Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100118
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$159,450.00
Summary
Sensor calibration facility for spectral and thermal remote sensing. This project aims to establish a calibration facility for the radiometric and spectral correction of hyperspectral and thermal sensors for ultrahigh-resolution remote sensing. Sensor calibration and characterisation is critical to the accuracy of hyperspectral and thermal data products, however, there is no central facility in Australia for this purpose. This project will provide significant benefits, such as growing our capaci ....Sensor calibration facility for spectral and thermal remote sensing. This project aims to establish a calibration facility for the radiometric and spectral correction of hyperspectral and thermal sensors for ultrahigh-resolution remote sensing. Sensor calibration and characterisation is critical to the accuracy of hyperspectral and thermal data products, however, there is no central facility in Australia for this purpose. This project will provide significant benefits, such as growing our capacity in ultrahigh-resolution remote sensing for ecosystem science, biosecurity, and disaster response.Read moreRead less
Female multiple mating and the evolutionary origins of complex societies. This project plans to connect micro-evolutionary processes with macro-evolutionary change to provide a unified understanding of why animals live together. Evolutionary transitions to and from complex social behaviour appear linked to female multiple mating (polyandry). However, the causal pathway by which variation in polyandry results in the emergence and diversification of sociality is yet to be established. Using a vert ....Female multiple mating and the evolutionary origins of complex societies. This project plans to connect micro-evolutionary processes with macro-evolutionary change to provide a unified understanding of why animals live together. Evolutionary transitions to and from complex social behaviour appear linked to female multiple mating (polyandry). However, the causal pathway by which variation in polyandry results in the emergence and diversification of sociality is yet to be established. Using a vertebrate system we aim to integrate empirical, theoretical and comparative approaches to show: the ecological causes of individual variation in female polyandry; its effect on social behaviours that promote social complexity at the population level; and how this corresponds to divergence in social complexity across species.Read moreRead less
From genes to ecosystems: does genetic divergence in eucalyptus alter biodiversity and ecosystem function? The project will use a dominant tree species of south-eastern Australia to examine how genetic based variation in its traits influences community organisation, biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Outcomes from this research will be important for responding to an uncertain future environment and maintaining the services ecosystems provide.
Improving prediction of rocky reef ecosystem responses to human impacts. This project aims to improve our understanding of inshore ecosystems to facilitate better management of our living marine heritage. The project first aims to extend field datasets on the density and distribution of thousands of marine fishes, invertebrates and macro-algae. These will then be combined using recent advances in quantitative ecological modelling to describe transfer of biomass between species at hundreds of sit ....Improving prediction of rocky reef ecosystem responses to human impacts. This project aims to improve our understanding of inshore ecosystems to facilitate better management of our living marine heritage. The project first aims to extend field datasets on the density and distribution of thousands of marine fishes, invertebrates and macro-algae. These will then be combined using recent advances in quantitative ecological modelling to describe transfer of biomass between species at hundreds of sites, with a primary focus on southern Australia. It is anticipated that this will provide site-level indices of major food web processes that, when combined with ‘before, after, control, impact’ data, will improve prediction of ecological consequences of fishing, climate change, pest outbreaks and pollution.Read moreRead less
Transformation of vegetation by big herbivores, from the Pleistocene to now. The project aims to provide a coherent understanding of the effects of extinct and extant large herbivores on ecosystems over space and time. The structure and distribution of vegetation types is determined not only by climate and soils, but also by the impacts of herbivores and fire as consumers of plant biomass. Recent research has shown how fire shapes the large-scale distribution of vegetation types, but we do not h ....Transformation of vegetation by big herbivores, from the Pleistocene to now. The project aims to provide a coherent understanding of the effects of extinct and extant large herbivores on ecosystems over space and time. The structure and distribution of vegetation types is determined not only by climate and soils, but also by the impacts of herbivores and fire as consumers of plant biomass. Recent research has shown how fire shapes the large-scale distribution of vegetation types, but we do not have an equivalent understanding of the effects of large ground-dwelling herbivores. The project plans to test the effects of such animals on vegetation structure in the Pleistocene, when mega-herbivores were common, and today, and thus to compare the impacts of fire and herbivores on the distribution of vegetation types.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
Development of an immune enhancing vaccine to protect Tasmanian devils against a contagious cancer. The iconic Tasmanian devil is threatened with extinction from a uniformly fatal transmissible facial cancer. Our team has shown in proof of concept that the cancer cells can be recognised by the devil immune system. This project will develop and test a vaccine against the tumour, which will ultimately protect devils in the wild.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage. The ARC Centre of Excellence of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia’s unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia’s environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia’s changing environment. The Centre will support connection ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage. The ARC Centre of Excellence of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia’s unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia’s environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia’s changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context. Read moreRead less
Developing best-practice approaches for restoring forest ecosystems that are resilient to climate change. Existing restoration practices for forests tend to rely on ad hoc rules of thumb that lack a firm scientific basis and risk failure due to climate change. The project will model biodiversity, genetic and growth performance data to develop best-practice restoration guidelines for forest ecosystems to enable them to become resilient to climate change and maximise biodiversity and carbon captur ....Developing best-practice approaches for restoring forest ecosystems that are resilient to climate change. Existing restoration practices for forests tend to rely on ad hoc rules of thumb that lack a firm scientific basis and risk failure due to climate change. The project will model biodiversity, genetic and growth performance data to develop best-practice restoration guidelines for forest ecosystems to enable them to become resilient to climate change and maximise biodiversity and carbon capture outcomes.Read moreRead less
Natural selection and the Tasmanian devil. This project aims to explain evolution of immune capabilities in response to disease threats in the wild by assessing the immune adaptive capabilities of Tasmanian devils in response to facial tumour disease. It plans to determine how the expression of immune genes differs between wild and captive populations. The project will combine immunology, epidemiology and evolutionary biology, to understand the role of host genetic and phenotypic adaptations to ....Natural selection and the Tasmanian devil. This project aims to explain evolution of immune capabilities in response to disease threats in the wild by assessing the immune adaptive capabilities of Tasmanian devils in response to facial tumour disease. It plans to determine how the expression of immune genes differs between wild and captive populations. The project will combine immunology, epidemiology and evolutionary biology, to understand the role of host genetic and phenotypic adaptations to disease threats. The project will assist in the development of diagnostic tools for managing this and other threatened species and for screening disease resistance markers across wild and captive insurance populations.Read moreRead less