Keystone microbes and planktonic guilds in Australia's oceans. This project aims to unveil the ocean’s hidden sentinels, “keystone microbes” that underpin precious ecosystem services, and which can be used to monitor and model changes in ocean function. Marine microbes account for 90 per cent of oceanic biomass and every litre of seawater contains ~20,000 different species, but it is not known which species control ocean health and productivity. This project intends to provide definitive evidenc ....Keystone microbes and planktonic guilds in Australia's oceans. This project aims to unveil the ocean’s hidden sentinels, “keystone microbes” that underpin precious ecosystem services, and which can be used to monitor and model changes in ocean function. Marine microbes account for 90 per cent of oceanic biomass and every litre of seawater contains ~20,000 different species, but it is not known which species control ocean health and productivity. This project intends to provide definitive evidence of these keystones’ cellular level biogeochemical and metabolic capacity. Ultimately, this knowledge is expected to predict the resilience of ocean ecosystems and their response to change. The capacity to predict their dynamics will help provide investment clarity and increase healthy outcomes from activities involving human-ocean interactions such as recreation, food production and tourism.Read moreRead less
Beyond oceanography: behavior as a tool to uncover ocean complexity. It is crucial that Australia remains a world leader in marine biology and ecology and continues to preserve the uniqueness of its marine environment through the development of integrated inter-disciplinary research projects. This project will open a new area of research at both the national and international levels through the first integrated approach of the behavioural mechanisms that rule the base of the ocean food web struc ....Beyond oceanography: behavior as a tool to uncover ocean complexity. It is crucial that Australia remains a world leader in marine biology and ecology and continues to preserve the uniqueness of its marine environment through the development of integrated inter-disciplinary research projects. This project will open a new area of research at both the national and international levels through the first integrated approach of the behavioural mechanisms that rule the base of the ocean food web structures and functions. The present work is also expected to open new perspectives in fields such as biological oceanography, microbial ecology, plankton ecology, behavioural ecology through the exploration of previously untapped areas of research.Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional mapping and bio-physical coupling in the plankton microenvironment. The fate of carbon in the marine environment, and potential modification of global climate, is driven by organisms ranging in size from 0.1 to 100 µm interacting at mm to cm scales. This research will provide the first high-resolution 3D measurements of distributions, diversity and dynamics of these key organisms. Australia provides the unique opportunity to study these microscale patterns and processes in arch ....Three-dimensional mapping and bio-physical coupling in the plankton microenvironment. The fate of carbon in the marine environment, and potential modification of global climate, is driven by organisms ranging in size from 0.1 to 100 µm interacting at mm to cm scales. This research will provide the first high-resolution 3D measurements of distributions, diversity and dynamics of these key organisms. Australia provides the unique opportunity to study these microscale patterns and processes in archetypical examples of environments representative of the world's most significant marine ecosystems. These results will maintain Australia at the cutting-edge of marine environmental science, and provide the first application of novel sampling, analysis and modelling techiques to environments of the Australian economic exclusion zone.Read moreRead less
Microscale insights into ocean-scale processes: microbial behaviour as a driver of ocean biogeochemistry. Microscopic plankton regulate the ocean's chemical cycles, which ultimately support life on earth. However, the ecological interactions driving these processes are poorly understood. This project will use novel approaches to decipher the behaviours of marine microbes, providing a more complete perception of how ocean ecosystems operate and influence climate.