How do ecologically significant complex traits evolve in natural populations? Evolution and selection on plant chemistry in Eucalyptus. The scent of Eucalyptus oil is one of the signatures of Australia but we actually import large amounts of these oils. As well as being valuable industrially, Eucalyptus oils also influence many aspects of our environment ranging from icons such as the koala to the occurrence of smog in cities. Understanding how plants make these oils helps us to understand eco ....How do ecologically significant complex traits evolve in natural populations? Evolution and selection on plant chemistry in Eucalyptus. The scent of Eucalyptus oil is one of the signatures of Australia but we actually import large amounts of these oils. As well as being valuable industrially, Eucalyptus oils also influence many aspects of our environment ranging from icons such as the koala to the occurrence of smog in cities. Understanding how plants make these oils helps us to understand ecological processes and also to improve the financial incentives for land restoration through the planting of valuable oil-bearing trees. We aim to use recent new techniques in genetics to explain why the quantity and types of Eucalyptus oils vary so widely and to apply this information to improving land management and conservation.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
Climate change and cryptic biodiversity in the Australian arid-zone: Molecular phylogeny-based assessment of conservation priorities. Australia's arid zone comprises two thirds of the country yet from a climate change, biodiversity, and conservation point of view it has received little attention relative to eastern Australia. The project will address broad questions in evolutionary biology with unique Australian systems, make a world class contribution to the fields of phylogeography, molecular ....Climate change and cryptic biodiversity in the Australian arid-zone: Molecular phylogeny-based assessment of conservation priorities. Australia's arid zone comprises two thirds of the country yet from a climate change, biodiversity, and conservation point of view it has received little attention relative to eastern Australia. The project will address broad questions in evolutionary biology with unique Australian systems, make a world class contribution to the fields of phylogeography, molecular phylogenetics and conservation genetics and contribute substantially to the continued training of high quality research students and postdoctoral fellows. The project directly addresses two National Priority Research Areas and will supply of critical information to the eight biggest of the 57 Natural Resource Management Regions. Read moreRead less
Comparative phylogeography and conservation genetics of Australia's biodiversity hotspot. Southwestern Australia has been identified as one of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots. The project will address broad questions in evolutionary biology with unique Australian systems, make a world class contribution to the fields of phylogeography, molecular phylogenetics and conservation genetics and contribute substantially to the continued training of high quality research students. I am a foundation ....Comparative phylogeography and conservation genetics of Australia's biodiversity hotspot. Southwestern Australia has been identified as one of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots. The project will address broad questions in evolutionary biology with unique Australian systems, make a world class contribution to the fields of phylogeography, molecular phylogenetics and conservation genetics and contribute substantially to the continued training of high quality research students. I am a foundation member of the new ARC Environmental Futures Network: Discovering the Past and Present to Shape the Future. One of its primary listed objectives is "documenting Australia's biodiversity: recognising, understanding and managing key hotspots". My research plan fits in precisely with this research agenda. Read moreRead less
Australia's monsoon tropical flora: invader or relict? The monsoonal tropics is a large region with unique yet poorly understood biodiversity. It is undergoing rapid agricultural, urban and tourist development, all of which threaten the sustainability of that biodiversity. The region includes three World Heritage areas, all with flora in their listed values: Kakadu National Park, Purnulu NP (Bungle Bungles) and Riversleigh. Additionally, the Kimberley is considered one of the last great wilderne ....Australia's monsoon tropical flora: invader or relict? The monsoonal tropics is a large region with unique yet poorly understood biodiversity. It is undergoing rapid agricultural, urban and tourist development, all of which threaten the sustainability of that biodiversity. The region includes three World Heritage areas, all with flora in their listed values: Kakadu National Park, Purnulu NP (Bungle Bungles) and Riversleigh. Additionally, the Kimberley is considered one of the last great wilderness areas in the world. This project will help us understand the evolutionary and geographic origins of the biodiversity of the monsoonal tropics, including the World Heritage areas, and it will identify those components that are uniquely Australian and therefore have the greatest heritage values.Read moreRead less
Our rural wealth: using functional responses of native fauna to predict conservation values of agricultural landscapes. The aim of this project is to develop and test a new approach for assessing the conservation value of agricultural landscapes in Australia. It is based on identifying the functional responses of the fauna to the extent and pattern of native vegetation and types and intensity of agricultural land-uses in whole landscapes. Different response types will be interpreted in relatio ....Our rural wealth: using functional responses of native fauna to predict conservation values of agricultural landscapes. The aim of this project is to develop and test a new approach for assessing the conservation value of agricultural landscapes in Australia. It is based on identifying the functional responses of the fauna to the extent and pattern of native vegetation and types and intensity of agricultural land-uses in whole landscapes. Different response types will be interpreted in relation to ecological characteristics of species. We will use this knowledge to predict the status of birds and mammals in novel landscapes in three bioregions, and test the predictions by field studies. This new landscape-level approach will help land managers assess present agricultural environments as well as evaluate scenarios for future changes in land-use.Read moreRead less
Australian alpine seed ecology: Plant conservation and adaptation to climate change. The Australian alpine region is critically vulnerable to climate change. Many alpine plant species are already threatened. Our project facilitates effective management of Australian alpine flora, enabling us to preserve alpine biodiversity and improve ecosystem resilience to climate change. Seed banking provides conservation of nationally vulnerable and threatened flora, providing insurance against extinction. O ....Australian alpine seed ecology: Plant conservation and adaptation to climate change. The Australian alpine region is critically vulnerable to climate change. Many alpine plant species are already threatened. Our project facilitates effective management of Australian alpine flora, enabling us to preserve alpine biodiversity and improve ecosystem resilience to climate change. Seed banking provides conservation of nationally vulnerable and threatened flora, providing insurance against extinction. Our exemplary contribution to global seed conservation provides a national resource of alpine seeds for revegetation and research and interpretive resources at the Australian National Botanic Gardens facilitate public awareness of the ecological significance and fragility of Australian alpine ecology in response to climate change.Read moreRead less
Extrinsic threats and biological predisposition in animal extinction and rediscovery. A global extinction crisis looms, and Australia has a shocking record, especially of mammal extinctions. The results of this project to find how different threats affect each species will lead to management that focusses on species- and region-specific causes. This will help to prevent further extinctions of Australian mammals and other fauna. Many people hope that species of particular importance to us such as ....Extrinsic threats and biological predisposition in animal extinction and rediscovery. A global extinction crisis looms, and Australia has a shocking record, especially of mammal extinctions. The results of this project to find how different threats affect each species will lead to management that focusses on species- and region-specific causes. This will help to prevent further extinctions of Australian mammals and other fauna. Many people hope that species of particular importance to us such as the thylacine have defied extinction, and will be rediscovered. This project will test which predictive factors can increase the chance of species rediscovery, and help management agencies plan for the expected number of future rediscoveries.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Farms: Tree Regeneration and the Future of Farmland Biodiversity. While many government and community initiatives aim to enhance the sustainability of Australian farming systems, none specifically target the important regional-scale threatening process of tree recruitment failure. Unless this problem is addressed urgently, many farming landscapes may be virtually treeless in the future, with severe negative ramifications for both biodiversity and agricultural productivity. 'Sustainab ....Sustainable Farms: Tree Regeneration and the Future of Farmland Biodiversity. While many government and community initiatives aim to enhance the sustainability of Australian farming systems, none specifically target the important regional-scale threatening process of tree recruitment failure. Unless this problem is addressed urgently, many farming landscapes may be virtually treeless in the future, with severe negative ramifications for both biodiversity and agricultural productivity. 'Sustainable Farms' will have major national and community benefits because it will: (1) identify more sustainable farming practices that are conducive to successful tree recruitment in the future, and (2) raise awareness about a much neglected threat to the sustainability of Australian farming landscapes.Read moreRead less
The evolution and maintenance of specificity, mutualism and diversity in plant-soil microbe interactions. This research will significantly advance knowledge regarding the evolution of mutualisms between plant and soil microbes. Results will provide valuable data on the importance of below-ground microbial community structure to growth and productivity of an ecologically important component of the Australian flora (Acacia spp.), and contribute to the development of best ecosystem restoration prac ....The evolution and maintenance of specificity, mutualism and diversity in plant-soil microbe interactions. This research will significantly advance knowledge regarding the evolution of mutualisms between plant and soil microbes. Results will provide valuable data on the importance of below-ground microbial community structure to growth and productivity of an ecologically important component of the Australian flora (Acacia spp.), and contribute to the development of best ecosystem restoration practices. Furthermore, it will see the continued development of the Acacia-rhizobia system as a world-class model for exploring interactions between perennial legumes and microbial symbionts. The research also investigates the adaptability and potential for rapid evolution of critical elements of the soil microflora to environmental change.Read moreRead less