Impacts of changing detrital source biodiversity on estuarine ecosystems. Coastal development, invasive pests, and climate change are impacting abundances of estuarine aquatic plants. This in turn is affecting the composition and magnitude of detrital enrichment, threatening biodiversity, fisheries production and endangered birds. Our pioneering research will forecast the impacts of changing detrital-source biodiversity on soft-sediment communities and the food webs they support in Australia and ....Impacts of changing detrital source biodiversity on estuarine ecosystems. Coastal development, invasive pests, and climate change are impacting abundances of estuarine aquatic plants. This in turn is affecting the composition and magnitude of detrital enrichment, threatening biodiversity, fisheries production and endangered birds. Our pioneering research will forecast the impacts of changing detrital-source biodiversity on soft-sediment communities and the food webs they support in Australia and the USA. Ecological generalities obtained can be used to support policy development that ensures sustainable management of estuaries. This work will also facilitate training of early career researchers and focus research efforts of leading US researchers towards issues crucial for Australian estuarine management.Read moreRead less
Spatial scale of influence of riparian and catchment land use on stream ecosystem health. Human activities at the landscape scale comprise one of the greatest threats to the ecological integrity of river ecosystems. Government and community groups across Australia are making significant efforts in riparian protection and rehabilitation in an attempt to improve the health of degraded waterways but are hampered in their goal to maximise the environmental gains for every dollar or unit effort inve ....Spatial scale of influence of riparian and catchment land use on stream ecosystem health. Human activities at the landscape scale comprise one of the greatest threats to the ecological integrity of river ecosystems. Government and community groups across Australia are making significant efforts in riparian protection and rehabilitation in an attempt to improve the health of degraded waterways but are hampered in their goal to maximise the environmental gains for every dollar or unit effort invested. The proposed research on understanding the spatial scale of influence of land use and the aggregative effects on stream ecosystems will provide a robust framework to assess various options and optimise benefits from management actions. Read moreRead less
Enhancing nutrient retention in soils through management of microbial biomass. Soil microbial-processes are generally studied in relation to mineralisation of nutrients but rarely for their potential to retain nutrients and reduce nutrient leaching. We hypothesise that management of microbial immobilisation will enhance nutrient retention in nutrient enriched soils during seasonal rains. This hypothesis will be tested under strongly seasonal environments of southwest Australia where nutrient lea ....Enhancing nutrient retention in soils through management of microbial biomass. Soil microbial-processes are generally studied in relation to mineralisation of nutrients but rarely for their potential to retain nutrients and reduce nutrient leaching. We hypothesise that management of microbial immobilisation will enhance nutrient retention in nutrient enriched soils during seasonal rains. This hypothesis will be tested under strongly seasonal environments of southwest Australia where nutrient leaching from soils degrades quality of surface and groundwater. We will first investigate pathways and conditions leading to microbial immobilisation. We will then explore the regulation of substrate and nutrient conditions to promote such retention, and subsequently develop management interventions based on microbially-mediated nutrient retention.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775739
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$135,000.00
Summary
Environmental Research Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (ERIRMS). The projects supported by this facility are esential to: sustainable management of Sydney's surface and groundwater; understanding food webs and trophic interactions in Sydney Harbour and elsewhere on the eastern seaboard; developing predictive models for the impacts of climate change on Australia's forests, especially carbon sequestration and water yield; understanding the trade-offs involved in managing fire risks through prescr ....Environmental Research Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (ERIRMS). The projects supported by this facility are esential to: sustainable management of Sydney's surface and groundwater; understanding food webs and trophic interactions in Sydney Harbour and elsewhere on the eastern seaboard; developing predictive models for the impacts of climate change on Australia's forests, especially carbon sequestration and water yield; understanding the trade-offs involved in managing fire risks through prescribed burning, especially trade-offs involving carbon and water; and understanding and predicting air quality and the effects of emissions from cars, industry, fires and natural sources.
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A novel approach to tracking estuarine food chains: combined use of fatty acid and stable isotope biomarkers. Fatty acid biomarkers provide promising novel tracers for studying estuarine food chains. Stable isotopes, commonly employed in food chain studies, lack specificity to allow easy determination of feeding relationships. Different primary producers are characterised by unique fatty acid sequences. This study will thoroughly evaluate the applicability of fatty acid biomarkers in tracking ....A novel approach to tracking estuarine food chains: combined use of fatty acid and stable isotope biomarkers. Fatty acid biomarkers provide promising novel tracers for studying estuarine food chains. Stable isotopes, commonly employed in food chain studies, lack specificity to allow easy determination of feeding relationships. Different primary producers are characterised by unique fatty acid sequences. This study will thoroughly evaluate the applicability of fatty acid biomarkers in tracking both natural and human-impacted estuarine food chains. By developing a new approach of combining the advantages of fatty acid bioamrkers and stable isotopes in studying estuarine trophodynamics, this study will provide essential information for the management of estuarine biotic resources.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354582
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Australia-NZ Network for Vegetation Function and Futures. Plants shape our landscapes and drive ecosystem processes from local to global scale. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits. Global datasets about functional variation are emerging, with Australian and NZ leadership. A network would be supported in both Australia and NZ and with strong links elsewhere. It would target seven ambitious but achievable research developments. Each of them demands intensive conversation be ....Australia-NZ Network for Vegetation Function and Futures. Plants shape our landscapes and drive ecosystem processes from local to global scale. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits. Global datasets about functional variation are emerging, with Australian and NZ leadership. A network would be supported in both Australia and NZ and with strong links elsewhere. It would target seven ambitious but achievable research developments. Each of them demands intensive conversation between separate disciplines. Networking across all seven strands will create a broader linkage, spanning across palaeobiology, ecosystem function, vegetation structure, global change, ecophysiology, phylogeny, genomics, ecoinformatics and evolutionary theory.Read moreRead less
Transformations of catchment nutrients in southeast Queensland. Human activity in catchments throughout southeast Queensland has increased nutrient loads in receiving waters. However, until recently there has been a lack of accurate quantification of these loads, and little understanding of their role in stimulating algal blooms. This proposal will examine the links between catchment nutrient inputs to waterways, their transformations and effects on stimulating algal growth in freshwater systems ....Transformations of catchment nutrients in southeast Queensland. Human activity in catchments throughout southeast Queensland has increased nutrient loads in receiving waters. However, until recently there has been a lack of accurate quantification of these loads, and little understanding of their role in stimulating algal blooms. This proposal will examine the links between catchment nutrient inputs to waterways, their transformations and effects on stimulating algal growth in freshwater systems. The outcomes from this research will be information on how catchment nutrients are affecting water quality, thus providing a vehicle for targeting management strategies designed to reduce nutrient loads.Read moreRead less
Setting rehabilitation targets for regulated floodplain wetlands: linking system structure and function. Limited understanding of ecosystem processes in floodplain wetlands impedes adaptive management strategies for combating the decline in aquatic productivity and biodiversity. This project addresses three knowledge gaps critical for effective floodplain wetland management: 1) hierarchical spatial and temporal patterns of structural diversity; 2) correspondence between patterns of structural d ....Setting rehabilitation targets for regulated floodplain wetlands: linking system structure and function. Limited understanding of ecosystem processes in floodplain wetlands impedes adaptive management strategies for combating the decline in aquatic productivity and biodiversity. This project addresses three knowledge gaps critical for effective floodplain wetland management: 1) hierarchical spatial and temporal patterns of structural diversity; 2) correspondence between patterns of structural diversity, rates of system production, and food web structure, and 3) conceptual models of relationships between hydrologic regime and wetland structure and function. The project will improve understanding of the impacts of regulation on floodplain wetlands, contribute to adaptive management, and set rehabilitation targets for delivery of environmental flows for ecosystem sustainability.Read moreRead less
Testing the Flood Pulse Concept for rivers with variable flow regimes. For floodplain rivers the major unifying conceptual model linking hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology is the Flood Pulse Concept (FPC). The model is based on rivers that have a seasonally predictable and long duration inundation of floodplain habitats. Recent reviews of the FPC indicate that the model needs to be broadened to describe the function of rivers with more variable flow regimes. This project will test some of th ....Testing the Flood Pulse Concept for rivers with variable flow regimes. For floodplain rivers the major unifying conceptual model linking hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology is the Flood Pulse Concept (FPC). The model is based on rivers that have a seasonally predictable and long duration inundation of floodplain habitats. Recent reviews of the FPC indicate that the model needs to be broadened to describe the function of rivers with more variable flow regimes. This project will test some of the predictions of the FPC for variable dryland rivers by investigating how food webs in the channels of a floodplain reach respond to flows of different magnitude, seasonal timing and duration.Read moreRead less
The interplay between natural and human perturbations in structuring marine habitats. Empirical predictions of which could be the changes to natural habitats caused by human perturbations will increase the ability to prevent irreversible losses of biodiversity. This project will enable the planning of sound strategies for the conservation of valuable ecosystems, such as kelp forests, in view of the massive changes that will likely take place as a consequence of increasing exploitation of marine ....The interplay between natural and human perturbations in structuring marine habitats. Empirical predictions of which could be the changes to natural habitats caused by human perturbations will increase the ability to prevent irreversible losses of biodiversity. This project will enable the planning of sound strategies for the conservation of valuable ecosystems, such as kelp forests, in view of the massive changes that will likely take place as a consequence of increasing exploitation of marine resources and of global climatic changes. The scientific knowledge generated by this project is necessary for a sustainable development of coastal areas, which would guarantee the provision of goods and services to Australian future generations.Read moreRead less