A toolkit of statistical methodology for a state-of-the-art software and decision support system for forest assessment using new airborne data. The aim is to develop statistical methods for efficient collection and interpretation of airborne laser data and videography, used to describe characteristics of the forest such as tree species, stand history and vertical distribution of foliage, and hence biodiversity and biomass. This is significant for meeting Australia's international and national en ....A toolkit of statistical methodology for a state-of-the-art software and decision support system for forest assessment using new airborne data. The aim is to develop statistical methods for efficient collection and interpretation of airborne laser data and videography, used to describe characteristics of the forest such as tree species, stand history and vertical distribution of foliage, and hence biodiversity and biomass. This is significant for meeting Australia's international and national environmental obligations, providing quality information to farmers and industry, and hence developing potential jobs in regional areas. Outcomes include a toolkit of statistical methods applicable to spatial modelling and analysis of very large datasets, a statistically valid software product, marketable estimation methods in carbon accounting, technology transfer, training, publications.Read moreRead less
Developing biogeographic know-how: Improving species divergence and dispersal estimations to examine geological and climatic evolutionary drivers. Anthropogenic activity over the last 150 years is now dramatically changing our global climate and ecosystems. The impact on biodiversity is already evident, and large-scale floral and faunal extinctions are predicted. This study unites a cohort of international experts in an interdisciplinary team to develop new molecular and mathematical methods to ....Developing biogeographic know-how: Improving species divergence and dispersal estimations to examine geological and climatic evolutionary drivers. Anthropogenic activity over the last 150 years is now dramatically changing our global climate and ecosystems. The impact on biodiversity is already evident, and large-scale floral and faunal extinctions are predicted. This study unites a cohort of international experts in an interdisciplinary team to develop new molecular and mathematical methods to expand our fundamental knowledge on how geological and global climate change have affected our world's species components and ecosystems in the past. This research is of environmental significance and global importance as it will improve our ability to predict how species behave under future predicted climate scenarios.Read moreRead less
Forestry effects on headwater ecosystem health: a multi-catchment experiment. Most catchments in southern Australia have been logged historically. Increasingly, native forest harvesting occurs in regrowth or drier areas. Although foresters have empirical data on ecological effects of harvesting in pristine or wetter catchments, little exists for drier regrowth areas, hampering effective management to minimize impacts on stream ecosystem health. This project will supply ecological data on stre ....Forestry effects on headwater ecosystem health: a multi-catchment experiment. Most catchments in southern Australia have been logged historically. Increasingly, native forest harvesting occurs in regrowth or drier areas. Although foresters have empirical data on ecological effects of harvesting in pristine or wetter catchments, little exists for drier regrowth areas, hampering effective management to minimize impacts on stream ecosystem health. This project will supply ecological data on stream ecosystems to supplement 4 years of hydrological data collected by Forests NSW from 5 experimental catchments. Results will provide a firmer scientific basis for ecologically sustainable harvesting in this forest type, with flow-on benefits to our national economy, biodiversity, and environment.Read moreRead less
Resilience of eucalypts to future droughts. This project aims to examine how resilient Eucalyptus species are to future droughts by combining data synthesis, manipulative experiments and modelling. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency, magnitude and duration of future droughts, with major environmental and socio-economic consequences for Australia. Current predictive capacity is extremely limited: experiments are limited in scale and cannot capture important global change interac ....Resilience of eucalypts to future droughts. This project aims to examine how resilient Eucalyptus species are to future droughts by combining data synthesis, manipulative experiments and modelling. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency, magnitude and duration of future droughts, with major environmental and socio-economic consequences for Australia. Current predictive capacity is extremely limited: experiments are limited in scale and cannot capture important global change interactions, whilst models do not represent the functional characteristics and adaptions of eucalypts. This project will develop a strong evidence- and process-based understanding to quantify the functional behaviour of drought-adapted Eucalyptus species and leverage this insight to make future model projections.Read moreRead less
Understanding the importance of lianas for forest health and management. This project aims to assess the impact of lianas (woody vines) and their removal on forest health and value. New field infrastructure, removal experiments and global datasets will be used to compare forest health under varying liana dominance, determine whether lianas are preventing recovery, and to predict regional and global impacts. The project expects to generate new knowledge regarding ecosystem function and global cha ....Understanding the importance of lianas for forest health and management. This project aims to assess the impact of lianas (woody vines) and their removal on forest health and value. New field infrastructure, removal experiments and global datasets will be used to compare forest health under varying liana dominance, determine whether lianas are preventing recovery, and to predict regional and global impacts. The project expects to generate new knowledge regarding ecosystem function and global change biology, building collaboration between ecologists, economists and forest managers. The project expects to have significant implications for forest health and the global economy. The expected benefit will be implementation of restoration methods in priority areas and subsequently improved forest health.Read moreRead less
Nitrogen characteristics of plant communities along the North Australian Tropical Transect (NATT). It has become evident that biosphere processes need to be addressed at a global scale to understand global changes. Continental transects analyse ecosystem processes in a global context. The North Australian Tropical Transect (Darwin to Tennant Creek) represents 25% of Australia's vegetation. Biogeological research is underway on NATT ecosystems. Nitrogen availability strongly affects ecosystem pro ....Nitrogen characteristics of plant communities along the North Australian Tropical Transect (NATT). It has become evident that biosphere processes need to be addressed at a global scale to understand global changes. Continental transects analyse ecosystem processes in a global context. The North Australian Tropical Transect (Darwin to Tennant Creek) represents 25% of Australia's vegetation. Biogeological research is underway on NATT ecosystems. Nitrogen availability strongly affects ecosystem productivity, and is of major interest as nitrogen pollution threatens the biosphere. In Australia, nitrogen levels are generally low, but overall knowledge is limited. An integrated ecophysiological approach will relate soil and plant nitrogen characteristics, and provide an analysis of nitrogen relations along NATT. Results will be linked to existing NATT and international transect research.Read moreRead less
ARC Australia-New Zealand Research Network for Vegetation Function. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits, and in their relations to climate, soils and geography. Global generalizations are emerging. Vegetation Function network will reach from plant function into genomics and crop breeding, into palaeoecology and vegetation history, into landscape management for carbon, water and salinity outcomes, into forecasting future ecosystems under global change, and into phylogeny, ....ARC Australia-New Zealand Research Network for Vegetation Function. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits, and in their relations to climate, soils and geography. Global generalizations are emerging. Vegetation Function network will reach from plant function into genomics and crop breeding, into palaeoecology and vegetation history, into landscape management for carbon, water and salinity outcomes, into forecasting future ecosystems under global change, and into phylogeny, ecoinformatics and evolutionary theory. Across this span, working groups will target nine identified opportunities for breakthrough research. Each research target needs input from two or more disciplines. Together, the nine targets link across disciplines, as a network that spans from genomic to planetary scales.Read moreRead less
Rhizosphere mediation of soil greenhouse gas fluxes with climate change. Increasingly extreme heat waves, droughts and floods contribute major uncertainties in predicting natural land-based climate change mitigation. This project will quantify current and future greenhouse gas absorption in a managed grassland ecosystem, and the new knowledge will contribute to carbon emissions offsets in climate change accounting schemes. We will conduct this research using a manipulative field experiment, cont ....Rhizosphere mediation of soil greenhouse gas fluxes with climate change. Increasingly extreme heat waves, droughts and floods contribute major uncertainties in predicting natural land-based climate change mitigation. This project will quantify current and future greenhouse gas absorption in a managed grassland ecosystem, and the new knowledge will contribute to carbon emissions offsets in climate change accounting schemes. We will conduct this research using a manipulative field experiment, controlled laboratory incubations, microbial gene analysis and mechanistic modelling to provide new insights into future potential climate change mitigation by soils.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the Effects of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions on an Australian Savanna. Queensland Nickel's Yabulu refinery produces 3,400 tonnes of CO2 daily. CO2, a fertiliser, may affect plant growth in surrounding coastal savannas.
QNPL is sponsoring research that uses an open-air CO2-enhancement facility to assess the potential benefits and costs of emissions. An Australian first and a world tropics first, this research will quantify potential impacts of CO2 on vegetation dynamics, soil pro ....Quantifying the Effects of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions on an Australian Savanna. Queensland Nickel's Yabulu refinery produces 3,400 tonnes of CO2 daily. CO2, a fertiliser, may affect plant growth in surrounding coastal savannas.
QNPL is sponsoring research that uses an open-air CO2-enhancement facility to assess the potential benefits and costs of emissions. An Australian first and a world tropics first, this research will quantify potential impacts of CO2 on vegetation dynamics, soil processes, soil carbon dynamics and livestock management options
Expected outcomes include the validation and extension of biophysical grazing management models, estimation of the carbon sequestering capacity of tropical rangelands, and increased understanding of climate change effects on the Australian tropics.
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