Sex and the generation gap: seasonal changes in sex allocation. Answering the question 'When is it better to produce more sons than daughters?' has shed important insights into fundamental questions in biology and led to theory that can be applied to problems in agriculture, fisheries and conservation. The project will extend the current theory to increase its applicability, and test it using an introduced pest fish.
Ecology, impact and control of cane toads on the southern invasion front. The invasion of cane toads has killed many native animals in tropical Australia, but the toads’ southern (NSW) invasion front remains unstudied. This project will build on recent research to understand how toads affect southern biodiversity, and will develop new ways to reduce that impact.
How positive interactions improve predictions of plant community diversity. Though common in nature, the importance of plant-plant facilitation to coexistence and the maintenance of plant diversity at community scales is poorly understood. This project aims to advance understanding of how positive interactions (facilitation) impact on coexistence among plant species as well as local patterns of diversity. To achieve these aims the project will use a combination of field experiments and a compara ....How positive interactions improve predictions of plant community diversity. Though common in nature, the importance of plant-plant facilitation to coexistence and the maintenance of plant diversity at community scales is poorly understood. This project aims to advance understanding of how positive interactions (facilitation) impact on coexistence among plant species as well as local patterns of diversity. To achieve these aims the project will use a combination of field experiments and a comparative analysis of competition and facilitation in Australian, Californian and Spanish annual plant communities with a novel modelling approach for predicting coexistence across variable environments. Outcomes are expected to include an innovative predictive framework of use for plant conservation in Australia and beyond.Read moreRead less
Do microbes facilitate the invasion of marine plants? Worldwide, management of invasive species is limited by the understandings of processes that allow invasive species to establish and proliferate in a new environment. It is believed that marine microbes play a critical, but untested, role in the establishment of invasive marine macrophytes. This project aims to test the theory by integrating cutting edge microbial ecology with eukaryote ecology, two largely disparate research areas. Invasive ....Do microbes facilitate the invasion of marine plants? Worldwide, management of invasive species is limited by the understandings of processes that allow invasive species to establish and proliferate in a new environment. It is believed that marine microbes play a critical, but untested, role in the establishment of invasive marine macrophytes. This project aims to test the theory by integrating cutting edge microbial ecology with eukaryote ecology, two largely disparate research areas. Invasive species are a serious threat to biodiversity globally and cost more than $4 billion annually. This project aims to create new knowledge essential for safeguarding Australia’s marine ecosystems from invasive pests, and will place Australia at the forefront of invasion ecology.Read moreRead less
Conservation management of the endangered skink Liopholis slateri. Slater's skink was common in Central Australia 30 years ago, but is now endangered. The project will investigate the lizard response to changing environmental conditions and will develop biological insights that will be important for its conservation.
What drives novel community formation? Mechanisms of resilience against invasion and native species persistence under land use change. Environmental change is driving the creation of novel communities, stable mixes of native and exotic species. These communities are inevitable outcomes of human-induced environmental changes, yet why and how they form is still poorly understood. As these communities maintain high levels of native biodiversity, they are of great conservation value. Using Western A ....What drives novel community formation? Mechanisms of resilience against invasion and native species persistence under land use change. Environmental change is driving the creation of novel communities, stable mixes of native and exotic species. These communities are inevitable outcomes of human-induced environmental changes, yet why and how they form is still poorly understood. As these communities maintain high levels of native biodiversity, they are of great conservation value. Using Western Australia wildflower communities, This project aims to provide the first experimental tests of which environmental and biotic factors drive novel community formation, native species persistence and resilience to invasion. This will be important for developing realistic conservation plans in many ecosystems globally, and more specifically in Western Australia's biodiversity hotspot.Read moreRead less
New multi-scale seed dispersal models for improved regional weed management. This project will exploit recent advances in ecological and atmospheric modelling with the aim to build improved models of seed dispersal across landscapes to anticipate weed spread. Damaging invasive plants are rapidly transforming landscapes and altering ecosystem function worldwide. The speed and direction of weed spread determines the success or failure of costly containment and control actions, however we lack the ....New multi-scale seed dispersal models for improved regional weed management. This project will exploit recent advances in ecological and atmospheric modelling with the aim to build improved models of seed dispersal across landscapes to anticipate weed spread. Damaging invasive plants are rapidly transforming landscapes and altering ecosystem function worldwide. The speed and direction of weed spread determines the success or failure of costly containment and control actions, however we lack the ability to adequately predict spread. New models that combine micrometeorological measurements, within-canopy turbulence and topographic variation in wind flows will be designed to better predict where dispersal will occur. In this project, these improved predictions are planned to be combined with decision models to direct the management of invasive species across entire landscapes.Read moreRead less
Population fluctuations: models, mechanisms and management. Changes in plant populations lead to extinctions and invasions in Australia and globally. The project will determine the drivers of plant population change and provide new tools to enable better population management.
Exotic and native plant coexistence in novel communities. The development of novel communities has become an inevitable outcome of global change. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of the mechanisms driving their assembly. Here, experimental and modelling approaches will be used to identify how competition among native and exotic plant species change across key environmental gradients, leading to: resilient native communities; stable novel communities - mixes of native and exotic species ....Exotic and native plant coexistence in novel communities. The development of novel communities has become an inevitable outcome of global change. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of the mechanisms driving their assembly. Here, experimental and modelling approaches will be used to identify how competition among native and exotic plant species change across key environmental gradients, leading to: resilient native communities; stable novel communities - mixes of native and exotic species; or, degraded communities dominated by exotic species. The annual plant communities of Western Australia's (WA) York Gum woodlands will be used as a model system. Outcomes will improve management of WA wildflower communities and provide a framework for predicting novel community formation worldwide.Read moreRead less
How complex species interactions mediate plant community diversity. This project aims to manage and protect biodiversity under global change by adding biological realism to mechanistic diversity models. Species interactions are central to understanding biodiversity at local to regional scales. Most diversity models assume that direct competition captures all salient details of species interactions, while more complex species interactions are unimportant. This unsupported, pervasive assumption ha ....How complex species interactions mediate plant community diversity. This project aims to manage and protect biodiversity under global change by adding biological realism to mechanistic diversity models. Species interactions are central to understanding biodiversity at local to regional scales. Most diversity models assume that direct competition captures all salient details of species interactions, while more complex species interactions are unimportant. This unsupported, pervasive assumption has major consequences for how diversity is predicted and explained. This study will combine field experiments on plant species’ responses to climate and land use changes with a modelling framework. Expected outcomes include improving the ability to manage invasive species and to protect biodiversity under conditions of global environmental change.Read moreRead less