Dynamic networks in a patchy landscape: will species interactions adjust to increased climatic extremes? This project addresses pressing questions on how increased climatic extremes will affect species diversity in arid Australia, building on the longest ecological dataset available for the continent's vast but fragile inland landscapes. Our tests of key ideas about strong interactions among species, their role in building resilient communities and conserving biodiversity, will generate consider ....Dynamic networks in a patchy landscape: will species interactions adjust to increased climatic extremes? This project addresses pressing questions on how increased climatic extremes will affect species diversity in arid Australia, building on the longest ecological dataset available for the continent's vast but fragile inland landscapes. Our tests of key ideas about strong interactions among species, their role in building resilient communities and conserving biodiversity, will generate considerable international interest, while our focus on interactions of species at water sources will address knowledge gaps to inform best practice in managing converted pastoral lands. The results will contribute to retaining healthy functioning ecosystems, and the vital production systems they support, as the global climate changes.Read moreRead less
Developing strategies for rehabilitating floodgated coastal wetlands: linking wetland hydrology, vegetation dynamics and waterbird communities. Along the Australian eastern seaboard, historical installation of floodgates on coastal wetlands has altered the hydrology and biogeochemistry of these systems with subsequent deterioration in their ecological integrity. This project will investigate structural and functional links between hydrology, vegetation and threatened waterbirds in wetlands of t ....Developing strategies for rehabilitating floodgated coastal wetlands: linking wetland hydrology, vegetation dynamics and waterbird communities. Along the Australian eastern seaboard, historical installation of floodgates on coastal wetlands has altered the hydrology and biogeochemistry of these systems with subsequent deterioration in their ecological integrity. This project will investigate structural and functional links between hydrology, vegetation and threatened waterbirds in wetlands of the New South Wales north coast. We will develop GIS-based ecological models to identify how these links are spatially and temporally altered by floodgate manipulation. Our overarching aim is to develop scientifically-validated protocols for floodgate manipulations that will aid managers in conserving the ecological integrity of coastal floodplain wetlands.Read moreRead less