Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics and Stocking Management of Perches and Basses. This project will use DNA data to address fundamental questions about the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in a popular and widely distributed fish group. From a conservation perspective, the project will produce a benchmark about management of fish resources. We will investigate questions related to important conservation issues (including the recovery plan of a nationally threatened species) and the mana ....Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics and Stocking Management of Perches and Basses. This project will use DNA data to address fundamental questions about the origin and maintenance of biodiversity in a popular and widely distributed fish group. From a conservation perspective, the project will produce a benchmark about management of fish resources. We will investigate questions related to important conservation issues (including the recovery plan of a nationally threatened species) and the management of stocking activities in recreational fisheries of coastal and inland waters. The latter is particularly relevant to rural communities since they provide both social and economic benefits to rural people.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to deter ....ARC Research Network for Understanding and Managing Australian Biodiversity. Biodiversity research is strong in Australia but is highly uncoordinated and, along with recent major breakthroughs in both theory and techniques, has highlighted the need for a Network to properly integrate research and focus it on the most appropriate scale. This Network aims to bring together a diverse spectrum of highly experienced and early career researchers to pool their ideas and expertise to allow them to determine how best to describe Australia's current biodiversity and the biological and environmental history leading up to the present. A major outcome will be the ability to predict the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity to assist management decisions across Australia, with lessons of global importance.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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989390
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Versatile Scanning X-ray Microscopy Facility at the Australian Synchrotron. The challenges of the modern world means that the Australian community must continue to have access to state of the art research tools. An important component of international synchrotron sources is the very high resolution x-ray microscope. These microscopes are used to image samples of biological, material or environmental significance with extraordinary precision. This project will establish such a microscope at the A ....Versatile Scanning X-ray Microscopy Facility at the Australian Synchrotron. The challenges of the modern world means that the Australian community must continue to have access to state of the art research tools. An important component of international synchrotron sources is the very high resolution x-ray microscope. These microscopes are used to image samples of biological, material or environmental significance with extraordinary precision. This project will establish such a microscope at the Australian Synchrotron in Clayton, and nucleates an extensive nationwide collaboration that is devoted to the development of this and related techniques and their application to problems of national scientific, environmental and technological importance.Read moreRead less
Bioinvasions: the interactive effects of propagule pressure and pollution. The successful establishment of species outside their native range is an increasingly frequent occurrence and can cause reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem disruption. Bioinvasions may also cause public health risks and damage to agriculture and fisheries. Nowhere is the accelerating pace of bioinvasions more dramatic than in ports and harbours. This project will determine the effects of pollution on invasion in a ma ....Bioinvasions: the interactive effects of propagule pressure and pollution. The successful establishment of species outside their native range is an increasingly frequent occurrence and can cause reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem disruption. Bioinvasions may also cause public health risks and damage to agriculture and fisheries. Nowhere is the accelerating pace of bioinvasions more dramatic than in ports and harbours. This project will determine the effects of pollution on invasion in a marine system. This project is in the national interest because it will identify mechanisms through which the invasion of exotic species are encouraged and assist in the identification and prioritisation of effective management strategies to prevent invasion.Read moreRead less
Assessing and understanding ecological changes in highly disturbed estuaries: addressing the complexity of multiple stressors. The conservation of estuarine ecosystems is necessary due to the intrinsic value of their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide to humans (food, tourism, recreation). This project will identify anthropogenic stressors that pose ecological threats to estuaries. We will identify indicator species and biomarkers that are cost-effective signs of ecological cha ....Assessing and understanding ecological changes in highly disturbed estuaries: addressing the complexity of multiple stressors. The conservation of estuarine ecosystems is necessary due to the intrinsic value of their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide to humans (food, tourism, recreation). This project will identify anthropogenic stressors that pose ecological threats to estuaries. We will identify indicator species and biomarkers that are cost-effective signs of ecological change, useful to any manager of Australian estuaries. The simultaneous assessment of multiple stressors is a great advance in the ecological assessment of estuarine health. We will develop a manual of methods and indicators for measuring the success of environmental management programs.Read moreRead less
Fertility Management of Koalas, Kangaroos and Wallabies. The aims of this work are to test a commercially available long-acting contraceptive on large populations of kangaroos and koalas, and to devise efficient, economic and practical ways of delivering these contraceptives to the animals. The outcome will be a system of controlling the number of these animals which is economically realistic and acceptable to national and international communities. The contraceptive is administered as a small, ....Fertility Management of Koalas, Kangaroos and Wallabies. The aims of this work are to test a commercially available long-acting contraceptive on large populations of kangaroos and koalas, and to devise efficient, economic and practical ways of delivering these contraceptives to the animals. The outcome will be a system of controlling the number of these animals which is economically realistic and acceptable to national and international communities. The contraceptive is administered as a small, subcutaneous implant in the back of the neck. It can be inserted very quickly and has no harmful side effects. A further outcome may be its adoption in other parts of the world, to the advantage of the company which manufactures it.Read moreRead less
Trophic associations involving fish and crustaceans in coastal saltmarsh. Coastal saltmarsh is an endangered ecological community utilised by a diverse assemblage of fish during spring tides. Little attempt has been made to determine why fish visit saltmarsh, or what contribution saltmarsh makes to the diet of fish. This study combines gut analysis with novel approaches involving stable isotopes and radioactive markers to determine trophic interactions between fish and permanent members of the s ....Trophic associations involving fish and crustaceans in coastal saltmarsh. Coastal saltmarsh is an endangered ecological community utilised by a diverse assemblage of fish during spring tides. Little attempt has been made to determine why fish visit saltmarsh, or what contribution saltmarsh makes to the diet of fish. This study combines gut analysis with novel approaches involving stable isotopes and radioactive markers to determine trophic interactions between fish and permanent members of the saltmarsh fauna and flora. The project will provide coastal resource managers with quantifiable indicators of the relative significance of different saltmarsh communities to estuarine fisheries.Read moreRead less