A general theory for ecological trait-strategy dimensions. This project aims to bridge the gap in understanding of ecological strategies between plant and animal ecology, globally, using ants. It will test how environmental change influences the success of species, based on ecological strategies, and the consequences for ecosystem function. This project is expected to make a significant contribution to generality and prediction in ecology. Expected outcomes of this project include theory deve ....A general theory for ecological trait-strategy dimensions. This project aims to bridge the gap in understanding of ecological strategies between plant and animal ecology, globally, using ants. It will test how environmental change influences the success of species, based on ecological strategies, and the consequences for ecosystem function. This project is expected to make a significant contribution to generality and prediction in ecology. Expected outcomes of this project include theory development and application and enhanced global networks of trait researchers. Intended benefits include improved ecological theory, an enhanced capacity to predict how global change will affect organisms and increased understanding of the cascading effects of changes for ecosystem function.Read moreRead less
The contribution of human/marine herbivore interactions to reef degradation. This project aims to define how interactions between human society and herbivores influence marine ecosystem structure and function. It will analyse geographic patterns from recent systematic sampling of reef communities worldwide and study fish, macro-invertebrate and meso-grazer herbivory to identify herbivores’ role in the collapse and recovery of reef ecosystems. This project will examine the match between a critica ....The contribution of human/marine herbivore interactions to reef degradation. This project aims to define how interactions between human society and herbivores influence marine ecosystem structure and function. It will analyse geographic patterns from recent systematic sampling of reef communities worldwide and study fish, macro-invertebrate and meso-grazer herbivory to identify herbivores’ role in the collapse and recovery of reef ecosystems. This project will examine the match between a critical ecosystem function and community structure across local to global scales, including the identification of non-linearities and interactions involving human effects on this process. This research is expected to safeguard marine ecosystems from collapse.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100900
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,718.00
Summary
When and where are temperate reef communities vulnerable to ocean warming? This project will test in the laboratory and the field, when and where ocean warming will exceed the thermal limits of marine species and why certain species show greater sensitivity to warming temperatures than others. This project expects to generate robust estimates about how temperature sensitivity varies between populations across species’ ranges and identify the ecological implications for habitat loss in areas wher ....When and where are temperate reef communities vulnerable to ocean warming? This project will test in the laboratory and the field, when and where ocean warming will exceed the thermal limits of marine species and why certain species show greater sensitivity to warming temperatures than others. This project expects to generate robust estimates about how temperature sensitivity varies between populations across species’ ranges and identify the ecological implications for habitat loss in areas where thermal limits differ between key species. Expected outcomes include an enhanced capacity to detect when and where vulnerability hotspots will emerge that could jeopardise the immense social, ecological, and economic value of Australia’s temperate reefs, next to which 70% of Australians live, along 8,000 km of coastline.Read moreRead less
The role of drought-stress and insect attack on rainforest plant health. This project aims to examine the vulnerability of tropical plants to drought and insect attack in a large-scale field experiment. We will pioneer a new research approach that focuses on the causes and stages of decline in plant health prior to death, in order to identify the characteristics of plant species that make them more susceptible to drought and insect attack. Expected outcomes of this project include an improved ca ....The role of drought-stress and insect attack on rainforest plant health. This project aims to examine the vulnerability of tropical plants to drought and insect attack in a large-scale field experiment. We will pioneer a new research approach that focuses on the causes and stages of decline in plant health prior to death, in order to identify the characteristics of plant species that make them more susceptible to drought and insect attack. Expected outcomes of this project include an improved capacity to predict the function and composition of future forests. This project will provide significant benefits to communities concerned with the direct and indirect effects of droughts in protected areas, forestry reserves and agriculture. Read moreRead less
Bridging the gap between crop pollination services and pollinator health. Insect pollinators play an integral role in the quantity and quality of production for many food crops, yet there is growing concern that in agricultural landscapes, the limited availability of floral and non-floral resources might be contributing to global pollinator health declines. This project will synthesize global datasets, develop new methodological tools and conduct new, targeted empirical work to develop an integ ....Bridging the gap between crop pollination services and pollinator health. Insect pollinators play an integral role in the quantity and quality of production for many food crops, yet there is growing concern that in agricultural landscapes, the limited availability of floral and non-floral resources might be contributing to global pollinator health declines. This project will synthesize global datasets, develop new methodological tools and conduct new, targeted empirical work to develop an integrated approach to pollinator resource management with the explicit objectives of maintaining both wild pollinator health and to support crop pollination service delivery in modified systems.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101226
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,071.00
Summary
Success and the city: biodiversity responses in urban environments. This project aims to quantify the species traits and environmental conditions that enable wildlife to persist in an increasingly urbanised world. Through developing and testing a framework linking unprecedented urban expansion and biodiversity change, this project will identify favourable conditions that support biodiversity in the face of global urbanisation. Project outcomes will inform appropriate real-world management action ....Success and the city: biodiversity responses in urban environments. This project aims to quantify the species traits and environmental conditions that enable wildlife to persist in an increasingly urbanised world. Through developing and testing a framework linking unprecedented urban expansion and biodiversity change, this project will identify favourable conditions that support biodiversity in the face of global urbanisation. Project outcomes will inform appropriate real-world management actions and equip scientists, policy-makers and planners with tools to forecast the persistence of biodiversity in Australian cities. By discovering the attributes species need to survive city life this project will help prevent future catastrophic declines of global biodiversity in our increasingly urbanised world.Read moreRead less
Drivers of phenotypic evolution in a vulnerable alpine ecosystem. This project aims to deliver a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the capacity for resilience and drivers of response of highly vulnerable alpine species and communities to climate change. The project aims to determine how communities of interacting alpine plants, soil invertebrates and microbes can cope with or evolve to novel climatic conditions. The mountains are water towers critical to power supply and Australia's agr ....Drivers of phenotypic evolution in a vulnerable alpine ecosystem. This project aims to deliver a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the capacity for resilience and drivers of response of highly vulnerable alpine species and communities to climate change. The project aims to determine how communities of interacting alpine plants, soil invertebrates and microbes can cope with or evolve to novel climatic conditions. The mountains are water towers critical to power supply and Australia's agricultural productivity. Understanding physiological tolerance and the potential for rapid evolutionary responses of plants, animals and communities is necessary to predict impacts of climate change on the future productivity of the vulnerable Australian Alps and to provide novel options for climate adaptation. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100692
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$414,814.00
Summary
Regime shifts from kelp forests to turfs: drivers, resilience and future. This project aims to apply a comparative experimental and analytical approach to quantify linkages among multiple stressors driving kelp forest loss and expansion of turfs across three continents. Transformations of kelp forests to turf reefs are associated with a profound loss of ecological productivity and function, with significant impacts for societies reliant on the biodiversity and functioning of kelp ecosystems. Fie ....Regime shifts from kelp forests to turfs: drivers, resilience and future. This project aims to apply a comparative experimental and analytical approach to quantify linkages among multiple stressors driving kelp forest loss and expansion of turfs across three continents. Transformations of kelp forests to turf reefs are associated with a profound loss of ecological productivity and function, with significant impacts for societies reliant on the biodiversity and functioning of kelp ecosystems. Field and laboratory experiments will be used to develop and test ‘green gravel’, a novel restoration tool that aims to overcome reinforcing feedbacks (lack spores and hard substrate) preventing recovery of kelp forests. This will provide significant benefits by identifying solutions to address loss of kelp forests in Australia and globally.Read moreRead less