in young Eucalyptus dunnii plantations. The susceptibility to psyllid damage to a range of selected clonal types will be examined. With increasing community concerns associated with insecticide usage and to reduce costs, exploitation of natural resistance is an avenue that counters economic threat f ....Pest Status and Management of a Creiss psyllid in Eucalyptus plantations. Research studies are required on the ecology and epidemiology of a Creiis psyllid, recently found causing significant damage in young Eucalyptus dunnii plantations. The susceptibility to psyllid damage to a range of selected clonal types will be examined. With increasing community concerns associated with insecticide usage and to reduce costs, exploitation of natural resistance is an avenue that counters economic threat from herbivorous insects. Since Australia is currently planting 100,000 ha of eucalypts per year results from this project are essential to build better management strategies for reduce the impact of this and all pests on tree survival and growth.Read moreRead less
The Biology, Ecology, Pathology and Control of Mycosphaerella Leaf Blights in Australian Eucalypt Plantations. Leaf spot diseases, caused by Mycosphaerella, have become widespread in over 150,000 ha of Eucalyptus globulus (blue gum) plantations in Western Australia, causing severe reduction in canopy area of young trees. This project will research the epidemiology of these diseases by studying the life cycles of the key pathogenic Mycosphaerella species identified in a previous project, modes an ....The Biology, Ecology, Pathology and Control of Mycosphaerella Leaf Blights in Australian Eucalypt Plantations. Leaf spot diseases, caused by Mycosphaerella, have become widespread in over 150,000 ha of Eucalyptus globulus (blue gum) plantations in Western Australia, causing severe reduction in canopy area of young trees. This project will research the epidemiology of these diseases by studying the life cycles of the key pathogenic Mycosphaerella species identified in a previous project, modes and timing of spore dispersal, the infection process, and host specificity. The economic impact of leaf spot diseases will be assessed from large exclusion trials. A predictive integrated management package for Mycosphaerella foliar diseases will be formulated and evaluated to minimising disease impact.Read moreRead less
Insect herbivore and plant responses in eucalypt forests under climate change at physiological, species and community scales. Understanding the drivers for insect populations and vulnerabilities to climate change are the first steps to predicting adaptation and mitigation strategies to minimise impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity. Our research will quantify the outcome of climate change on the still neglected but important insect community associated with eucalypts in Australian for ....Insect herbivore and plant responses in eucalypt forests under climate change at physiological, species and community scales. Understanding the drivers for insect populations and vulnerabilities to climate change are the first steps to predicting adaptation and mitigation strategies to minimise impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity. Our research will quantify the outcome of climate change on the still neglected but important insect community associated with eucalypts in Australian forests. These insect communities are widespread, diverse and quintessential for the Australian economy and ecology. Apparent climate change is expected to cause biodiversity shifts, leading to outbreaks and extinctions of insects in eucalypt forests. Negative outcomes of impacts could also include the accumulation of leaf litter, increasing bush fire activity in the future.Read moreRead less
Risk, impact on productivity and control of Mycosphaerella infections in plantations in plantations of E. nitens and E. globulus. Mycosphaerella, a defoliating fungal pathogen of eucalypts, has the potential to change markedly the economics of plantation development. This research will explore the fundamental physiological and pathological processes associated with the disease, link these findings into established process-based models of forest plantation growth for predictive purposes and util ....Risk, impact on productivity and control of Mycosphaerella infections in plantations in plantations of E. nitens and E. globulus. Mycosphaerella, a defoliating fungal pathogen of eucalypts, has the potential to change markedly the economics of plantation development. This research will explore the fundamental physiological and pathological processes associated with the disease, link these findings into established process-based models of forest plantation growth for predictive purposes and utilise hyperspectral remote sensing techniques to scale impact from the tree to plantation level. In doing this research not only are questions of key importance to an important and growing industry sector addressed, but an innovative approach to disease impact assessment established and a skills base and methodology widely applicable to other tree and agricultural disease problems established.Read moreRead less