Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101486
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Animal groups as mobile sensor networks. This project aims to provide biologically inspired solutions to the problems faced by mobile sensor networks. Mobile sensor networks provide a powerful new tool in environmental monitoring and surveillance, however, designing them to be energy efficient while not sacrificing information detection remains a challenge. By immersing animal groups into dynamically changing virtual environments this project will design new efficient mobile sensor networks. The ....Animal groups as mobile sensor networks. This project aims to provide biologically inspired solutions to the problems faced by mobile sensor networks. Mobile sensor networks provide a powerful new tool in environmental monitoring and surveillance, however, designing them to be energy efficient while not sacrificing information detection remains a challenge. By immersing animal groups into dynamically changing virtual environments this project will design new efficient mobile sensor networks. The project is expected to provide solutions to mobile sensor network limitations, benefitting areas including robotics, environmental monitoring and defence.Read moreRead less
From individuals to mass organisation: aggregation, synchronisation and collective movement in locusts. By combining field biology, robotics and mathematics, this project will determine how animals flock or swarm and, in particular, how locust nymphs control their collective movement over their lifetime. The mathematical models derived during the project will be directly applied to controlling outbreaks of locusts in Australia, South and North Africa.
LIZARD SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND THE INFLUENCE OF PARASITES. We ask why stable social group living in animals, with well documented benefits, is relatively rare. One cost is the enhanced opportunity for parasite and disease transmission among group members. We will explore, for a lizard, the impact of group living on parasite infections, and the costs of infection. We expect to produce observational and experimental results with an unusual level of detail, and with a fresh taxonomic perspective to in ....LIZARD SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND THE INFLUENCE OF PARASITES. We ask why stable social group living in animals, with well documented benefits, is relatively rare. One cost is the enhanced opportunity for parasite and disease transmission among group members. We will explore, for a lizard, the impact of group living on parasite infections, and the costs of infection. We expect to produce observational and experimental results with an unusual level of detail, and with a fresh taxonomic perspective to influence debate in this central area of behavioural ecology. We will also produce new information on behavioural ecology of Australian fauna, important for conservation management and ecotourism.Read moreRead less
Assessing the Groundwater Dependence of Nearshore Coastal Ecosystems in the South East of South Australia. Groundwater in the SE region of SA is a valuable resource. The South East Catchment Water Management Board is responsible for planning sustainable management of these resources. The Board seeks to discover whether any marine ecosystems are dependent upon these groundwater resources, to inform their water-allocation planning decisions. This research combines field-based marine ecology with ....Assessing the Groundwater Dependence of Nearshore Coastal Ecosystems in the South East of South Australia. Groundwater in the SE region of SA is a valuable resource. The South East Catchment Water Management Board is responsible for planning sustainable management of these resources. The Board seeks to discover whether any marine ecosystems are dependent upon these groundwater resources, to inform their water-allocation planning decisions. This research combines field-based marine ecology with groundwater hydrology to assess the influence of groundwater outflow upon small estuaries, sandy beaches and lagoonal seagrass meadows that exist along the coastline from Kingston SE to the Victorian border. Our multidisciplinary approach will set a benchmark nationally and internationally for such applied research.Read moreRead less
Addressing social and ecological constraints to expand marine restoration. This project aims to improve social and ecological outcomes of marine habitat restoration by increasing community and industry engagement in restoration practices with high socio-economic benefits. By understanding and overcoming social and ecological barriers to successful restoration efforts, this project will generate new knowledge on how communities – both human and marine – can work together to rapidly restore robust ....Addressing social and ecological constraints to expand marine restoration. This project aims to improve social and ecological outcomes of marine habitat restoration by increasing community and industry engagement in restoration practices with high socio-economic benefits. By understanding and overcoming social and ecological barriers to successful restoration efforts, this project will generate new knowledge on how communities – both human and marine – can work together to rapidly restore robust, productive reef habitats. Expected outcomes of this project include a new ecological, multi-species approach that boosts restoration resilience; and a collaborative framework for developing government policy that builds industry and community support for cooperative management of coastal ecosystem restoration.Read moreRead less
Bottom-up effects of nutrients on estuarine fish related ecosystems. Over 84% of Australians live within 50 km of the coast, and have large impacts on coastal ecosystems, such as increasing nutrients in estuaries. Nutrients have strong bottom-up effects on fish ecosystems, especially during critical juvenile life history stages. Elevated nutrients can alter fish productivity and sustainability, having ecosystem and social implications. This project will combine experimental evidence with novel a ....Bottom-up effects of nutrients on estuarine fish related ecosystems. Over 84% of Australians live within 50 km of the coast, and have large impacts on coastal ecosystems, such as increasing nutrients in estuaries. Nutrients have strong bottom-up effects on fish ecosystems, especially during critical juvenile life history stages. Elevated nutrients can alter fish productivity and sustainability, having ecosystem and social implications. This project will combine experimental evidence with novel approaches of fatty acid tracers in food-webs and fish otolith (earbone) chemistry, to determine how nutrients affect fish ecosystems, recruitment, and survivorship. This project will provide information needed to create sustainable fisheries, to safeguard Australia's fisheries resources for future generations.Read moreRead less
Conservation biology of the largest Australian freshwater tortoise, the broad-shelled tortoise, Chelodina expansa - rare and endangered or cryptic and secure? The Murray is a highly managed river, with flows controlled by catchments and diversions. The combined impacts of water resource development, habitat modification and introduced species are astonishingly diverse, and include extinctions of some fish and invertebrates and depression of populations of many other species. Australia's largest ....Conservation biology of the largest Australian freshwater tortoise, the broad-shelled tortoise, Chelodina expansa - rare and endangered or cryptic and secure? The Murray is a highly managed river, with flows controlled by catchments and diversions. The combined impacts of water resource development, habitat modification and introduced species are astonishingly diverse, and include extinctions of some fish and invertebrates and depression of populations of many other species. Australia's largest chelid turtle, the broad-shelled turtle, is a high-level consumer thought to be particularly sensitive to these changes. We will use an innovative combination of non-destructive technologies to investigate the conservation biology of this species in the Lower Murray, where it is regarded as rare and where its biology is virtually unknown to inform conservation management and restoration initiativesRead moreRead less
Effects of urbanisation and introduced species on rivers and estuaries: a whole of catchment approach. Humans have converted land into urban and agricultural areas, as well as intentionally or accidentally introduced species into aquatic systems. Estuaries and rivers are some of the most degraded systems on earth and fishes are among the most endangered vertebrates worldwide. We will utilise novel modelling techniques to provide predictive models that investigate fish-environment relationships. ....Effects of urbanisation and introduced species on rivers and estuaries: a whole of catchment approach. Humans have converted land into urban and agricultural areas, as well as intentionally or accidentally introduced species into aquatic systems. Estuaries and rivers are some of the most degraded systems on earth and fishes are among the most endangered vertebrates worldwide. We will utilise novel modelling techniques to provide predictive models that investigate fish-environment relationships. We will also investigate impacts of trout introductions on native fish including dietary, competitive and assemblage level changes to the system. Essential data for the sustainable management of freshwater and estuarine systems will be obtained, which will lead to an environmentally sustainable Australia. Read moreRead less
Responses of southern Australian mammal faunas to climate change before and after human arrival. In the past 170 years, southern Australia mammals have suffered one of the worst extinction rates in the world. More losses are predicted in the face of global warming. This recent extinction wave follows a major extinction event that saw 90% of Australia's large animals disappear 60,000-40,000 years ago. The causes are hotly debated. Some researchers argue for a human cause, others suggest that clim ....Responses of southern Australian mammal faunas to climate change before and after human arrival. In the past 170 years, southern Australia mammals have suffered one of the worst extinction rates in the world. More losses are predicted in the face of global warming. This recent extinction wave follows a major extinction event that saw 90% of Australia's large animals disappear 60,000-40,000 years ago. The causes are hotly debated. Some researchers argue for a human cause, others suggest that climate change was to blame. This study will refine our knowledge of the timing and causes of these extinctions in southern Australia by assessing how communities responded to climate change in the lead-up to human arrival. It will provide vital information for managing the conservation of many modern species and guide us in limiting future losses.Read moreRead less
Conservation genetics of the threatened Malleefowl. This project will provide national benefit at four levels. First, our comprehensive genetic analysis will provide our industry partners with vital information for sustainable management of the Malleefowl. The research findings will also enrich educational and ecotourism activities in rural Australia. The publication and popular dissemination of our findings will enhance Australia's international profile as a leader in conservation genetics r ....Conservation genetics of the threatened Malleefowl. This project will provide national benefit at four levels. First, our comprehensive genetic analysis will provide our industry partners with vital information for sustainable management of the Malleefowl. The research findings will also enrich educational and ecotourism activities in rural Australia. The publication and popular dissemination of our findings will enhance Australia's international profile as a leader in conservation genetics research. Finally, our research will promote undergraduate and postgraduate education by providing cutting-edge training and research opportunities for young scientists.Read moreRead less