Effect of deep-sea drilling on sustainability of deep-sea ecosystems. Offshore oil and gas production makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy and enhances our energy security. Australia's vast deep-sea reserves of hydrocarbons lie on the NW Shelf and in Bass Strait, ecological 'hot spots' that are extremely vulnerable to the impact of exploration, extraction and production. Using deep-sea equipment, we will conduct the field experiments that are essential to understanding the ....Effect of deep-sea drilling on sustainability of deep-sea ecosystems. Offshore oil and gas production makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy and enhances our energy security. Australia's vast deep-sea reserves of hydrocarbons lie on the NW Shelf and in Bass Strait, ecological 'hot spots' that are extremely vulnerable to the impact of exploration, extraction and production. Using deep-sea equipment, we will conduct the field experiments that are essential to understanding these ecosystems and the impact of deep-sea structures. Our advances will produce data and develop methodologies that will make Australia a world leader in reconciling our deep-sea energy and environmental needs.Read moreRead less
Prediction of fishery year-class-strengths from larval growth and zooplankton size structure. The abundance of young fish produced in the ocean each year is highly variable, and banks or managers need to prepare for these future changes when the fish reach market size. Therefore many nations conduct special trawl surveys of juvenile fish each year, but these are expensive, particularly when Australia has over 200 commercially harvested fish. We propose that the growth of fish larvae, recorded as ....Prediction of fishery year-class-strengths from larval growth and zooplankton size structure. The abundance of young fish produced in the ocean each year is highly variable, and banks or managers need to prepare for these future changes when the fish reach market size. Therefore many nations conduct special trawl surveys of juvenile fish each year, but these are expensive, particularly when Australia has over 200 commercially harvested fish. We propose that the growth of fish larvae, recorded as daily growth rings within the earstone of undersized fish from the fishery, could predict future abundance. We will link growth to a cost-effective assessment of their zooplankton prey in spawning areas that lead to Australia's South East Trawl region.Read moreRead less
Ecological patterns in deep-sea macro- and microbiotic communities on Vailulu'u Seamount and Ta'u Island, American Samoa. Volcanoes are viewed as large mountains that occasionally spurt smoke and debris into the air. But terrestrial volcanoes are but a small fraction of the volcanos on our planet, most simmer unobserved underneath the sea. The interdependence of biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere at volcanoes is amongst the most exciting and important research topics that help us understand ....Ecological patterns in deep-sea macro- and microbiotic communities on Vailulu'u Seamount and Ta'u Island, American Samoa. Volcanoes are viewed as large mountains that occasionally spurt smoke and debris into the air. But terrestrial volcanoes are but a small fraction of the volcanos on our planet, most simmer unobserved underneath the sea. The interdependence of biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere at volcanoes is amongst the most exciting and important research topics that help us understand how our planet has evolved and works through time. This project will used manned submersibles and remotely operated vehicles to conduct experiments at a submarine volcano that will help us understand how complex biological systems can form under such extreme conditions.Read moreRead less
The role of pulsed water events in structuring marine benthic communities along the southern Australian coastline. Marked differences in benthic community structure have been observed that are associated with pulsed cold-water events, possibly driven by internal wave phenomena. Such events have the potential to act as very important controls on both regional and local patterns of benthic biodiversity. To date, however, their effects and mechanisms of action have never been examined in Australi ....The role of pulsed water events in structuring marine benthic communities along the southern Australian coastline. Marked differences in benthic community structure have been observed that are associated with pulsed cold-water events, possibly driven by internal wave phenomena. Such events have the potential to act as very important controls on both regional and local patterns of benthic biodiversity. To date, however, their effects and mechanisms of action have never been examined in Australia. The fundamental outcome from this project will be the first assessment of the occurrence, geographical extent and ecological consequences of pulsed water phenomena along the southern Australian coastline.Read moreRead less
Ocean currents and genetic connectedness in a complex archipelago. To what extent are marine coastal communities ?open?, i.e. how often do the oceans carry larvae far from their point of spawning, and what influence does such ocean transport have on the spread of genetic information? These are some of the most fundamental questions of biological oceanography; the project will provide new answers by using an extremely detailed genetic data set from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off Western Austra ....Ocean currents and genetic connectedness in a complex archipelago. To what extent are marine coastal communities ?open?, i.e. how often do the oceans carry larvae far from their point of spawning, and what influence does such ocean transport have on the spread of genetic information? These are some of the most fundamental questions of biological oceanography; the project will provide new answers by using an extremely detailed genetic data set from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off Western Australian together with an advanced numerical ocean model especially suited to that environment and developed in Australia.Read moreRead less
Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unk ....Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unknown consequences for coastal marine food webs. Innovative prey capture signatures from accelerometers, and advanced movement models from satellite locations will show how predators locate and prey upon fish schools. Anticipated outcomes are insight into how changing resource availability in the oceans affects ecosystem resilience; improved viability for coastal industries; and ecosystem-based conservation management strategies.Read moreRead less
Diatom silica production under future ocean conditions, genes to biomes. This project aims to quantify how ocean warming and acidification will alter natural diatom assemblages and silica production rates to predict changes in the cycling and transfer of carbon and silicon in the future ocean. This project expects to generate new knowledge of environmental controls on diatom silicification and their ocean-scale implications by integrating the disciplines of physiology, molecular biology and quan ....Diatom silica production under future ocean conditions, genes to biomes. This project aims to quantify how ocean warming and acidification will alter natural diatom assemblages and silica production rates to predict changes in the cycling and transfer of carbon and silicon in the future ocean. This project expects to generate new knowledge of environmental controls on diatom silicification and their ocean-scale implications by integrating the disciplines of physiology, molecular biology and quantitative modelling. Expected outcomes include essential advancements in future simulations of marine productivity and silicon cycling and a deeper understanding of threats to marine life from climate change. This should provide significant benefits such as improved valuations on the sustainability of ocean ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Factors controlling marine food webs: consumer vs. nutrient limitation of mobile invertebrates and algae. An understanding of the strength of interactions in marine food webs is crucial to predicting change in coastal habitats due to human activities. The outcomes of this research will indicate the relative importance of changes in nutrient inputs from terrestrial runoff (eutrophication) and predation pressures (via overfishing) - both of which may strongly affect the structure of marine habitat ....Factors controlling marine food webs: consumer vs. nutrient limitation of mobile invertebrates and algae. An understanding of the strength of interactions in marine food webs is crucial to predicting change in coastal habitats due to human activities. The outcomes of this research will indicate the relative importance of changes in nutrient inputs from terrestrial runoff (eutrophication) and predation pressures (via overfishing) - both of which may strongly affect the structure of marine habitats - on an extremely abundant and diverse component of coastal marine habitats.Read moreRead less
Boxing clever: artificial nest boxes as a conservation and research tool. Saving endangered species increasingly requires proactive management. This project presents an innovative and practical solution to save an iconic Australian species, while also providing the scientific foundation for the development of a novel Australian-based commercial product that will be used to protect and restore Australian biodiversity.
Bioinvasions: the interactive effects of propagule pressure and pollution. The successful establishment of species outside their native range is an increasingly frequent occurrence and can cause reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem disruption. Bioinvasions may also cause public health risks and damage to agriculture and fisheries. Nowhere is the accelerating pace of bioinvasions more dramatic than in ports and harbours. This project will determine the effects of pollution on invasion in a ma ....Bioinvasions: the interactive effects of propagule pressure and pollution. The successful establishment of species outside their native range is an increasingly frequent occurrence and can cause reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem disruption. Bioinvasions may also cause public health risks and damage to agriculture and fisheries. Nowhere is the accelerating pace of bioinvasions more dramatic than in ports and harbours. This project will determine the effects of pollution on invasion in a marine system. This project is in the national interest because it will identify mechanisms through which the invasion of exotic species are encouraged and assist in the identification and prioritisation of effective management strategies to prevent invasion.Read moreRead less