Forest ecosystem water use: Does species diversity matter? Forest water use and susceptibility to drought are major concerns for forest plantation establishment in Australia. This research will provide fundamental information about how plantation water use and drought tolerance are modified by species diversity. This work has the potential to transform tree plantation establishment practices toward inclusion of greater species diversity or toward species with particular complementary traits. It ....Forest ecosystem water use: Does species diversity matter? Forest water use and susceptibility to drought are major concerns for forest plantation establishment in Australia. This research will provide fundamental information about how plantation water use and drought tolerance are modified by species diversity. This work has the potential to transform tree plantation establishment practices toward inclusion of greater species diversity or toward species with particular complementary traits. It has significant potential to enhance benefits from reforestation projects, including better drought survival, reduced water use, soil bioremediation and enhanced biodiversity. Read moreRead less
Assessment of the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of subterranean animals from calcrete aquifers in central western Australia. Recently a rich and diverse subterranean invertebrate fauna (stygofauna) was unexpectedly discovered from numerous isolated calcrete aquifers associated with palaeodrainage channels in central Western Australia. Our recent taxonomic and molecular studies have suggested that stygofaunas within each aquifer may be highly endemic. We aim to test this hypothesis by in ....Assessment of the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of subterranean animals from calcrete aquifers in central western Australia. Recently a rich and diverse subterranean invertebrate fauna (stygofauna) was unexpectedly discovered from numerous isolated calcrete aquifers associated with palaeodrainage channels in central Western Australia. Our recent taxonomic and molecular studies have suggested that stygofaunas within each aquifer may be highly endemic. We aim to test this hypothesis by investigating the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of stygofauna from three major calcrete regions. We further aim to document the environmental conditions and variability within the aquifers and to develop rigorous sampling protocols. Such data are essential for the development of appropriate strategies for sustainable management of subterranean water and their ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to pre ....Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to predict. Retaining threatened species can benefit remote and regional communities through tourism, and also through the extra employment required to implement the management prescriptions that will be developed from this research.Read moreRead less
Exposure and sensitivity of marine turtles and dugongs to dioxins - a risk assessment in near shore marine environments of Queensland. The World Heritage Great Barrier Reef sustains unique marine biota such as dugongs and turtles. High concentrations of harmful dioxins have been reported recently in dugongs. However, the impacts of these contaminants on the health of dugong and turtle populations remain unknown. This study will redress the general lack of toxicological information available f ....Exposure and sensitivity of marine turtles and dugongs to dioxins - a risk assessment in near shore marine environments of Queensland. The World Heritage Great Barrier Reef sustains unique marine biota such as dugongs and turtles. High concentrations of harmful dioxins have been reported recently in dugongs. However, the impacts of these contaminants on the health of dugong and turtle populations remain unknown. This study will redress the general lack of toxicological information available for reptiles and dugongs. This includes assessments of exposure, pathways as well as toxicological responses to the compounds of concern, to provide a robust assessment of the risks associated. The outcomes will guide management policy designed to protect the environmental health of Queensland's Marine Parks.Read moreRead less
How much habitat and what configuration maintains natural levels of connectivity in southeast Australian native birds? Maintenance of biodiversity is fundamental to ecologically sustainable development. This project will deepen our understanding of the consequences of landscape change for native birds and enhance our national capacity to integrate nature conservation and agricultural production. We will contribute to sustainable use of rural landscapes by providing land managers with greater und ....How much habitat and what configuration maintains natural levels of connectivity in southeast Australian native birds? Maintenance of biodiversity is fundamental to ecologically sustainable development. This project will deepen our understanding of the consequences of landscape change for native birds and enhance our national capacity to integrate nature conservation and agricultural production. We will contribute to sustainable use of rural landscapes by providing land managers with greater understanding of (1) how and why landscape change affects bird species diversity and persistence, (2) which components of the landscape can most effectively be manipulated to enhance population survival, and (3) estimating the long-term effects of habitat fragmentation on the population structure and function of species.Read moreRead less
Human-induced changes in the genetic structure of amphibian populations. This study will produce one of the first predictive models of the impact of humans on the genetic structure of animal populations. It will contribute to land-use planning in the greater Melbourne area, and support the regional action plan called Melbourne2030. It will promote active collaboration between universities and Museum Victoria, enriching our local intellectual community. The project will address current debates wi ....Human-induced changes in the genetic structure of amphibian populations. This study will produce one of the first predictive models of the impact of humans on the genetic structure of animal populations. It will contribute to land-use planning in the greater Melbourne area, and support the regional action plan called Melbourne2030. It will promote active collaboration between universities and Museum Victoria, enriching our local intellectual community. The project will address current debates within landscape genetics, and strengthen Australia's international standing in landscape ecology. Several Australian undergraduate and PhD students will participate in cutting-edge science, which helps Australia maintain its prominent international reputation in these fields.Read moreRead less
Predicting metapopulation dynamics with multiple patch states. Classical theory allows metapopulations to have subpopulations in one of two states, occupied or unoccupied. However, patches may have their own dynamic created by ecological succession or disturbance processes such as grazing. We will develop new theory incorporating patch dynamics, and test the theory on a spatially explicit metapopulation in the real world, the mound spring invertebrates of the Great Artesian Basin. We will use th ....Predicting metapopulation dynamics with multiple patch states. Classical theory allows metapopulations to have subpopulations in one of two states, occupied or unoccupied. However, patches may have their own dynamic created by ecological succession or disturbance processes such as grazing. We will develop new theory incorporating patch dynamics, and test the theory on a spatially explicit metapopulation in the real world, the mound spring invertebrates of the Great Artesian Basin. We will use the theory to forecast the risk of extinction for these endemic species, and develop methods to quantify the statistical power of monitoring for environmental trends.Read moreRead less
Dynamic networks in a patchy landscape: will species interactions adjust to increased climatic extremes? This project addresses pressing questions on how increased climatic extremes will affect species diversity in arid Australia, building on the longest ecological dataset available for the continent's vast but fragile inland landscapes. Our tests of key ideas about strong interactions among species, their role in building resilient communities and conserving biodiversity, will generate consider ....Dynamic networks in a patchy landscape: will species interactions adjust to increased climatic extremes? This project addresses pressing questions on how increased climatic extremes will affect species diversity in arid Australia, building on the longest ecological dataset available for the continent's vast but fragile inland landscapes. Our tests of key ideas about strong interactions among species, their role in building resilient communities and conserving biodiversity, will generate considerable international interest, while our focus on interactions of species at water sources will address knowledge gaps to inform best practice in managing converted pastoral lands. The results will contribute to retaining healthy functioning ecosystems, and the vital production systems they support, as the global climate changes.Read moreRead less
Conservation planning in a dynamic and uncertain world. Nature conservation planning is an emerging discipline at the interface of biological and mathematical sciences focused on designing conservation areas. We will improve existing tools for conservation planning, which almost always assume a static world, by developing theories and procedures for undertaking conservation planning in a dynamic and uncertain world. A risk assessment and decision-making framework will be developed so that a vari ....Conservation planning in a dynamic and uncertain world. Nature conservation planning is an emerging discipline at the interface of biological and mathematical sciences focused on designing conservation areas. We will improve existing tools for conservation planning, which almost always assume a static world, by developing theories and procedures for undertaking conservation planning in a dynamic and uncertain world. A risk assessment and decision-making framework will be developed so that a variety of landscape dynamics can be taken into account when planning reserves. This research will help to ensure that reserve networks designed in the future achieve their ultimate goal of the long-term persistence of biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Integrating the conservation and ecosystem-service value of Australia's catchments. This project addresses the Priority Goal of Sustainable Use of Biodiversity by explicitly linking the intrinsic value of biodiversity and supporting ecosystems with the services they provide to humanity (e.g. carbon storage and nutrient cycling). It will employ a comprehensive, innovative approach to integrating conservation, market and non-market values of land holdings in Australia's catchments using the concep ....Integrating the conservation and ecosystem-service value of Australia's catchments. This project addresses the Priority Goal of Sustainable Use of Biodiversity by explicitly linking the intrinsic value of biodiversity and supporting ecosystems with the services they provide to humanity (e.g. carbon storage and nutrient cycling). It will employ a comprehensive, innovative approach to integrating conservation, market and non-market values of land holdings in Australia's catchments using the concept of nature's services. Through extensive collaboration among leading scientists and land managers, the project will identify sites of high value requiring special attention, yield important theoretical advancements to how we value ecosystems, and provide practical and easily applied guidelines for land managers. Read moreRead less