Forecasting soil conditions. Not knowing where and how soil responds to climate change and human intervention compromises food, water, climate and energy security. Currently there is a lack of soil process knowledge and data infrastructure collectively causing significant uncertainty and risk in the assessments of key threats to soil. The project devises a transformational digital soil model to forecast where and how soil pH and carbon will change in New South Wales. Tested on sites within Au ....Forecasting soil conditions. Not knowing where and how soil responds to climate change and human intervention compromises food, water, climate and energy security. Currently there is a lack of soil process knowledge and data infrastructure collectively causing significant uncertainty and risk in the assessments of key threats to soil. The project devises a transformational digital soil model to forecast where and how soil pH and carbon will change in New South Wales. Tested on sites within Australia, the model will give insight on the drivers of change and will provide a unique analysis of the effect of climate change and land management on the dynamics of soil.Read moreRead less
A general soil spatial scaling theory. Soil diversity is crucial for maintenance of sustainable ecosystems. Soil varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to fields, regions, continents and the globe. This project will take a unifying approach to derive a general spatial scaling theory that will allow us to estimate the likely behaviour of soil properties at all scales. Understanding the scaling behaviour of soil means one can be certain about describing the changes in relationships between ....A general soil spatial scaling theory. Soil diversity is crucial for maintenance of sustainable ecosystems. Soil varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to fields, regions, continents and the globe. This project will take a unifying approach to derive a general spatial scaling theory that will allow us to estimate the likely behaviour of soil properties at all scales. Understanding the scaling behaviour of soil means one can be certain about describing the changes in relationships between soil properties and processes. It will enhance the ability to monitor soil property changes through time, essential for gauging effects of climate change and achieving food security. Read moreRead less
Global space-time soil carbon assessment. Soil carbon is a key component of functional ecosystems and is crucial for food, water and energy security, and for climate change mitigation. The project will contribute to global understanding of soil carbon and its management for sustainable wellbeing.
Synergising pedodiversity and biodiversity to secure soil functionality. This project aims to understand the coupling between soil physical, chemical and biological diversity at a range of scales and land uses across New South Wales and its relationship with soil functioning. Soil diversity with its coupled biodiversity is crucial for conservation of sustainable ecosystems. Soil diversity varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to elds, catchments and regions. This project will enhance ou ....Synergising pedodiversity and biodiversity to secure soil functionality. This project aims to understand the coupling between soil physical, chemical and biological diversity at a range of scales and land uses across New South Wales and its relationship with soil functioning. Soil diversity with its coupled biodiversity is crucial for conservation of sustainable ecosystems. Soil diversity varies on a continuum from microbial habitats to elds, catchments and regions. This project will enhance our ability to understand the drivers of soil change through time, critical for minimising loss of biodiversity, achieving food and soil security and inferring effects of climate change.Read moreRead less
Phosphorus cycling and adaptation of soil microbes to P availability . This project aims to determine how soil microbial communities adapt to phosphorus availability, and how the breakdown of microbial biomass sustains phosphorus demand. Using some of the most globally P-impoverished soils, the project expects to uncover how cellular composition of microbial populations is shaped by phosphorus availability, and feedbacks between cellular composition of microbes and phosphorus availability. Expec ....Phosphorus cycling and adaptation of soil microbes to P availability . This project aims to determine how soil microbial communities adapt to phosphorus availability, and how the breakdown of microbial biomass sustains phosphorus demand. Using some of the most globally P-impoverished soils, the project expects to uncover how cellular composition of microbial populations is shaped by phosphorus availability, and feedbacks between cellular composition of microbes and phosphorus availability. Expected outcomes include better understanding of factors determining phosphorus availability, and a new analytical toolkit for tracing pools and fluxes of organic P in soils. Overall, these should provide significant benefit to the global effort in understanding how phosphorus shapes soil function.Read moreRead less
The mechanics of healing and self-healing in clayey soils. This project aims to develop an experimentally-validated theory of healing and self-healing in clay and determine clay-polymer mixtures that heal cracks and fissures in clay. Healing of fissures will improve strength and reduce hydraulic conductivity, which will reduce risks associated with construction on fissured clay and make clay barrier systems in dehydrating environments more reliable. The project’s observations of crack healing ar ....The mechanics of healing and self-healing in clayey soils. This project aims to develop an experimentally-validated theory of healing and self-healing in clay and determine clay-polymer mixtures that heal cracks and fissures in clay. Healing of fissures will improve strength and reduce hydraulic conductivity, which will reduce risks associated with construction on fissured clay and make clay barrier systems in dehydrating environments more reliable. The project’s observations of crack healing are expected to advance understanding of this phenomenon of soil mechanics and of geotechnical applications where cracking can occur, such as in foundation design, waste containment, slope stability and embankment dams.Read moreRead less
Switching partners: a driving force for tree productivity in a changing environment? Eucalypts take part in a mutually beneficial association with diverse communities of mycorrhizal fungi to satisfy nutrient demands. The fungi that eucalypts interact with change as they grow but the reasons for this shift are not known. To improve forestry management strategies, the project will determine why and how this shift occurs.
Can eco-evolutionary theories explain outcomes of microbiome coalescence . Environmental microbial communities are among the most abundant and diverse natural communities, responsible for many ecologically and economically important ecosystem functions, including primary productivity and climate regulation. This project aims to identify the biotic and abiotic factors that regulate community and functional outcomes of microbiome coalescence (the mixing of two different communities) caused by natu ....Can eco-evolutionary theories explain outcomes of microbiome coalescence . Environmental microbial communities are among the most abundant and diverse natural communities, responsible for many ecologically and economically important ecosystem functions, including primary productivity and climate regulation. This project aims to identify the biotic and abiotic factors that regulate community and functional outcomes of microbiome coalescence (the mixing of two different communities) caused by natural and anthropogenic activities. The outcomes will provide a unifying ecological framework to predict variation in microbiomes across different scales, ecosystem types and disturbances, and will generate critical knowledge for the development of effective microbiome products, a rapidly growing industryRead moreRead less
A novel granular stress sensor for soil exploration. The project aims to develop a novel way to measure the state of soils and improve the perception of soft ground robots by combining advances in sensor development with granular physics. The project expects to produce new insights in geotechnical engineering by utilising innovative sensors compliant with the surrounding medium, thus improving measurements across broader deformation conditions than existing technologies. Expected outcomes includ ....A novel granular stress sensor for soil exploration. The project aims to develop a novel way to measure the state of soils and improve the perception of soft ground robots by combining advances in sensor development with granular physics. The project expects to produce new insights in geotechnical engineering by utilising innovative sensors compliant with the surrounding medium, thus improving measurements across broader deformation conditions than existing technologies. Expected outcomes include an increased ability to prevent soil failures by utilising these sensors to monitor stress levels underground. This should provide significant benefits for saving critical infrastructure from environmental and geotechnical failures, including landslides, tunnel collapses, and tailings dam damages.Read moreRead less
Australian clays as raw materials of slow-release phosphate fertiliser. Phosphorus (P) fertiliser input in Australia is a significant problem for its inefficient plant uptake, leaching to natural water bodies and stocking of insoluble P in soil. The project aims to develop activated clays using Australian raw clay minerals to formulate effective slow-release phosphate (P) fertilisers (SRF) and delivery material for P-solubilising bacteria. Composite of these will supply P controllably even amid ....Australian clays as raw materials of slow-release phosphate fertiliser. Phosphorus (P) fertiliser input in Australia is a significant problem for its inefficient plant uptake, leaching to natural water bodies and stocking of insoluble P in soil. The project aims to develop activated clays using Australian raw clay minerals to formulate effective slow-release phosphate (P) fertilisers (SRF) and delivery material for P-solubilising bacteria. Composite of these will supply P controllably even amid environmental fluctuations but when a plant needs as it grows. Development of multifunctional, nontoxic and plant growth-driven P fertiliser would benefit improve soil fertility in a sustainable way where efficiency of P input is maximised with a minimised environmental burden.Read moreRead less