Epidemiology of pathogens in wildlife populations: significance for conservation, human health and livestock. Recent research shows that pathogens may play a central role in wildlife population dynamics. Emergent disease problems in humans and livestock may result from reservoir infections in wildlife. However, methods to determine the impact of pathogens on populations, as distinct from individuals within populations, are poorly developed, as are models necessary to evaluate alternative control ....Epidemiology of pathogens in wildlife populations: significance for conservation, human health and livestock. Recent research shows that pathogens may play a central role in wildlife population dynamics. Emergent disease problems in humans and livestock may result from reservoir infections in wildlife. However, methods to determine the impact of pathogens on populations, as distinct from individuals within populations, are poorly developed, as are models necessary to evaluate alternative control strategies for pathogens, particularly where reservoir hosts are involved. This project will develop these methods using four case studies: chyridiomycosis in frogs, Hendra virus in bats, Newcastle disease in wild birds and arboviruses in kangaroos and other macropods.Read moreRead less
Community efficiency: testing MacArthur’s minimisation principle for competitive communities. Robert MacArthur, one of the 20th century’s greatest ecologists, developed theory that had profound impacts on our understanding of island biogeography, species coexistence, and competition, yet one of his most powerful theoretical predictions, that competitive communities should become more efficient over time, has never been tested. A greater understanding of the dynamics of community efficiency will ....Community efficiency: testing MacArthur’s minimisation principle for competitive communities. Robert MacArthur, one of the 20th century’s greatest ecologists, developed theory that had profound impacts on our understanding of island biogeography, species coexistence, and competition, yet one of his most powerful theoretical predictions, that competitive communities should become more efficient over time, has never been tested. A greater understanding of the dynamics of community efficiency will provide profound insights into the role of that community in the broader ecosystem, as well as strong predictions about the invasibility and stability of that community. Read moreRead less
Understanding the ecological effects of genetic diversity: causes, consequences and relative importance. This project will examine the effect of genetic diversity on key demographic parameters (for example, population growth rates) for organisms from three groups, including a commercially important oyster. This project provides valuable information that can be used by managers of wild and cultivated populations to minimise impacts of human activities and maximise yields.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101389
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,898.00
Summary
Impacts on wildlife populations of infection by multiple, interacting pathogens and the implications for disease management. Simultaneous infection by multiple pathogens is common in nature and interactions among pathogens within a host can profoundly alter the susceptibility of hosts to infection, disease severity and the probability of further transmission. This project aims to understand the consequences of these interactions on both wildlife populations and the communities of pathogens that ....Impacts on wildlife populations of infection by multiple, interacting pathogens and the implications for disease management. Simultaneous infection by multiple pathogens is common in nature and interactions among pathogens within a host can profoundly alter the susceptibility of hosts to infection, disease severity and the probability of further transmission. This project aims to understand the consequences of these interactions on both wildlife populations and the communities of pathogens that infect them. This knowledge will improve our ability to manage disease in wild populations, which is critical for protecting people, livestock and species of conservation concern from emerging disease threats. The application of these findings to koalas will enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of disease management and improve long term population persistence.Read moreRead less
Population fluctuations: models, mechanisms and management. Changes in plant populations lead to extinctions and invasions in Australia and globally. The project will determine the drivers of plant population change and provide new tools to enable better population management.
Determining how plant populations will respond to climate change. It is widely predicted that global climate change will result in extinctions, invasions and disruption of the ecosystem services plants provide. In order to manage or adapt to these consequences of changing climate we need accurate forecasts of where suitable conditions for sustainable plant populations will occur. This project will enable better forecasts of where and how fast plant populations will expand or contract in response ....Determining how plant populations will respond to climate change. It is widely predicted that global climate change will result in extinctions, invasions and disruption of the ecosystem services plants provide. In order to manage or adapt to these consequences of changing climate we need accurate forecasts of where suitable conditions for sustainable plant populations will occur. This project will enable better forecasts of where and how fast plant populations will expand or contract in response to climate change. New population modelling methods which integrate plant survival, growth and reproduction along environmental gradients, together with field studies at unprecedented national and international scales, will enable better forecasts of future locations for plant dependent industries and environmental services.Read moreRead less
What happens to coral reefs without cleaner fish? Marine 'mosquitoes' regularly attack coral reef fish, but are controlled by parasite-eating cleaner fish. Cleaners positively affect reef communities in many ways and this is disproportionate to their tiny size and low density. Their removal for aquarium trades may have staggering effects on reefs. The project will determine how cleaners cause such effects.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100709
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Assessing pollination services of honey bees in native ecosystems and threats posed by parasites. The European honeybee is our most abundant pollinator but we know little about its role in native Australian ecosystems or how its many diseases may affect its ability to pollinate. This project will determine whether honeybees are important pollinators of native plants and how a common parasite affects their pollination ability.
Exotic and native plant coexistence in novel communities. The development of novel communities has become an inevitable outcome of global change. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of the mechanisms driving their assembly. Here, experimental and modelling approaches will be used to identify how competition among native and exotic plant species change across key environmental gradients, leading to: resilient native communities; stable novel communities - mixes of native and exotic species ....Exotic and native plant coexistence in novel communities. The development of novel communities has become an inevitable outcome of global change. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of the mechanisms driving their assembly. Here, experimental and modelling approaches will be used to identify how competition among native and exotic plant species change across key environmental gradients, leading to: resilient native communities; stable novel communities - mixes of native and exotic species; or, degraded communities dominated by exotic species. The annual plant communities of Western Australia's (WA) York Gum woodlands will be used as a model system. Outcomes will improve management of WA wildflower communities and provide a framework for predicting novel community formation worldwide.Read moreRead less
How complex species interactions mediate plant community diversity. This project aims to manage and protect biodiversity under global change by adding biological realism to mechanistic diversity models. Species interactions are central to understanding biodiversity at local to regional scales. Most diversity models assume that direct competition captures all salient details of species interactions, while more complex species interactions are unimportant. This unsupported, pervasive assumption ha ....How complex species interactions mediate plant community diversity. This project aims to manage and protect biodiversity under global change by adding biological realism to mechanistic diversity models. Species interactions are central to understanding biodiversity at local to regional scales. Most diversity models assume that direct competition captures all salient details of species interactions, while more complex species interactions are unimportant. This unsupported, pervasive assumption has major consequences for how diversity is predicted and explained. This study will combine field experiments on plant species’ responses to climate and land use changes with a modelling framework. Expected outcomes include improving the ability to manage invasive species and to protect biodiversity under conditions of global environmental change.Read moreRead less