Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unk ....Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unknown consequences for coastal marine food webs. Innovative prey capture signatures from accelerometers, and advanced movement models from satellite locations will show how predators locate and prey upon fish schools. Anticipated outcomes are insight into how changing resource availability in the oceans affects ecosystem resilience; improved viability for coastal industries; and ecosystem-based conservation management strategies.Read moreRead less
Using animal-borne cameras to quantify prey field, habitat characteristics and foraging success in a marine top predator. To understand the factors which influence population dynamics, knowledge of habitat use is required. This project will determine the key ecological characteristics of the Australian fur seal habitat, enabling fundamental issues of foraging ecology and wildlife management to be addressed for the first time in a marine mammal.
Tracking squids from embryos to adults - novel approaches and new directions. Cutting edge acoustic tracking technology, combined with traditional tagging techniques and novel applications of trace element analysis, will allow for the life cycle of squid to be tracked through space and time - from embryonic stages through to spawning adults. Southern calamary earbones will be examined for evidence of elemental 'fingerprints' that reveal where they came from as hatchlings. This combined with trac ....Tracking squids from embryos to adults - novel approaches and new directions. Cutting edge acoustic tracking technology, combined with traditional tagging techniques and novel applications of trace element analysis, will allow for the life cycle of squid to be tracked through space and time - from embryonic stages through to spawning adults. Southern calamary earbones will be examined for evidence of elemental 'fingerprints' that reveal where they came from as hatchlings. This combined with tracking squid in Australia's biggest marine acoustic listening grid, will allow unprecedented resolution of squid life cycles. Commercial, recreational and managerial sectors are collaborating with this research to ensure sustainable management of this commercially important and ecologically crucial species.
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Characteristic length scales of marine systems: Can they be measured and what do they mean? A crucial question in ecology is the ?characteristic? scale or scales at which a system should be observed to most clearly observe its deterministic dynamics. We propose to modify methods recently developed for model ecosystems so they may be applied to real ecosystems, assess the performance of these measures in identifying unambiguous length scales, and ascertain what these scales reveal about the under ....Characteristic length scales of marine systems: Can they be measured and what do they mean? A crucial question in ecology is the ?characteristic? scale or scales at which a system should be observed to most clearly observe its deterministic dynamics. We propose to modify methods recently developed for model ecosystems so they may be applied to real ecosystems, assess the performance of these measures in identifying unambiguous length scales, and ascertain what these scales reveal about the underlying ecology. The work will provide significant advances to important applied scaling questions such as the optimal size of reserves and ecosystem management ?units?, and the appropriate scale of observation to detect deterministic trends in ecosystem dynamics.
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Dynamic resilience and stability properties of marine systems: the importance of environment-engineer feedbacks in kelp forests. Kelp forests form complex habitats that support diverse, productive and economically important food-webs. This project will determine whether healthy kelp forests engineer their environment to make conditions more suitable for their continued recruitment and survivorship, thus increasing their stability and resilience in response to anthropogenic threats.
The recovery of seagrass beds: the role of catchments and options for management responses. Seagrass beds once dominated tidal flats but are disappearing at an increasing rate due to human actions, both in Australia and around the world. This project will develop an understanding of the processes that cause these losses, the factors that prevent seagrass-bed re-establishment, and provide a framework for evaluating alternative management options.
Big squids in Australian waters, insights into their biology, movement and activity, old questions - new technology. This project will assess important biological parameters of shelf and slope ommastrephid squids. Lab based studies will explore age, growth, maturity rates and diet for the deepwater squid Todarodes filippovae. Cutting -edge telemetry technology (manual tracking, listening curtains and satellite pop-up tags) will assess movement, activity, metabolism and vertical migration of bo ....Big squids in Australian waters, insights into their biology, movement and activity, old questions - new technology. This project will assess important biological parameters of shelf and slope ommastrephid squids. Lab based studies will explore age, growth, maturity rates and diet for the deepwater squid Todarodes filippovae. Cutting -edge telemetry technology (manual tracking, listening curtains and satellite pop-up tags) will assess movement, activity, metabolism and vertical migration of both T. filippovae in deep water and arrow squid (Nototodarus gouldi) on the shelf. A comprehensive understanding will be gained of the biology and lifestyle of these two key squid species that will be utilised by implementers of the South-east Regional Marine Plan, ecosystem modelers and resource managers.Read moreRead less
Biotic connectivity within the temperate Australian marine protected area network at three levels of biodiversity, communities, populations and genes. Project outcomes will improve management of coastal biodiversity through a multi-state collaboration of managers, marine ecologists, population geneticists and taxonomists. Sites most needed within marine protected area (MPA) networks for maintaining resilience of populations across seascapes will be identified, including sites with exceptional en ....Biotic connectivity within the temperate Australian marine protected area network at three levels of biodiversity, communities, populations and genes. Project outcomes will improve management of coastal biodiversity through a multi-state collaboration of managers, marine ecologists, population geneticists and taxonomists. Sites most needed within marine protected area (MPA) networks for maintaining resilience of populations across seascapes will be identified, including sites with exceptional endemism or key roles in dispersal of larvae. The ecological efficacy of the temperate Australian MPA network will be assessed through analysis of long-term ecological datasets and further development of a novel 'remote sensing' methodology, whereby surveys are undertaken by volunteer divers across much greater spatial and temporal scales than could be studied by dedicated scientific dive teams.Read moreRead less
A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit i ....A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit in areas where a strong need exists for conservation of prey species with economic importance too low to justify expensive at-sea research.Read moreRead less
Effects of maternal foraging success and oceanographic variation on offspring behaviour and survival in the southern elephant seal. Juvenile survival is the key determinant of mammalian population performance, but the proximate determinants of this have rarely been established in large, long-lived predators. Southern elephant seals, with their concentrated lactation effort and marked separation of energy acquisition (at-sea foraging) and expenditure (on-land lactation) provide an ideal model for ....Effects of maternal foraging success and oceanographic variation on offspring behaviour and survival in the southern elephant seal. Juvenile survival is the key determinant of mammalian population performance, but the proximate determinants of this have rarely been established in large, long-lived predators. Southern elephant seals, with their concentrated lactation effort and marked separation of energy acquisition (at-sea foraging) and expenditure (on-land lactation) provide an ideal model for investigating these factors. In this study, we investigate the partitioning of pre-partum performance (fat acquired in mothers) relative to spatial-temporal variation in ocean productivity and the effect of this expenditure on offspring condition and survival. Here, the final missing link of energy transfer and its effects on offspring will be a major outcome of this project.Read moreRead less