An ecophysiological analysis of key factors determining jarrah forest productivity on rehabilitated bauxite minesites. Following bauxite mining, soils are prepared for rehabilitation. After sowing or planting of the original species, a vegetation is established. Despite a successful first phase of rehabilitation, there is large variation between stands 5 to 10 years later. The aim of this project is to analyse the causes of this variation, especially variation in performance of jarrah (Eucalypt ....An ecophysiological analysis of key factors determining jarrah forest productivity on rehabilitated bauxite minesites. Following bauxite mining, soils are prepared for rehabilitation. After sowing or planting of the original species, a vegetation is established. Despite a successful first phase of rehabilitation, there is large variation between stands 5 to 10 years later. The aim of this project is to analyse the causes of this variation, especially variation in performance of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) between sites. Nutrient and water status of trees will be assessed, in a search for correlations with plant performance. Effects of fertilisation and irrigation on plant peformance will be investigated. The remarkably high phosphate-use efficiency of jarrah will also be analysed.Read moreRead less
DNA Method for Detection of Phytophthora cinnamomi in Soil and Plant Material. The need to impose strict quarantine procedures to prevent the spread of Jarrah Dieback disease hampers the activities of the mining, tourism, wildflower, nursery, and bee keeping industries. These procedures are time consuming and require a high degree of technical expertise. They result in false negatives facilitating the spread of the disease in asymptomatic material. This project will develop a DNA test for detec ....DNA Method for Detection of Phytophthora cinnamomi in Soil and Plant Material. The need to impose strict quarantine procedures to prevent the spread of Jarrah Dieback disease hampers the activities of the mining, tourism, wildflower, nursery, and bee keeping industries. These procedures are time consuming and require a high degree of technical expertise. They result in false negatives facilitating the spread of the disease in asymptomatic material. This project will develop a DNA test for detection of the pathogen in soil and plant material to make detection easier, quicker, and specific. The outcomes will be a test for detection of the dieback pathogen and technology to detect pathogens in soil samples.Read moreRead less
Long-term survival of Phytophthora cinnamomi in black gravel soils on mining leases in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. Approximately 41% of the 5750 plant species in Western Australia are susceptible to Phytophthora cinnamomi a pathogen recognised as a key threatening process to Australia's biodiversity by the Federal Government. This project will enhance our understanding of how the pathogen survives in soil and tolerant plant species. It will determine how the pathogen is able to su ....Long-term survival of Phytophthora cinnamomi in black gravel soils on mining leases in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest. Approximately 41% of the 5750 plant species in Western Australia are susceptible to Phytophthora cinnamomi a pathogen recognised as a key threatening process to Australia's biodiversity by the Federal Government. This project will enhance our understanding of how the pathogen survives in soil and tolerant plant species. It will determine how the pathogen is able to survive long-term as dormant propagules and how this dormancy can be broken. This project will be relevant to managers of natural ecosystems and to the horticultural industries throughout Australia and will assist in developing effective ways to manage this ecologically devastating plant pathogen. Read moreRead less
In vitro propagation (through somatic embryogenesis) of rush and sedge species important for land rehabilitation. This project aims to transform existing propagation methods for rushes and sedges (recalcitrant, but key colonizer species) for restoring critical biodiversity in Australian mine-site restoration. This will be achieved through the process of somatic embryogenesis and will result in cost effective and efficient mass propagation. Significantly, this somatic embryogenesis research will ....In vitro propagation (through somatic embryogenesis) of rush and sedge species important for land rehabilitation. This project aims to transform existing propagation methods for rushes and sedges (recalcitrant, but key colonizer species) for restoring critical biodiversity in Australian mine-site restoration. This will be achieved through the process of somatic embryogenesis and will result in cost effective and efficient mass propagation. Significantly, this somatic embryogenesis research will provide the springboard for development of seed analogues (coated, desiccated somatic embryos) with subsequent economies from bypassing more costly nursery production of whole plants, utilizing existing infrastructure for direct seeding of restoration sites, and reducing dependence on dwindling reserves of wild-harvested seed.Read moreRead less
Ecophysiological limitations that affect water and carbon balance within large tree canopies: a comparative investigation. Supply of water to forest canopies is a major control of hydrological, atmospheric and biotic processes that impinge on groundwater stability, catchment yield, the fate of pollutants and plant productivity. Fundamental aspects of water transport and distribution within plant tissues remain obscured by conflicting experimental data and conflicting theoretical models that des ....Ecophysiological limitations that affect water and carbon balance within large tree canopies: a comparative investigation. Supply of water to forest canopies is a major control of hydrological, atmospheric and biotic processes that impinge on groundwater stability, catchment yield, the fate of pollutants and plant productivity. Fundamental aspects of water transport and distribution within plant tissues remain obscured by conflicting experimental data and conflicting theoretical models that describe physiological functioning.
Potential hydraulic constraints to the exchange of water and carbon between leaf and atmosphere require investigation before accurate models and informed decisions can be made with respect to the role of forests in biosphere-atmosphere processes. I will use large trees to investigate physiological and morphological determinants of hydraulic function and consider relationships between tree size, water requirements and water supply.
This project will foster comparative analyses of hydraulic functioning in large angiosperm and conifer species to elucidate universal principles that relate form to function and explain relationships between trees and their environment.
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Quantifying the re-establishment of soil processes and the impact of fire management on rehabilitated bauxite mines in Western Australia. A major objective in the rehabilitation of bauxite mines in the jarrah forest of Western Australia is to return a self-sustaining ecosystem. Nutrient cycling and microbial diversity are key components of the functioning of the rehabilitated system; but little is know about the resilience of these processes in jarrah forests. We aim to quantify the dynamic rela ....Quantifying the re-establishment of soil processes and the impact of fire management on rehabilitated bauxite mines in Western Australia. A major objective in the rehabilitation of bauxite mines in the jarrah forest of Western Australia is to return a self-sustaining ecosystem. Nutrient cycling and microbial diversity are key components of the functioning of the rehabilitated system; but little is know about the resilience of these processes in jarrah forests. We aim to quantify the dynamic relationships between soil organic matter cycling, microbial diversity and function in relation to seasonality, rehabilitation age and fire. This is of specific relevance to restoring biodiversity within rehabilitated Jarrah forests and establishing a time frame for their return to state government management.Read moreRead less
Novel strategy for optimising fertilizer input coupled with organic residue management for sustainable reconstruction of jarrah forest ecosystem. This project is aimed at judicious management of the rehabilitation process following surface mining by reducing initial fertilizer input along with using organic residue accumulated following pre-mine clearing of vegetation. This approach has the potential for 'speeding-up' the ecosystem development process by initiating early microbial development in ....Novel strategy for optimising fertilizer input coupled with organic residue management for sustainable reconstruction of jarrah forest ecosystem. This project is aimed at judicious management of the rehabilitation process following surface mining by reducing initial fertilizer input along with using organic residue accumulated following pre-mine clearing of vegetation. This approach has the potential for 'speeding-up' the ecosystem development process by initiating early microbial development in rehabilitation practice and reducing the deleterious effect of heavy fertilization. Apart from these ecological advantages, reducing fertilizer application lowers minesite rehabilitation cost incurred by mining companies. This project will be the first attempt to use organic residue and streamlining the use of mineral fertilizers in mine rehabilitation practice.Read moreRead less
Balancing Water Quality and Ecosystem Health with Water Yield -- Ecosystem Response to Thinning in Wungong Catchment. Reduced rainfall in past decades and future climate uncertainty have added a sense of urgency in Australia to search for new water resources to sustain a growing economy and population. A forest thinning trial is planned in the Wungong Catchment, Western Australia, to substantially increase water yield. Thinning is attractive as a low-cost option, and is potentially suitable for ....Balancing Water Quality and Ecosystem Health with Water Yield -- Ecosystem Response to Thinning in Wungong Catchment. Reduced rainfall in past decades and future climate uncertainty have added a sense of urgency in Australia to search for new water resources to sustain a growing economy and population. A forest thinning trial is planned in the Wungong Catchment, Western Australia, to substantially increase water yield. Thinning is attractive as a low-cost option, and is potentially suitable for other catchments. However the potential environmental and ecological impacts, which are major community concerns, must be investigated. This project will assess the levels of impact, associated ecosystem responses and the capacity of catchment ecosystems to sustain such management intervention.Read moreRead less
Carboxylate exudation and phosphorus acquisition in eucalypts. Eucalypts are thought to rely on mycorrhizas to acquire phosphorus (P). Using leaf manganese concentrations in the field to proxy rhizosphere carboxylates, followed by plant growth in low P-solutions, it was shown that some, but not all eucalypts that grow on P-impoverished soils release carboxylates from their roots. This trait is a strategy of Proteaceae to access soil P, but assumed not to be used by eucalypts. This game-changing ....Carboxylate exudation and phosphorus acquisition in eucalypts. Eucalypts are thought to rely on mycorrhizas to acquire phosphorus (P). Using leaf manganese concentrations in the field to proxy rhizosphere carboxylates, followed by plant growth in low P-solutions, it was shown that some, but not all eucalypts that grow on P-impoverished soils release carboxylates from their roots. This trait is a strategy of Proteaceae to access soil P, but assumed not to be used by eucalypts. This game-changing discovery challenges the current dogma that eucalypts invariably rely on mycorrhizas to acquire P. This project will explore the significance of this newly-described trait for functioning of eucalypts more broadly and produce results that are important for conservation, restoration and forestry activities. Read moreRead less
Increasing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) recruitment in regional Western Australia through mammal conservation. The highly prized sandalwood is the basis of an industry that employs over 100 people and generates $12 million export income annually in regional WA. Natural recruitment of sandalwood is poor. This project will build on research, conducted by Murdoch University and the Forest Products Commission, that indicates natural recruitment of the tree is greatly enhance in the presence of nat ....Increasing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) recruitment in regional Western Australia through mammal conservation. The highly prized sandalwood is the basis of an industry that employs over 100 people and generates $12 million export income annually in regional WA. Natural recruitment of sandalwood is poor. This project will build on research, conducted by Murdoch University and the Forest Products Commission, that indicates natural recruitment of the tree is greatly enhance in the presence of native rat-kangaroos who cache the seeds. This project will train an APA(I) postgraduate through an industry based project that will evaluate increased recruitment of sandalwood by native mammal caching. Many of these mammals are Conservation Dependent or Threatened with extinction.Read moreRead less