Genetic architecture of species divergence and hybridisation in eucalypts. Eucalypts are an icon of Australia and are of great economic and ecological significance to the nation. They are the most widely planted hardwood trees in the world, but Australia is the centre of origin of most species and the custodian of this important native bioresource. Understanding the evolutionary processes that shape diversity in this internationally significant genus is important for its long-term management a ....Genetic architecture of species divergence and hybridisation in eucalypts. Eucalypts are an icon of Australia and are of great economic and ecological significance to the nation. They are the most widely planted hardwood trees in the world, but Australia is the centre of origin of most species and the custodian of this important native bioresource. Understanding the evolutionary processes that shape diversity in this internationally significant genus is important for its long-term management and conservation. This project links to large international initiatives currently underway for high-density mapping and sequencing of the eucalypt genome, to enhance the flow of information gained back to Australia for scientific, economic and environmental benefit.Read moreRead less
Ecophysiological limitations that affect water and carbon balance within large tree canopies: a comparative investigation. Supply of water to forest canopies is a major control of hydrological, atmospheric and biotic processes that impinge on groundwater stability, catchment yield, the fate of pollutants and plant productivity. Fundamental aspects of water transport and distribution within plant tissues remain obscured by conflicting experimental data and conflicting theoretical models that des ....Ecophysiological limitations that affect water and carbon balance within large tree canopies: a comparative investigation. Supply of water to forest canopies is a major control of hydrological, atmospheric and biotic processes that impinge on groundwater stability, catchment yield, the fate of pollutants and plant productivity. Fundamental aspects of water transport and distribution within plant tissues remain obscured by conflicting experimental data and conflicting theoretical models that describe physiological functioning.
Potential hydraulic constraints to the exchange of water and carbon between leaf and atmosphere require investigation before accurate models and informed decisions can be made with respect to the role of forests in biosphere-atmosphere processes. I will use large trees to investigate physiological and morphological determinants of hydraulic function and consider relationships between tree size, water requirements and water supply.
This project will foster comparative analyses of hydraulic functioning in large angiosperm and conifer species to elucidate universal principles that relate form to function and explain relationships between trees and their environment.
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Water-use efficiency of Australian tropical trees: mechanistic analysis at multiple scales. The proposed research will provide valuable information about the physiological functioning of trees in northern Australia. Experiments will elucidate mechanisms that can result in variation in water-use efficiency among different tree species. Such a mechanistic understanding will have multiple benefits: (1) results will be able to be incorporated into process-based models of carbon and water cycling ....Water-use efficiency of Australian tropical trees: mechanistic analysis at multiple scales. The proposed research will provide valuable information about the physiological functioning of trees in northern Australia. Experiments will elucidate mechanisms that can result in variation in water-use efficiency among different tree species. Such a mechanistic understanding will have multiple benefits: (1) results will be able to be incorporated into process-based models of carbon and water cycling in the north-Australian landscape; (2) they will provide valuable information for land managers interested in optimizing both plant biomass production and water resource management; and (3) they will provide a critical test of proxy methods for identifying high water-use efficiency in taxonomically diverse tree species.Read moreRead less
Measuring tree water use and calculating stand water use. The national benefit of this project is significant. Woodlands and forests transpire vast amounts of water into the atmosphere and this water is thus lost to human consumptive use. Given large variation in rainfall between years and between seasons, it is vital that water and catchment resource managers are able to estimate how much water is lost through trees. This allows estimation of the amount of water available for irrigation, drinki ....Measuring tree water use and calculating stand water use. The national benefit of this project is significant. Woodlands and forests transpire vast amounts of water into the atmosphere and this water is thus lost to human consumptive use. Given large variation in rainfall between years and between seasons, it is vital that water and catchment resource managers are able to estimate how much water is lost through trees. This allows estimation of the amount of water available for irrigation, drinking, other industrial uses or maintaining ecosystem health. This project will be the first to generate a mechanistic understanding thereby allowing estimates of water use across a range of woody ecosystems in Australia.Read moreRead less
The genus Banksia: can ecophysiological traits associated with nutrient acquisition explain species distribution and rarity? We aim to investigate if an important aspect of a specialised mechanism of nutrient acquisition by different species of the genus Banksia (Proteaceae) accounts for their distribution and rarity. This aspect is the pattern of exudates that are produced by their 'proteoid' roots. Different species of the Proteaceae produce different exudates and it is envisaged that variatio ....The genus Banksia: can ecophysiological traits associated with nutrient acquisition explain species distribution and rarity? We aim to investigate if an important aspect of a specialised mechanism of nutrient acquisition by different species of the genus Banksia (Proteaceae) accounts for their distribution and rarity. This aspect is the pattern of exudates that are produced by their 'proteoid' roots. Different species of the Proteaceae produce different exudates and it is envisaged that variation in pattern reflects their capacity to grow on certain soil types. Our studies will provide key information on processes that determine species distribution, with consequences for defining better management regimes for rare and endangered species.Read moreRead less
Design of Large-Scale Interconnected Dynamical Systems. Our aim is to develop a theory for the design, analysis and operation of large-scale interconnected systems. In recent years there has been an explosive growth in the implementation and use of large-scale systems due to the ready availability of interconnection technology. However, there is no satisfactory systematic theoretical basis for identifying and quantifying potential advantages or pitfalls of large-scale interconnections. Several a ....Design of Large-Scale Interconnected Dynamical Systems. Our aim is to develop a theory for the design, analysis and operation of large-scale interconnected systems. In recent years there has been an explosive growth in the implementation and use of large-scale systems due to the ready availability of interconnection technology. However, there is no satisfactory systematic theoretical basis for identifying and quantifying potential advantages or pitfalls of large-scale interconnections. Several aspects of interconnected systems will be considered. For example, can large-scale systems composed of dynamical sub-systems linked through communication channels be systematically designed? How does overall system behaviour vary with scale and subsystem dynamics? Such questions are largely open and their resolution lies at the heart of this project.Read moreRead less
Eucalypt growth in past and future environments - a novel approach to understanding the impacts of atmospheric CO2 and climate. The impact of climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 on Australia's plantation and native forests is a major concern for government and land managers. These forests are important for environmental, aesthetic, and economic purposes, including carbon sequestration and trading. Forests use large amounts of water, reducing stream flow and water supplies for rural and u ....Eucalypt growth in past and future environments - a novel approach to understanding the impacts of atmospheric CO2 and climate. The impact of climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 on Australia's plantation and native forests is a major concern for government and land managers. These forests are important for environmental, aesthetic, and economic purposes, including carbon sequestration and trading. Forests use large amounts of water, reducing stream flow and water supplies for rural and urban communities. Knowledge generated from the proposed project will provide insight into mechanisms driving productivity and water use of forests in current and future environments. The knowledge will be used by land managers and government to develop strategies to cope with future impacts of climate change.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
Landscape-scale population dynamics of open forests in the Australian monsoon tropics. Over the last century there has been a trend of increasing tree cover in many landscapes. Yet the causes of this globally important ecological phenomenon are poorly understood, but may include the effects of climate, fire, grazing and CO2. We will determine how an area of forest has changed over 50 years in Kakadu National Park, linking forest demography with remote sensing techniques, re-measurement and analy ....Landscape-scale population dynamics of open forests in the Australian monsoon tropics. Over the last century there has been a trend of increasing tree cover in many landscapes. Yet the causes of this globally important ecological phenomenon are poorly understood, but may include the effects of climate, fire, grazing and CO2. We will determine how an area of forest has changed over 50 years in Kakadu National Park, linking forest demography with remote sensing techniques, re-measurement and analysis of long-term tree demography datasets, and simulation models of tree population dynamics on a landscape scale. This will provide a scientific framework to develop sustainable land management and the conservation of Australia's forest biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Life history responses to habitat heterogeneity and implications for conservation. This exciting new research project will provide a novel understanding of how animals respond and adapt to environmental variation. This will fill a critical gap between ecological theory and real-world populations and initiate a major shift in how we view the relationship between environments and the species that inhabit them. Natural resource use practices like forestry are rarely considered compatible with biodi ....Life history responses to habitat heterogeneity and implications for conservation. This exciting new research project will provide a novel understanding of how animals respond and adapt to environmental variation. This will fill a critical gap between ecological theory and real-world populations and initiate a major shift in how we view the relationship between environments and the species that inhabit them. Natural resource use practices like forestry are rarely considered compatible with biodiversity conservation. This research will provide on-the-ground management recommendations to integrate such land uses with conservation, thereby providing both economic and conservation benefits to the Australian community.Read moreRead less