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Group dynamics, Allee effects and population regulation in cooperative breeders. Understanding population dynamics is crucial for effective conservation biology. In many cases breeding is limited by high density, but in social species the opposite is true, exposing small groups to high extinction risk. However, analyses of population dynamics in social species is rare, limiting our ability to effectively conserve such species.
Tracking 3000 years of agricultural adaptation to the resource poor, climate sensitive and remote Solomon Islands using biomarkers and palaeoecology. Establishing research programs with Pacific neighbours benefits Australia's relations with Pacific Island countries generally. This project applies novel research methods to understanding human adaptations to long-term environmental and climatic fluctuations. It will address the National Research Priority goal of responding to climate variability b ....Tracking 3000 years of agricultural adaptation to the resource poor, climate sensitive and remote Solomon Islands using biomarkers and palaeoecology. Establishing research programs with Pacific neighbours benefits Australia's relations with Pacific Island countries generally. This project applies novel research methods to understanding human adaptations to long-term environmental and climatic fluctuations. It will address the National Research Priority goal of responding to climate variability by advancing our understanding of recent climate change in the Australia/Pacific region. It will show that Australian researchers can play a significant role in understanding the spread of humans across the Pacific, and the environmental adaptations required by populations in resource depleted environments. It will increase collaboration between research institutions focusing on the Australia/Pacific region.Read moreRead less
Early-life climate sensitivity: direct and indirect mechanisms. This project aims to investigate how climate change threatens animal populations by determining the mechanisms causing DNA damage (short telomeres) in nestling birds growing up in hot conditions. Telomeres are biomarkers of individual life expectancy, and short telomeres in young birds predict a decline in future population viability. Our project aims to determine the importance for heat-induced telomere shortening of: (1) nestling ....Early-life climate sensitivity: direct and indirect mechanisms. This project aims to investigate how climate change threatens animal populations by determining the mechanisms causing DNA damage (short telomeres) in nestling birds growing up in hot conditions. Telomeres are biomarkers of individual life expectancy, and short telomeres in young birds predict a decline in future population viability. Our project aims to determine the importance for heat-induced telomere shortening of: (1) nestling heat stress responses; (2) inheritance of heat-shortened sperm telomeres; and (3) parental buffering of heat effects. Expected benefits include enhanced reliability of climate change predictions and improved ability to identify climate change mitigation strategies before population declines are evident.Read moreRead less
The historical environment of Angkor: an investigation of synergy between people and landscape. Understanding the complex inter-relationship between humans and the natural environment is of critical importance. The use of geo-scientific techniques to interpret historical environmental records provides a useful tool for obtaining this knowledge. Using the medieval city of Angkor, Cambodia, as a case study, the proposed research will employ well-established analytical techniques in a new and innov ....The historical environment of Angkor: an investigation of synergy between people and landscape. Understanding the complex inter-relationship between humans and the natural environment is of critical importance. The use of geo-scientific techniques to interpret historical environmental records provides a useful tool for obtaining this knowledge. Using the medieval city of Angkor, Cambodia, as a case study, the proposed research will employ well-established analytical techniques in a new and innovative manner to reconstruct environmental change and cultural adaptation. This research, the first of its kind undertaken at Angkor, will revolutionise our understanding of this World Heritage site, and contribute to a better understanding of the synergy between human culture and its environmental context.Read moreRead less
Learning in a changing world: Maternal effects on offspring development and behaviour. The impact of anthropogenic change on Australia's biodiversity is of grave concern. It is therefore vital to understand the capacity of Australian fauna to adapt and change, despite environmental challenges. This project aims to quantify the potential for birds to respond to environmental challenges, by programming offspring with adaptive developmental profiles. By quantifying the effects of maternal stress ov ....Learning in a changing world: Maternal effects on offspring development and behaviour. The impact of anthropogenic change on Australia's biodiversity is of grave concern. It is therefore vital to understand the capacity of Australian fauna to adapt and change, despite environmental challenges. This project aims to quantify the potential for birds to respond to environmental challenges, by programming offspring with adaptive developmental profiles. By quantifying the effects of maternal stress over two generations, this project aims to determine whether mothers have the ability to alter rates of evolutionary change by employing epigenetic mechanisms. Combining lab trials with field data it will determine the biological relevance of these effects to a common, but declining bird, with relevance across Australian avifauna.Read moreRead less
Growing up with global change. This project aims to quantify how native bird populations will respond to global warming. The project will investigate how vulnerable nestling birds are to high temperatures, and the impact of early-life heat stress on adult performance and fitness in the wild. Although growing animals are most sensitive to heat, and stress during early-life often has irreversible negative effects, we know very little about long-term consequences of early-life heat stress. The inte ....Growing up with global change. This project aims to quantify how native bird populations will respond to global warming. The project will investigate how vulnerable nestling birds are to high temperatures, and the impact of early-life heat stress on adult performance and fitness in the wild. Although growing animals are most sensitive to heat, and stress during early-life often has irreversible negative effects, we know very little about long-term consequences of early-life heat stress. The intended outcomes will increase our capacity to predict impacts of climate warming before population declines become evident. Improved predictions are beneficial to identify urgent threats and optimise conservation efforts.Read moreRead less
Eco-evolutionary consequences of evolutionary shifts in body size. This project aims to understand the biological consequences of evolutionary shifts in body size at three levels of biological organisation: individuals, populations, and communities. Human-mediated body size declines in natural animal populations are a new emerging threat to the function of ecosystems, but few studies have explored the consequences of such declines. This project will use the tractability of the study species to d ....Eco-evolutionary consequences of evolutionary shifts in body size. This project aims to understand the biological consequences of evolutionary shifts in body size at three levels of biological organisation: individuals, populations, and communities. Human-mediated body size declines in natural animal populations are a new emerging threat to the function of ecosystems, but few studies have explored the consequences of such declines. This project will use the tractability of the study species to discover how evolutionary shifts in body size alter biological processes. This project can expand understanding of the biological consequences of ongoing worldwide declines in body size in animals.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL120100063
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,511,216.00
Summary
Science for management of coral reefs. This project will lead an international team to undertake a novel, multi-disciplinary program of research on coral reefs to better understand and avoid dangerous ecological tipping points. This research will cement Australia’s leading contribution to reef science, and will guide the management and sustainable use of ecosystems around the world.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101131
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$460,537.00
Summary
Animal cultures and anthropogenic change. This project aims to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic change on the elaborate song cultures of declining Australian songbirds. Culture is fundamental to the biology of social animals, and has profound implications for biodiversity conservation; however, the drivers of animal cultural change are unclear. This project will analyse how lyrebird song cultures respond to anthropogenic environmental change, including Australia’s 2019-20 megafires. Furt ....Animal cultures and anthropogenic change. This project aims to investigate the impacts of anthropogenic change on the elaborate song cultures of declining Australian songbirds. Culture is fundamental to the biology of social animals, and has profound implications for biodiversity conservation; however, the drivers of animal cultural change are unclear. This project will analyse how lyrebird song cultures respond to anthropogenic environmental change, including Australia’s 2019-20 megafires. Furthermore, it will assess the mechanisms linking environmental and cultural change, and examine the utility of vocal cultures as bioindicators of ecological health. This project will advance fundamental research in animal culture and enhance the conservation of cultural diversity in the wild.Read moreRead less
Evolution of palaeoenvironments on the volcanic landscapes of West New Britain, P.N.G. This research will define and explain the responses of environmental processes to catastrophic vulcanism in West New Britain (P.N.G.) during the last 10,000 years. It will provide a crucial perspective to our understanding of past human-landscape relationships, thus filling an important gap in models, of social response to environmental conditions, which are merging from current archaeological and palaeoenviro ....Evolution of palaeoenvironments on the volcanic landscapes of West New Britain, P.N.G. This research will define and explain the responses of environmental processes to catastrophic vulcanism in West New Britain (P.N.G.) during the last 10,000 years. It will provide a crucial perspective to our understanding of past human-landscape relationships, thus filling an important gap in models, of social response to environmental conditions, which are merging from current archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research. The project will develop predictive models for environmental recovery under various conditions. The close relationship between this research and the ground breaking regional archaeological study allows this unique case study to contribute to a global discussion of past human-landscape relationships.Read moreRead less