Resolving the role of kelp in blue carbon cycles to enable management. We aim to uncover how kelp forests contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity enhancement and nutrient mitigation in Australia. We will combine mapping and modelling to identify local variation in kelp carbon stocks and sequestration potential and verify kelp carbon export to deep ocean sinks through genetic tracing in seawater and sediments. Co-benefits will be identified through nutrient experiments and reef surveys. We wil ....Resolving the role of kelp in blue carbon cycles to enable management. We aim to uncover how kelp forests contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity enhancement and nutrient mitigation in Australia. We will combine mapping and modelling to identify local variation in kelp carbon stocks and sequestration potential and verify kelp carbon export to deep ocean sinks through genetic tracing in seawater and sediments. Co-benefits will be identified through nutrient experiments and reef surveys. We will also assess the risk that calcification and production of halogenic gas within the kelp forest could offset its climate mitigation potential. Project outcomes will enable management to consider kelp ecosystem services broadly and optimize our capacity to meet current emission reduction and biodiversity commitments.Read moreRead less
Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of th ....Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of this complex inverse estuary system and its surrounding catchment. The new understanding of the sources, fluxes and fate of nutrients within the bay and the surrounding catchment, arising from this project, is expected to benefit management decision-making and establish a new standard in estuarine water quality investigation.Read moreRead less
Towards 2050 - managing recovery of Australia's coral reefs. The coral reefs of Australia contribute over $6 bn each year to the economy. However, the reefs of Australia, in addition to those worldwide, are threatened by coral bleaching driven by anthropogenic climate change. If we are to preserve the economic, social and ecosystem value of these environments, it is essential that we are able to better manage the recovery of reefs from bleaching events. This project will utilise a variety of mul ....Towards 2050 - managing recovery of Australia's coral reefs. The coral reefs of Australia contribute over $6 bn each year to the economy. However, the reefs of Australia, in addition to those worldwide, are threatened by coral bleaching driven by anthropogenic climate change. If we are to preserve the economic, social and ecosystem value of these environments, it is essential that we are able to better manage the recovery of reefs from bleaching events. This project will utilise a variety of multi-disciplinary approaches, ranging from future climate models, historical satellite data to in-field experimentation to fill fundamental knowledge gaps in our understanding of coral bleaching recovery and delivery a variety of management and stakeholder relevant outputs.Read moreRead less
Improving the effectiveness of marine habitat restoration. Habitat restoration is a global priority to halt and reverse declines in biodiversity, but many of these efforts fail to achieve these goals. This project aims to improve the outcomes of marine habitat restoration through greater consideration of animal behaviour. Insights into how animals evaluate restored habitats and which components of habitats are most important to animals are essential but missing ingredients in modern restoration ....Improving the effectiveness of marine habitat restoration. Habitat restoration is a global priority to halt and reverse declines in biodiversity, but many of these efforts fail to achieve these goals. This project aims to improve the outcomes of marine habitat restoration through greater consideration of animal behaviour. Insights into how animals evaluate restored habitats and which components of habitats are most important to animals are essential but missing ingredients in modern restoration methodology. By applying novel experimental and modelling approaches to current marine habitat restoration programs, this project will generate new knowledge to underpin a fundamental change in how natural resource managers restore marine habitats, with significantly improved outcomes for biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Do root microbiomes control seagrass response to environmental stress? The project aims to determine the role root microbes play in controlling seagrass responses to environmental stress. By integrating marine and microbial ecology, environmental genomics and ecosystem function (e.g., biogeochemical cycling), this project is significant as it will create new knowledge of the processes that confer seagrass resilience to global environmental issues. An expected outcome is an increased understandin ....Do root microbiomes control seagrass response to environmental stress? The project aims to determine the role root microbes play in controlling seagrass responses to environmental stress. By integrating marine and microbial ecology, environmental genomics and ecosystem function (e.g., biogeochemical cycling), this project is significant as it will create new knowledge of the processes that confer seagrass resilience to global environmental issues. An expected outcome is an increased understanding of how microbes control seagrass health and an enhanced capacity to develop effective restoration strategies for Australia's valuable seagrass ecosystems. Benefits include improving the extensive environmental, economic, social/cultural services Australian communities derive from seagrass ecosystems.Read moreRead less
How climate-resilient are our temperate fisheries species? This project assesses the resilience of our temperate fisheries species to climate change. Using natural warming hotspots and volcanic CO2 vents we study populations of fisheries species that are already pre-adapted to future climate, and therefore could act as key populations for replenishment of future fisheries stocks. An innovative and interdisciplinary approach combines the ecology, genetics, behaviour, and physiology of fisheries s ....How climate-resilient are our temperate fisheries species? This project assesses the resilience of our temperate fisheries species to climate change. Using natural warming hotspots and volcanic CO2 vents we study populations of fisheries species that are already pre-adapted to future climate, and therefore could act as key populations for replenishment of future fisheries stocks. An innovative and interdisciplinary approach combines the ecology, genetics, behaviour, and physiology of fisheries species to evaluate their climate resilience. An advanced food web model will be developed to forecast changes to fisheries production in a future world. This provides a much-improved forecast of climate adaptation and managing future biodiversity and fisheries species through resilient genes and populations.Read moreRead less
Defining how inter-bacterial symbioses regulate aquatic ecosystem health. This project will determine how ecological relationships among aquatic bacteria govern the health of Australia’s marine and freshwater environments. Cyanobacteria support aquatic ecosystem productivity, but can have detrimental effects when they form harmful blooms, although the factors governing the balance of these contrasting impacts are largely undefined. By coupling sophisticated approaches including genomics, phenomi ....Defining how inter-bacterial symbioses regulate aquatic ecosystem health. This project will determine how ecological relationships among aquatic bacteria govern the health of Australia’s marine and freshwater environments. Cyanobacteria support aquatic ecosystem productivity, but can have detrimental effects when they form harmful blooms, although the factors governing the balance of these contrasting impacts are largely undefined. By coupling sophisticated approaches including genomics, phenomics, and microfluidics to examine how symbioses with other bacteria influence the growth and function of important species of cyanobacteria, this research will elucidate the importance of an over-looked factor in controlling the productivity, health and value of Australia’s aquatic estate.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100272
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$475,234.00
Summary
Protecting oyster aquaculture from heatwaves and flooding rains . This project aims to grow our understanding of disease in oysters following extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods. Working with industry partners, I will use field and lab-based experiments to determine the underlying causes of oyster mortality following extreme weather. Critically, this project will trial real solutions to reduce disease including selective breeding and co-culture of seaweeds. Expected outcomes incl ....Protecting oyster aquaculture from heatwaves and flooding rains . This project aims to grow our understanding of disease in oysters following extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods. Working with industry partners, I will use field and lab-based experiments to determine the underlying causes of oyster mortality following extreme weather. Critically, this project will trial real solutions to reduce disease including selective breeding and co-culture of seaweeds. Expected outcomes include new knowledge on the causes of bacterial disease in aquaculture and real progress towards solutions to mitigate oyster disease following extreme weather events. This project expects to enable the iconic Australian oyster aquaculture industry to grow despite the extreme weather brought by climate change. Read moreRead less
Creating coolspots: eco-engineering heat-resistant intertidal communities. This project aims to identify structural characteristics of marine intertidal habitat patches, formed by seaweeds and shellfish, that protect associated species from thermal extremes. This project will generate new knowledge about how thermally sensitive intertidal species can persist in stressful environments. Expected outcomes of this project
include new approaches for building heat-tolerant ecological communities on co ....Creating coolspots: eco-engineering heat-resistant intertidal communities. This project aims to identify structural characteristics of marine intertidal habitat patches, formed by seaweeds and shellfish, that protect associated species from thermal extremes. This project will generate new knowledge about how thermally sensitive intertidal species can persist in stressful environments. Expected outcomes of this project
include new approaches for building heat-tolerant ecological communities on coastal infrastructure, and improved tools for predicting the response of intertidal seaweeds and animals to environmental change. The results of this project will benefit coastal management by identifying conservation and rehabilitation strategies that maximise the
resilience of coastal ecosystems to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Quantifying kelp carbon and nutrient flows for nature-based solutions . This fellowship aims to resolve carbon removal and nutrient mitigation potential of Australia’s kelp forests now and in future. It will create new understanding of the ecosystem services provided by the Great Southern Reef, and the capacity of kelp forests to provide nature-based solutions to reduce emissions and improve coastal water quality. Using a combination of global models and ecological experiments on kelp forests an ....Quantifying kelp carbon and nutrient flows for nature-based solutions . This fellowship aims to resolve carbon removal and nutrient mitigation potential of Australia’s kelp forests now and in future. It will create new understanding of the ecosystem services provided by the Great Southern Reef, and the capacity of kelp forests to provide nature-based solutions to reduce emissions and improve coastal water quality. Using a combination of global models and ecological experiments on kelp forests and their replacement ecosystem states, the fellowship will predict changes in function with warming. This information is critical to determine net ecosystem mitigation potential and will significantly advance our understanding of the potential of kelp forests to generate co-benefits while conserving biodiversity. Read moreRead less