Fertility Management of Koalas, Kangaroos and Wallabies. The aims of this work are to test a commercially available long-acting contraceptive on large populations of kangaroos and koalas, and to devise efficient, economic and practical ways of delivering these contraceptives to the animals. The outcome will be a system of controlling the number of these animals which is economically realistic and acceptable to national and international communities. The contraceptive is administered as a small, ....Fertility Management of Koalas, Kangaroos and Wallabies. The aims of this work are to test a commercially available long-acting contraceptive on large populations of kangaroos and koalas, and to devise efficient, economic and practical ways of delivering these contraceptives to the animals. The outcome will be a system of controlling the number of these animals which is economically realistic and acceptable to national and international communities. The contraceptive is administered as a small, subcutaneous implant in the back of the neck. It can be inserted very quickly and has no harmful side effects. A further outcome may be its adoption in other parts of the world, to the advantage of the company which manufactures it.Read moreRead less
Comparative ecology of common and threatened plants in fire-prone habitats. There is a critical lack of data on the fire responses of many threatened plant species in Australia, yet such information is essential for species recovery planning and land management. This project will use plants in the Family Epacridaceae (the heaths) as a case study to test whether particular plant traits are associated with rarity vs commonness in fire prone habitats of south eastern Australia. The results will in ....Comparative ecology of common and threatened plants in fire-prone habitats. There is a critical lack of data on the fire responses of many threatened plant species in Australia, yet such information is essential for species recovery planning and land management. This project will use plants in the Family Epacridaceae (the heaths) as a case study to test whether particular plant traits are associated with rarity vs commonness in fire prone habitats of south eastern Australia. The results will increase knowledge of the ecology of this particular, under-studied plant group and will also enable the development of ecologically sound fire management practices, especially in relation to threatened species.Read moreRead less
The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more ....The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more effective control measures. The project will develop a new paradigm about the roles of stress and immunity in biological invasion, applicable to the control of other invasive species and to understanding processes at work when environmental changes force species to shift their ranges.Read moreRead less
Naturalisation to invasion: how do naturalised plants become successful invaders? Invasive plants have enormous environmental, economic and social impacts in Australia, significantly affecting biodiversity and ecosystem processes, agricultural productivity and recreational amenity. This research will contribute substantially to our understanding of the processes that underlie the transition from naturalised to invasive for introduced plants. By identifying the key factors enabling naturalised pl ....Naturalisation to invasion: how do naturalised plants become successful invaders? Invasive plants have enormous environmental, economic and social impacts in Australia, significantly affecting biodiversity and ecosystem processes, agricultural productivity and recreational amenity. This research will contribute substantially to our understanding of the processes that underlie the transition from naturalised to invasive for introduced plants. By identifying the key factors enabling naturalised plant species to become invasive pests, this research will enable plant species most likely to threaten Australia's biodiversity and agricultural productivity to be identified and prioritized for screening and eradication.Read moreRead less
What is the spatial and environmental distribution of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota? Almost nothing is known about the geographic distribution of phylogenetic relationships across Australia at fine resolutions of the order of tens of kilometres. The aim of this research is to map the spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota and identify possible environmental controls over them. We will analyse five disparate groups at a spatial resolution that is ord ....What is the spatial and environmental distribution of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota? Almost nothing is known about the geographic distribution of phylogenetic relationships across Australia at fine resolutions of the order of tens of kilometres. The aim of this research is to map the spatial patterns of phylogenetic diversity in the Australian biota and identify possible environmental controls over them. We will analyse five disparate groups at a spatial resolution that is orders of magnitude finer than previous research, analysing their relationship with possible environmental controls using advanced spatial analysis methods. The knowledge we will generate about the spatial distribution of these relationships is essential to understand and conserve Australia's unique biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Ecology of insect herbivore assemblages: influence of climate, evolutionary history and plant traits. The results from this project will be a key reference when assessing future impacts of human-induced impacts on natural communities. Our research will provide insights into the impacts of climate change on herbivorous insects associated with Acacia: the dominant plant genus in the major climatic zones of Australia. Results and conclusions from this research will aid land-holders, government agen ....Ecology of insect herbivore assemblages: influence of climate, evolutionary history and plant traits. The results from this project will be a key reference when assessing future impacts of human-induced impacts on natural communities. Our research will provide insights into the impacts of climate change on herbivorous insects associated with Acacia: the dominant plant genus in the major climatic zones of Australia. Results and conclusions from this research will aid land-holders, government agencies and other parties in determining how important Acacia-dominated ecosystems are in conserving insect biodiversity in a range of different habitats within regional and rural Australia. Our research will also aid in a better understanding of biocontrol agents of Australian Acacia pest species here and overseas.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the last great Gondwanan mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna from the Tertiary of New Zealand. This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of trans-Tasman dispersals. By comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important fo ....Unravelling the last great Gondwanan mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna from the Tertiary of New Zealand. This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of trans-Tasman dispersals. By comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important for predicting and responding to future potentially-damaging events of this kind. Developing understanding about the timing and intensity of antipodean faunal response to past climate change will improve ability to anticipate and manage processes that threaten ecosystem resilience in both lands.Read moreRead less
Understanding and predicting the success of invasive plants: a leaf carbon strategy approach. Invasion of plant communities by exotic plants is a significant threat to biodiversity and ecosystem processes globally. This proposal seeks to understand strategies of invasive plants in novel environments both now and under predicted future conditions, using the framework of leaf carbon strategies. Comparative and experimental approaches will be used to understand leaf trait relationships of invasive ....Understanding and predicting the success of invasive plants: a leaf carbon strategy approach. Invasion of plant communities by exotic plants is a significant threat to biodiversity and ecosystem processes globally. This proposal seeks to understand strategies of invasive plants in novel environments both now and under predicted future conditions, using the framework of leaf carbon strategies. Comparative and experimental approaches will be used to understand leaf trait relationships of invasive compared with native species. This will contribute substantially to our understanding of global plant functional relationships, thereby enabling better prediction of potential invaders. The resulting data will also provide critical input for models of plant, ecosystem and biosphere responses to global change incorporating invasion dynamics.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to deter ....ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to determine how best to describe Australia's current biodiversity and the biological and environmental history leading up to the present. A major outcome will be the ability to predict the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity to assist management decisions across Australia, with lessons of global importance.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the Tree of Life's Diversity with the Paleobiology Database. The Paleobiology Database is the Internet's key source of scientific data on the fossil record. It records names and classification of fossil organisms and the ages, locations, and environments of the places that yield these fossils. It has often been used to estimate the number of species existing at different points in geological time. Macquarie will house the Database as it is expanded to record evolutionary relations ....Quantifying the Tree of Life's Diversity with the Paleobiology Database. The Paleobiology Database is the Internet's key source of scientific data on the fossil record. It records names and classification of fossil organisms and the ages, locations, and environments of the places that yield these fossils. It has often been used to estimate the number of species existing at different points in geological time. Macquarie will house the Database as it is expanded to record evolutionary relationships of many species. This information will help to estimate dates of origination for major groups such as mammals and birds. It will also help to show whether mass extinctions tend to target old groups with few surviving species, which will help to predict which groups will survive the current mass extinction.Read moreRead less