Desert island biogeography: vertebrate dynamics after fire-induced fragmentation of habitat in central Australia. Recent wildfires in the Simpson Desert have burnt over three million hectares of hummock grassland, creating an archipelago of unburnt spinifex islands amid extensive areas of bare sand. Small mammals and reptiles are now confined to these refugia. This project seeks to characterise the patchy distributional pattern of terrestrial vertebrates among spinifex islands, and to experiment ....Desert island biogeography: vertebrate dynamics after fire-induced fragmentation of habitat in central Australia. Recent wildfires in the Simpson Desert have burnt over three million hectares of hummock grassland, creating an archipelago of unburnt spinifex islands amid extensive areas of bare sand. Small mammals and reptiles are now confined to these refugia. This project seeks to characterise the patchy distributional pattern of terrestrial vertebrates among spinifex islands, and to experimentally evaluate factors (grazing, predators, food) influencing community recovery. Using an extensive prefire database, the project provides an unique and novel opportunity to chart and model responses of terrestrial vertebrates to wildfire, and to provide guidance for sustainable use of biodiversity in central Australia.Read moreRead less
The renaissance predator: complex predator-prey interactions and vertebrate diversity in arid Australia. This project will greatly increase understanding of how predators influence the ecology and diversity of their prey in Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to conserve and manage our iconic but fragile inland landscapes. It will increase awareness locally about the richness of desert life and stimulate national and international interest by contributing to emerging debate about h ....The renaissance predator: complex predator-prey interactions and vertebrate diversity in arid Australia. This project will greatly increase understanding of how predators influence the ecology and diversity of their prey in Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to conserve and manage our iconic but fragile inland landscapes. It will increase awareness locally about the richness of desert life and stimulate national and international interest by contributing to emerging debate about how predators influence diversity. It will also establish an unparalleled 24-year time series of ecological data, and thus provide a key resource to chart the biological effects of climate change and assist sustainable management of biodiversity across the continent's vast interior. Read moreRead less
Conservation biology of the largest Australian freshwater tortoise, the broad-shelled tortoise, Chelodina expansa - rare and endangered or cryptic and secure? The Murray is a highly managed river, with flows controlled by catchments and diversions. The combined impacts of water resource development, habitat modification and introduced species are astonishingly diverse, and include extinctions of some fish and invertebrates and depression of populations of many other species. Australia's largest ....Conservation biology of the largest Australian freshwater tortoise, the broad-shelled tortoise, Chelodina expansa - rare and endangered or cryptic and secure? The Murray is a highly managed river, with flows controlled by catchments and diversions. The combined impacts of water resource development, habitat modification and introduced species are astonishingly diverse, and include extinctions of some fish and invertebrates and depression of populations of many other species. Australia's largest chelid turtle, the broad-shelled turtle, is a high-level consumer thought to be particularly sensitive to these changes. We will use an innovative combination of non-destructive technologies to investigate the conservation biology of this species in the Lower Murray, where it is regarded as rare and where its biology is virtually unknown to inform conservation management and restoration initiativesRead moreRead less
Biodiversity enhancement in arid Australia: the importance of micro-refugia and biotic interactions. This project will dramatically increase our understanding of the factors that influence the biodiversity of Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to manage these iconic landscapes for both conservation and production needs. It will attract attention from the international community by helping to resolve contentious theoretical debate about the function of refuge habitats, and how spec ....Biodiversity enhancement in arid Australia: the importance of micro-refugia and biotic interactions. This project will dramatically increase our understanding of the factors that influence the biodiversity of Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to manage these iconic landscapes for both conservation and production needs. It will attract attention from the international community by helping to resolve contentious theoretical debate about the function of refuge habitats, and how species interact with each other to influence overall diversity. It will provide the longest time series of ecological data available for any Australian desert, and hence provide a key resource for increasing community awareness and achieving sustainable management of biodiversity throughout the continent's arid interior. Read moreRead less