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
Evolution, adaptation and resilience of Australian freshwater fishes. This project will integrate comparative ecological genomics (in the wild and in the lab), phenotypic data and spatially-explicit modelling approaches to assess adaptation and vulnerability of aquatic biodiversity to environmental change. It focuses on a family of Australian freshwater fishes that evolved in response to hydrological disturbance and shows contemporary patterns of biodiversity shaped by hydroclimatic variation an ....Evolution, adaptation and resilience of Australian freshwater fishes. This project will integrate comparative ecological genomics (in the wild and in the lab), phenotypic data and spatially-explicit modelling approaches to assess adaptation and vulnerability of aquatic biodiversity to environmental change. It focuses on a family of Australian freshwater fishes that evolved in response to hydrological disturbance and shows contemporary patterns of biodiversity shaped by hydroclimatic variation and anthropogenic pressures. The project expects to disclose a positive correlation between family-wide adaptive capacity and variance in ecological disturbance. This work will address fundamental and novel questions about factors shaping adaptation and resilience along naturally and anthropogenically disturbed ecosystems.Read moreRead less
The evolutionary potential of fragmented and declining populations. This project aims to integrate adaptive genomic and epigenomic information from wild, captive and reintroduced populations to identify evolutionary potential across different life-histories and levels of habitat fragmentation. The project will capitalise on knowledge and genomic resources for Australian freshwater fishes, including a natural experiment of evolution. It is expected that the project will address fundamental and ap ....The evolutionary potential of fragmented and declining populations. This project aims to integrate adaptive genomic and epigenomic information from wild, captive and reintroduced populations to identify evolutionary potential across different life-histories and levels of habitat fragmentation. The project will capitalise on knowledge and genomic resources for Australian freshwater fishes, including a natural experiment of evolution. It is expected that the project will address fundamental and applied questions about the adaptive capacity of populations in their natural environment. The outcomes of the project will help evaluate and improve local and ecosystem-level initiatives towards the sustainable management of aquatic biodiversity impacted by human activities. The project will also inform on management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100036
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,054.00
Summary
Remediation of PFAS in current and legacy biosolids application sites. This project aims to develop novel immobilisation, adsorption and/or thermal destruction methods for biosolids, soil and groundwater in current and legacy per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) sites receiving biosolids. Biosolids generated during waste water treatment carry an unknown potential risk of soil and groundwater PFAS contamination, through their application in agriculture and rehabilitation sites. This project ....Remediation of PFAS in current and legacy biosolids application sites. This project aims to develop novel immobilisation, adsorption and/or thermal destruction methods for biosolids, soil and groundwater in current and legacy per- and poly-fluroalkyl substance (PFAS) sites receiving biosolids. Biosolids generated during waste water treatment carry an unknown potential risk of soil and groundwater PFAS contamination, through their application in agriculture and rehabilitation sites. This project will provide the first major investigation of the release, fate and remediation of perfluorinated compounds in relation to their environmental pathways through wastewater treatment plants in Australia. The data will be evaluated to determine if perfluorinated compounds should be further incorporated into Australian soil and water quality monitoring programs. The project will provide evidence of research advice and methodologies being successfully adopted by water industry end-users, government regulatory agencies and private remediation industries.Read moreRead less
Establishing a missing link between the global nitrogen and carbon cycles - anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas and currently accounts for 20 per cent of the total radioactive forcing in the atmosphere. This project investigates a previously unrecognized microbial process that oxidizes methane before it reaches the atmosphere. The project will deliver knowledge support to sustainable environmental management.
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR180100027
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,086,676.00
Summary
Integrated, scalable technology solutions for PFAS removal and destruction. This project aims to deliver a ready-to-deploy and scalable modular technology that is capable of removing poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a variety of water sources, including groundwater and surface waters, to make them virtually PFAS-free and therefore safe for human consumption. The concept draws on recent advances in water treatment and electrochemistry that is based on ion exchange, nanofiltration ....Integrated, scalable technology solutions for PFAS removal and destruction. This project aims to deliver a ready-to-deploy and scalable modular technology that is capable of removing poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from a variety of water sources, including groundwater and surface waters, to make them virtually PFAS-free and therefore safe for human consumption. The concept draws on recent advances in water treatment and electrochemistry that is based on ion exchange, nanofiltration and advanced oxidation. A risk-based framework will be developed to deliver fit-for-purpose solutions at minimal cost for stakeholders and taxpayers. This project is expected to benefit the residents who live in the vicinity of contaminated waterways or consume water from polluted sources.Read moreRead less
Miniaturised electrophoretic systems for distributed environmental sensing. This project aims to develop new low-cost sensors to quantify a range of water nutrients for continuous automated water monitoring. The project aims to design a microfluidic cartridge to obtain a particulate-free sample for analysis by the rapid separation of inorganic anions and cations. The cartridge is intended to be operated in a portable low cost, low weight, low power instrument. The deployment of multiple units ai ....Miniaturised electrophoretic systems for distributed environmental sensing. This project aims to develop new low-cost sensors to quantify a range of water nutrients for continuous automated water monitoring. The project aims to design a microfluidic cartridge to obtain a particulate-free sample for analysis by the rapid separation of inorganic anions and cations. The cartridge is intended to be operated in a portable low cost, low weight, low power instrument. The deployment of multiple units aims to provide a continuous data stream describing the changes in nutrient profiles within various waters, to feed into environmental models and inform best practice for agriculture and aquaculture industries.Read moreRead less
Remaking Wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin, 1800 to the Present. Focusing on four case study sites, this project aims to provide in-depth histories of key Australian wetlands with a particular focus on the changing and diverse uses, knowledge and values that have shaped these places. The Murray–Darling Basin is one of the key sites in which Australia’s agricultural, environmental and social future is taking shape, often through drawn-out process of contestation. Within this vast area, wetland ....Remaking Wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin, 1800 to the Present. Focusing on four case study sites, this project aims to provide in-depth histories of key Australian wetlands with a particular focus on the changing and diverse uses, knowledge and values that have shaped these places. The Murray–Darling Basin is one of the key sites in which Australia’s agricultural, environmental and social future is taking shape, often through drawn-out process of contestation. Within this vast area, wetlands stand out as places rich in resources as well as in biodiversity. The project aims to contextualise competing visions for the future, inform current management, develop novel approaches to authority and knowledge, and nurture exciting new directions in environmental history and the humanities.Read moreRead less
Development of novel and effective strategies for soil microbial- and rhizo-remediation of onshore petrogenic hydrocarbon spills. The extensive use of petroleum products represents a constant threat of oil spills to onshore and offshore environments. Petroleum spillage seriously impacts environment and human health. This project is aimed at providing a suite of techniques for dealing with onshore oil spills and thereby building Australia’s environmental response capability.
Promoting and managing national parks into the 21st century. National parks protect two thirds of Australia's biodiversity. If society does not regard parks as important, biodiversity loss through neglect is inevitable. This project aims to improve our understanding of the place of parks in society. Methods from marketing research, assessing and shifting the 'market position' of parks and managing the quality of visitors' experiences in parks to increase visitor loyalty, will be refined and appl ....Promoting and managing national parks into the 21st century. National parks protect two thirds of Australia's biodiversity. If society does not regard parks as important, biodiversity loss through neglect is inevitable. This project aims to improve our understanding of the place of parks in society. Methods from marketing research, assessing and shifting the 'market position' of parks and managing the quality of visitors' experiences in parks to increase visitor loyalty, will be refined and applied in two Australian states; Victoria and Western Australia. The project will build on and improve theories, methodologies and instruments for positioning and managing parks and visitors to parks in these two states and beyond, to achieve better knowledge and support for parks in 21st century society.Read moreRead less