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
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
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100649
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,416.00
Summary
Green or crispy: Which plants use transpiration to survive heatwaves? Heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity, and extreme heat poses a significant threat to tree growth and survival. This project aims to investigate how different Australian tree species respond to extreme heat by tracking dynamic changes in water use during both natural and experimental heatwaves, representing current and future stress levels. Identification of a predictable response among plant functional types cou ....Green or crispy: Which plants use transpiration to survive heatwaves? Heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity, and extreme heat poses a significant threat to tree growth and survival. This project aims to investigate how different Australian tree species respond to extreme heat by tracking dynamic changes in water use during both natural and experimental heatwaves, representing current and future stress levels. Identification of a predictable response among plant functional types could be used to better forecast the potential effects of climate change on forest ecosystems. This project also expects to identify heat-tolerant tree species and their relevant physiological traits, which can improve the success of urban tree plantings to help create cooler, greener cities throughout Australia.Read moreRead less
Resolving the role of kelp in blue carbon cycles to enable management. We aim to uncover how kelp forests contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity enhancement and nutrient mitigation in Australia. We will combine mapping and modelling to identify local variation in kelp carbon stocks and sequestration potential and verify kelp carbon export to deep ocean sinks through genetic tracing in seawater and sediments. Co-benefits will be identified through nutrient experiments and reef surveys. We wil ....Resolving the role of kelp in blue carbon cycles to enable management. We aim to uncover how kelp forests contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity enhancement and nutrient mitigation in Australia. We will combine mapping and modelling to identify local variation in kelp carbon stocks and sequestration potential and verify kelp carbon export to deep ocean sinks through genetic tracing in seawater and sediments. Co-benefits will be identified through nutrient experiments and reef surveys. We will also assess the risk that calcification and production of halogenic gas within the kelp forest could offset its climate mitigation potential. Project outcomes will enable management to consider kelp ecosystem services broadly and optimize our capacity to meet current emission reduction and biodiversity commitments.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100398
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,886.00
Summary
Advancing detection and understanding of anomalous ecological change. Human impacts are driving ecosystems into new, anomalous states. Reliably detecting these ecological anomalies is essential to better understand how ecosystems change over time, and effectively manage natural resources. This project aims to advance ecological anomaly detection using techniques from complex fields such as banking fraud, cybersecurity and video surveillance. Expected project outcomes will improve understanding o ....Advancing detection and understanding of anomalous ecological change. Human impacts are driving ecosystems into new, anomalous states. Reliably detecting these ecological anomalies is essential to better understand how ecosystems change over time, and effectively manage natural resources. This project aims to advance ecological anomaly detection using techniques from complex fields such as banking fraud, cybersecurity and video surveillance. Expected project outcomes will improve understanding of patterns and drivers of both biodiversity and ecosystem change. Tools to reliably detect anomalous changes in complex ecological systems will provide significant benefits to ecosystem management, conservation decision-making and environmental remediation.Read moreRead less
Identifying potential trade-offs of adapting to climate change. Climate change and marine heatwaves introduce strong, directional selection for heat tolerance which, in turn, alters the genetic composition and diversity of marine species. While this may facilitate adaptation to warmer conditions, reduced genetic diversity may limit resilience or cause maladaptation to additional stressors. This project will focus on habitat-forming kelps and will aim to both assess the negative consequences of r ....Identifying potential trade-offs of adapting to climate change. Climate change and marine heatwaves introduce strong, directional selection for heat tolerance which, in turn, alters the genetic composition and diversity of marine species. While this may facilitate adaptation to warmer conditions, reduced genetic diversity may limit resilience or cause maladaptation to additional stressors. This project will focus on habitat-forming kelps and will aim to both assess the negative consequences of rapid selection and to disentangle the mechanisms of climate adaptation. Through a powerful combination of controlled experiments on known genotypes and cutting-edge transcriptomic approaches, this project will transform our understanding of the adaptability of foundation species in a rapidly changing ocean.
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Drivers and consequences of novel marine ecological communities. Marine ecological communities are exhibiting rapid change in response to human actions. This project aims to apply a newly developed statistical framework, and expects to uncover historical patterns in the emergence and persistence of new community states of two sets of marine taxa: reef-building coral, and marine plankton. Understanding how often marine communities shifted into these novel states in the absence of human activities ....Drivers and consequences of novel marine ecological communities. Marine ecological communities are exhibiting rapid change in response to human actions. This project aims to apply a newly developed statistical framework, and expects to uncover historical patterns in the emergence and persistence of new community states of two sets of marine taxa: reef-building coral, and marine plankton. Understanding how often marine communities shifted into these novel states in the absence of human activities, as well as the relative contribution of environmental and biological factors, will provide significant foundational knowledge. In addition, this project aims to provide flow-on benefits to environmental management to ensure ecosystems continue to provide beneficial services, which include fisheries and tourism.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