Enhancing nutrient retention in soils through management of microbial biomass. Soil microbial-processes are generally studied in relation to mineralisation of nutrients but rarely for their potential to retain nutrients and reduce nutrient leaching. We hypothesise that management of microbial immobilisation will enhance nutrient retention in nutrient enriched soils during seasonal rains. This hypothesis will be tested under strongly seasonal environments of southwest Australia where nutrient lea ....Enhancing nutrient retention in soils through management of microbial biomass. Soil microbial-processes are generally studied in relation to mineralisation of nutrients but rarely for their potential to retain nutrients and reduce nutrient leaching. We hypothesise that management of microbial immobilisation will enhance nutrient retention in nutrient enriched soils during seasonal rains. This hypothesis will be tested under strongly seasonal environments of southwest Australia where nutrient leaching from soils degrades quality of surface and groundwater. We will first investigate pathways and conditions leading to microbial immobilisation. We will then explore the regulation of substrate and nutrient conditions to promote such retention, and subsequently develop management interventions based on microbially-mediated nutrient retention.Read moreRead less
Rapid evolution, and the dynamics and stability of ecological communities. Population sizes of species go up and down and often we do not know why. This is a problem because changes in population size underpin more complex ecological change, and understanding why population sizes change affects our ability to manage environmental impacts, and threatened, harvested and pest species. The aim of this project is to discover how rapid evolution – evolution occurring over just a few generations – driv ....Rapid evolution, and the dynamics and stability of ecological communities. Population sizes of species go up and down and often we do not know why. This is a problem because changes in population size underpin more complex ecological change, and understanding why population sizes change affects our ability to manage environmental impacts, and threatened, harvested and pest species. The aim of this project is to discover how rapid evolution – evolution occurring over just a few generations – drives changes in population sizes of plants in Australian freshwater ecosystems. By focusing on this fundamental yet poorly understood process, our results promise to rewrite our understanding of the causes of change in ecological communities, while highlighting a unique and little studied component of Australia’s biota.Read moreRead less
Toad vs Toad: Innovative approaches to understand and control an invasive species. Understanding the ecology of an invasive pest species can be a powerful tool for developing control methods. Cane toads pose a major threat to Australian native species, and are spreading increasingly rapidly through the Australian tropics. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the biology of invasion-front populations of toads. This project will provide that understanding, and will explore new ideas a ....Toad vs Toad: Innovative approaches to understand and control an invasive species. Understanding the ecology of an invasive pest species can be a powerful tool for developing control methods. Cane toads pose a major threat to Australian native species, and are spreading increasingly rapidly through the Australian tropics. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the biology of invasion-front populations of toads. This project will provide that understanding, and will explore new ideas about ways to control toad populations. For example, if we can reduce the survival of feral animals by increasing the intensity of competition within their own popualtions rather than relying on effects of other species, we may be able to use the toads to control their own populations.Read moreRead less
Biomagnification of the biotoxin BMAA in the environment. Using unique models and technics, the project aims to demonstrate that long-term exposure to the blue green algae toxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) leads to uptake, accumulation and toxicity within the central nervous system. The risks for heath, mechanisms of contamination and toxicity of BMAA are very poorly understood. Algal blooms cost the Australian community more than $250 million each year and represent a major health issue fo ....Biomagnification of the biotoxin BMAA in the environment. Using unique models and technics, the project aims to demonstrate that long-term exposure to the blue green algae toxin β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) leads to uptake, accumulation and toxicity within the central nervous system. The risks for heath, mechanisms of contamination and toxicity of BMAA are very poorly understood. Algal blooms cost the Australian community more than $250 million each year and represent a major health issue for human and fauna. This project aims to be the first to fully characterise BMAA mechanisms of contamination and neurotoxicity and to highlight the major environmental risk of exposure of human to BMAA. It also aims to develop new and unique detection and quantification tools for BMAA.Read moreRead less
Species redundancy in response to multiple disturbances. This project aims to elucidate how the context within which disturbances occur affects food web linkages and how these map to responses in ecosystem function. There is a critical need to test the common assumption in environmental management that high biodiversity makes ecosystems resilient to disturbances. Studies that merely observe biodiversity change after disturbance cannot identify ecological processes connecting high diversity and e ....Species redundancy in response to multiple disturbances. This project aims to elucidate how the context within which disturbances occur affects food web linkages and how these map to responses in ecosystem function. There is a critical need to test the common assumption in environmental management that high biodiversity makes ecosystems resilient to disturbances. Studies that merely observe biodiversity change after disturbance cannot identify ecological processes connecting high diversity and ecosystem function, making experiments that manipulate identical disturbances in ecosystems with different biodiversity essential. This project will use field experiments that manipulate disturbances in streams replicated in low and high biodiversity regions and across gradients of chronic background stress to show how biodiversity sustains functional ecosystems, and how much diversity can be lost before ecosystems collapse.Read moreRead less
Testing the Flood Pulse Concept for rivers with variable flow regimes. For floodplain rivers the major unifying conceptual model linking hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology is the Flood Pulse Concept (FPC). The model is based on rivers that have a seasonally predictable and long duration inundation of floodplain habitats. Recent reviews of the FPC indicate that the model needs to be broadened to describe the function of rivers with more variable flow regimes. This project will test some of th ....Testing the Flood Pulse Concept for rivers with variable flow regimes. For floodplain rivers the major unifying conceptual model linking hydrology, biogeochemistry and ecology is the Flood Pulse Concept (FPC). The model is based on rivers that have a seasonally predictable and long duration inundation of floodplain habitats. Recent reviews of the FPC indicate that the model needs to be broadened to describe the function of rivers with more variable flow regimes. This project will test some of the predictions of the FPC for variable dryland rivers by investigating how food webs in the channels of a floodplain reach respond to flows of different magnitude, seasonal timing and duration.Read moreRead less
Systematic planning beyond conservation: a multi-objective, multi action framework for sustainable biodiversity. When planning for conservation in rivers, protecting plants and animals can not simply be achieved by protecting parts of a river. This project will develop a strategy to sustain freshwater biodiversity that will optimally allocate conservation and restoration resources and minimises negative socioeconomic impacts on stakeholders.
Assessment of the Mass Flux in a Benthic Boundary Layer of a Stratified Lake. Understanding the underlying processes responsible for Benthic Bundary Layer (BBL) mass flux in stratified lakes is of fundamental ecological importance. By verifying the ability of the current Centre for Water Research hydrodynamics models to reproduce the dynamics of the BBL, Australia will cement its position as an international leader in the development of technologies to guide the management of lakes, reservoirs, ....Assessment of the Mass Flux in a Benthic Boundary Layer of a Stratified Lake. Understanding the underlying processes responsible for Benthic Bundary Layer (BBL) mass flux in stratified lakes is of fundamental ecological importance. By verifying the ability of the current Centre for Water Research hydrodynamics models to reproduce the dynamics of the BBL, Australia will cement its position as an international leader in the development of technologies to guide the management of lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and coastal areas. Furthermore, these water bodies are important sources and sinks of carbon and the extent to which they contribute to the national and international carbon inventory can be assessed using this technology.Read moreRead less
Diadromous stream fishes: a model system for investigating sources of variation in recruitment. Our aim is to examine the relationship between adult abundance and recruitment in local populations of a diadromous stream fish to identify the source(s) of variation in recruitment. We will accomplish this by measuring larval production and recruitment among streams that vary in adult abundance, strength of settlement cues, and potential for larval dispersal. We will also use environmental markers of ....Diadromous stream fishes: a model system for investigating sources of variation in recruitment. Our aim is to examine the relationship between adult abundance and recruitment in local populations of a diadromous stream fish to identify the source(s) of variation in recruitment. We will accomplish this by measuring larval production and recruitment among streams that vary in adult abundance, strength of settlement cues, and potential for larval dispersal. We will also use environmental markers of larval origin to quantify the degree of self-recruitment and dispersal within/among populations. The results will broaden our understanding of the influence of local (production, habitat) versus regional (dispersal) processes to local population dynamics, information needed for effective stream management.Read moreRead less
Testing the biodiversity-function paradigm for the provision of clean water in aquifers. The ability of groundwater microbes to purify groundwater is an incredibly valuable service. All Australians benefit from this natural service either directly by having clean drinking water, or indirectly through the economic benefits of groundwater-reliant agriculture or industries. Clearly, managing aquifers to maintain this process is vital. This project will identify whether the biodiversity of the groun ....Testing the biodiversity-function paradigm for the provision of clean water in aquifers. The ability of groundwater microbes to purify groundwater is an incredibly valuable service. All Australians benefit from this natural service either directly by having clean drinking water, or indirectly through the economic benefits of groundwater-reliant agriculture or industries. Clearly, managing aquifers to maintain this process is vital. This project will identify whether the biodiversity of the groundwater ecosystem is important for this process to occur and, consequently, whether management should focus on biodiversity conservation (with its accompanying benefits) or forego biodiversity as a priority and manage the environment to maximise the beneficial ecosystem goods and services it provides.Read moreRead less