Constructing a temporally-constrained palaeoecological model of Quaternary faunal evolution and extinction in eastern Australia. Increased climatic variability and human-induced environmental degradation have had severe impacts on biodiversity, socio-economic sustainability and possibly our own future survival, thus attracting global attention. This study will help unravel the causes of the extinctions of Australia's large-size animals (megafauna) during the periods of last glaciation and earlie ....Constructing a temporally-constrained palaeoecological model of Quaternary faunal evolution and extinction in eastern Australia. Increased climatic variability and human-induced environmental degradation have had severe impacts on biodiversity, socio-economic sustainability and possibly our own future survival, thus attracting global attention. This study will help unravel the causes of the extinctions of Australia's large-size animals (megafauna) during the periods of last glaciation and earliest human colonisation of Australia. Investigating the causes of megafauna extinction is essential for an understanding of how those prehistoric events shaped the modern biota, and for the development of conservation strategies for our endemic faunas in an era of increased climatic and environmental variability and vulnerability.Read moreRead less
Global climate change and the future for coral reef fishes. Australia's coral reefs are icons of immense biological, economic and cultural importance. They are also threatened by climate change. This research will address the serious lack of knowledge about the impact of climate change on coral reef fishes and integrate with other research at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies to help find innovative solutions to the problem of climate change and promote the sustainable manageme ....Global climate change and the future for coral reef fishes. Australia's coral reefs are icons of immense biological, economic and cultural importance. They are also threatened by climate change. This research will address the serious lack of knowledge about the impact of climate change on coral reef fishes and integrate with other research at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies to help find innovative solutions to the problem of climate change and promote the sustainable management of Australia's extensive coral reef ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Aquatic eye design: sharks and rays as models of underwater colour and luminance vision. Sharks are usually assumed to be colour blind. We have discovered that they may in fact see colour very well and that the eyes of different species are adapted to their particular lifestyles. Our research will help to raise the profile of sharks and portray them as animals with advanced sensory systems and complex visual behaviours rather than just dangerous killing machines. Studying the vision of sharks m ....Aquatic eye design: sharks and rays as models of underwater colour and luminance vision. Sharks are usually assumed to be colour blind. We have discovered that they may in fact see colour very well and that the eyes of different species are adapted to their particular lifestyles. Our research will help to raise the profile of sharks and portray them as animals with advanced sensory systems and complex visual behaviours rather than just dangerous killing machines. Studying the vision of sharks may also help to reduce the number (currently >50,000) that are killed each year as bycatch by Australian long-line fisheries and make a valuable contribution to one of Australia's National Research Priorities (an Environmentally Sustainable Australia) for managing and conserving our biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Why aren't all species everywhere? The evolution of species' borders in tropical reef fishes. Virtually nothing is known about how geographic range limits evolve in the wild in the absence of barriers to dispersal and habitat discontinuities. This project will investigate the evolution of range limits of fishes on the Great Barrier Reef using combinations of mathematical modelling and field- and laboratory-based analyses of evolutionary patterns and processes. By advancing understanding of the ....Why aren't all species everywhere? The evolution of species' borders in tropical reef fishes. Virtually nothing is known about how geographic range limits evolve in the wild in the absence of barriers to dispersal and habitat discontinuities. This project will investigate the evolution of range limits of fishes on the Great Barrier Reef using combinations of mathematical modelling and field- and laboratory-based analyses of evolutionary patterns and processes. By advancing understanding of the fundamental causes of species' range limits, this research will provide new options for the management and conservation of this very valuable resource, and other complex biological systems, under increasing pressures of exploitation, habitat degradation and climate change.Read moreRead less
BEYOND ABUNDANCE: HOW TOP PREDATORS AFFECT MESOPREDATOR BEHAVIOUR AND LIFE HISTORY. Top predators strongly influence biodiversity. Areas with high biodiversity attract tourism income and provide valuable ecosystem services. In Australia, high biodiversity, and the opportunity to view top predators, increase the experience quality of tourists, and increase the probability that they will visit an area, but Australia has many highly fragmented ecosystems, which lose top predators. Disappearance of ....BEYOND ABUNDANCE: HOW TOP PREDATORS AFFECT MESOPREDATOR BEHAVIOUR AND LIFE HISTORY. Top predators strongly influence biodiversity. Areas with high biodiversity attract tourism income and provide valuable ecosystem services. In Australia, high biodiversity, and the opportunity to view top predators, increase the experience quality of tourists, and increase the probability that they will visit an area, but Australia has many highly fragmented ecosystems, which lose top predators. Disappearance of top predators can lead to expanding populations of mid-level predators, and concomitant losses of biodiversity. In Australia, where lizards are major top- and mid-level predators in terrestrial systems, our study will directly address the consequences of predator disappearance, and provide management strategies to deal with it.Read moreRead less
The evolution of dispersal on range edges. The rate at which an invasive species spreads, and the ability of a native species to adapt to environmental change, are both contingent on the dispersal ability of the species. Dispersal ability, however, evolves rapidly on the edge of a species' range. The rapid evolution of dispersal, therefore, determines the eventual range-limits of invasive species, as well as of native species responding to changing conditions. This research will provide tools ....The evolution of dispersal on range edges. The rate at which an invasive species spreads, and the ability of a native species to adapt to environmental change, are both contingent on the dispersal ability of the species. Dispersal ability, however, evolves rapidly on the edge of a species' range. The rapid evolution of dispersal, therefore, determines the eventual range-limits of invasive species, as well as of native species responding to changing conditions. This research will provide tools with which to predict the direction and rate of dispersal evolution on range-edges. The results of this work will, thus, massively facilitate management of invasive species and climate change.Read moreRead less
Climate change and coral reef communities: predicting and managing future impacts. Coral reefs are critically important for the goods and services they provide, but are facing considerable threat from sustained, ongoing climate change. Results from this project, and supplementary data from other researchers within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, will help develop innovative strategies to manage the effects of climate change on coral reef ecosystems. There is no comparable te ....Climate change and coral reef communities: predicting and managing future impacts. Coral reefs are critically important for the goods and services they provide, but are facing considerable threat from sustained, ongoing climate change. Results from this project, and supplementary data from other researchers within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, will help develop innovative strategies to manage the effects of climate change on coral reef ecosystems. There is no comparable team in the world that has the capacity or resources to rigorously integrate world-class research into knowledge-based management of coral reef ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Disperse or die: the evolution of dispersal ability in a changing climate. Whether or not climate change will affect a species depends upon the ability of ecological communities to track climate change. Species that rapidly shift their range in response to climate change will not be unduly affected, whereas species that are stuck in one place are at extreme risk from a changing climate (they must either adapt, or perish). We need, therefore, a firm understanding of how, and how rapidly, specie ....Disperse or die: the evolution of dispersal ability in a changing climate. Whether or not climate change will affect a species depends upon the ability of ecological communities to track climate change. Species that rapidly shift their range in response to climate change will not be unduly affected, whereas species that are stuck in one place are at extreme risk from a changing climate (they must either adapt, or perish). We need, therefore, a firm understanding of how, and how rapidly, species shift their range. This project will develop a universal framework within which to model species' responses to climate change. As such, the project will contribute greatly to how we plan for, and manage, the effects of climate change.Read moreRead less
The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more ....The roles of stress and immunocompetence in biological invasions. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity worldwide; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Building on recent studies that reveal weakened immune systems in invasion-front toads, this project will provide a comprehensive understanding of immune responses in cane toads and native frogs, with the aim of exploiting the toads' immunocompromised state to develop new and more effective control measures. The project will develop a new paradigm about the roles of stress and immunity in biological invasion, applicable to the control of other invasive species and to understanding processes at work when environmental changes force species to shift their ranges.Read moreRead less
Beyond Abundance: An experimental study of the effects of predators on prey behaviour and reproduction. Understanding the influence of top predators on community composition and population dynamics at lower trophic levels is a central problem in ecology, with important implications for ecological theory and conservation biology. Our study will be among the first to examine effects of presence and absence of top-level predators on the behaviour, reproduction, and microhabitat use of mid-level p ....Beyond Abundance: An experimental study of the effects of predators on prey behaviour and reproduction. Understanding the influence of top predators on community composition and population dynamics at lower trophic levels is a central problem in ecology, with important implications for ecological theory and conservation biology. Our study will be among the first to examine effects of presence and absence of top-level predators on the behaviour, reproduction, and microhabitat use of mid-level predators. Understanding how the behaviour and ecology of lower-level species change in response to changes in abundance of top-level predators will increase the ability of managers to mitigate the impacts of changes in predator abundance on managed ecosystems.Read moreRead less