Antarctic freshwater lake fauna: Palaeobiogeography, palaeoecology and applications to climate change studies. The origins of the Antarctic freshwater fauna are poorly known: Are the species currently extant long-term endemics descended from species present before the formation of the Antarctic ice-cap, or are they recent invaders from more temperate zones? By studying the distribution of faunal remains in the sediments of freshwater lakes, a picture of the development of the fauna in space and ....Antarctic freshwater lake fauna: Palaeobiogeography, palaeoecology and applications to climate change studies. The origins of the Antarctic freshwater fauna are poorly known: Are the species currently extant long-term endemics descended from species present before the formation of the Antarctic ice-cap, or are they recent invaders from more temperate zones? By studying the distribution of faunal remains in the sediments of freshwater lakes, a picture of the development of the fauna in space and time ('palaeobiogeography') will be formed that will allow the Antarctic fauna to be placed in a wider biogeographic context. Changes in the faunal distribution will also be interpreted in terms of lake palaeoecology and climate change.Read moreRead less
Winter Foraging Locations Of Southern Ocean Predators In Relation To Stochastic Variation In Sea-Ice Extent. Antarctic marine communities are likely to be amongst the first anywhere to show changes due to climate change. A top national priority for Australia is to understand how Antarctic communities will be affected if climate change does occur. As predators reflect changes occurring lower in the food chain, these are an important group to study. This study will be the first to specifically lin ....Winter Foraging Locations Of Southern Ocean Predators In Relation To Stochastic Variation In Sea-Ice Extent. Antarctic marine communities are likely to be amongst the first anywhere to show changes due to climate change. A top national priority for Australia is to understand how Antarctic communities will be affected if climate change does occur. As predators reflect changes occurring lower in the food chain, these are an important group to study. This study will be the first to specifically link ice extent with the habitat use of predators, and quantify how this varies over time. Some work already indicates that there have been community level changes in some predators in the Antarctic due to changes in ice extent, so developing tools to predict the nature and magnitude of these changes are needed. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100041
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the developme ....A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the development of groundwater resources, the relative dependency of ecosystems on groundwater versus soil and surface water, and an assessment of the likely impacts of altered hydrology, especially dewatering and salinisation, on ecosystems. In addition, they will also be used to extend our knowledge of climate variability in the recent past and increase understanding of critical marine resources.Read moreRead less