Improved seasonal rainfall prediction for grain growers using farm level data and novel modelling. Successful grain production, a key export commodity for Australia, depends heavily on reliable seasonal forecasts. However, the highly variable climate means that for Australia’s 25,000 grain growers current forecasts lack detail in space and time. Using a combination of fuzzy classification and artificial neural networks, this project will develop a locally detailed continuously updating data-driv ....Improved seasonal rainfall prediction for grain growers using farm level data and novel modelling. Successful grain production, a key export commodity for Australia, depends heavily on reliable seasonal forecasts. However, the highly variable climate means that for Australia’s 25,000 grain growers current forecasts lack detail in space and time. Using a combination of fuzzy classification and artificial neural networks, this project will develop a locally detailed continuously updating data-driven seasonal forecast system using high density climate data from the 17,000 Grain Growers Association members and climate drivers such as sea surface temperature from the Bureau of Meteorology. After validation against observed data, the forecasts will be delivered via a web-based portal to users.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100123
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated CO2 free air research facility. Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated carbon dioxide-free air research facility: This project will provide infrastructure upgrades to the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) facility, globally the only FACE facility in low rainfall, non-irrigated agri-ecosystems. Low rainfall, non-irrigated agriculture systems play a very significant role in global crop production and are predicted to ....Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated CO2 free air research facility. Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated carbon dioxide-free air research facility: This project will provide infrastructure upgrades to the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) facility, globally the only FACE facility in low rainfall, non-irrigated agri-ecosystems. Low rainfall, non-irrigated agriculture systems play a very significant role in global crop production and are predicted to be negatively affected by climate changes. The requested infrastructure will enable direct, plot scale measurements of crop water balance and water status, including crucial influence factors such as root growth and architecture and crop canopy temperatures, and allow manipulation experiments to develop adaptation options to improve crop resource use efficiencies. Read moreRead less
Taking advantage of rising CO2 to maximise ecosystem productivity. The rising atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide provides an opportunity to increase ecosystem productivity, especially in agricultural systems. To what extent is highly uncertain, particularly when combined with changing temperature and precipitation. It has recently been demonstrated that seasonal water supply is the strongest controller of the productivity response to high carbon dioxide concentrations of grasslands. Th ....Taking advantage of rising CO2 to maximise ecosystem productivity. The rising atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide provides an opportunity to increase ecosystem productivity, especially in agricultural systems. To what extent is highly uncertain, particularly when combined with changing temperature and precipitation. It has recently been demonstrated that seasonal water supply is the strongest controller of the productivity response to high carbon dioxide concentrations of grasslands. This project aims to elucidate the processes governing this response and develop simple models that could allow the conditions required to maximise the productivity benefit from rising carbon dioxide concentration to be calculated.Read moreRead less
Bridging the gap between crop pollination services and pollinator health. Insect pollinators play an integral role in the quantity and quality of production for many food crops, yet there is growing concern that in agricultural landscapes, the limited availability of floral and non-floral resources might be contributing to global pollinator health declines. This project will synthesize global datasets, develop new methodological tools and conduct new, targeted empirical work to develop an integ ....Bridging the gap between crop pollination services and pollinator health. Insect pollinators play an integral role in the quantity and quality of production for many food crops, yet there is growing concern that in agricultural landscapes, the limited availability of floral and non-floral resources might be contributing to global pollinator health declines. This project will synthesize global datasets, develop new methodological tools and conduct new, targeted empirical work to develop an integrated approach to pollinator resource management with the explicit objectives of maintaining both wild pollinator health and to support crop pollination service delivery in modified systems.Read moreRead less
The Betaproteobacteria: could they play a key role in nitrogen fixation on infertile soils with legumes adapted to climate change? Microbial biosecurity is often overlooked when introducing agricultural species to Australia. As we research new legume species to make our $44 billion agricultural industries robust in the face of a changing climate, we need to be aware of the implications of the associated introduction of (beneficial) microbes. By exploring the globe for plants from regions that al ....The Betaproteobacteria: could they play a key role in nitrogen fixation on infertile soils with legumes adapted to climate change? Microbial biosecurity is often overlooked when introducing agricultural species to Australia. As we research new legume species to make our $44 billion agricultural industries robust in the face of a changing climate, we need to be aware of the implications of the associated introduction of (beneficial) microbes. By exploring the globe for plants from regions that already have the climate we are transitioning towards, we have discovered new perennial forage legumes from which we can build a robust agriculture in the arid regions of southern Australia. This will have enormous national benefit in rural regions. This project will research the essential microbial inoculants associated with these new plants.Read moreRead less
Advancement Of A Personalised Approach To Minimising Infective Complications In Cancer Care
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$265,138.00
Summary
Managing infections in patients with cancer have become more difficult and unpredictable because of new generation cancer therapies. Measuring the response of the immune system (immune profiling) will allow us to predict which patients will develop infection so that action such as vaccination can be taken to reduce their risk. This program will refine immune profiling to personalise infection care for cancer patients and to introduce it into hospital practice.
Developmental Origins Of Adult Cardiovascular Disease: Vascular Health In The Raine Cohort
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,087,427.00
Summary
The Raine study is a unique long term experiment that has collected extensive pre-birth and childhood data in ~3000 young Australians, who are now 27 years old. We plan to measure the artery health of 1200 of these volunteers and to determine what factors, both before and after birth, influence the presence of early atherosclerosis in humans. This study will guide strategies aimed at early prevention of heart attacks and stroke in humans, by defining the major risk factors.
Multimodel Phenotyping To Predict Oral Appliance Treatment Outcome In Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$525,777.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common sleep-related breathing disorder. Oral appliances worn during sleep to gently hold the lower jaw in a forward position are a novel treatment modality often appealing to patients. Currently use is limited as there is no means to determine if patients will be treated successfully. There is a need for simple, clinical methods to predict which patients are best suited to this new treatment approach and this project will address this by developing such a method.
Tree-mediated methane fluxes: A new frontier in the global carbon cycle. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Recent evidence suggests that tree-mediated fluxes may be a significant, but overlooked source of methane to the atmosphere. This project aims to quantify the magnitude and drivers of tree-mediated methane fluxes from Australia’s dominant forest types. Innovatively, we will be using a novel combination of empirical field based measurements, gas tracer experiments, microbial ana ....Tree-mediated methane fluxes: A new frontier in the global carbon cycle. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Recent evidence suggests that tree-mediated fluxes may be a significant, but overlooked source of methane to the atmosphere. This project aims to quantify the magnitude and drivers of tree-mediated methane fluxes from Australia’s dominant forest types. Innovatively, we will be using a novel combination of empirical field based measurements, gas tracer experiments, microbial analysis and modelling methods. Expected outcomes are a mechanistic understanding of tree-mediated methane fluxes, helping to constrain regional, national and global methane budgets. The results of this study will help inform publicly funded greenhouse gas abatement strategies, ensuring a maximal return on investment.Read moreRead less
Is restoration working? An ecological genetic assessment. This project aims to assess the success of restoration in terms of ecological and genetic viability for plant species in the Fitzgerald River–Stirling Range region of Western Australia, where significant investment is being made in restoring connectivity at a landscape scale. The project intends to compare reproductive output, pollinator behaviour, mating, genetic diversity and pollen dispersal in restored sites with those of undisturbed ....Is restoration working? An ecological genetic assessment. This project aims to assess the success of restoration in terms of ecological and genetic viability for plant species in the Fitzgerald River–Stirling Range region of Western Australia, where significant investment is being made in restoring connectivity at a landscape scale. The project intends to compare reproductive output, pollinator behaviour, mating, genetic diversity and pollen dispersal in restored sites with those of undisturbed natural vegetation. The project moves measures of restoration success beyond that of population establishment and survival to incorporate the evolutionary processes that provide long-term resilience, persistence and functional integration of restored populations into broader landscapes.Read moreRead less