Stocking of fish and prawns at ecologically determined densities into Australian estuaries. Increasing numbers of people like to go fishing, and to catch a fish, which translates into tourism income and aquaculture business. Restocking is a fisheries management option when the natural supply or survival of larvae is limited. This study will determine for the first time the ecologically appropriate abundance of small mulloway and prawns that an estuary can sustain. We will assess the extra eff ....Stocking of fish and prawns at ecologically determined densities into Australian estuaries. Increasing numbers of people like to go fishing, and to catch a fish, which translates into tourism income and aquaculture business. Restocking is a fisheries management option when the natural supply or survival of larvae is limited. This study will determine for the first time the ecologically appropriate abundance of small mulloway and prawns that an estuary can sustain. We will assess the extra effort needed to release larvae into particular key habitats, and develop new technologies to identify our larvae from the wild. Our findings will be relevant to restocking of Australia's inland rivers, which at present has little ecological basis.Read moreRead less
Assessing linkages across arid zone estuarine landscapes. We aim to understand the degree of connectivity between the terrestrial environment and estuaries in the arid tropics of Australia. We will investigate the impact of terrestrial-estuarine linkages on near shore food webs, which include a diverse fauna, some of which are commercially important. Human activities in the land-ocean interface have to have the capacity to alter greatly the timing, magnitude, and composition of inputs from water ....Assessing linkages across arid zone estuarine landscapes. We aim to understand the degree of connectivity between the terrestrial environment and estuaries in the arid tropics of Australia. We will investigate the impact of terrestrial-estuarine linkages on near shore food webs, which include a diverse fauna, some of which are commercially important. Human activities in the land-ocean interface have to have the capacity to alter greatly the timing, magnitude, and composition of inputs from watersheds to estuaries, thereby greatly altering the function of estuaries. The results of this project will fill a gap in our knowledge of how arid zone estuaries function, and will contribute to developing management strategies needed to maintain estuary productivity.Read moreRead less
Management of coastal lakes to minimise invasion. The European shore crab has the potential to undermine the productivity of Australia's estuaries and devastate our shellfish industries, worth over $50 million p.a. This project will provide estuarine managers with the data urgently needed to prevent spread of this pest species. In doing so, it will help to ensure the future prosperity of our seafood industries and the sustainability of our unique coastal biodiversity. The outcomes of this projec ....Management of coastal lakes to minimise invasion. The European shore crab has the potential to undermine the productivity of Australia's estuaries and devastate our shellfish industries, worth over $50 million p.a. This project will provide estuarine managers with the data urgently needed to prevent spread of this pest species. In doing so, it will help to ensure the future prosperity of our seafood industries and the sustainability of our unique coastal biodiversity. The outcomes of this project will be applicable to the management of many of the > 200 introduced marine species already present within our coastal waters. Importantly, the project will also contribute to research training in new techniques to protect Australia from future pest invasions.Read moreRead less
Critical flux paths influencing ecological processes in an urban estuary. This study will focus on the roles of benthic algae, denitrification and consumers on nutrient fluxes and planktonic production in the Swan River estuary, Western Australia. A 5-year research program of measurements and numerical modelling has identified these processes as poorly quantified, critical to the estuary trophic status, and essential data in order to accurately predict potential impacts of remediation strategie ....Critical flux paths influencing ecological processes in an urban estuary. This study will focus on the roles of benthic algae, denitrification and consumers on nutrient fluxes and planktonic production in the Swan River estuary, Western Australia. A 5-year research program of measurements and numerical modelling has identified these processes as poorly quantified, critical to the estuary trophic status, and essential data in order to accurately predict potential impacts of remediation strategies. We will validate the impacts of denitrification through in situ measurements, review data on higher order consumers, and use this information in a numerical model to understand the interactions of biogeochemical fluxes, plant, animal and microbial communities, and transport processes in the estuary.Read moreRead less
Prediction of fishery year-class-strengths from larval growth and zooplankton size structure. The abundance of young fish produced in the ocean each year is highly variable, and banks or managers need to prepare for these future changes when the fish reach market size. Therefore many nations conduct special trawl surveys of juvenile fish each year, but these are expensive, particularly when Australia has over 200 commercially harvested fish. We propose that the growth of fish larvae, recorded as ....Prediction of fishery year-class-strengths from larval growth and zooplankton size structure. The abundance of young fish produced in the ocean each year is highly variable, and banks or managers need to prepare for these future changes when the fish reach market size. Therefore many nations conduct special trawl surveys of juvenile fish each year, but these are expensive, particularly when Australia has over 200 commercially harvested fish. We propose that the growth of fish larvae, recorded as daily growth rings within the earstone of undersized fish from the fishery, could predict future abundance. We will link growth to a cost-effective assessment of their zooplankton prey in spawning areas that lead to Australia's South East Trawl region.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
Understanding biodiversity by experimental analysis of links between physical, chemical and biological properties of intertidal sediments. The coastal zone accounts for 38 % of total environmental services, estimated as $12 trillion per year. Over 90 % of current development and 80 % of Australians are found within 50 km of the coast, putting enormous pressure on these habitats. Intertidal/shallow subtidal sediments are the most extensive and productive (biologically and economically) coastal ....Understanding biodiversity by experimental analysis of links between physical, chemical and biological properties of intertidal sediments. The coastal zone accounts for 38 % of total environmental services, estimated as $12 trillion per year. Over 90 % of current development and 80 % of Australians are found within 50 km of the coast, putting enormous pressure on these habitats. Intertidal/shallow subtidal sediments are the most extensive and productive (biologically and economically) coastal habitats, supporting much of Australia's unique biodiversity. Their functioning depends on complex interactions among physical, chemical and biotic processes, yet is largely unknown. Understanding these processes is crucial for coastal planning and management, to minimise habitat-loss and retain biodiversity in these important habitats.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100041
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the developme ....A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the development of groundwater resources, the relative dependency of ecosystems on groundwater versus soil and surface water, and an assessment of the likely impacts of altered hydrology, especially dewatering and salinisation, on ecosystems. In addition, they will also be used to extend our knowledge of climate variability in the recent past and increase understanding of critical marine resources.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
Do pollution events facilitate biotic invasion in marine systems? This project aims to determine whether pollution affects the biological resistance of assemblages to invasion. The discharge of toxicants into coastal waters is an increasingly important source of disturbance that has the potential to make marine assemblages more susceptible to biotic invasion. The project will determine if pollution events facilitate the colonisation, persistence and spread of non-native species and how initial a ....Do pollution events facilitate biotic invasion in marine systems? This project aims to determine whether pollution affects the biological resistance of assemblages to invasion. The discharge of toxicants into coastal waters is an increasingly important source of disturbance that has the potential to make marine assemblages more susceptible to biotic invasion. The project will determine if pollution events facilitate the colonisation, persistence and spread of non-native species and how initial assemblage diversity modifies this response. The generality of several important ecological hypotheses developed in plant communities are tested in marine systems for the first time and extended to include the role of toxic disturbances.Read moreRead less