Ecosystem risk assessment. This project aims to develop a type-based framework for the world's ecosystems, and undertake the first broad-scale global risk assessment for ecosystems. It will include detailed Australian risk assessments and scenario analyses to develop sustainable management of ecosystem services and climate adaptation strategies. The outcomes include a global-scale framework for classifying terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, the first global Red List of Ecosystems and ....Ecosystem risk assessment. This project aims to develop a type-based framework for the world's ecosystems, and undertake the first broad-scale global risk assessment for ecosystems. It will include detailed Australian risk assessments and scenario analyses to develop sustainable management of ecosystem services and climate adaptation strategies. The outcomes include a global-scale framework for classifying terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, the first global Red List of Ecosystems and identified priorities for protecting remaining wild ecosystems and restoring those that have suffered degradation. This will help meet UN Sustainable Development Goals to improve human well-being globally.Read moreRead less
Red listing ecosystems - testing the new global standard for conservation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Lists are critical for setting conservation priorities. These include a well-tested species Red List protocol, and a new global standard for Red-listing ecosystems. This project will test the new global standard across a range of marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, developing powerful new tools and guidelines for application.
Apex predator control of nutrient dynamics. This project aims to understand the mechanisms through which predators can control ecosystem nutrient dynamics. Ecology has been dominated for decades by the top-down/bottom-up paradigm. The project will use experiments and remote sensing observations to examine the spatial structure of feedback loops between a top predator and nutrient cycles. The expected outcome is a mechanistic and scalable understanding of the spatial distribution of nutrients and ....Apex predator control of nutrient dynamics. This project aims to understand the mechanisms through which predators can control ecosystem nutrient dynamics. Ecology has been dominated for decades by the top-down/bottom-up paradigm. The project will use experiments and remote sensing observations to examine the spatial structure of feedback loops between a top predator and nutrient cycles. The expected outcome is a mechanistic and scalable understanding of the spatial distribution of nutrients and push ecosystems towards alternate states. The project will provide innovative approaches to scale-up ecological data that can be used to inform the decisions of policy makers and land managers.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100599
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Forecasting ecosystem collapse and recovery by tracking networks of species. This project aims to assess and predict ecosystem decline by measuring change in networks of interacting species. Efforts to prevent ecosystem collapse are failing. A focus on managing individual species ignores the fact that ecosystems function because species have complex associations with one another and the environment. This project will use methods from social networks, food-web theory and web-searching behaviour, ....Forecasting ecosystem collapse and recovery by tracking networks of species. This project aims to assess and predict ecosystem decline by measuring change in networks of interacting species. Efforts to prevent ecosystem collapse are failing. A focus on managing individual species ignores the fact that ecosystems function because species have complex associations with one another and the environment. This project will use methods from social networks, food-web theory and web-searching behaviour, to discover symptoms of declining ecosystems and find robust metrics that diagnose change in networks of co-occurring species. The intended outcome is to clarify the relationship between species interactions, co-occurrence and ecosystem decline, knowledge critical to ecosystem recovery.Read moreRead less
Comparative ecology of common and threatened plants in fire-prone habitats. There is a critical lack of data on the fire responses of many threatened plant species in Australia, yet such information is essential for species recovery planning and land management. This project will use plants in the Family Epacridaceae (the heaths) as a case study to test whether particular plant traits are associated with rarity vs commonness in fire prone habitats of south eastern Australia. The results will in ....Comparative ecology of common and threatened plants in fire-prone habitats. There is a critical lack of data on the fire responses of many threatened plant species in Australia, yet such information is essential for species recovery planning and land management. This project will use plants in the Family Epacridaceae (the heaths) as a case study to test whether particular plant traits are associated with rarity vs commonness in fire prone habitats of south eastern Australia. The results will increase knowledge of the ecology of this particular, under-studied plant group and will also enable the development of ecologically sound fire management practices, especially in relation to threatened species.Read moreRead less
Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will b ....Investigating movement, distribution, abundance and diet to support management objectives for threatened riverine predators in Northern Australia. The rivers and estuaries of northern Australia are highly productive environments, containing an exceptional diversity and abundance of large predatory aquatic species. This project aims to monitor the movements, habitat preferences and diet in eight large predatory species in a northern Queensland river over the next three years. Movement data will be combined with isotopic analysis to reveal how environmental and biological factors drive animal movements and impact habitat connectivity. In a world of vanishing top predators, it is imperative to understand system dynamics before we can evaluate the impact of species removal on ecosystem function.Read moreRead less
Quantitative metrics for determining aquifer ecosystem state. Clean groundwater comes from dirty surface water by way of biological purification. This project will develop quantitative ways to assess groundwater ecosystems to ensure the sustainable extraction of water and maintenance of these crucial ecosystems.
Bad tastes, odours and toxins in our drinking water reservoirs: are benthic cyanobacteria the culprits? Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce toxins and bad tastes that contaminate drinking water sources, cause public concern about water quality. This project will address a critical knowledge gap by investigating species that grow on the sediments of reservoirs, thus providing more comprehensive management solutions to the water industry.
Environmentally-friendly strategies for shoreline protection in lakes. Most current approaches to shoreline protection involve the use of ecologically damaging hard structures. Nature-based alternatives are increasingly adopted, but often without scientific evidence that they are environmentally-friendly. With rising sea-levels, the need for coastal protection will increase, so it is essential that we develop ecologically sustainable approaches to shoreline protection. The aim of this study is ....Environmentally-friendly strategies for shoreline protection in lakes. Most current approaches to shoreline protection involve the use of ecologically damaging hard structures. Nature-based alternatives are increasingly adopted, but often without scientific evidence that they are environmentally-friendly. With rising sea-levels, the need for coastal protection will increase, so it is essential that we develop ecologically sustainable approaches to shoreline protection. The aim of this study is to assess changes to biodiversity and ecosystem functions associated with different protection strategies. The research outcomes will be an understanding of the broad ecological impacts from these approaches and will provide the basis for ecologically sustainable shoreline protection in coastal lakes and lagoons.Read moreRead less
Innovative tools needed for market-based nutrient offsetting . This project will apply innovative approaches to develop a functional equivalency of nutrients from catchment versus point sources. This is fundamental knowledge needed for the successful application of nutrient offsetting. This market-based mechanism involves point source polluters choosing to pay for catchment restoration, which is offset against their nutrient discharge. Currently, despite its potential, there is a lack of confide ....Innovative tools needed for market-based nutrient offsetting . This project will apply innovative approaches to develop a functional equivalency of nutrients from catchment versus point sources. This is fundamental knowledge needed for the successful application of nutrient offsetting. This market-based mechanism involves point source polluters choosing to pay for catchment restoration, which is offset against their nutrient discharge. Currently, despite its potential, there is a lack of confidence in the scientific robustness of nutrient offsetting. The proposed new indicators in nutrient equivalency would provide the foundation needed to ensure that governments and industry can have the confidence to engage in nutrient trading schemes, ultimately ensuring environmental and social benefits.Read moreRead less