Re-evaluating the role of tannins in Australian forest ecosystems. As atmospheric CO2 concentrations rise, eucalypts will respond by decreasing the amount of protein in the leaves and increasing the concentrations of toxins called tannins. Together this will have the effect of making the leaves harder for herbivores to eat and slower to break down on the forest floor. We have developed a new way of measuring these effects and will use it to show which eucalypt communities climate change will mo ....Re-evaluating the role of tannins in Australian forest ecosystems. As atmospheric CO2 concentrations rise, eucalypts will respond by decreasing the amount of protein in the leaves and increasing the concentrations of toxins called tannins. Together this will have the effect of making the leaves harder for herbivores to eat and slower to break down on the forest floor. We have developed a new way of measuring these effects and will use it to show which eucalypt communities climate change will most affect and so which forests will become less able to support fauna. Apart from contributing to the better management of Australian forests, this project also enhances the National Carbon Accounting System by measuring how tannins influence litter decomposition and explaining the link with leaf chemistry.Read moreRead less
The resilience of marine ecosystems and fisheries to climate change: exploring adaptation strategies. This project will underpin Australia's commitment to maintaining environmental biodiversity and sustainability in the face of climate change. The Fellowship investigates the consequences of climate change on marine plants and animals, harvested resources and ecosystem functioning by identifying vulnerable species and habitats. It will provide management advice on balancing biodiversity and econo ....The resilience of marine ecosystems and fisheries to climate change: exploring adaptation strategies. This project will underpin Australia's commitment to maintaining environmental biodiversity and sustainability in the face of climate change. The Fellowship investigates the consequences of climate change on marine plants and animals, harvested resources and ecosystem functioning by identifying vulnerable species and habitats. It will provide management advice on balancing biodiversity and economic output under climate change. This information is of immediate use to a range of stakeholders including national, state and local government agencies. With its focus on ecological, economic and social impacts, this project will put Australian scientists at the forefront of research on the adaptation of marine ecosystems to climate change.Read moreRead less
What limits CO2 diffusion inside leaves? Dissecting the diffusion path with Arabidopsis mutants. Human induced increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is now generally accepted as contributing to global warming. Forecasting our future impact relies on models of terrestrial photosynthesis which use a signature in the atmosphere created by plants when they discriminate against the heavy stable isotope of carbon during photosynthesis. Discrimination between isotopes is affected by carbon dioxide dif ....What limits CO2 diffusion inside leaves? Dissecting the diffusion path with Arabidopsis mutants. Human induced increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is now generally accepted as contributing to global warming. Forecasting our future impact relies on models of terrestrial photosynthesis which use a signature in the atmosphere created by plants when they discriminate against the heavy stable isotope of carbon during photosynthesis. Discrimination between isotopes is affected by carbon dioxide diffusion within leaves and key steps in this process will be identified through the use of Arabidopsis mutants. Better representation of this process in models will improve estimates of terrestrial photosynthesis and climate change forecastsRead moreRead less
Water availability, evaporative demand and climate change. Water availability is the balance between supply (i.e., rainfall) and evaporative demand. Rainfall is well studied but evaporative demand is not. The scientifically useful measure of evaporative demand is the rate of evaporation of water from a metal pan - called pan evaporation. Worldwide measurements show decreasing pan evaporation rate over the last 30-50 years. This project will for the first time make a detailed study of that phenom ....Water availability, evaporative demand and climate change. Water availability is the balance between supply (i.e., rainfall) and evaporative demand. Rainfall is well studied but evaporative demand is not. The scientifically useful measure of evaporative demand is the rate of evaporation of water from a metal pan - called pan evaporation. Worldwide measurements show decreasing pan evaporation rate over the last 30-50 years. This project will for the first time make a detailed study of that phenomenon using a new purpose-built evaporation pan. This will result in better information and policy advice about changes in water availability with climate change.Read moreRead less
Non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in afforested ecosystems in southeastern Australia - fluxes, processes and regional budget. There are no data available about the extent of emissions of the non-CO2 greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane from soils of forest ecosystems in Australia and the current methodolgy to quantify these emissions contains high uncertainties. Using the latest technology available we propose to i) measure emission rates of afforested ecosystems for non-CO2 greenhouse gase ....Non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in afforested ecosystems in southeastern Australia - fluxes, processes and regional budget. There are no data available about the extent of emissions of the non-CO2 greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane from soils of forest ecosystems in Australia and the current methodolgy to quantify these emissions contains high uncertainties. Using the latest technology available we propose to i) measure emission rates of afforested ecosystems for non-CO2 greenhouse gases in relation to previous land-use in southeastern Australia, ii) identify the processes controlling the emissions, iii) use the obtained data to calibrate a biogeochemical model, and iv) use the model to estimate regional inventories for non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in southeastern Australia.Read moreRead less
Fitness in free-living populations in a changing world. We understand very little about the evolutionary and ecological response of populations to periods of rapid environmental change or volatility. New methods raise the possibility dissecting the various causes of change, and their demographic consequences. However, these methods depend on long-term studies of the genealogy, survival and reproductive success of individuals. Data on the iconic superb fairy-wren will be used to establish this ....Fitness in free-living populations in a changing world. We understand very little about the evolutionary and ecological response of populations to periods of rapid environmental change or volatility. New methods raise the possibility dissecting the various causes of change, and their demographic consequences. However, these methods depend on long-term studies of the genealogy, survival and reproductive success of individuals. Data on the iconic superb fairy-wren will be used to establish this species as a model for the study of climate change, and the extent to which living in social groups helps or hinders evolutionary response to such change.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989608
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,000.00
Summary
The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory: An In-Situ Ocean Acidification and Carbonate Chemistry Monitoring Platform. Climate change and ocean acidification are widely recognized as key threats to Australia's natural ecosystems, yet we are currently ill-equipped to respond due to poor knowledge of the scale/nature of the impacts. The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory will establish key infrastructure that will rapidly improve our understanding of the impacts of ocean acidification whic ....The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory: An In-Situ Ocean Acidification and Carbonate Chemistry Monitoring Platform. Climate change and ocean acidification are widely recognized as key threats to Australia's natural ecosystems, yet we are currently ill-equipped to respond due to poor knowledge of the scale/nature of the impacts. The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory will establish key infrastructure that will rapidly improve our understanding of the impacts of ocean acidification which is important to local communities and the nation given that coral reefs support over $6 billion in revenue (and employ 60,000 people) each year. This critically important information is essential to the management and protection of Australia's coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef.
Read moreRead less
Cosmogenic isotopes in glacial landscapes: climate change and production rates. By dating glacial deposits near Australia, we will provide new insights into climate change in our region. A better understanding of the factors that control climate change in our region will be of benefit to all Australians. We will use a tool called exposure dating that has become very important in understanding a variety of processes at the Earth's surface, many of which are poorly understood in the Australian reg ....Cosmogenic isotopes in glacial landscapes: climate change and production rates. By dating glacial deposits near Australia, we will provide new insights into climate change in our region. A better understanding of the factors that control climate change in our region will be of benefit to all Australians. We will use a tool called exposure dating that has become very important in understanding a variety of processes at the Earth's surface, many of which are poorly understood in the Australian region. Our research will ensure that Australia remains at the leading edge of the application of this technique and is included in future international research programs. Read moreRead less
Ocean Acidification in a Rapidly Increasing CO2 World. Carbon dioxide not only acts as a greenhouse gas but is being dissolved at increasing rates into the surface waters of the world's oceans, causing ocean acidity. We will examine how the rapidly increasing trend towards acidity in the oceans surrounding Australia is effecting the ability of marine organisms to calcify and determine the rate at which the world's ocean sink for CO2 is being reduced. New constraints will be placed on the critica ....Ocean Acidification in a Rapidly Increasing CO2 World. Carbon dioxide not only acts as a greenhouse gas but is being dissolved at increasing rates into the surface waters of the world's oceans, causing ocean acidity. We will examine how the rapidly increasing trend towards acidity in the oceans surrounding Australia is effecting the ability of marine organisms to calcify and determine the rate at which the world's ocean sink for CO2 is being reduced. New constraints will be placed on the critical threshold limits of CO2 emissions for sustainable calcification in both shallow tropical and deep-water marine ecosystems of the Southern Oceans.Read moreRead less
Reengineering a dynamic vegetation model to explore the stability of Australian terrestrial carbon. Overseas models do not represent Australian biophysical processes well: our flora and fauna are unique and our soils are old and nutrient poor. In contrast, the National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) is a world-class framework for estimating current carbon processes. By building NCAS expertise into an overseas model of soil and vegetation processes we can develop the capacity to increase our con ....Reengineering a dynamic vegetation model to explore the stability of Australian terrestrial carbon. Overseas models do not represent Australian biophysical processes well: our flora and fauna are unique and our soils are old and nutrient poor. In contrast, the National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) is a world-class framework for estimating current carbon processes. By building NCAS expertise into an overseas model of soil and vegetation processes we can develop the capacity to increase our confidence in future projections of carbon and vegetation change. Our proposal, linking Universities, CSIRO and the Australian Greenhouse Office establishes a team that is internationally competitive. It will enhance local expertise and local model development to ensure national policy development is underpinned by world-class science.Read moreRead less