Characterising the tropical "heat engine" of global climate: combined coral, stalagmite and tree-ring records from the Indo-Pacific region. The recent anthropogenic global warming is causing polar icecap melting, sea level rise, reef coral bleaching and degradation, and increased frequency and intensity of severe droughts, floods, tropical cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons in the past decades, focusing daily media headlines worldwide. Our study will enhance understanding of global climate change, El ....Characterising the tropical "heat engine" of global climate: combined coral, stalagmite and tree-ring records from the Indo-Pacific region. The recent anthropogenic global warming is causing polar icecap melting, sea level rise, reef coral bleaching and degradation, and increased frequency and intensity of severe droughts, floods, tropical cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons in the past decades, focusing daily media headlines worldwide. Our study will enhance understanding of global climate change, El Niño and Asian-Australian monsoon variability and coral reef degradation, and provide improved knowledge for future predictions. The outcome will impact on our National Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, enhance Australia's leadership in coral reef research, and contribute to an improved relationship with our neighbours in science, education and training.Read moreRead less
The importance of edge effects in determining the value of seagrass landscapes as fish nurseries. Seagrasses are a conspicuous element of Australian marine environments, and are crucial in the conservation and maintenance of biodiversity. Degradation of seagrass ecosystems from climatic extremes, increased sediment and nutrients in the water, and other pollutants results in loss and fragmentation of meadows. These changes to seagrass are linked with increased coastal erosion, severe loss of bio ....The importance of edge effects in determining the value of seagrass landscapes as fish nurseries. Seagrasses are a conspicuous element of Australian marine environments, and are crucial in the conservation and maintenance of biodiversity. Degradation of seagrass ecosystems from climatic extremes, increased sediment and nutrients in the water, and other pollutants results in loss and fragmentation of meadows. These changes to seagrass are linked with increased coastal erosion, severe loss of biodiversity, and collapse of fisheries. Increased understanding of how biological processes such as predation and food availability influence animal associations with seagrasses, and how these effects change with landscape structure, will have important applications in the sustainable management of Australia's threatened coastal habitats.Read moreRead less
Fingerprints of global climate change and forest management on rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling. Using a series of innovative techniques, this project seeks to capture the excellent, exciting opportunities for studying impacts of global climate change (GCC) and forest management on plant-soil-microbe interactions in rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling, with two of the world's best GCC forest experiments in Sweden and USA and three long-term forest management experiments in Australia. ....Fingerprints of global climate change and forest management on rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling. Using a series of innovative techniques, this project seeks to capture the excellent, exciting opportunities for studying impacts of global climate change (GCC) and forest management on plant-soil-microbe interactions in rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling, with two of the world's best GCC forest experiments in Sweden and USA and three long-term forest management experiments in Australia. The successful conduct of this multidisciplinary collaborative research will result in: improved understanding and management of forest ecosystems in response to GCC and effective biodiversity conservation in managed forests; and enhanced international reputation and expertise of the Australian scientists in the relevant research fields.Read moreRead less
Achieving biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service delivery: the role of landscape structure. Achieving gains for human well-being and, at the same time, conserving biodiversity is the ultimate challenge for conservation policy. This project will develop new understandings and new methods to address this issue, with important impacts on the effectiveness of strategies to conserve biodiversity.
Effective Teacher-Based Assessment Adjustments for Students with Disability. The Australian Curriculum and Disability Standards for Education create high expectations for education of students with disabilities. Teachers are to address the diversity of student learning needs in their classes, and make adjustments to school-based assessments that enable students with disabilities to demonstrate their learning. Recent reports identify inconsistent practice in schools and the need for evidence-base ....Effective Teacher-Based Assessment Adjustments for Students with Disability. The Australian Curriculum and Disability Standards for Education create high expectations for education of students with disabilities. Teachers are to address the diversity of student learning needs in their classes, and make adjustments to school-based assessments that enable students with disabilities to demonstrate their learning. Recent reports identify inconsistent practice in schools and the need for evidence-based guidance to inform these adjustments. This longitudinal project involves researcher-teacher collaboration and aims to identify effective assessment adjustments for secondary school students with disabilities, develop system-level protocols for adjustments, and meet national goals of improved education outcomes for these students.Read moreRead less
Assimilating development objectives in conservation planning. This project will extend the theory and practice of decision science to explore the question of how the apparently divergent objectives of biodiversity conservation and economic development can be balanced. The human modification of natural landscapes is causing species loss to accelerate. Yet land use and infrastructure developments are often necessary to support economic growth. The project plans to develop new methods to map past a ....Assimilating development objectives in conservation planning. This project will extend the theory and practice of decision science to explore the question of how the apparently divergent objectives of biodiversity conservation and economic development can be balanced. The human modification of natural landscapes is causing species loss to accelerate. Yet land use and infrastructure developments are often necessary to support economic growth. The project plans to develop new methods to map past and project future development scenarios for the lower Mekong region in south-east Asia, a globally significant region undergoing rapid economic development. Novel problem formulations would be used to balance biodiversity conservation with development objectives.Read moreRead less
Integrating climate and ecosystem models to predict climate change impacts on Australian marine systems. This project will underpin Australia's commitment to maintain environmental sustainability and biodiversity in the face of climate change. We will describe the consequences of climate change on harvested marine resources, biodiversity, ecosystem structure and function, and sensitive species and habitats. We will provide practical management solutions to maintain ecosystem integrity and enhanc ....Integrating climate and ecosystem models to predict climate change impacts on Australian marine systems. This project will underpin Australia's commitment to maintain environmental sustainability and biodiversity in the face of climate change. We will describe the consequences of climate change on harvested marine resources, biodiversity, ecosystem structure and function, and sensitive species and habitats. We will provide practical management solutions to maintain ecosystem integrity and enhance resilience under a changing climate. This information is of immediate use by a range of Australian stakeholders including national, state and local government agencies and authorities. The project will put Australian scientists at the forefront of research focused on adapting to marine climate impacts.Read moreRead less
Tipping points and early warning signals in complex ecosystems. This project aims to create a theory of early warning that uses spatial data available on system state, connectivity and environmental stress, and to create tools to infer the risk of ecosystem collapse. Many ecosystems have irreversible tipping points. Since their locations are often unknown, metrics may provide an early warning of collapse but are difficult to apply because they need long time series which are usually lacking. Thi ....Tipping points and early warning signals in complex ecosystems. This project aims to create a theory of early warning that uses spatial data available on system state, connectivity and environmental stress, and to create tools to infer the risk of ecosystem collapse. Many ecosystems have irreversible tipping points. Since their locations are often unknown, metrics may provide an early warning of collapse but are difficult to apply because they need long time series which are usually lacking. This project will use the Great Barrier Reef as a testbed because it has both long time series (standard approach) and rich spatial data (new approach), and exhibits early warning signs. We will use these tools to gauge whether symptoms on the Great Barrier Reef predict local collapse and to develop intervention plans.Read moreRead less
Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offsho ....Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offshore coral reefs have responded to increased pollution and whether this is the cause of the very devastating crown-of-thorn-starfish infestations. Understanding the long-term effects of land-based pollution on the ecology of coral reefs in the GBR will thus provide a scientific basis to help ensure that it has a sustainable future.Read moreRead less
A modelling analysis of the implications of biogenic feedbacks on environment for the adaptation of ecosystems. The sustainable management of Australia's living resources depends critically on a deep understanding of the fundamental properties of ecosystems. These properties will determine the response of an ecosystem to perturbation. Anthropogenic perturbation of ecosystems, whether instantiated by living resource harvesting, habitat destruction, species invasions, pollution or climate change, ....A modelling analysis of the implications of biogenic feedbacks on environment for the adaptation of ecosystems. The sustainable management of Australia's living resources depends critically on a deep understanding of the fundamental properties of ecosystems. These properties will determine the response of an ecosystem to perturbation. Anthropogenic perturbation of ecosystems, whether instantiated by living resource harvesting, habitat destruction, species invasions, pollution or climate change, is the greatest current threat to Australia's biodiversity and hence the continued functioning of the systems that we rely on for maintaining our environment in a habitable state and for providing economic benefit. This research will attempt to discover some of these properties, and assess their implications for the sustainably management of our environment.Read moreRead less