An ecophysiological analysis of key factors determining jarrah forest productivity on rehabilitated bauxite minesites. Following bauxite mining, soils are prepared for rehabilitation. After sowing or planting of the original species, a vegetation is established. Despite a successful first phase of rehabilitation, there is large variation between stands 5 to 10 years later. The aim of this project is to analyse the causes of this variation, especially variation in performance of jarrah (Eucalypt ....An ecophysiological analysis of key factors determining jarrah forest productivity on rehabilitated bauxite minesites. Following bauxite mining, soils are prepared for rehabilitation. After sowing or planting of the original species, a vegetation is established. Despite a successful first phase of rehabilitation, there is large variation between stands 5 to 10 years later. The aim of this project is to analyse the causes of this variation, especially variation in performance of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) between sites. Nutrient and water status of trees will be assessed, in a search for correlations with plant performance. Effects of fertilisation and irrigation on plant peformance will be investigated. The remarkably high phosphate-use efficiency of jarrah will also be analysed.Read moreRead less
Using cane toads to eradicate cane toads. This project aims to develop effective ways to reduce the devastating ecological impact of cane toads, by exploiting the cannibalistic behaviour of tadpoles. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of invasion biology and amphibian development utilising recent discoveries about cannibalism. Expected outcomes of this project include a powerful new method to reduce or eliminate recruitment of juvenile toads from natural waterbodies. Bene ....Using cane toads to eradicate cane toads. This project aims to develop effective ways to reduce the devastating ecological impact of cane toads, by exploiting the cannibalistic behaviour of tadpoles. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of invasion biology and amphibian development utilising recent discoveries about cannibalism. Expected outcomes of this project include a powerful new method to reduce or eliminate recruitment of juvenile toads from natural waterbodies. Benefits of this project include conservation of native wildlife that are threatened by the cane toad invasion across much of tropical and subtropical Australia.Read moreRead less
Population response to climate change in a host-parasite system. A computer model will be developed to predict the impact of climate change on geographic ranges and population densities of the sleepy lizard, the world's only lizard to be recorded to show long-term monogamy, and its associated parasitic ticks. A blood parasite, carried by the tick, and potentially harmful to the lizards, will also be included in the investigation. The study forms the next step in a 21 year research project by Fli ....Population response to climate change in a host-parasite system. A computer model will be developed to predict the impact of climate change on geographic ranges and population densities of the sleepy lizard, the world's only lizard to be recorded to show long-term monogamy, and its associated parasitic ticks. A blood parasite, carried by the tick, and potentially harmful to the lizards, will also be included in the investigation. The study forms the next step in a 21 year research project by Flinders university biologists. It will inform wildlife management about disease control and provide deeper understanding of the response of Australian fauna to climate change.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101226
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Plant community responses to fire regime: the role of plant–soil feedbacks. We need to know how different prescribed burning regimes set the stage for long-term changes in plant community composition, diversity, and flammability. This project aims to reveal how plant community dynamics under different fire scenarios can be predicted based on contemporary interactions between plants and soil micro-organisms. This innovative approach to fire ecology integrates soil biology and plant ecophysiology ....Plant community responses to fire regime: the role of plant–soil feedbacks. We need to know how different prescribed burning regimes set the stage for long-term changes in plant community composition, diversity, and flammability. This project aims to reveal how plant community dynamics under different fire scenarios can be predicted based on contemporary interactions between plants and soil micro-organisms. This innovative approach to fire ecology integrates soil biology and plant ecophysiology with sophisticated experiments and novel modelling techniques. Expected outcomes include a much-needed mechanistic framework for early detection of major ecological changes under novel fire regimes, with direct benefits for land managers and the long-term conservation of Australia’s iconic vegetation.Read moreRead less
Roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant competition: revealing underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms. This project will increase understanding of physiological and molecular mechanisms that enable widespread beneficial symbiotic soil fungi to influence plant productivity and biodiversity of natural and managed plant ecosystems. It will also aid biotechnological and agronomic goals of maximizing use of scarce soil nutrients, especially phosphate. Results will be important ....Roles of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant competition: revealing underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms. This project will increase understanding of physiological and molecular mechanisms that enable widespread beneficial symbiotic soil fungi to influence plant productivity and biodiversity of natural and managed plant ecosystems. It will also aid biotechnological and agronomic goals of maximizing use of scarce soil nutrients, especially phosphate. Results will be important for agro-industry and Government groups focusing on 'healthy soil'. The project adds considerably to investment in research, infrastructure and international collaboration in this priority area. It will enhance Australia's reputation for research in soil biology and provide high standards in research education and training in an internationally recognised environment.Read moreRead less
Effects of European colonisation on indigenous ecosystems: multiple-scale spatial structure of pre- and post-settlement Callitris forests. Since European colonisation, altered disturbance regimes, especially fire and grazing, have greatly affected intact ecosystems across the globe. However, the extent and causes of changes are often hotly contested. This study will examine how European colonisation has affected natural ecosystems, by documenting historical fire regimes and comparing pre- and po ....Effects of European colonisation on indigenous ecosystems: multiple-scale spatial structure of pre- and post-settlement Callitris forests. Since European colonisation, altered disturbance regimes, especially fire and grazing, have greatly affected intact ecosystems across the globe. However, the extent and causes of changes are often hotly contested. This study will examine how European colonisation has affected natural ecosystems, by documenting historical fire regimes and comparing pre- and post-settlement forest patterns across multiple spatial scales. The study will be conducted in temperate Callitris forests, and will provide the first, multiple-scale, spatial analysis of post-settlement vegetation changes in Australia. Results will enhance our global understanding of European environmental impacts and provide quantitative benchmarks to inform vegetation management.Read moreRead less
Horizontal ecological networks for understanding biodiversity maintenance. The project aims to develop new ecological theory on local diversity maintenance based on an innovative interaction network model, tested on Western Australian wildflower communities. It is novel in its focus on the complexity of species interactions and their importance to diversity maintenance in nature. This project aims to explore links between plant interaction networks and coexistence theory to provide theoretical e ....Horizontal ecological networks for understanding biodiversity maintenance. The project aims to develop new ecological theory on local diversity maintenance based on an innovative interaction network model, tested on Western Australian wildflower communities. It is novel in its focus on the complexity of species interactions and their importance to diversity maintenance in nature. This project aims to explore links between plant interaction networks and coexistence theory to provide theoretical expectations for how changes to the environment are expected to alter natural plant communities. It aims to fill theory-gap about mechanisms of multi-species coexistence, advance community ecology, and provide the theoretical foundations necessary for translating ecological theory to restoration and conservation in practice.Read moreRead less
Boom and bust: the role of fire and rain in driving the dynamics of seeds and rodents in arid Australia. The arid Australian environment oscillates between spectacular boom periods, when biotic productivity and diversity are high, and busts, when biotic resources are depleted. This project first outlines a conceptual model of this dynamic and complex system. It then investigates the roles of rainfall and fire in driving boom-bust events, focusing particularly on food resources (seeds) and their ....Boom and bust: the role of fire and rain in driving the dynamics of seeds and rodents in arid Australia. The arid Australian environment oscillates between spectacular boom periods, when biotic productivity and diversity are high, and busts, when biotic resources are depleted. This project first outlines a conceptual model of this dynamic and complex system. It then investigates the roles of rainfall and fire in driving boom-bust events, focusing particularly on food resources (seeds) and their consumers (desert rodents) in the hyper-variable Simpson Desert. We propose observations and experiments to quantify how these climatic events affect seed production, seed fate, and ultimately the dynamics of desert rodents, and outline their importance for effective management of the desert environment.Read moreRead less
The role of plant chemical defences in the population ecology of mammal herbivores. Plants defend themselves against herbivores by producing toxic compounds in their leaves. Many studies show that such compounds influence diet selection by mammal herbivores, but we understand much less about their effects on populations of such species. This project will investigate how concentrations of leaf toxins in eucalypts affect reproductive success, distribution and abundance of the marsupials that feed ....The role of plant chemical defences in the population ecology of mammal herbivores. Plants defend themselves against herbivores by producing toxic compounds in their leaves. Many studies show that such compounds influence diet selection by mammal herbivores, but we understand much less about their effects on populations of such species. This project will investigate how concentrations of leaf toxins in eucalypts affect reproductive success, distribution and abundance of the marsupials that feed on them. The knowledge gained by this study will be important in modelling populations of these marsupial species and predicting their responses to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Influence of energy intake on reproduction. Understanding reproduction is fundamentally important to ecology and conservation. Despite intensive research, the processes that regulate energy acquisition and allocation for reproduction are still unclear for most animal species. Many of the obstacles to progress in this field of research are logistical, reflecting the complexity and temporal overlap of significant components of energy allocation pathways. Our proposed study avoids many of these l ....Influence of energy intake on reproduction. Understanding reproduction is fundamentally important to ecology and conservation. Despite intensive research, the processes that regulate energy acquisition and allocation for reproduction are still unclear for most animal species. Many of the obstacles to progress in this field of research are logistical, reflecting the complexity and temporal overlap of significant components of energy allocation pathways. Our proposed study avoids many of these logistical difficulties by focusing on animals (snakes) that display clear temporal partitioning between successive segments of the reproductive cascade (i.e., vitellogenesis, ovulation, embryogenesis); and by adopting a simple but novel method (based on stable isotope analysis) to tease apart the relationship between energy acquisition and energy expenditure in different phases of the animal's life-history.Read moreRead less