Maintaining biodiversity and ecological resilience in the face of global environmental change. This project addresses the two great challenges facing scientists trying to predict the effects of global change on Australia’s ecosystems: i) What factors most exacerbate the total impact of global change? ii) How do the complex responses of so many interacting species actually translate into altered structural properties of the web of life?
Global change and food web structure: synergistic effects of multiple drivers of global change on species interaction networks. This project addresses the two great challenges facing scientists trying to predict the effects of global change on Australia's ecosystems: i) What factors most exacerbate the total impact of global change? ii) How do the complex responses of so many interacting species actually translate into altered structural properties of the web of life?
Promoting resilience of ecosystems through connectivity. The resilience of ecosystems in the face of major environmental disturbances is emerging as a major concern for modern ecology. Connectivity of ecosystem components is a critically important element of ecosystem function and should, theoretically, be central to system resilience. The relationship between connectivity and resilience, however, remains poorly substantiated by empirical data. By manipulating connectivity in laboratory experime ....Promoting resilience of ecosystems through connectivity. The resilience of ecosystems in the face of major environmental disturbances is emerging as a major concern for modern ecology. Connectivity of ecosystem components is a critically important element of ecosystem function and should, theoretically, be central to system resilience. The relationship between connectivity and resilience, however, remains poorly substantiated by empirical data. By manipulating connectivity in laboratory experiments using a well-understood model marine system, the project aims to determine how connectivity affects resilience. It could provide a crucial step towards integrating connectivity into management and conservation of natural resources.Read moreRead less
Managing evolutionary-ecological process in restoring Banksia woodland resilient to global environmental changes. By manipulating genetic diversity, local selection and gene flow in restored plant communities, this project will establish suitable regimes to manage evolutionary processes in large-scale restoration, thereby improving success and resilience to future changes. It will significantly advance our understanding of evolutionary processes operating in restoration efforts, and lead to impr ....Managing evolutionary-ecological process in restoring Banksia woodland resilient to global environmental changes. By manipulating genetic diversity, local selection and gene flow in restored plant communities, this project will establish suitable regimes to manage evolutionary processes in large-scale restoration, thereby improving success and resilience to future changes. It will significantly advance our understanding of evolutionary processes operating in restoration efforts, and lead to improved restoration success, better long-term ecological functioning in restored ecosystems, better investment of resources, and maintenance of Australia’s biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change. These findings should be of relevance to broader restoration initiatives managed by the government, community, and industry nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Ecosystem quality and herbivore dynamics in tropical rainforests fragmented by deforestation. After logging, large expanses of south-east Asian rainforests are being converted to oil palm plantations. This is occurring within a mega-diverse area of global ecological and conservation significance yet the ecological consequences of this process are poorly understood. This project will examine patterns of changes in key arthropod herbivores, their food resources and natural enemies within experimen ....Ecosystem quality and herbivore dynamics in tropical rainforests fragmented by deforestation. After logging, large expanses of south-east Asian rainforests are being converted to oil palm plantations. This is occurring within a mega-diverse area of global ecological and conservation significance yet the ecological consequences of this process are poorly understood. This project will examine patterns of changes in key arthropod herbivores, their food resources and natural enemies within experimentally fragmented post-logging forests. The project will quantify the effects of fragment size, location and vegetation upon the herbivore dynamics, their impact on the vegetation and their interactions with their natural enemies. The project aid understanding the dynamics of the ecosystems involved and the services they provide.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101477
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,689.00
Summary
Using food web theory to conserve ecosystems. Species interact with each other and the management of one species can impact on other species. These interactions are often ignored in conservation decision making. Food web theory is the obvious basis for considering links between species when making conservation decisions, but actually contains little explicit guidance for the management of multiple species. Using a novel application of optimisation approaches pioneered in artificial intelligence ....Using food web theory to conserve ecosystems. Species interact with each other and the management of one species can impact on other species. These interactions are often ignored in conservation decision making. Food web theory is the obvious basis for considering links between species when making conservation decisions, but actually contains little explicit guidance for the management of multiple species. Using a novel application of optimisation approaches pioneered in artificial intelligence research, we aim to demonstrate how food web theory can guide the management of multiple species. In doing so, we will also test the effectiveness of widely used approaches to multi-species management, such as keystone species, umbrella species and bottom-up control.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies. The overarching aim of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies is to provide the scientific knowledge necessary for sustaining ecosystem goods and services of the worlds coral reefs, which support the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the tropics. The Centre will enhance Australia's global leadership in coral reef science through three ambitious research programs addressing the future of coral ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies. The overarching aim of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies is to provide the scientific knowledge necessary for sustaining ecosystem goods and services of the worlds coral reefs, which support the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the tropics. The Centre will enhance Australia's global leadership in coral reef science through three ambitious research programs addressing the future of coral reefs and their ability to adapt to change. A key outcome of the research will be providing tangible benefits to all Australians by building bridges between the natural and social sciences, strengthening capacity, and informing and supporting transformative changes in coral reef governance and management.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100570
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Cyanobacterial bio-encapsulation for restoring degraded drylands. This project aims to discover the ecological and functional roles of cyanobacteria in drylands, and develop new technologies for their broad application in large-scale ecosystem restoration. The global demand for landscape-scale restoration requires novel approaches to deliver on the promise of reinstating healthy, sustainable, and biodiverse ecosystems. This project will harness next-generation DNA sequencing to select beneficial ....Cyanobacterial bio-encapsulation for restoring degraded drylands. This project aims to discover the ecological and functional roles of cyanobacteria in drylands, and develop new technologies for their broad application in large-scale ecosystem restoration. The global demand for landscape-scale restoration requires novel approaches to deliver on the promise of reinstating healthy, sustainable, and biodiverse ecosystems. This project will harness next-generation DNA sequencing to select beneficial cyanobacteria for incorporation into emerging seed enhancement technologies. The project will deliver innovative and cost-effective tools to overcome barriers to seedling recruitment and plant survival, and enhance the functionality of degraded dryland ecosystems. This will contribute to long-term cost savings to the Australian economy through reduced spending on environmental issues such as salinity, erosion, acidification and poor water quality.Read moreRead less
Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. This project aims to develop the first quantitative risk assessment framework to improve decisions about moving threatened species to new places. Moving threatened plants and animals to new environments, or reintroducing them where they previously persisted, is a growing focus of conservation. Moving species can have unanticipated effects on other specie ....Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. This project aims to develop the first quantitative risk assessment framework to improve decisions about moving threatened species to new places. Moving threatened plants and animals to new environments, or reintroducing them where they previously persisted, is a growing focus of conservation. Moving species can have unanticipated effects on other species in the ecosystem. Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature deems ecosystem-wide risk assessments essential for conservation translocations, no framework exists to assess these risks and inform these decisions. New tools for assessing the risks of conservation translocations are expected to improve global and local conservation outcomes.Read moreRead less
Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will b ....Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will be combined with isotopic analysis to reveal how environmental and biological factors drive animal movements and impact habitat connectivity. In a world of vanishing top predators, it is imperative to understand system dynamics before we can evaluate the impact of species removal on ecosystem function.Read moreRead less