Multi-service assessment of intertidal treatment wetlands. This project aims to investigate the use of constructed intertidal wetlands to reduce nitrogen pollution while providing co-benefits including carbon sequestration and biodiversity. This research will generate a holistic assessment of the services, disservices, and cost-effectiveness of intertidal treatment wetlands compared to traditional wastewater treatment approaches. Expected outcomes include a full-scale multi-disciplinary environm ....Multi-service assessment of intertidal treatment wetlands. This project aims to investigate the use of constructed intertidal wetlands to reduce nitrogen pollution while providing co-benefits including carbon sequestration and biodiversity. This research will generate a holistic assessment of the services, disservices, and cost-effectiveness of intertidal treatment wetlands compared to traditional wastewater treatment approaches. Expected outcomes include a full-scale multi-disciplinary environmental and economic assessment of a constructed treatment wetland in a new urban development, providing industry and government partners the knowledge required to broaden uptake of intertidal wetlands as a cost-effective solution to growing levels of coastal anthropogenic pollution.Read moreRead less
Impact of reforestation on the mitigation of climate extremes in eastern Australia resulting from global warming. This project will provide new information for climate change policy development and the goal of an Environmentally Sustainable Australia. It has a strong policy-management imperative, investigating the need for the maintenance and restoration of healthy native vegetation cover as part of Australia’s climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Our previous research has shown ....Impact of reforestation on the mitigation of climate extremes in eastern Australia resulting from global warming. This project will provide new information for climate change policy development and the goal of an Environmentally Sustainable Australia. It has a strong policy-management imperative, investigating the need for the maintenance and restoration of healthy native vegetation cover as part of Australia’s climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Our previous research has shown that land clearing has contributed to climate change, including more severe and persisting droughts, in eastern Australia. Successful implementation of the research findings will lead to an increased ability of regional landscapes to buffer against a more extreme future climate driven by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.Read moreRead less
Linking phytoplankton to fisheries using zooplankton size spectra. This project aims to develop innovative numerical methods to understand the dynamics, carbon export, and trophic structure of zooplankton. The trophic links between phytoplankton, zooplankton and fisheries are unknown. The size- frequency distribution of zooplankton (size spectrum) is an innovative method for estimating their growth, predation and production as food for fish. Analysis of a global synthesis of zooplankton size dis ....Linking phytoplankton to fisheries using zooplankton size spectra. This project aims to develop innovative numerical methods to understand the dynamics, carbon export, and trophic structure of zooplankton. The trophic links between phytoplankton, zooplankton and fisheries are unknown. The size- frequency distribution of zooplankton (size spectrum) is an innovative method for estimating their growth, predation and production as food for fish. Analysis of a global synthesis of zooplankton size distributions from tropical to polar environments are expected to reveal these vital rates of pelagic ecosystems. The zooplankton rates will reveal, for the first time, the link between phytoplankton and fisheries, and will significantly improve ecosystem models and global assessments of environmental change.Read moreRead less
The ecological impact of large carnivore restoration. This project aims to assess the ecological changes that have arisen due to the repatriation of estuarine crocodiles to Australian ecosystems. It is significant because the restoration provides a rare opportunity to empirically test changes in ecosystem processes under varying degrees of large carnivore predation pressure. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of the processes that govern the strength of predator-ecosystem interacti ....The ecological impact of large carnivore restoration. This project aims to assess the ecological changes that have arisen due to the repatriation of estuarine crocodiles to Australian ecosystems. It is significant because the restoration provides a rare opportunity to empirically test changes in ecosystem processes under varying degrees of large carnivore predation pressure. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of the processes that govern the strength of predator-ecosystem interactions and an ability to quantify the biomass, social structure, and behaviours of predators required to influence these processes. Benefits should include improvements in how the ecological role of large carnivores is measured, and when and where carnivore populations should be culled or conserved.Read moreRead less
From prediction to adaptation: responding to rapid ecosystem shifts under climate change. Nobody knows exactly how climate change will affect the ecosystems on which we depend for our own existence, though negative impacts are widely predicted. This project integrates mathematical, economic and ecological approaches to learn about the most effective way to spend limited funds for sustaining ecosystems threatened by climate change.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101141
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,000.00
Summary
Critical regions and network connectivity of coral reef ecosystems. This project aims to measure the degree of connectivity between isolated reefs in Australia's Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef and identify the biological and environmental mechanisms that enhance management strategies or mitigate against disturbances. The movement of individuals in fragmented landscapes plays a central role in the ecology and evolution of species. The project seeks to measure connectivity at multiple scales ....Critical regions and network connectivity of coral reef ecosystems. This project aims to measure the degree of connectivity between isolated reefs in Australia's Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef and identify the biological and environmental mechanisms that enhance management strategies or mitigate against disturbances. The movement of individuals in fragmented landscapes plays a central role in the ecology and evolution of species. The project seeks to measure connectivity at multiple scales and identify critical regions for the design of networks of marine protected areas. This is anticipated to improve our understanding of connectivity in marine seascapes and benefit management of important fishery species and current efforts in coral reef conservation.Read moreRead less
Ecological valuation tools to protect seagrass during coastal development. Ecological valuation tools to protect seagrass during coastal development. Focussing on differences between shallow and deep seagrasses in the Great Barrier Reef, this project aims to develop a spatial valuation tool so resource managers and policy makers can minimise the effect of port development on seagrass ecosystems. Seagrasses provide ecosystem services (fisheries, nutrient cycling, primary productivity) worth trill ....Ecological valuation tools to protect seagrass during coastal development. Ecological valuation tools to protect seagrass during coastal development. Focussing on differences between shallow and deep seagrasses in the Great Barrier Reef, this project aims to develop a spatial valuation tool so resource managers and policy makers can minimise the effect of port development on seagrass ecosystems. Seagrasses provide ecosystem services (fisheries, nutrient cycling, primary productivity) worth trillions of dollars, but coastal development threatens this capacity. Resource managers lack accurate information about their potential effect and mitigation measures. Anticipated outcomes are protection of key marine environment and World Heritage Assets, and benefits to Australia’s economy through maintenance of ecosystem services and reduced risk associated with development.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100219
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
A multi-institutional environmental radioactivity research centre. This project aims to establish an environmental radioactivity research centre, equipped with ultra-low background and high-resolution alpha and gamma spectrometry systems, radon detectors and radium delayed coincidence counters. The centre will address a critical demand in Australia for precise analysis of a large suite of natural and artificial radionuclides, which will be used as tracers and chronological tools to investigate k ....A multi-institutional environmental radioactivity research centre. This project aims to establish an environmental radioactivity research centre, equipped with ultra-low background and high-resolution alpha and gamma spectrometry systems, radon detectors and radium delayed coincidence counters. The centre will address a critical demand in Australia for precise analysis of a large suite of natural and artificial radionuclides, which will be used as tracers and chronological tools to investigate key questions in oceanography and the mining and energy, archaeological, agricultural, and forestry sectors. The facility is expected to substantially increase expertise and training in radionuclides in Australia, and promote high-level research collaborations and outputs of both national and international significance. Major outcomes of the proposed facility include better understanding of how oceans regulate climate and improved capacity to assess effects of radiation on natural ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Developing a mechanistic basis for coral reef conservation. This project aims to provide an evidence base for coral reef management to be targeted towards regions at greatest risk, and those that have the greatest capacity for acclimation under near-future climate change. This project will undertake an innovative trans-disciplinary analysis of coral thermal tolerance and the implications for targeted coral reef conservation to mitigate the impacts of climate change across the Great Barrier Reef ....Developing a mechanistic basis for coral reef conservation. This project aims to provide an evidence base for coral reef management to be targeted towards regions at greatest risk, and those that have the greatest capacity for acclimation under near-future climate change. This project will undertake an innovative trans-disciplinary analysis of coral thermal tolerance and the implications for targeted coral reef conservation to mitigate the impacts of climate change across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The project will provide significant benefits, by assisting in the maintenance of the goods and services (tourism, fisheries, shoreline protection) provided to Australia by the GBR.Read moreRead less
A Bayesian framework for metapopulation dynamics of species in endangered communities: integrating demographic, environmental and genetic data. Biodiversity conservation is a spatial and temporal problem. Populations change in time, constrained by the structure and spatial division of their habitat. This study will develop a tool that can be used to assess the influence of environmental fluctuations and landscape heterogeneity on the persistence of endemic species in the mound springs of the Gr ....A Bayesian framework for metapopulation dynamics of species in endangered communities: integrating demographic, environmental and genetic data. Biodiversity conservation is a spatial and temporal problem. Populations change in time, constrained by the structure and spatial division of their habitat. This study will develop a tool that can be used to assess the influence of environmental fluctuations and landscape heterogeneity on the persistence of endemic species in the mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin. Using a Bayesian framework to integrate data from diverse sources, we will develop models for the biodiversity impacts of groundwater withdrawal and climate change in central Australia. These tools are essential for management of this ecosystem, which has been listed as an 'endangered community' under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999.Read moreRead less