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Soil microbial indicators for efficient use of nitrification inhibitors. Soil microbial indicators for efficient use of nitrification inhibitors. This project aims to improve understanding of the efficiency and governing factors of nitrification inhibitors in different agricultural soils. Nitrification inhibitors are widely used to improve nitrogen fertiliser efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas nitrous oxide emissions. However, their effectiveness varies across soil types. One possible reason i ....Soil microbial indicators for efficient use of nitrification inhibitors. Soil microbial indicators for efficient use of nitrification inhibitors. This project aims to improve understanding of the efficiency and governing factors of nitrification inhibitors in different agricultural soils. Nitrification inhibitors are widely used to improve nitrogen fertiliser efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas nitrous oxide emissions. However, their effectiveness varies across soil types. One possible reason is the different microbial communities in these soils. The project will address the key knowledge gaps of interactions between the nitrification inhibitors and the soil functional microbial communities. Anticipated outcomes are sound management strategies to improve fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency in Australian agricultural soils.Read moreRead less
Unraveling the spread of antibiotic resistance genes across soil food webs. The emerging spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment is a major threat to public health and food security. This project aims to develop new knowledge about the key transmission routes of ARGs across multiple trophic levels in soil food webs, and how the interactions of plant, soil and fauna contribute to the profiles of environmental ARGs. Expected outcomes include an improved understanding of the ....Unraveling the spread of antibiotic resistance genes across soil food webs. The emerging spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment is a major threat to public health and food security. This project aims to develop new knowledge about the key transmission routes of ARGs across multiple trophic levels in soil food webs, and how the interactions of plant, soil and fauna contribute to the profiles of environmental ARGs. Expected outcomes include an improved understanding of the role of fauna in regulating ARGs in the soil environment and the spreading mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in soil food webs. This project will contribute to the development of evidence-based interventions to tackle environmental antibiotic resistance, which has benefits for the environment and public health.
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Contribution of comammox bacteria to soil nitrification. This project aims to understand the diversity, activity and environmental relevance of comammox bacteria, the newly-discovered complete nitrifiers, in Australian soils, and to evaluate their relative contributions to nitrification processes compared to other canonical nitrifying prokaryotes. Nitrogen transformations are pivotal microbial processes, with nitrification largely responsible for nitrogen losses through nitrous oxide emissions a ....Contribution of comammox bacteria to soil nitrification. This project aims to understand the diversity, activity and environmental relevance of comammox bacteria, the newly-discovered complete nitrifiers, in Australian soils, and to evaluate their relative contributions to nitrification processes compared to other canonical nitrifying prokaryotes. Nitrogen transformations are pivotal microbial processes, with nitrification largely responsible for nitrogen losses through nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching in the terrestrial ecosystems. The expected outcomes will develop new knowledge on the comammox bacteria and provide novel insights into refined strategies to manipulate nitrification processes for improved nitrogen use efficiency and sustainable agricultural management.Read moreRead less
Global extent of degraded farm lands and their conservation potential. This project aims to map uncontested lands worldwide and assess their potential contribution to global conservation. Globally the area of agricultural land is shrinking due to environmental degradation, market changes and social trends. In the last 15 years, the area of Australia’s pasture lands steeply declined. Although expensive, restoring degraded lands no longer used for agriculture should offer economic opportunities, h ....Global extent of degraded farm lands and their conservation potential. This project aims to map uncontested lands worldwide and assess their potential contribution to global conservation. Globally the area of agricultural land is shrinking due to environmental degradation, market changes and social trends. In the last 15 years, the area of Australia’s pasture lands steeply declined. Although expensive, restoring degraded lands no longer used for agriculture should offer economic opportunities, help mitigate climate change and involve minimal social or political opposition. The outcome will identify the extent and location of uncontested lands and provide a framework for deciding how best to invest in their regeneration.Read moreRead less
Colonisation by alien microbiota: identifying key ecological processes. This project aims to determine key ecological and molecular mechanisms that regulate microbial colonisation of new environments and their functional consequences. Microbial communities are important yet unseen contributors to the functioning of ecosystems, driving key ecological and economically important processes such as carbon and nutrient cycling. The project will provide a unifying framework for characterising colonisat ....Colonisation by alien microbiota: identifying key ecological processes. This project aims to determine key ecological and molecular mechanisms that regulate microbial colonisation of new environments and their functional consequences. Microbial communities are important yet unseen contributors to the functioning of ecosystems, driving key ecological and economically important processes such as carbon and nutrient cycling. The project will provide a unifying framework for characterising colonisation success of alien species across different scales, habitats, ecosystem types and environmental disturbance such as climate change.Read moreRead less
Getting to the root of the matter: predicting plant benefits from arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses. Massive efforts are underway to select beneficial root traits that enhance resource acquisition and productivity. These efforts are usually conducted while excluding mutually beneficial mycorrhizal partnerships, which include two-thirds of higher plants. These efforts are likely to lead to artifactual outcomes unless the modifying effects of these partnerships are considered. While mycorrhization ....Getting to the root of the matter: predicting plant benefits from arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses. Massive efforts are underway to select beneficial root traits that enhance resource acquisition and productivity. These efforts are usually conducted while excluding mutually beneficial mycorrhizal partnerships, which include two-thirds of higher plants. These efforts are likely to lead to artifactual outcomes unless the modifying effects of these partnerships are considered. While mycorrhization can substantially enhance plant vigour, results are often difficult to replicate due to widespread 'context-dependence'. This research will identify plant and fungal traits that predict how mycorrhizal plants benefit under a variety of contexts, which will improve varietal selection and productivity gains in marginal environments.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL210100054
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,277,650.00
Summary
A calculable approach to securing Australia's soil. Much of our productive land is currently degraded, severely impacting the ability of soils to contribute to planetary health. The aim of this program is to deliver a comprehensive systematic soil monitoring system within a world-first soil security framework. The research will create a detailed reference of the Australian landscape to elucidate impacts on our soil cover. Soil security indicators will be created from which ameliorative actions c ....A calculable approach to securing Australia's soil. Much of our productive land is currently degraded, severely impacting the ability of soils to contribute to planetary health. The aim of this program is to deliver a comprehensive systematic soil monitoring system within a world-first soil security framework. The research will create a detailed reference of the Australian landscape to elucidate impacts on our soil cover. Soil security indicators will be created from which ameliorative actions can be prioritised, while early warning systems will offer predictive capability around emerging threats to soil condition, feeding into best-management practices for regeneration. Outcomes will see soil secured for future generations and Australia at the forefront of soil assessment and restoration.Read moreRead less
Predicting the delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. The ecological sustainability of Australian agriculture relies on services (for example, pollination) provided by ecosystems. Service provision is threatened by environmental change, but there is no established approach for predicting the impact of change on services. This project will undertake the most comprehensive experimental examination of ecosystem-service delivery ever conducted in Australia, testing the predictive ....Predicting the delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. The ecological sustainability of Australian agriculture relies on services (for example, pollination) provided by ecosystems. Service provision is threatened by environmental change, but there is no established approach for predicting the impact of change on services. This project will undertake the most comprehensive experimental examination of ecosystem-service delivery ever conducted in Australia, testing the predictive capacity of an approach that links environmental change with variation in service provision through species’ traits. The major outcomes include greater capacity for agriculturalists to maximise ecosystem benefits and increase economic returns, and improved biodiversity conservation through recognition of its contribution to agriculture. Read moreRead less
Big data modelling to forecast crop yield to enable precision fertilisation. This project aims to lay a foundation for a generic data-driven approach to more precise management of our agricultural landscapes. A multitude of agriculture-related data streams are now available to growers to characterise their yield, management, soil and weather. However, currently there is no approach able to digest all these disparate data streams to enable a management decision. The project will develop an appro ....Big data modelling to forecast crop yield to enable precision fertilisation. This project aims to lay a foundation for a generic data-driven approach to more precise management of our agricultural landscapes. A multitude of agriculture-related data streams are now available to growers to characterise their yield, management, soil and weather. However, currently there is no approach able to digest all these disparate data streams to enable a management decision. The project will develop an approach to harness all of these data streams to guide spatially variable applications of nitrogen fertilisers with a focus on grains cropping. This should provide the opportunity to allocate fertiliser inputs as required at fine spatial scales according to local soil and weather conditions to maximise profit and minimise off-farm impacts of excessive fertilisation.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100479
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,582.00
Summary
Delivering defences: using fungi to enhance plant resistance to herbivory. This project will identify how the diversity of beneficial fungi in the soil is affected by agricultural management, and will reveal how these fungi govern the ability of plants to defend themselves from insect herbivores. Through innovative field surveys and experimentation, this project will generate new knowledge in the key areas of soil ecology and plant defence. This will allow us to exploit these soil fungi to enhan ....Delivering defences: using fungi to enhance plant resistance to herbivory. This project will identify how the diversity of beneficial fungi in the soil is affected by agricultural management, and will reveal how these fungi govern the ability of plants to defend themselves from insect herbivores. Through innovative field surveys and experimentation, this project will generate new knowledge in the key areas of soil ecology and plant defence. This will allow us to exploit these soil fungi to enhance crop protection while simultaneously conserving soil ecosystems. Effectively boosting plant defence in this way will reduce reliance on ecologically damaging pesticides, promote soil biodiversity, and ensure the sustainability of crop production into the future. Read moreRead less