When fire and water mix: do carbon dioxide-related water savings drive woody plant thickening and fire dynamics in a grassy woodland? Australia's woodland landscapes have experienced widespread shrub expansion in the last century due to changes in fire, grazing and atmospheric carbon dioxide. This project will endevour to fill critical gaps in the nexus between carbon dioxide-induced effects on vegetation and fire disturbance to help explain this phenomenon and help manage Australian woodlands i ....When fire and water mix: do carbon dioxide-related water savings drive woody plant thickening and fire dynamics in a grassy woodland? Australia's woodland landscapes have experienced widespread shrub expansion in the last century due to changes in fire, grazing and atmospheric carbon dioxide. This project will endevour to fill critical gaps in the nexus between carbon dioxide-induced effects on vegetation and fire disturbance to help explain this phenomenon and help manage Australian woodlands into the future.Read moreRead less
Understanding snow gum dieback for effective and integrated management. The project leverages recent research and infrastructure investments and our determined and collaborative team as it aims to: 1) assess the future geography of snow gum dieback in the high country and identify priority locations for pro-active management, 2) quantify the impact of snow gums on high country water and carbon budgets and thus the socio- economic and biodiversity values, and 3) determine options for mitigation. ....Understanding snow gum dieback for effective and integrated management. The project leverages recent research and infrastructure investments and our determined and collaborative team as it aims to: 1) assess the future geography of snow gum dieback in the high country and identify priority locations for pro-active management, 2) quantify the impact of snow gums on high country water and carbon budgets and thus the socio- economic and biodiversity values, and 3) determine options for mitigation. Dieback of our iconic snow gum forests is diminishing the ecological, hydrological and cultural values of the Australian Alps and will impact state and national water-supply and power-generation systems. Our research will inform Alps-wide management efforts designed for long-term success.Read moreRead less
Predicting climate change impacts on the biodiversity of Lord Howe Island: an approach using experimental and historical data. Climate change will have profound impacts on biodiversity. We will investigate both recent and future impacts of climate change on invertebrate and plant assemblages on Lord Howe Island, an important World Heritage Area. We will 1. compare current assemblages with a unique set of historical databases spanning the past 150 years, to investigate whether recent warming has ....Predicting climate change impacts on the biodiversity of Lord Howe Island: an approach using experimental and historical data. Climate change will have profound impacts on biodiversity. We will investigate both recent and future impacts of climate change on invertebrate and plant assemblages on Lord Howe Island, an important World Heritage Area. We will 1. compare current assemblages with a unique set of historical databases spanning the past 150 years, to investigate whether recent warming has affected community composition and 2. experimentally assess impacts of increasing temperature and CO2 on Lord Howe's unique flora and fauna. Our assessment of species vulnerability to climate change threats will be used to inform future conservation policy and species management on Lord Howe. Read moreRead less
Optimal photosynthetic traits on ecological time-scales. This project aims to understand how soils and climate shape plant ecological strategies for nutrient and water use in photosynthesis. Terrestrial biosphere models (including ecosystem, land surface and vegetation models) are based on a biochemical model for photosynthesis that accurately represents processes on physiological time-scales but lacks the ecological-evolutionary perspective needed to understand species’ adaptations along geogra ....Optimal photosynthetic traits on ecological time-scales. This project aims to understand how soils and climate shape plant ecological strategies for nutrient and water use in photosynthesis. Terrestrial biosphere models (including ecosystem, land surface and vegetation models) are based on a biochemical model for photosynthesis that accurately represents processes on physiological time-scales but lacks the ecological-evolutionary perspective needed to understand species’ adaptations along geographic gradients of soils and climate. This project will integrate theory based on microeconomic and optimality principles with empirical analysis of local- and global-scale trait datasets. This knowledge is intended to form the core of a ‘next-generation’ global vegetation model. This will allow government agencies to discover the likely effects of future climate and carbon dioxide changes on Australian vegetation structure, function and composition, forest productivity, and biodiversity.Read moreRead less
The future of fruit fly control: making the Sterile Insect Technique work for Queensland fruit fly. The future of fruit fly control in Australia lies in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): it is the only non-pesticide option that can totally eliminate pest populations. Millions of dollars have already been invested to establish an SIT program against Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly) in southern and eastern Australia, but this program is currently largely ineffective due to the poor performance of t ....The future of fruit fly control: making the Sterile Insect Technique work for Queensland fruit fly. The future of fruit fly control in Australia lies in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): it is the only non-pesticide option that can totally eliminate pest populations. Millions of dollars have already been invested to establish an SIT program against Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly) in southern and eastern Australia, but this program is currently largely ineffective due to the poor performance of the mass-reared sterile flies. This project will apply genetic, ecological and technical solutions to the problems facing the current Q-fly control program. Effective control of Q-fly will enhance the international competitiveness of Australia's horticultural industries.Read moreRead less
The renaissance predator: complex predator-prey interactions and vertebrate diversity in arid Australia. This project will greatly increase understanding of how predators influence the ecology and diversity of their prey in Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to conserve and manage our iconic but fragile inland landscapes. It will increase awareness locally about the richness of desert life and stimulate national and international interest by contributing to emerging debate about h ....The renaissance predator: complex predator-prey interactions and vertebrate diversity in arid Australia. This project will greatly increase understanding of how predators influence the ecology and diversity of their prey in Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to conserve and manage our iconic but fragile inland landscapes. It will increase awareness locally about the richness of desert life and stimulate national and international interest by contributing to emerging debate about how predators influence diversity. It will also establish an unparalleled 24-year time series of ecological data, and thus provide a key resource to chart the biological effects of climate change and assist sustainable management of biodiversity across the continent's vast interior. Read moreRead less
Boom and bust: the role of fire and rain in driving the dynamics of seeds and rodents in arid Australia. The arid Australian environment oscillates between spectacular boom periods, when biotic productivity and diversity are high, and busts, when biotic resources are depleted. This project first outlines a conceptual model of this dynamic and complex system. It then investigates the roles of rainfall and fire in driving boom-bust events, focusing particularly on food resources (seeds) and their ....Boom and bust: the role of fire and rain in driving the dynamics of seeds and rodents in arid Australia. The arid Australian environment oscillates between spectacular boom periods, when biotic productivity and diversity are high, and busts, when biotic resources are depleted. This project first outlines a conceptual model of this dynamic and complex system. It then investigates the roles of rainfall and fire in driving boom-bust events, focusing particularly on food resources (seeds) and their consumers (desert rodents) in the hyper-variable Simpson Desert. We propose observations and experiments to quantify how these climatic events affect seed production, seed fate, and ultimately the dynamics of desert rodents, and outline their importance for effective management of the desert environment.Read moreRead less
Toad vs Toad: Innovative approaches to understand and control an invasive species. Understanding the ecology of an invasive pest species can be a powerful tool for developing control methods. Cane toads pose a major threat to Australian native species, and are spreading increasingly rapidly through the Australian tropics. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the biology of invasion-front populations of toads. This project will provide that understanding, and will explore new ideas a ....Toad vs Toad: Innovative approaches to understand and control an invasive species. Understanding the ecology of an invasive pest species can be a powerful tool for developing control methods. Cane toads pose a major threat to Australian native species, and are spreading increasingly rapidly through the Australian tropics. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the biology of invasion-front populations of toads. This project will provide that understanding, and will explore new ideas about ways to control toad populations. For example, if we can reduce the survival of feral animals by increasing the intensity of competition within their own popualtions rather than relying on effects of other species, we may be able to use the toads to control their own populations.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100208
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
How species interactions shape range boundaries. This project aims to discover how biotic interactions limit plant species distributions. This knowledge is crucial for improving models of plant response to climate and land-use change. Current modelling techniques routinely ignore interactions such as competition, focusing solely on the environment as a predictor of species range. Using trait-based analyses at a continental scale and targeted transplant experiments, this project aims to better un ....How species interactions shape range boundaries. This project aims to discover how biotic interactions limit plant species distributions. This knowledge is crucial for improving models of plant response to climate and land-use change. Current modelling techniques routinely ignore interactions such as competition, focusing solely on the environment as a predictor of species range. Using trait-based analyses at a continental scale and targeted transplant experiments, this project aims to better understand range limits of Australian plant species. This approach is expected to improve the ability to identify which plants will be the 'winners and losers' as the climate changes and to manage the risk to Australia’s flora.Read moreRead less
Fire, bees and other disturbances: the basis for variation in genetic diversity in long-lived plants. An understanding of processes generating temporal and spatial patterns of genetic diversity in perennial plants must underpin successful conservation. Our long-term study will exploit systems in the family Proteaceae in which we have completed foundation studies. We will develop and extend molecular techniques to measure (i) genetic changes from seed to adult, (ii) gene flow by different pollina ....Fire, bees and other disturbances: the basis for variation in genetic diversity in long-lived plants. An understanding of processes generating temporal and spatial patterns of genetic diversity in perennial plants must underpin successful conservation. Our long-term study will exploit systems in the family Proteaceae in which we have completed foundation studies. We will develop and extend molecular techniques to measure (i) genetic changes from seed to adult, (ii) gene flow by different pollinator classes, and (iii) genetic contamination by foreign gene pools, in systems affected by introduced pollinators and natural and cultivar hybridization. Most importantly, we will use fire as an accelerant of generational change and test fitness consequences of changes in genotypic diversity.Read moreRead less