Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100018
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding bioacoustics in plants. From lush tropical rainforests to small urban gardens, plants take advantage of the surrounding soundscape to flourish, yet how they do this is still unknown. This will be the first experimental study to explore how and why plants sense sound in their environment, hence pioneering a brand-new research area in behavioural and evolutionary ecology.
Functional diversity in root systems that are critical for water and nutrient acquisition by Australian monocotyledons. Specialised root structures facilitate water and nutrient acquisition in grass-like sedges, a major vegetation type on nutrient-poor, intensely weathered soils in Australia. The project will enhance our understanding of key root structures and functional traits for water and nutrient acquisition in various habitats. The identification of such structures and traits will contribu ....Functional diversity in root systems that are critical for water and nutrient acquisition by Australian monocotyledons. Specialised root structures facilitate water and nutrient acquisition in grass-like sedges, a major vegetation type on nutrient-poor, intensely weathered soils in Australia. The project will enhance our understanding of key root structures and functional traits for water and nutrient acquisition in various habitats. The identification of such structures and traits will contribute to Australia's excellent international reputation in this discipline. Increased fundamental insight into the strategies of perennial monocotyledons in Australian ecosystems will be directly relevant to difficult cases of landscape restoration on skeletal soils with widely varying water availability and thus addresses the National Research Priority: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Does calcium toxicity explain the absence of most Proteaceae from calcareous habitats? Native Proteaceae plants inhabit sandy environments across Australia, but are invariably limited in their distribution by soil conditions. This project will determine elemental and genetic factors that determine Proteaceae distribution and survival, in order to improve ecosystem conservation and restoration strategies and preserve biodiversity.
Mammal declines in northern Australia: science for conservation and recovery. Australia’s unique mammal fauna is a rich biological heritage for the nation. It provides a wealth of ecosystem services, and many mammal species have special cultural or aesthetic value. However, our mammals are sadly depleted, and we already have the worst record of recent mammal extinction of any nation. Preventing further mammal extinctions, and managing environments to allow declined mammals to recover, will be of ....Mammal declines in northern Australia: science for conservation and recovery. Australia’s unique mammal fauna is a rich biological heritage for the nation. It provides a wealth of ecosystem services, and many mammal species have special cultural or aesthetic value. However, our mammals are sadly depleted, and we already have the worst record of recent mammal extinction of any nation. Preventing further mammal extinctions, and managing environments to allow declined mammals to recover, will be of great benefit to Australian biodiversity and to the ecosystem processes and human values that depend on it.Read moreRead less
Increasing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) recruitment in regional Western Australia through mammal conservation. The highly prized sandalwood is the basis of an industry that employs over 100 people and generates $12 million export income annually in regional WA. Natural recruitment of sandalwood is poor. This project will build on research, conducted by Murdoch University and the Forest Products Commission, that indicates natural recruitment of the tree is greatly enhance in the presence of nat ....Increasing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) recruitment in regional Western Australia through mammal conservation. The highly prized sandalwood is the basis of an industry that employs over 100 people and generates $12 million export income annually in regional WA. Natural recruitment of sandalwood is poor. This project will build on research, conducted by Murdoch University and the Forest Products Commission, that indicates natural recruitment of the tree is greatly enhance in the presence of native rat-kangaroos who cache the seeds. This project will train an APA(I) postgraduate through an industry based project that will evaluate increased recruitment of sandalwood by native mammal caching. Many of these mammals are Conservation Dependent or Threatened with extinction.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of plant species co-existence in species-rich ecosystems: testing hypotheses using spatially-explicit field data and computer models. A generally accepted explanation for the co-existence of species in high diversity communities is one of the outstanding unresolved issues in ecology. Current hypotheses fail to satisfy in their generality; spatial implications are inadequately explored empirically, and the hypotheses are not testable within a common framework. Advances in spatial analy ....Mechanisms of plant species co-existence in species-rich ecosystems: testing hypotheses using spatially-explicit field data and computer models. A generally accepted explanation for the co-existence of species in high diversity communities is one of the outstanding unresolved issues in ecology. Current hypotheses fail to satisfy in their generality; spatial implications are inadequately explored empirically, and the hypotheses are not testable within a common framework. Advances in spatial analysis and complex system modelling now make the search for a general explanation feasible. This project will parameterise and test the different co-existence hypotheses using spatial statistics, empirical/experimental studies of dispersal, recruitment, competition and herbivory, and spatially-explicit computer simulation models of community assemblage in species-rich Australian shrubland communities.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989062
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Airborne hyper-spectral scanning for advanced monitoring and assessment of vegetation and water properties. The proposed infrastructure will give Australian researchers the most advanced capabilities available world-wide in airborne remote sensing of the environment. By combining hyper-spectral scanning, with full wave-form resolving Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), microwave scanning and sythetic aperture RADAR, flown simultaneously on the most cost-efficient and technologically advanced re ....Airborne hyper-spectral scanning for advanced monitoring and assessment of vegetation and water properties. The proposed infrastructure will give Australian researchers the most advanced capabilities available world-wide in airborne remote sensing of the environment. By combining hyper-spectral scanning, with full wave-form resolving Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), microwave scanning and sythetic aperture RADAR, flown simultaneously on the most cost-efficient and technologically advanced research aircraft, it will be possible to assess and monitor a wide range of parameters not accessible to airborne methods before.Read moreRead less
Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to pre ....Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to predict. Retaining threatened species can benefit remote and regional communities through tourism, and also through the extra employment required to implement the management prescriptions that will be developed from this research.Read moreRead less
Is reintroduction of soil foraging animals critical for the restoration of degraded semi-arid woodlands? Locally-extinct animals are important, not only for their intrinsic value, but because they are thought to be essential for maintaining and restoring healthy ecosystems. This project will give us valuable insights into how ecosystems may have functioned prior to the loss of native animals, and how ecosystems can be restored when the animals are reintroduced. Our research will provide Australi ....Is reintroduction of soil foraging animals critical for the restoration of degraded semi-arid woodlands? Locally-extinct animals are important, not only for their intrinsic value, but because they are thought to be essential for maintaining and restoring healthy ecosystems. This project will give us valuable insights into how ecosystems may have functioned prior to the loss of native animals, and how ecosystems can be restored when the animals are reintroduced. Our research will provide Australian Wildlife Conservancy with the knowledge they need to continue their reintroductions, and information that encourages land managers to adopt strategies to ensure the survival of reintroduced animals outside of formal reserves. Read moreRead less
Maintenance of high plant diversity in phosphorus-impoverished ecosystems. This project aims to determine the role of soil-inhabiting pathogens and symbiotic fungi in the maintenance of plant diversity in Australia’s hyperdiverse shrublands. These are among the world’s most species-rich systems, yet occur on extremely poor soils. This project tests the hypothesis that plants that are best adapted to acquire phosphorus in these extremely infertile soils are most susceptible to soil pathogens. Thi ....Maintenance of high plant diversity in phosphorus-impoverished ecosystems. This project aims to determine the role of soil-inhabiting pathogens and symbiotic fungi in the maintenance of plant diversity in Australia’s hyperdiverse shrublands. These are among the world’s most species-rich systems, yet occur on extremely poor soils. This project tests the hypothesis that plants that are best adapted to acquire phosphorus in these extremely infertile soils are most susceptible to soil pathogens. This trade-off would equalise differences in competitive abilities among plant species and promote high plant diversity. The project will help elucidate how pathogens and symbiotic fungi together drive plant diversity in a globally significant biodiversity hotspot in Australia, with relevance to other biodiverse regions.Read moreRead less