What limits CO2 diffusion inside leaves? Dissecting the diffusion path with Arabidopsis mutants. Human induced increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is now generally accepted as contributing to global warming. Forecasting our future impact relies on models of terrestrial photosynthesis which use a signature in the atmosphere created by plants when they discriminate against the heavy stable isotope of carbon during photosynthesis. Discrimination between isotopes is affected by carbon dioxide dif ....What limits CO2 diffusion inside leaves? Dissecting the diffusion path with Arabidopsis mutants. Human induced increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is now generally accepted as contributing to global warming. Forecasting our future impact relies on models of terrestrial photosynthesis which use a signature in the atmosphere created by plants when they discriminate against the heavy stable isotope of carbon during photosynthesis. Discrimination between isotopes is affected by carbon dioxide diffusion within leaves and key steps in this process will be identified through the use of Arabidopsis mutants. Better representation of this process in models will improve estimates of terrestrial photosynthesis and climate change forecastsRead moreRead less
Fitness in free-living populations in a changing world. We understand very little about the evolutionary and ecological response of populations to periods of rapid environmental change or volatility. New methods raise the possibility dissecting the various causes of change, and their demographic consequences. However, these methods depend on long-term studies of the genealogy, survival and reproductive success of individuals. Data on the iconic superb fairy-wren will be used to establish this ....Fitness in free-living populations in a changing world. We understand very little about the evolutionary and ecological response of populations to periods of rapid environmental change or volatility. New methods raise the possibility dissecting the various causes of change, and their demographic consequences. However, these methods depend on long-term studies of the genealogy, survival and reproductive success of individuals. Data on the iconic superb fairy-wren will be used to establish this species as a model for the study of climate change, and the extent to which living in social groups helps or hinders evolutionary response to such change.Read moreRead less
Leaf respiration under drought: a global perspective. Predicting future net carbon exchange is necessary for better management of vegetation resources by Australia. Incorporating the responses of plant respiration to drought and temperature is crucial for predicting future rates of net carbon exchange. Using laboratory and field studies, this research will develop an understanding of how water availability and temperature impact on plant respiration of a broad range of economically important and ....Leaf respiration under drought: a global perspective. Predicting future net carbon exchange is necessary for better management of vegetation resources by Australia. Incorporating the responses of plant respiration to drought and temperature is crucial for predicting future rates of net carbon exchange. Using laboratory and field studies, this research will develop an understanding of how water availability and temperature impact on plant respiration of a broad range of economically important and ecologically relevant plant species. Equations will be formulated that will improve how modellers calculate drought-dependent variations in plant respiration (and thus plant productivity), thereby improving predictions for a future, warmer world.Read moreRead less
Out of the darkness: predicting rates of respiration of illuminated leaves along nutrient gradients. Our research will greatly assist in predictions of future net carbon exchange necessary if Australia is to better manage its vegetation resources. Crucial to predicting future rates of net carbon exchange is an understanding of how climate and nutrients impact on leaf respiration. Our research will develop an understanding of how light, temperature and phosphorus (the most widespread, limiting nu ....Out of the darkness: predicting rates of respiration of illuminated leaves along nutrient gradients. Our research will greatly assist in predictions of future net carbon exchange necessary if Australia is to better manage its vegetation resources. Crucial to predicting future rates of net carbon exchange is an understanding of how climate and nutrients impact on leaf respiration. Our research will develop an understanding of how light, temperature and phosphorus (the most widespread, limiting nutrient in Australia) impact on leaf respiration of a broad range of contrasting plants representative of several diverse Australian ecosystems. We will develop equations that will allow modellers to better predict climate/nutrient dependent variations in leaf respiration (and thus rates of plant productivity), both now and in the future.Read moreRead less
Climate dependence of plant respiration in a warmer, drier world. This research will greatly assist in predictions of future net carbon exchange that are necessary if Australia is to better manage its vegetation resources. Crucial to predicting future rates of net carbon exchange is an understanding of how drought and long-term changes in temperature impact on plant respiration. Using laboratory and field studies, this research will develop an understanding of how water availability and temperat ....Climate dependence of plant respiration in a warmer, drier world. This research will greatly assist in predictions of future net carbon exchange that are necessary if Australia is to better manage its vegetation resources. Crucial to predicting future rates of net carbon exchange is an understanding of how drought and long-term changes in temperature impact on plant respiration. Using laboratory and field studies, this research will develop an understanding of how water availability and temperature impact on plant respiration of a broad range of economically important and ecologically relevant plant species. Equations will be formulated that allow modellers to better predict drought-dependent variations in plant respiration (and thus plant productivity), both now and in a future, warmer world.Read moreRead less
A multidisciplinary research program to assess limiting factors and predict impacts of climate change for endangered Australian orchids. Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity. Australian sexually deceptive orchids are dependent on obligate and specialised interactions with pollinators and fungi. Consequently, they may face a high risk of extinction if climate change uncouples these interactions. Thus orchids provide an important bio-indicator of change. The tools and expertis ....A multidisciplinary research program to assess limiting factors and predict impacts of climate change for endangered Australian orchids. Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity. Australian sexually deceptive orchids are dependent on obligate and specialised interactions with pollinators and fungi. Consequently, they may face a high risk of extinction if climate change uncouples these interactions. Thus orchids provide an important bio-indicator of change. The tools and expertise developed will contribute directly to the conservation of endangered Australian orchids, and will take into account the risks of climate change. The project will contribute to the priority research goals of sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity as well as responding to climate change and variability. The project will also provide high quality, cross-disciplinary training.Read moreRead less
Tolerance of temperature extremes under drought: linking physiological processes with morphological constraints on leaf function. Freezing temperatures affect over 70% of Australia. Each year frosts cause substantial damage to agriculture and forestry. We will examine how decrease in hydraulic conduit diameter increases freeze tolerance in native woody species and quantify impacts of this tolerance on productivity of leaves. The results have application in managing temperate woody vegetation un ....Tolerance of temperature extremes under drought: linking physiological processes with morphological constraints on leaf function. Freezing temperatures affect over 70% of Australia. Each year frosts cause substantial damage to agriculture and forestry. We will examine how decrease in hydraulic conduit diameter increases freeze tolerance in native woody species and quantify impacts of this tolerance on productivity of leaves. The results have application in managing temperate woody vegetation under current and future climate scenarios. By improving understanding of the behaviour of water in leaves during freezing, we will contribute to improved models of physical stresses and strains in biological tissues during freezing, which find application in cryo-storage of biological materials important in agriculture, medicine, and conservation.Read moreRead less
Phyloinformatics and biodiversity: developing bioinformatic tools for understanding the dynamics of extinction and invasion within species assemblages. DNA sequence data provides an exciting new way to study biodiversity, because the genome of each organism records its evolutionary history. By analysing DNA sequences co-existing species, we can reconstruct the ecological and evolutionary history of a biological community. This allows us to track biodiversity changes over time, and examine how th ....Phyloinformatics and biodiversity: developing bioinformatic tools for understanding the dynamics of extinction and invasion within species assemblages. DNA sequence data provides an exciting new way to study biodiversity, because the genome of each organism records its evolutionary history. By analysing DNA sequences co-existing species, we can reconstruct the ecological and evolutionary history of a biological community. This allows us to track biodiversity changes over time, and examine how the state of a species assemblage determines which species are lost through extinction or gained through the invasion of exotic species. Understanding the factors that govern changes in biodiversity over time is essential for planning for future conservation in the face of a rapidly changing environment. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561224
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$267,767.00
Summary
14CHRONOS (Chronologies from High-ResolutiON Organic Separations): a centre for radiocarbon dating of specific compounds for the environmental and archaeological sciences. Accurate timekeeping is central to the environmental and archaeological sciences. Radiocarbon dating is the leading geochronological technique for events of the past 50,000 years, but the issue for sample contamination remains a major source of concern. Avoidance of contaminants can be achieved through the identification of sp ....14CHRONOS (Chronologies from High-ResolutiON Organic Separations): a centre for radiocarbon dating of specific compounds for the environmental and archaeological sciences. Accurate timekeeping is central to the environmental and archaeological sciences. Radiocarbon dating is the leading geochronological technique for events of the past 50,000 years, but the issue for sample contamination remains a major source of concern. Avoidance of contaminants can be achieved through the identification of specific biomolecular compounds that unambiguously formed part of the original sample, and the isolation of these biomolecules for radiocarbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry. Here we request funds to establish Australia's first compound-specific radiocarbon dating facility, to obtain ages of high accuracy for key studies of climate and landscape change, evolutionary biology and archaeology.Read moreRead less
Molecular fossils, environmental genomics and the natural history of an Australian salt lake. Increasing salinity of lakes is a critical problem for sustainable water supply in Australia. To comprehend the consequences of human-induced salinization, it is crucial to understand salt lakes at their most fundamental level. This project develops pioneering technologies to elucidate the microbial ecology and geochemistry of salt lakes in unprecedented detail. It will open new pathways to unravel how ....Molecular fossils, environmental genomics and the natural history of an Australian salt lake. Increasing salinity of lakes is a critical problem for sustainable water supply in Australia. To comprehend the consequences of human-induced salinization, it is crucial to understand salt lakes at their most fundamental level. This project develops pioneering technologies to elucidate the microbial ecology and geochemistry of salt lakes in unprecedented detail. It will open new pathways to unravel how microbial ecosystems adapt to increasing salinization, and how they reacted to climate fluctuations in the past. Students will gain multidisciplinary skills in environmental genomics, proteomics and geochemistry, a unique combination that will become decisive for understanding and preserving ecosystems on our continent.Read moreRead less