Dispersal and species coexistence across patchy landscapes. Millions of dollars are spent rehabilitating degraded river ecosystems in the absence of knowing whether and how species will be able to disperse to and re-populate repaired sections. This research will provide definitive information allowing restoration efforts to be targeted properly in streams surrounded by, and serving, agricultural areas.
Species coexistence in the real world. This project aims to discover how similar species co-exist without weaker competitors going extinct. Hypotheses offer explanations for stable coexistence in the presence of competition, but logistic barriers mean field tests are almost completely lacking. Recent research on competition and dispersal presents an opportunity to deliver tests using riverine species, leading to experiments at landscape scales. The research will quantify the role of environmenta ....Species coexistence in the real world. This project aims to discover how similar species co-exist without weaker competitors going extinct. Hypotheses offer explanations for stable coexistence in the presence of competition, but logistic barriers mean field tests are almost completely lacking. Recent research on competition and dispersal presents an opportunity to deliver tests using riverine species, leading to experiments at landscape scales. The research will quantify the role of environmental variability and dispersal in permitting stable coexistence of species, thus filling a major knowledge gap. The project expects to provide fresh avenues for research into the causes of species losses – particularly for the 70 per cent that are invertebrates.Read moreRead less
Explaining species diversity in a fractal world. This project aims to improve our understanding of landscape-scale patterns of species diversity, particularly invertebrates. A central question in ecology asks how habitat patchiness interacts with dispersal abilities to determine species diversity. Field tests of hypotheses are lacking due to logistic difficulties in quantifying habitat patchiness and dispersal over landscape scales. A new model proposes that fractals (a clever way of measuring e ....Explaining species diversity in a fractal world. This project aims to improve our understanding of landscape-scale patterns of species diversity, particularly invertebrates. A central question in ecology asks how habitat patchiness interacts with dispersal abilities to determine species diversity. Field tests of hypotheses are lacking due to logistic difficulties in quantifying habitat patchiness and dispersal over landscape scales. A new model proposes that fractals (a clever way of measuring environmental complexity) can capture both habitat patchiness and species' responses. Advances in river ecology have solved the logistic problems and will allow tests to compare the three main hypotheses about species diversity. The project aims to improve information about which tools will provide the best guidance, benefitting the discipline of ecology and conservation managers.Read moreRead less
Community efficiency: testing MacArthur’s minimisation principle for competitive communities. Robert MacArthur, one of the 20th century’s greatest ecologists, developed theory that had profound impacts on our understanding of island biogeography, species coexistence, and competition, yet one of his most powerful theoretical predictions, that competitive communities should become more efficient over time, has never been tested. A greater understanding of the dynamics of community efficiency will ....Community efficiency: testing MacArthur’s minimisation principle for competitive communities. Robert MacArthur, one of the 20th century’s greatest ecologists, developed theory that had profound impacts on our understanding of island biogeography, species coexistence, and competition, yet one of his most powerful theoretical predictions, that competitive communities should become more efficient over time, has never been tested. A greater understanding of the dynamics of community efficiency will provide profound insights into the role of that community in the broader ecosystem, as well as strong predictions about the invasibility and stability of that community. Read moreRead less
Keystone effects of Australia's top predators: dingoes, devils and biodiversity. This project will study the interactions of Australia's two largest predators, the dingo and Tasmanian devil, with other species. The project will help develop an understanding of the value of these predators in maintaining ecosystem processes and diversity, and guide their management in the future.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100434
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,114.00
Summary
What fire regimes can maintain biodiversity in northern Australia's savannah landscapes, and how do we implement them? Inappropriate fire regimes (the frequency, intensity and size of bushfires) are causing ongoing declines in Australia's biodiversity, yet we have little understanding of the fire regimes that should be implemented. Focussing on Kakadu National Park in northern Australia, this project will develop optimal fire management strategies for conserving biodiversity.
Explaining biodiversity. Why are there many species in some places and not in others? The aim of this project is to understand this in order to protect species, understand invasion and restore ecological systems. Using published food webs, this project will determine what factors underlie biodiversity, then use experiments to understand effects of habitat loss and climate change on food web structure.
Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. This project aims to develop the first quantitative risk assessment framework to improve decisions about moving threatened species to new places. Moving threatened plants and animals to new environments, or reintroducing them where they previously persisted, is a growing focus of conservation. Moving species can have unanticipated effects on other specie ....Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. This project aims to develop the first quantitative risk assessment framework to improve decisions about moving threatened species to new places. Moving threatened plants and animals to new environments, or reintroducing them where they previously persisted, is a growing focus of conservation. Moving species can have unanticipated effects on other species in the ecosystem. Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature deems ecosystem-wide risk assessments essential for conservation translocations, no framework exists to assess these risks and inform these decisions. New tools for assessing the risks of conservation translocations are expected to improve global and local conservation outcomes.Read moreRead less
Testing the importance of large-scale climate factors to plant community assembly following land-use change. This project will examine the native plant species and functional diversity of Australia's rain forest communities to create a predictive framework of how plant communities recover following deforestation. Such a framework is key to focusing conservation efforts in degraded and multi-use landscapes.
Overcoming multiple constraints to wetland forest restoration. This project aims to determine the efficacy of different approaches for restoring wetland forests at the landscape scale. The death and decline of Victoria’s wetland forests, crucial habitat for the endangered helmeted honeyeater and Leadbeater's possum, most likely result from modified flooding patterns, low native tree and shrub recruitment and increased competition from understorey plants. The project intends to reinstate a more n ....Overcoming multiple constraints to wetland forest restoration. This project aims to determine the efficacy of different approaches for restoring wetland forests at the landscape scale. The death and decline of Victoria’s wetland forests, crucial habitat for the endangered helmeted honeyeater and Leadbeater's possum, most likely result from modified flooding patterns, low native tree and shrub recruitment and increased competition from understorey plants. The project intends to reinstate a more natural flood regime, planting native species and reducing competition from dense understorey vegetation. In this way, the project aims to test and advance ecological theory, guide wetland restoration and inform management plans for saving Victoria’s iconic fauna.Read moreRead less