Understanding the survival of forests under drought . Droughts are predicted to become more extreme in the near future, with potentially devastating impacts on Australian forest ecosystems. This project aims to address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of how plants tolerate extreme drought stress and utilise this new knowledge to improve vegetation models suitable for assessing ecosystem vulnerability. We will use innovative experimental methodology to determine the processes by which wat ....Understanding the survival of forests under drought . Droughts are predicted to become more extreme in the near future, with potentially devastating impacts on Australian forest ecosystems. This project aims to address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of how plants tolerate extreme drought stress and utilise this new knowledge to improve vegetation models suitable for assessing ecosystem vulnerability. We will use innovative experimental methodology to determine the processes by which water transport breaks down in roots, stems and leaves and the mechanisms governing recovery from severe drought stress. The project will provide a deeper understanding of drought tolerance in trees, improved forecasting of risks to native vegetation, and enhanced management of native forest resources. Read moreRead less
Diatom silica production under future ocean conditions, genes to biomes. This project aims to quantify how ocean warming and acidification will alter natural diatom assemblages and silica production rates to predict changes in the cycling and transfer of carbon and silicon in the future ocean. This project expects to generate new knowledge of environmental controls on diatom silicification and their ocean-scale implications by integrating the disciplines of physiology, molecular biology and quan ....Diatom silica production under future ocean conditions, genes to biomes. This project aims to quantify how ocean warming and acidification will alter natural diatom assemblages and silica production rates to predict changes in the cycling and transfer of carbon and silicon in the future ocean. This project expects to generate new knowledge of environmental controls on diatom silicification and their ocean-scale implications by integrating the disciplines of physiology, molecular biology and quantitative modelling. Expected outcomes include essential advancements in future simulations of marine productivity and silicon cycling and a deeper understanding of threats to marine life from climate change. This should provide significant benefits such as improved valuations on the sustainability of ocean ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Integrating biomechanics and ecology: moving from an individual- to population-level understanding of the effects of environmental change. Coral reefs, a key Australian resource, face an uncertain future due to environmental change. Up to now, environmental change research has focused on the individual level, severely limiting our predictive capacity. This project will develop a novel 'first principle' approach to solve this shortcoming and make population-level predictions possible.
The historical environment of Angkor: an investigation of synergy between people and landscape. Understanding the complex inter-relationship between humans and the natural environment is of critical importance. The use of geo-scientific techniques to interpret historical environmental records provides a useful tool for obtaining this knowledge. Using the medieval city of Angkor, Cambodia, as a case study, the proposed research will employ well-established analytical techniques in a new and innov ....The historical environment of Angkor: an investigation of synergy between people and landscape. Understanding the complex inter-relationship between humans and the natural environment is of critical importance. The use of geo-scientific techniques to interpret historical environmental records provides a useful tool for obtaining this knowledge. Using the medieval city of Angkor, Cambodia, as a case study, the proposed research will employ well-established analytical techniques in a new and innovative manner to reconstruct environmental change and cultural adaptation. This research, the first of its kind undertaken at Angkor, will revolutionise our understanding of this World Heritage site, and contribute to a better understanding of the synergy between human culture and its environmental context.Read moreRead less
Ocean acidification and marine fish: an evolutionary perspective. The overarching aim of this project is to advance knowledge on the long-term impacts of ocean acidification on marine fish and fisheries. An interrelated set of projects will be developed that tests the capacity of marine fish to adapt to projected future rises in ocean carbon dioxide and will investigate the effects of ocean acidification on apex predators and key fisheries species. The research will address critical knowledge ga ....Ocean acidification and marine fish: an evolutionary perspective. The overarching aim of this project is to advance knowledge on the long-term impacts of ocean acidification on marine fish and fisheries. An interrelated set of projects will be developed that tests the capacity of marine fish to adapt to projected future rises in ocean carbon dioxide and will investigate the effects of ocean acidification on apex predators and key fisheries species. The research will address critical knowledge gaps in ocean acidification research and provide advice about the impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity and fisheries productivity on time scales relevant to strategic management and policy decision-making in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Phenotypic and adaptive responses to environmental change. This project aims to investigate how environmental change will effect coral reef fish by assessing adaptive responses in a model species. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the interplay between adaption and plasticity both within and across generations using novel experimental designs. Expected outcomes include improved models of fish acclimation and adaptation to environmental change and an enhanced evidence base to info ....Phenotypic and adaptive responses to environmental change. This project aims to investigate how environmental change will effect coral reef fish by assessing adaptive responses in a model species. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the interplay between adaption and plasticity both within and across generations using novel experimental designs. Expected outcomes include improved models of fish acclimation and adaptation to environmental change and an enhanced evidence base to inform the management of cumulative impacts. This will provide significant benefits to Australian and international communities that rely on fish for nutrition, economic and/or social value.Read moreRead less
Maternal contributions to offspring development in a changing climate. This project aims to investigate how maternal contributions to offspring developmental environments affect metabolism, learning, growth, and survival of offspring. This project expects to provide mechanistic and evolutionary insights into how changes in metabolic function, brought about by changes in the developmental environment, contribute to variation in learning and life-history. Expected outcomes include an in-depth unde ....Maternal contributions to offspring development in a changing climate. This project aims to investigate how maternal contributions to offspring developmental environments affect metabolism, learning, growth, and survival of offspring. This project expects to provide mechanistic and evolutionary insights into how changes in metabolic function, brought about by changes in the developmental environment, contribute to variation in learning and life-history. Expected outcomes include an in-depth understanding of how changes in maternal investment and hormones impact offspring developing in different thermal environments and how such changes are mediated by compromised physiological function – providing significant benefits in understanding population persistence in Australia's rapidly changing climate.Read moreRead less
Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unk ....Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unknown consequences for coastal marine food webs. Innovative prey capture signatures from accelerometers, and advanced movement models from satellite locations will show how predators locate and prey upon fish schools. Anticipated outcomes are insight into how changing resource availability in the oceans affects ecosystem resilience; improved viability for coastal industries; and ecosystem-based conservation management strategies.Read moreRead less
The effect of native invasions on Australian fisheries species. This project aims to forecast climate-related changes in the diversity, distribution and abundance of fisheries species. In a changing world where many people depend on oceans for food and livelihood, predicting the future distribution of fisheries species is a challenge. Native invasions and ocean warming are stressing inshore fisheries species, but rigorous empirical data and models that can reliably forecast these effects are lac ....The effect of native invasions on Australian fisheries species. This project aims to forecast climate-related changes in the diversity, distribution and abundance of fisheries species. In a changing world where many people depend on oceans for food and livelihood, predicting the future distribution of fisheries species is a challenge. Native invasions and ocean warming are stressing inshore fisheries species, but rigorous empirical data and models that can reliably forecast these effects are lacking. This project intends to reveal the drivers of successful native invasions, evaluate their effect on fish diversity and productivity, and develop holistic models that forecast their effects on inshore fisheries species’ near-future distribution and stocks.Read moreRead less
The role of epigenetics in conferring resilience to environmental change. This project aims to determine whether epigenetic mechanisms confer resilience to environmental change in natural populations. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms is significant because they can mediate compensatory responses by animals to rapid environmental change. This project intends to link molecular changes to ecological outcomes to determine rapid remodeling of phenotypes to maintain fitness in variable environments ....The role of epigenetics in conferring resilience to environmental change. This project aims to determine whether epigenetic mechanisms confer resilience to environmental change in natural populations. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms is significant because they can mediate compensatory responses by animals to rapid environmental change. This project intends to link molecular changes to ecological outcomes to determine rapid remodeling of phenotypes to maintain fitness in variable environments. The project would benefit Australia’s research capacity and training, and the efficacy of conserving our natural environment.Read moreRead less