Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170101466
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Can Indigenous land management forestall an extinction crisis? This project aims to test the theory that a lack of Indigenous land management precipitated the collapse of Australia's mammal fauna. Current rates of species extinction exceed background rates by 100-1000 times, because of changes to ecosystems by humans. Paradoxically, Australia’s most pressing extinction crisis could be due to too little human disturbance. This project will test Indigenous land management’s capacity to forestall f ....Can Indigenous land management forestall an extinction crisis? This project aims to test the theory that a lack of Indigenous land management precipitated the collapse of Australia's mammal fauna. Current rates of species extinction exceed background rates by 100-1000 times, because of changes to ecosystems by humans. Paradoxically, Australia’s most pressing extinction crisis could be due to too little human disturbance. This project will test Indigenous land management’s capacity to forestall further mammal declines and restore degraded ecosystems, and enhance Indigenous livelihoods. Anticipated outcomes include on-ground principles for integrating Indigenous knowledge into biodiversity conservation, and transformative insights on the interdependence of humans and their environment.Read moreRead less
Get tough, get toxic or get a bodyguard: how root herbivores shape grass defences. The weight of root-feeding beetles can exceed that of sheep on Australian pastures and can result in significant losses in productivity. Grasses fight back against aboveground herbivores using toughness (physical defence), toxicity (chemical defence) and bodyguards (recruitment of the herbivore’s enemies). Little is known about belowground defences however, but grasses depend on roots for re-growth so good root de ....Get tough, get toxic or get a bodyguard: how root herbivores shape grass defences. The weight of root-feeding beetles can exceed that of sheep on Australian pastures and can result in significant losses in productivity. Grasses fight back against aboveground herbivores using toughness (physical defence), toxicity (chemical defence) and bodyguards (recruitment of the herbivore’s enemies). Little is known about belowground defences however, but grasses depend on roots for re-growth so good root defences seem essential. This study will apply optimal defence theory to consider these three defences against belowground herbivory across a range of grasses. The project will ask whether domestication has disarmed grass species and if defensive traits differ between photosynthetic pathways, before field-testing these patterns with root herbivore populations. Read moreRead less
Using decision theory to design smart plant surveys. Threatened species may remain unprotected, or weeds detected too slowly if, because of imperfect detection, a species is believed to be absent when it is in fact present. This project will develop new theory and combine it with new estimates of detection rates to minimise the impact of imperfect detection on management decisions.
Weathering the perfect storm: mitigating the post-fire impacts of invasive predators on small desert vertebrates. Wildfires deplete food and shelter resources for many native vertebrates, exposing them to increased predation from invasive predators such as the red fox and feral cat. Focusing on the fire-prone spinifex grasslands of central Australia, this project firstly identifies the role of specific refuge habitats that provide native species with protection in the post-fire environment, and ....Weathering the perfect storm: mitigating the post-fire impacts of invasive predators on small desert vertebrates. Wildfires deplete food and shelter resources for many native vertebrates, exposing them to increased predation from invasive predators such as the red fox and feral cat. Focusing on the fire-prone spinifex grasslands of central Australia, this project firstly identifies the role of specific refuge habitats that provide native species with protection in the post-fire environment, and then proposes an innovative experimental program to quantify and mitigate predation-impacts. The results will stimulate new thinking about predator-prey theory and, in an environment predicted to experience more wildfires in future, provide guidance about how to protect the rich biotic resources of the continental interior. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102221
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Investigating the susceptibility of native vegetation edges to alien plant invasion: a quantitative study to help prevent and control invasive species. Alien plant invasion is a major threat to biodiversity in national parks and nature reserves. Determining the relative influence of plant characteristics, number of alien plant seeds and availability of light, water and nutrients on weed invasion will indicate what prevention and control strategies should be used to combat invasive plants.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100157
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,343.00
Summary
Breaking the link between predators and bushfire for fauna conservation. This project aims to quantify how bushfires amplify the impacts of invasive predators (feral cats and foxes) on native fauna. Through innovative field experiments and empirical modelling, this project expects to generate new knowledge in the key areas of wildlife conservation, fire ecology and invasive species management. Expected outcomes of this project include transformative insights into how threats interact to influenc ....Breaking the link between predators and bushfire for fauna conservation. This project aims to quantify how bushfires amplify the impacts of invasive predators (feral cats and foxes) on native fauna. Through innovative field experiments and empirical modelling, this project expects to generate new knowledge in the key areas of wildlife conservation, fire ecology and invasive species management. Expected outcomes of this project include transformative insights into how threats interact to influence biodiversity and greatly enhanced capacity to manage bushfires and invasive predators. These advances should provide significant benefits, including improved conservation of threatened species, advances in ecological theory and improved capacity to predict and respond to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Conservation management of the endangered Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard. There is a second chance to rescue a lizard species that was recently considered extinct. This project builds on biological knowledge about the lizard to develop programs for monitoring and maintaining viable populations, to advise landholders of management options, and to inform and involve local communities in conservation action.
Predicting the causes and consequences of plant invasions. Invasive plants are one of the most costly and significant environmental threats in Australia. To deal with this threat we need to understand how and why certain plant species are able to invade into and dominate native communities. The aim of this project is to uncover the rules that govern this environmental threat. The project endeavours to use theory to predict the outcomes that would be observed given different underlying rules, and ....Predicting the causes and consequences of plant invasions. Invasive plants are one of the most costly and significant environmental threats in Australia. To deal with this threat we need to understand how and why certain plant species are able to invade into and dominate native communities. The aim of this project is to uncover the rules that govern this environmental threat. The project endeavours to use theory to predict the outcomes that would be observed given different underlying rules, and then test these predictions with field experiments. By uncovering the rules that govern invasions, this project could provide fundamental knowledge to assist in managing the environmental threat posed by new and emerging weeds.Read moreRead less