Behavioural resilience to climatic variability. Despite Australian biota being adapted to high natural climate variability, modern climate change is leading to population collapses and shifts into novel ecosystems. This Project, which studies a unique native mammal in the Pilbara, aims to uncover whether changes in behaviour are effective for dealing with environmental extremes and unpredictable climatic conditions. It will integrate laboratory- and field-based investigations to examine behaviou ....Behavioural resilience to climatic variability. Despite Australian biota being adapted to high natural climate variability, modern climate change is leading to population collapses and shifts into novel ecosystems. This Project, which studies a unique native mammal in the Pilbara, aims to uncover whether changes in behaviour are effective for dealing with environmental extremes and unpredictable climatic conditions. It will integrate laboratory- and field-based investigations to examine behavioural responses to climatic variability and establish how these responses influence individual fitness and future population resilience. This research will advance knowledge on climate-driven behavioural adaptation and improve understanding of how species will cope with Australia’s changing climate.Read moreRead less
The legacy of rainfall patterns in dryland ecosystems. This project aims to use an experimental approach to determine how rainfall regime structures dryland communities and ecosystem properties and potential responses to altered rainfall regime. Ecosystem functioning in drylands is governed by complex interactions between microbes, invertebrates and plants. Biological activity however is constrained by the availability of water and altered rainfall regimes that could moderate how organisms inter ....The legacy of rainfall patterns in dryland ecosystems. This project aims to use an experimental approach to determine how rainfall regime structures dryland communities and ecosystem properties and potential responses to altered rainfall regime. Ecosystem functioning in drylands is governed by complex interactions between microbes, invertebrates and plants. Biological activity however is constrained by the availability of water and altered rainfall regimes that could moderate how organisms interact, potentially causing trophic cascades and even ecosystem state changes. By linking observed responses with soil microbial functional attributes using newly developed molecular techniques the project seeks to provide a mechanistic insight into ecosystem responses to climate variability and extreme climatic events.Read moreRead less
Pushing the envelope: does range size limit eucalypt tolerance to warming? This project aims to characterise the biogeographic constraints on the physiological flexibility of eucalypts to accommodate climate warming. Do temperature tolerances of diverse taxa vary predictably with native geographic range sizes and climate of origin? In addressing this question, the project expects to generate new knowledge on the comparative physiological responses of diverse eucalypt taxa to warming and heat wav ....Pushing the envelope: does range size limit eucalypt tolerance to warming? This project aims to characterise the biogeographic constraints on the physiological flexibility of eucalypts to accommodate climate warming. Do temperature tolerances of diverse taxa vary predictably with native geographic range sizes and climate of origin? In addressing this question, the project expects to generate new knowledge on the comparative physiological responses of diverse eucalypt taxa to warming and heat waves using controlled-environment studies and a unique facility at Western Sydney University for heat wave studies of large trees. Expected outcomes include an enhanced capacity to predict carbon exchange and growth responses of native trees to climate warming over large geographic scales.Read moreRead less
Warming up predator-prey interactions. Predator-prey interactions are the building blocks of communities, but these will change with shifts in distribution due to carbon dioxide (CO2)-induced increases in temperature. Coral reefs are particularly vulnerable and the project will explore how temperature elevation will influence the physiological performance and ecology of fish to alter these fundamental interactions.
Growing up with global change. This project aims to quantify how native bird populations will respond to global warming. The project will investigate how vulnerable nestling birds are to high temperatures, and the impact of early-life heat stress on adult performance and fitness in the wild. Although growing animals are most sensitive to heat, and stress during early-life often has irreversible negative effects, we know very little about long-term consequences of early-life heat stress. The inte ....Growing up with global change. This project aims to quantify how native bird populations will respond to global warming. The project will investigate how vulnerable nestling birds are to high temperatures, and the impact of early-life heat stress on adult performance and fitness in the wild. Although growing animals are most sensitive to heat, and stress during early-life often has irreversible negative effects, we know very little about long-term consequences of early-life heat stress. The intended outcomes will increase our capacity to predict impacts of climate warming before population declines become evident. Improved predictions are beneficial to identify urgent threats and optimise conservation efforts.Read moreRead less
The future of forests under climatic stress. This project aims to measure the vulnerability of forest trees to more extreme drought as global temperatures inevitably rise. Australian forests face the immediate threat of increased mortality associated with intensifying drought stress in the future. Understanding the magnitude of this threat is of the utmost urgency. This project aims to predict future mortality of forest communities in Australia and worldwide using recent breakthroughs enabling t ....The future of forests under climatic stress. This project aims to measure the vulnerability of forest trees to more extreme drought as global temperatures inevitably rise. Australian forests face the immediate threat of increased mortality associated with intensifying drought stress in the future. Understanding the magnitude of this threat is of the utmost urgency. This project aims to predict future mortality of forest communities in Australia and worldwide using recent breakthroughs enabling the rapid quantification of lethal stress in trees. This new understanding will provide a basis upon which to make far-reaching decisions about land management, conservation and restoration.Read moreRead less
How has bushfire activity varied around the Southern Hemisphere over the last 10,000 years? We will determine the relative contribution of climate and human ignitions in driving bushfire activity around the Southern Hemisphere over the last 10,000 years. Such knowledge is crucial for ecologically sustainable fire management, resolving debates about past Aboriginal environmental impacts and understanding the risk posed by climate change.
The effect of native invasions on Australian fisheries species. This project aims to forecast climate-related changes in the diversity, distribution and abundance of fisheries species. In a changing world where many people depend on oceans for food and livelihood, predicting the future distribution of fisheries species is a challenge. Native invasions and ocean warming are stressing inshore fisheries species, but rigorous empirical data and models that can reliably forecast these effects are lac ....The effect of native invasions on Australian fisheries species. This project aims to forecast climate-related changes in the diversity, distribution and abundance of fisheries species. In a changing world where many people depend on oceans for food and livelihood, predicting the future distribution of fisheries species is a challenge. Native invasions and ocean warming are stressing inshore fisheries species, but rigorous empirical data and models that can reliably forecast these effects are lacking. This project intends to reveal the drivers of successful native invasions, evaluate their effect on fish diversity and productivity, and develop holistic models that forecast their effects on inshore fisheries species’ near-future distribution and stocks.Read moreRead less
The role of epigenetics in conferring resilience to environmental change. This project aims to determine whether epigenetic mechanisms confer resilience to environmental change in natural populations. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms is significant because they can mediate compensatory responses by animals to rapid environmental change. This project intends to link molecular changes to ecological outcomes to determine rapid remodeling of phenotypes to maintain fitness in variable environments ....The role of epigenetics in conferring resilience to environmental change. This project aims to determine whether epigenetic mechanisms confer resilience to environmental change in natural populations. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms is significant because they can mediate compensatory responses by animals to rapid environmental change. This project intends to link molecular changes to ecological outcomes to determine rapid remodeling of phenotypes to maintain fitness in variable environments. The project would benefit Australia’s research capacity and training, and the efficacy of conserving our natural environment.Read moreRead less
Hydroregulation – a missing piece of the climate change puzzle. There is a great need for process-explicit approaches to the puzzle of how organisms will respond to changes in temperature and rainfall. To achieve this for animals, behavioural buffering of both body temperature and water balance must be accounted for. Much is known about thermoregulation, but 'hydroregulation' stands out as a major missing piece of the climate change forecasting puzzle. This project will integrate new modelling m ....Hydroregulation – a missing piece of the climate change puzzle. There is a great need for process-explicit approaches to the puzzle of how organisms will respond to changes in temperature and rainfall. To achieve this for animals, behavioural buffering of both body temperature and water balance must be accounted for. Much is known about thermoregulation, but 'hydroregulation' stands out as a major missing piece of the climate change forecasting puzzle. This project will integrate new modelling methods and empirical approaches to understand the connections between thermoregulation, hydroregulation, activity and, ultimately, distribution and abundance. It will test the predictions against long-term activity observations of reptiles and invertebrates from the Australian arid zone.Read moreRead less