Why conserve genetic variation? Is this misdirected effort or a crucial concern? In attempting to conserve populations of threatened plants, ecosystem managers must prioritise allocation of resources to both immediate and long-term threats, including loss of genetic variation. This study will determine the importance of maintaining existing genetic variation within populations of several species in a major Australian plant group. As well as advancing theory in the area of plant ecological genet ....Why conserve genetic variation? Is this misdirected effort or a crucial concern? In attempting to conserve populations of threatened plants, ecosystem managers must prioritise allocation of resources to both immediate and long-term threats, including loss of genetic variation. This study will determine the importance of maintaining existing genetic variation within populations of several species in a major Australian plant group. As well as advancing theory in the area of plant ecological genetics and evolutionary biology, our results will provide a stronger scientific basis for the development of conservation policy and management decisions for conserving threatened plant species. Read moreRead less
Fire, bees and other disturbances: the basis for variation in genetic diversity in long-lived plants. An understanding of processes generating temporal and spatial patterns of genetic diversity in perennial plants must underpin successful conservation. Our long-term study will exploit systems in the family Proteaceae in which we have completed foundation studies. We will develop and extend molecular techniques to measure (i) genetic changes from seed to adult, (ii) gene flow by different pollina ....Fire, bees and other disturbances: the basis for variation in genetic diversity in long-lived plants. An understanding of processes generating temporal and spatial patterns of genetic diversity in perennial plants must underpin successful conservation. Our long-term study will exploit systems in the family Proteaceae in which we have completed foundation studies. We will develop and extend molecular techniques to measure (i) genetic changes from seed to adult, (ii) gene flow by different pollinator classes, and (iii) genetic contamination by foreign gene pools, in systems affected by introduced pollinators and natural and cultivar hybridization. Most importantly, we will use fire as an accelerant of generational change and test fitness consequences of changes in genotypic diversity.Read moreRead less
A new phylogenetic framework for estimating local, regional, and global biodiversity. Australia is one of the 12 megadiverse countries that together account for 75% of global biodiversity. Invertebrates comprise the single largest component of biodiversity. The Australian invertebrate fauna is poorly known and therefore most conservation planning takes place in the absence of knowledge about the group that contributes most to biodiversity. This project will provide novel methods for estimating i ....A new phylogenetic framework for estimating local, regional, and global biodiversity. Australia is one of the 12 megadiverse countries that together account for 75% of global biodiversity. Invertebrates comprise the single largest component of biodiversity. The Australian invertebrate fauna is poorly known and therefore most conservation planning takes place in the absence of knowledge about the group that contributes most to biodiversity. This project will provide novel methods for estimating invertebrate species richness for conservation planning as well as contributing to the important debate about the magnitude and distribution of global biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Refining Restoration Ecology: Is Range of Historical Variability an appropriate concept to guide ecosystem management and restoration? Ecosystem restoration is an urgent task in many Australian landscapes. Range of Historical Variability (RHV) theory provides an influential but largely untested framework to guide restoration activities. We will test the RHV proposition that biodiversity conservation is enhanced if the structure of altered ecosystems is restored within the pre-settlement range. P ....Refining Restoration Ecology: Is Range of Historical Variability an appropriate concept to guide ecosystem management and restoration? Ecosystem restoration is an urgent task in many Australian landscapes. Range of Historical Variability (RHV) theory provides an influential but largely untested framework to guide restoration activities. We will test the RHV proposition that biodiversity conservation is enhanced if the structure of altered ecosystems is restored within the pre-settlement range. Plants, vertebrates and invertebrates will be compared between ?unrestored? Callitris woodlands dominated by post-settlement regrowth, and ?restored? stands where regrowth has been reduced within the RHV. This will be the first test of RHV theory to encompass a range of taxonomic and functional groups at both local and landscape scales.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346454
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Native plant mesocosm facility. Mesocosms allow ecological processes to be studied at scales intermediate between the field and laboratory. We will establish a native plant mesocosm, allowing us to accurately manipulate environmental factors such as soil moisture, mineral nutrients and temperature. This will enable us to assess how plants adjust resource allocation patterns and determine genotypic and phenotypic responses to varying environmental conditions. Such research will provide insight in ....Native plant mesocosm facility. Mesocosms allow ecological processes to be studied at scales intermediate between the field and laboratory. We will establish a native plant mesocosm, allowing us to accurately manipulate environmental factors such as soil moisture, mineral nutrients and temperature. This will enable us to assess how plants adjust resource allocation patterns and determine genotypic and phenotypic responses to varying environmental conditions. Such research will provide insight into how native plants persist in and adapt to changing environmental conditions. The facility will strengthen existing collaboration with NSW NPWS, enhance post-graduate and post-doctoral training, and provide improved conservation and management outcomes for native plants.Read moreRead less
Fire severity, habitat heterogeneity and life histories. Resolving the persistence ability of plants in frequently fired landscapes. The wise management of Australia's biodiversity has major economic and social benefits for the nation through the provision of ecosystem services, bio-products and tourism. Fire is a pivotal environmental factor that will continue to influence plant biodiversity in fire-prone ecosystems. Inappropriate fire regimes, however, threaten biodiversity through disruption ....Fire severity, habitat heterogeneity and life histories. Resolving the persistence ability of plants in frequently fired landscapes. The wise management of Australia's biodiversity has major economic and social benefits for the nation through the provision of ecosystem services, bio-products and tourism. Fire is a pivotal environmental factor that will continue to influence plant biodiversity in fire-prone ecosystems. Inappropriate fire regimes, however, threaten biodiversity through disruption of life cycles. If too many or too few fires occur in an area this can lead to decline and extinction of plant and animal species. This research will provide a risk-assessment tool for the management of biodiversity to reverse population declines and prevent extinctions.
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Protecting prey with chemical camouflage. We develop an entirely new solution to protect rare and endangered wildlife and to improve the survival of rehabilitated and reintroduced animals at risk from alien predation. Our cost-effective approach will improve conservation efforts in Australia and our solution can be used by both large conservation organisations as well as small community groups aiming to protect key wildlife. Our technique can also be exported to solve alien species problems else ....Protecting prey with chemical camouflage. We develop an entirely new solution to protect rare and endangered wildlife and to improve the survival of rehabilitated and reintroduced animals at risk from alien predation. Our cost-effective approach will improve conservation efforts in Australia and our solution can be used by both large conservation organisations as well as small community groups aiming to protect key wildlife. Our technique can also be exported to solve alien species problems elsewhere in the world. This work strengthens Australia's world renowned expertise for research into alien species and ability to develop novel solutions to alien impactsRead moreRead less
Effects of European colonisation on indigenous ecosystems: multiple-scale spatial structure of pre- and post-settlement Callitris forests. Since European colonisation, altered disturbance regimes, especially fire and grazing, have greatly affected intact ecosystems across the globe. However, the extent and causes of changes are often hotly contested. This study will examine how European colonisation has affected natural ecosystems, by documenting historical fire regimes and comparing pre- and po ....Effects of European colonisation on indigenous ecosystems: multiple-scale spatial structure of pre- and post-settlement Callitris forests. Since European colonisation, altered disturbance regimes, especially fire and grazing, have greatly affected intact ecosystems across the globe. However, the extent and causes of changes are often hotly contested. This study will examine how European colonisation has affected natural ecosystems, by documenting historical fire regimes and comparing pre- and post-settlement forest patterns across multiple spatial scales. The study will be conducted in temperate Callitris forests, and will provide the first, multiple-scale, spatial analysis of post-settlement vegetation changes in Australia. Results will enhance our global understanding of European environmental impacts and provide quantitative benchmarks to inform vegetation management.Read moreRead less
Predicting climate change impacts on the biodiversity of Lord Howe Island: an approach using experimental and historical data. Climate change will have profound impacts on biodiversity. We will investigate both recent and future impacts of climate change on invertebrate and plant assemblages on Lord Howe Island, an important World Heritage Area. We will 1. compare current assemblages with a unique set of historical databases spanning the past 150 years, to investigate whether recent warming has ....Predicting climate change impacts on the biodiversity of Lord Howe Island: an approach using experimental and historical data. Climate change will have profound impacts on biodiversity. We will investigate both recent and future impacts of climate change on invertebrate and plant assemblages on Lord Howe Island, an important World Heritage Area. We will 1. compare current assemblages with a unique set of historical databases spanning the past 150 years, to investigate whether recent warming has affected community composition and 2. experimentally assess impacts of increasing temperature and CO2 on Lord Howe's unique flora and fauna. Our assessment of species vulnerability to climate change threats will be used to inform future conservation policy and species management on Lord Howe. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989072
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
High throughput nitrogen analysis for ecological studies. Australian environments are unproductive partly because they contain little Nitrogen (N) and changes in atmospheric CO2 will exacerbate this. Furthermore, animals cannot extract all the N from the plants they eat. An assay has been developed that measures how much they can extract (available N) and it is intended to use it to measure habitat quality and the effects of climate change over large tracts of land. This requires thousands of ....High throughput nitrogen analysis for ecological studies. Australian environments are unproductive partly because they contain little Nitrogen (N) and changes in atmospheric CO2 will exacerbate this. Furthermore, animals cannot extract all the N from the plants they eat. An assay has been developed that measures how much they can extract (available N) and it is intended to use it to measure habitat quality and the effects of climate change over large tracts of land. This requires thousands of N analyses. The equipment we are requesting - a LECO combustion analyser, allows us to analyse samples quickly and safely and uses fewer chemicals and much less water than do traditional machines.Read moreRead less