Motility as a means to understand prokaryotic function in the biosphere. Bacterial processes are crucial to the environment, industry and technology of Australia. This work will open a new area of research to expand our understanding of how bacteria behave and function. This will lay the foundation for improved environmental management and resource utilisation in the critical areas of groundwater purification, coral infections, fisheries yields, petroleum remediation and bioenergy generation. Th ....Motility as a means to understand prokaryotic function in the biosphere. Bacterial processes are crucial to the environment, industry and technology of Australia. This work will open a new area of research to expand our understanding of how bacteria behave and function. This will lay the foundation for improved environmental management and resource utilisation in the critical areas of groundwater purification, coral infections, fisheries yields, petroleum remediation and bioenergy generation. This proposal will train over a dozen new scientists in these crucial areas and bring leading international scientists to Australia in the areas of bioenergy production, microfluidics, advanced microscopy and bioengineering.Read moreRead less
Beyond oceanography: behavior as a tool to uncover ocean complexity. It is crucial that Australia remains a world leader in marine biology and ecology and continues to preserve the uniqueness of its marine environment through the development of integrated inter-disciplinary research projects. This project will open a new area of research at both the national and international levels through the first integrated approach of the behavioural mechanisms that rule the base of the ocean food web struc ....Beyond oceanography: behavior as a tool to uncover ocean complexity. It is crucial that Australia remains a world leader in marine biology and ecology and continues to preserve the uniqueness of its marine environment through the development of integrated inter-disciplinary research projects. This project will open a new area of research at both the national and international levels through the first integrated approach of the behavioural mechanisms that rule the base of the ocean food web structures and functions. The present work is also expected to open new perspectives in fields such as biological oceanography, microbial ecology, plankton ecology, behavioural ecology through the exploration of previously untapped areas of research.Read moreRead less
Competition or cooperation between marine biofilm bacteria recycling POM? Biofilms develop on any wetted surface by adhesion and subsequent growth of microorganisms. Recycling the energy, carbon and nitrogen contained in oceanic particulate organic matter (POM) is a global process essential for life on Earth. Ocean POM is degraded by its biofilm consortia, particularly bacteria secreting digestive enzymes. It is not known whether biofilm bacteria compete or cooperate in recycling POM. This proj ....Competition or cooperation between marine biofilm bacteria recycling POM? Biofilms develop on any wetted surface by adhesion and subsequent growth of microorganisms. Recycling the energy, carbon and nitrogen contained in oceanic particulate organic matter (POM) is a global process essential for life on Earth. Ocean POM is degraded by its biofilm consortia, particularly bacteria secreting digestive enzymes. It is not known whether biofilm bacteria compete or cooperate in recycling POM. This project combines microscopy image analysis, flow cytometry and molecular genetics to determine bacterial interactions quantitatively in mixed-species biofilms on natural POM. Results will increase knowledge of bacterial community functioning and biofilm recycling of POM in marine environments.Read moreRead less
MICROSCALE PLANKTON AND PARTICLE DYNAMICS: COMPARING AND CONTRASTING AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL SEAS. Microscopic phytoplankton are the basis of ocean ecosystems, but most predictions and measurements focus on processes that occur over kilometres. Our recent work shows that definite and regular submetre seascape topography exists. This grant will test the extent to which this seascape topography is the fundamental organisational unit of marine ecosystems and the extent to which it characteris ....MICROSCALE PLANKTON AND PARTICLE DYNAMICS: COMPARING AND CONTRASTING AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL SEAS. Microscopic phytoplankton are the basis of ocean ecosystems, but most predictions and measurements focus on processes that occur over kilometres. Our recent work shows that definite and regular submetre seascape topography exists. This grant will test the extent to which this seascape topography is the fundamental organisational unit of marine ecosystems and the extent to which it characterises Australian coastal waters and open ocean water masses. This research takes a leadership role in defining and advancing our understanding of how marine ecosystems function. The project will bring over $200 million of Japanese infrastructure to Australia for 3 years.Read moreRead less
Microbial Oceanography: Community Heterogeneity Fuelled by Environmental Variability. The ocean is a crucial resource to Australia. This work will open a new area of research within Australian habitats, which will improve our understanding of how the base of the ocean food web functions, and build a new perspective from which to look at the microscopic plankton that influence fisheries yield and species invasions. Appreciating how microbial communities respond to environmental perturbations will ....Microbial Oceanography: Community Heterogeneity Fuelled by Environmental Variability. The ocean is a crucial resource to Australia. This work will open a new area of research within Australian habitats, which will improve our understanding of how the base of the ocean food web functions, and build a new perspective from which to look at the microscopic plankton that influence fisheries yield and species invasions. Appreciating how microbial communities respond to environmental perturbations will provide an improved vantage-point to predict future changes to the Australian marine environment. Leading international scientists will provide conceptual and technical expertise in an Australian based project, applying novel analytical tools not currently employed within oceanographic surveys within Australian waters.Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional mapping and bio-physical coupling in the plankton microenvironment. The fate of carbon in the marine environment, and potential modification of global climate, is driven by organisms ranging in size from 0.1 to 100 µm interacting at mm to cm scales. This research will provide the first high-resolution 3D measurements of distributions, diversity and dynamics of these key organisms. Australia provides the unique opportunity to study these microscale patterns and processes in arch ....Three-dimensional mapping and bio-physical coupling in the plankton microenvironment. The fate of carbon in the marine environment, and potential modification of global climate, is driven by organisms ranging in size from 0.1 to 100 µm interacting at mm to cm scales. This research will provide the first high-resolution 3D measurements of distributions, diversity and dynamics of these key organisms. Australia provides the unique opportunity to study these microscale patterns and processes in archetypical examples of environments representative of the world's most significant marine ecosystems. These results will maintain Australia at the cutting-edge of marine environmental science, and provide the first application of novel sampling, analysis and modelling techiques to environments of the Australian economic exclusion zone.Read moreRead less
Keystone microbes and planktonic guilds in Australia's oceans. This project aims to unveil the ocean’s hidden sentinels, “keystone microbes” that underpin precious ecosystem services, and which can be used to monitor and model changes in ocean function. Marine microbes account for 90 per cent of oceanic biomass and every litre of seawater contains ~20,000 different species, but it is not known which species control ocean health and productivity. This project intends to provide definitive evidenc ....Keystone microbes and planktonic guilds in Australia's oceans. This project aims to unveil the ocean’s hidden sentinels, “keystone microbes” that underpin precious ecosystem services, and which can be used to monitor and model changes in ocean function. Marine microbes account for 90 per cent of oceanic biomass and every litre of seawater contains ~20,000 different species, but it is not known which species control ocean health and productivity. This project intends to provide definitive evidence of these keystones’ cellular level biogeochemical and metabolic capacity. Ultimately, this knowledge is expected to predict the resilience of ocean ecosystems and their response to change. The capacity to predict their dynamics will help provide investment clarity and increase healthy outcomes from activities involving human-ocean interactions such as recreation, food production and tourism.Read moreRead less
Microscale insights into ocean-scale processes: microbial behaviour as a driver of ocean biogeochemistry. Microscopic plankton regulate the ocean's chemical cycles, which ultimately support life on earth. However, the ecological interactions driving these processes are poorly understood. This project will use novel approaches to decipher the behaviours of marine microbes, providing a more complete perception of how ocean ecosystems operate and influence climate.
Physical and Ecological Structure at the Base of Ocean Food Webs. The coastal ocean is a crucial resource to Australia. In founding a research area on coastal food web function we provide international scientific leadership, train scientists in a cutting edge area, and lay the foundation for improved management of fisheries, aquaculture and species invasions. This work boosts Australia's participation in the International Polar Year, and knowledge about Antarctic Territorial waters. Infrastructu ....Physical and Ecological Structure at the Base of Ocean Food Webs. The coastal ocean is a crucial resource to Australia. In founding a research area on coastal food web function we provide international scientific leadership, train scientists in a cutting edge area, and lay the foundation for improved management of fisheries, aquaculture and species invasions. This work boosts Australia's participation in the International Polar Year, and knowledge about Antarctic Territorial waters. Infrastructure benefit comes from the French government paying for an outstanding French scientist to come to Australia 6 months/yr for 5 yrs. This grant acts as the base for larger projects that import EU and American funds.Read moreRead less