Understanding marine biodiversity across vast spatial scales. Large-scale studies of biodiversity are frequently recommended by ecologists, but their costs are prohibitive. More efficient, yet accurate, sampling and analytical procedures are needed. This proposal will provide new quantitative knowledge on patterns of diversity of marine species (fish & invertebrates) from local to regional scales across southern Australia and northern New Zealand. An innovative feature of this research is the c ....Understanding marine biodiversity across vast spatial scales. Large-scale studies of biodiversity are frequently recommended by ecologists, but their costs are prohibitive. More efficient, yet accurate, sampling and analytical procedures are needed. This proposal will provide new quantitative knowledge on patterns of diversity of marine species (fish & invertebrates) from local to regional scales across southern Australia and northern New Zealand. An innovative feature of this research is the contribution of new ecological information with novel analytical procedures to identify the consequences of using more cost-effective techniques on quantifying patterns of biodiversity. This understanding is fundamental to the on-going advancement of ecology and conservation biology.Read moreRead less
Ecological consequences of global warming: predicting effects on biodiversity on intertidal assemblages on the east coast of Australia. Understanding what conserves biodiversity is a crucial challenge for Australian science. This research will provide critical information on the consequences of global climatic change: southerly shifts in distributions of animals due to rising temperatures; vertical shifts due to rising sea level and changes in amounts of food for grazing species. This informatio ....Ecological consequences of global warming: predicting effects on biodiversity on intertidal assemblages on the east coast of Australia. Understanding what conserves biodiversity is a crucial challenge for Australian science. This research will provide critical information on the consequences of global climatic change: southerly shifts in distributions of animals due to rising temperatures; vertical shifts due to rising sea level and changes in amounts of food for grazing species. This information will underpin the future management of conservation and will improve understanding on issues such as how and why species are able to invade new areas, the effects on the resident species and how species change distribution in relation to the availability of specific needs for habitat.Read moreRead less
Towards a Legal and Institutional Framework for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of High Seas Biodiversity. The legal and institutional challenges required to manage high seas biodiversity have been identified by the United Nations as one of the greatest challenges in oceans management in the 21st century. This Project will research the legal and institutional factors at the national, regional and international levels that militate against conservation of marine biodiversity beyond nation ....Towards a Legal and Institutional Framework for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of High Seas Biodiversity. The legal and institutional challenges required to manage high seas biodiversity have been identified by the United Nations as one of the greatest challenges in oceans management in the 21st century. This Project will research the legal and institutional factors at the national, regional and international levels that militate against conservation of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions and develop practical actions to address the problems identified. The outcome of the Project will be the development of a policy oriented methodology to guide the legal and policy developments on high seas biodiversity conservation at the international and national levels.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354638
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Innovative science for sustainable use of marine biodiversity goods and services. Development of new scientific tools and technologies provide expanded opportunities for marine biological research in Australia. An urgent need is to coordinate research scientists and institutions to ensure maximum benefits and to meet Australia's obligations under UNCLOS. The primary goal of this proposed Network is to develop research programs of international significance, through the establishment of new teams ....Innovative science for sustainable use of marine biodiversity goods and services. Development of new scientific tools and technologies provide expanded opportunities for marine biological research in Australia. An urgent need is to coordinate research scientists and institutions to ensure maximum benefits and to meet Australia's obligations under UNCLOS. The primary goal of this proposed Network is to develop research programs of international significance, through the establishment of new teams of Australia's leading marine scientists, mathematical modelers and economists that transcend traditional disciplinary, institutional and geographic boundaries. Our goal is to add focus, scale and scope to an enduring program of innovative research development, leading to world leadership in marine resource management.Read moreRead less
Assessing the benefits of closed fishing areas for spawning aggregations and egg production for coral trout. Coral trout is a valuable finfish species that inhabits coral reef systems in Australia. Like most other finfish species, coral trout is managed mainly through catch and size limits. However, closed fishing areas also provide a degree of protection from exploitation. Worldwide, closed fishing areas have been shown to provide larger and more fish within their boundaries. At present, there ....Assessing the benefits of closed fishing areas for spawning aggregations and egg production for coral trout. Coral trout is a valuable finfish species that inhabits coral reef systems in Australia. Like most other finfish species, coral trout is managed mainly through catch and size limits. However, closed fishing areas also provide a degree of protection from exploitation. Worldwide, closed fishing areas have been shown to provide larger and more fish within their boundaries. At present, there are limited empirical data to show that they provide benefits to fish stocks. This project aims to examine whether closed fishing areas provide a benefit to coral trout at the Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia.Read moreRead less
Solar radiation, coral bleaching and climate change. Corals reefs like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpin approximately $2 billion annually in sustainable tourism and fisheries. Warming of Australia's tropical seas, however, has increased mass coral bleaching/mortality and is placing reefs like the GBR at increasing risk. Solar radiation (PAR, UVR) plays an important influence on the biological outcome of thermal stress. Understanding the role of solar radiation is critical if we are to unde ....Solar radiation, coral bleaching and climate change. Corals reefs like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpin approximately $2 billion annually in sustainable tourism and fisheries. Warming of Australia's tropical seas, however, has increased mass coral bleaching/mortality and is placing reefs like the GBR at increasing risk. Solar radiation (PAR, UVR) plays an important influence on the biological outcome of thermal stress. Understanding the role of solar radiation is critical if we are to understand the changes that will occur on coral reefs as temperatures increase. This multidisciplinary international team will define and model the role of solar radiation on thermal stress at local, regional and global scales. Read moreRead less
MICROENDOLITHS, CORAL BLEACHING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. Planning for sustainable use of ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) can only be done with an accurate understanding of how ecosystems are likely to change, and at what rate, under persistent climate change. This project, aligned with National Research Priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia', will be performed over 3 oceans and focusing on the GBR, will contribute to the national benefit by rapidly improving our unders ....MICROENDOLITHS, CORAL BLEACHING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. Planning for sustainable use of ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) can only be done with an accurate understanding of how ecosystems are likely to change, and at what rate, under persistent climate change. This project, aligned with National Research Priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia', will be performed over 3 oceans and focusing on the GBR, will contribute to the national benefit by rapidly improving our understanding on one such major factor-the endolithic community in coral skeletons. It will allow better predictions of short and long-term consequences to reefs, and will also continue to show Australia's leadership in understanding the rate and direction of changes within coral reef ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237912
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Acoustic tracking key marine species in Tasmania using new technology. We will use new passive listening receivers and uniquely indentifiable acoustic tags to track key marine species (squid, octopus, fish and crustaceans) in Tasmania. This technology allows us to remotely track species with a level of detail previously not available. By using a large number of receivers we will build listening 'curtains'. A series of curtains will then form a multi-species listening grid. This equipment wi ....Acoustic tracking key marine species in Tasmania using new technology. We will use new passive listening receivers and uniquely indentifiable acoustic tags to track key marine species (squid, octopus, fish and crustaceans) in Tasmania. This technology allows us to remotely track species with a level of detail previously not available. By using a large number of receivers we will build listening 'curtains'. A series of curtains will then form a multi-species listening grid. This equipment will allow us to reconstruct movement between habitats, and migration routes to better understand and manage this marine ecosystem. An important feature will involve monitoring organism movements into and out of marine protected areas.Read moreRead less
Environmental management of coral reef resilience. The primary aim of this project is to provide the scientific evidence needed to effectively manage and protect reef resilience within the GBR Marine Park. We will develop and apply scientific tools for understanding the large-scale effect of multiple physical environmental stresses on coral populations. Furthermore, we will determine how fish communities influence the potential for coral reefs to remain healthy in the face of global change. Cent ....Environmental management of coral reef resilience. The primary aim of this project is to provide the scientific evidence needed to effectively manage and protect reef resilience within the GBR Marine Park. We will develop and apply scientific tools for understanding the large-scale effect of multiple physical environmental stresses on coral populations. Furthermore, we will determine how fish communities influence the potential for coral reefs to remain healthy in the face of global change. Central to this work will be an evaluation of the potential of No-Take Zones, a contemporary management tool, to promote resilience and the ability of coral reefs to cope with environmental change.Read moreRead less
Living on the edge: settlement dynamics of reef fishes across their ranges. Settlement and early establishment (recruitment) are major determinants of population viability of marine organisms, and can vary greatly among oceans and latitudes. We will compare the recruitment dynamics of populations of reef fishes across their range, including at range boundaries where populations may be more vulnerable to environmental impact. We will test the hypothesis that a combination of highly erratic sett ....Living on the edge: settlement dynamics of reef fishes across their ranges. Settlement and early establishment (recruitment) are major determinants of population viability of marine organisms, and can vary greatly among oceans and latitudes. We will compare the recruitment dynamics of populations of reef fishes across their range, including at range boundaries where populations may be more vulnerable to environmental impact. We will test the hypothesis that a combination of highly erratic settlement, poor physiological condition of incoming larvae, and poor recruit growth and survivorship will occur at range boundaries. Outcomes of the study will help in prediction of the viability of fish populations which will improve their management and protection.Read moreRead less