Measuring tree water use and calculating stand water use. The national benefit of this project is significant. Woodlands and forests transpire vast amounts of water into the atmosphere and this water is thus lost to human consumptive use. Given large variation in rainfall between years and between seasons, it is vital that water and catchment resource managers are able to estimate how much water is lost through trees. This allows estimation of the amount of water available for irrigation, drinki ....Measuring tree water use and calculating stand water use. The national benefit of this project is significant. Woodlands and forests transpire vast amounts of water into the atmosphere and this water is thus lost to human consumptive use. Given large variation in rainfall between years and between seasons, it is vital that water and catchment resource managers are able to estimate how much water is lost through trees. This allows estimation of the amount of water available for irrigation, drinking, other industrial uses or maintaining ecosystem health. This project will be the first to generate a mechanistic understanding thereby allowing estimates of water use across a range of woody ecosystems in Australia.Read moreRead less
Eucalypt growth in past and future environments - a novel approach to understanding the impacts of atmospheric CO2 and climate. The impact of climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 on Australia's plantation and native forests is a major concern for government and land managers. These forests are important for environmental, aesthetic, and economic purposes, including carbon sequestration and trading. Forests use large amounts of water, reducing stream flow and water supplies for rural and u ....Eucalypt growth in past and future environments - a novel approach to understanding the impacts of atmospheric CO2 and climate. The impact of climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 on Australia's plantation and native forests is a major concern for government and land managers. These forests are important for environmental, aesthetic, and economic purposes, including carbon sequestration and trading. Forests use large amounts of water, reducing stream flow and water supplies for rural and urban communities. Knowledge generated from the proposed project will provide insight into mechanisms driving productivity and water use of forests in current and future environments. The knowledge will be used by land managers and government to develop strategies to cope with future impacts of climate change.Read moreRead less
Economics of carbon, nitrogen and water use in Acacia and Eucalyptus. Australia's flora is dominated by plants with sclerophyllous foliage, that is hard leaves that are tolerant of nutrient and/or water stress. Either nutrient and/or water stress are suggested as driving the evolution of sclerophylly and distribution of extant species. Mechanisms of tolerance to drought and nutrient stress differ, and these differences are reflected in patterns of nitrogen and carbon allocation and economics o ....Economics of carbon, nitrogen and water use in Acacia and Eucalyptus. Australia's flora is dominated by plants with sclerophyllous foliage, that is hard leaves that are tolerant of nutrient and/or water stress. Either nutrient and/or water stress are suggested as driving the evolution of sclerophylly and distribution of extant species. Mechanisms of tolerance to drought and nutrient stress differ, and these differences are reflected in patterns of nitrogen and carbon allocation and economics of nitrogen and water use in photosynthesis. The present study will use these differences in economics to distinguish between water- and nutrient-driven adaptations in a range of Acacia and Eucalyptus species from mesic to arid environments.Read moreRead less
Spatially integrated estimates of landscape water fluxes at several contrasting sites. Woodlands transpire large amounts (> 80 % of rainfall) of water into the atmosphere and this water is lost from the catchment. Australia experiences large annual and seasonal variations in rainfall. Water and catchment managers need to estimate how much water is transpired, especially as climate and land-use practices change, as this determines how much water is available for drinking, use in mining, forestr ....Spatially integrated estimates of landscape water fluxes at several contrasting sites. Woodlands transpire large amounts (> 80 % of rainfall) of water into the atmosphere and this water is lost from the catchment. Australia experiences large annual and seasonal variations in rainfall. Water and catchment managers need to estimate how much water is transpired, especially as climate and land-use practices change, as this determines how much water is available for drinking, use in mining, forestry, irrigation, and for ecosystem health purposes. This project is the first to combine the use of scintillometry to compare spatially averaged rates of water use with development of a model to predict landscape water use. By using 4 contrasting ecosystems we shall provide a deep understanding of the controls of vegetation water use.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms linking site water status and net primary productivity. Australia is the driest of all inhabited continents and also has the lowest primary productivity. This project will determine the mechanisms linking these observations. Through development of a detailed mechanistic understanding of how site water balance determines site productivity and application of this understanding in a state-of-the-art model, we shall improve forest and water resource management and our understanding of the ....Mechanisms linking site water status and net primary productivity. Australia is the driest of all inhabited continents and also has the lowest primary productivity. This project will determine the mechanisms linking these observations. Through development of a detailed mechanistic understanding of how site water balance determines site productivity and application of this understanding in a state-of-the-art model, we shall improve forest and water resource management and our understanding of the unique ecology of Australia.Read moreRead less
Water-use efficiency of Australian tropical trees: mechanistic analysis at multiple scales. The proposed research will provide valuable information about the physiological functioning of trees in northern Australia. Experiments will elucidate mechanisms that can result in variation in water-use efficiency among different tree species. Such a mechanistic understanding will have multiple benefits: (1) results will be able to be incorporated into process-based models of carbon and water cycling ....Water-use efficiency of Australian tropical trees: mechanistic analysis at multiple scales. The proposed research will provide valuable information about the physiological functioning of trees in northern Australia. Experiments will elucidate mechanisms that can result in variation in water-use efficiency among different tree species. Such a mechanistic understanding will have multiple benefits: (1) results will be able to be incorporated into process-based models of carbon and water cycling in the north-Australian landscape; (2) they will provide valuable information for land managers interested in optimizing both plant biomass production and water resource management; and (3) they will provide a critical test of proxy methods for identifying high water-use efficiency in taxonomically diverse tree species.Read moreRead less
The genus Banksia: can ecophysiological traits associated with nutrient acquisition explain species distribution and rarity? We aim to investigate if an important aspect of a specialised mechanism of nutrient acquisition by different species of the genus Banksia (Proteaceae) accounts for their distribution and rarity. This aspect is the pattern of exudates that are produced by their 'proteoid' roots. Different species of the Proteaceae produce different exudates and it is envisaged that variatio ....The genus Banksia: can ecophysiological traits associated with nutrient acquisition explain species distribution and rarity? We aim to investigate if an important aspect of a specialised mechanism of nutrient acquisition by different species of the genus Banksia (Proteaceae) accounts for their distribution and rarity. This aspect is the pattern of exudates that are produced by their 'proteoid' roots. Different species of the Proteaceae produce different exudates and it is envisaged that variation in pattern reflects their capacity to grow on certain soil types. Our studies will provide key information on processes that determine species distribution, with consequences for defining better management regimes for rare and endangered species.Read moreRead less
Developing biogeographic know-how: Improving species divergence and dispersal estimations to examine geological and climatic evolutionary drivers. Anthropogenic activity over the last 150 years is now dramatically changing our global climate and ecosystems. The impact on biodiversity is already evident, and large-scale floral and faunal extinctions are predicted. This study unites a cohort of international experts in an interdisciplinary team to develop new molecular and mathematical methods to ....Developing biogeographic know-how: Improving species divergence and dispersal estimations to examine geological and climatic evolutionary drivers. Anthropogenic activity over the last 150 years is now dramatically changing our global climate and ecosystems. The impact on biodiversity is already evident, and large-scale floral and faunal extinctions are predicted. This study unites a cohort of international experts in an interdisciplinary team to develop new molecular and mathematical methods to expand our fundamental knowledge on how geological and global climate change have affected our world's species components and ecosystems in the past. This research is of environmental significance and global importance as it will improve our ability to predict how species behave under future predicted climate scenarios.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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Organisation and function of embedded oil glands in eucalypts. Some eucalypt leaves contain large quantities of essential oils, which have been extracted for commercial purposes for many years. Advancement of this industry, however, requires basic research directed at enhancing both the yield of oil and the range of valuable constituents. This project will make use of a new protocol for isolating and purifying the foliar oil-producing glands to identify a new suite of oil gland constituents and ....Organisation and function of embedded oil glands in eucalypts. Some eucalypt leaves contain large quantities of essential oils, which have been extracted for commercial purposes for many years. Advancement of this industry, however, requires basic research directed at enhancing both the yield of oil and the range of valuable constituents. This project will make use of a new protocol for isolating and purifying the foliar oil-producing glands to identify a new suite of oil gland constituents and to understand the way in which they are made and deployed in the gland. The research will also contribute to our general understanding of oil gland structure and function.Read moreRead less