Grazing as a management tool for biodiversity conservation: adaptive management strategies for threatened grassland ecosystems. Lowland temperate grasslands are threatened Australian ecosystems that support an important, and in many cases threatened, biota. These habitats are significantly under-represented in the reserve system, and occur in bioregions that have been subjected to extensive vegetation clearing, intensive production and high stocking densities. This project will develop strategie ....Grazing as a management tool for biodiversity conservation: adaptive management strategies for threatened grassland ecosystems. Lowland temperate grasslands are threatened Australian ecosystems that support an important, and in many cases threatened, biota. These habitats are significantly under-represented in the reserve system, and occur in bioregions that have been subjected to extensive vegetation clearing, intensive production and high stocking densities. This project will develop strategies for maintenance of species and habitat diversity in grasslands through the application of adaptive management principles informed by rigorous ecological research. Outcomes include best-practice approaches to on- and off-reserve management in grazed ecosystems, and better approaches to the interaction between research and biodiversity conservationRead moreRead less
Dealing with an indigenous despot - the Noisy Miner, a keystone species in the rural landscape of eastern Australia. This study will identify sustainable means of limiting the domination of remnant native and planted woodland by the hyper-aggressive Noisy Miner. This species excludes insectivorous birds from remnant woodlands, contributing to the decline of birds in eucalypt woodlands in rural southern Australia. Halting the decline in insectivorous birds in our agricultural areas is critical if ....Dealing with an indigenous despot - the Noisy Miner, a keystone species in the rural landscape of eastern Australia. This study will identify sustainable means of limiting the domination of remnant native and planted woodland by the hyper-aggressive Noisy Miner. This species excludes insectivorous birds from remnant woodlands, contributing to the decline of birds in eucalypt woodlands in rural southern Australia. Halting the decline in insectivorous birds in our agricultural areas is critical if we are to ever achieve truly sustainable agricultural production. This study will identify habitat characteristics that can be manipulated by land holders to make remnants and plantations less suitable for Noisy Miners, while enhancing the re-establishment of other threatened birds.Read moreRead less
The roles viruses play in the decline of terrestrial orchids in Australia’s hotspot of global biodiversity. Plant viruses play both positive and negative roles in native plant health and population viability. This study will use deep sequencing and plant physiology approaches to elucidate how threatened terrestrial orchids respond to infection by exotic and indigenous viruses, allowing more informed management of critically-important ecosystems.
Predicting co-extinction risk of invertebrates on endangered plants. Co-extinction occurs when a dependent species goes extinct with the loss of its host species. A recent overseas modelling study suggested losses to global biodiversity through this mechanism may be high, but only when a large number of hosts are extinguished. However, estimates were constrained because there are no datasets with insects sampled from endangered plants. Thus, the accuracy of the estimates remains unknown, particu ....Predicting co-extinction risk of invertebrates on endangered plants. Co-extinction occurs when a dependent species goes extinct with the loss of its host species. A recent overseas modelling study suggested losses to global biodiversity through this mechanism may be high, but only when a large number of hosts are extinguished. However, estimates were constrained because there are no datasets with insects sampled from endangered plants. Thus, the accuracy of the estimates remains unknown, particularly for Australian insects. This project will provide the most accurate estimate to date by sampling endangered plants and identify management strategies for sustaining viable populations of endangered insects, thereby conserving Australia's biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Synthesising prior information for ecological research and management. While using existing information to design studies and compare results, ecologists rarely use existing information in their analyses. We will combine the results of previous ecological studies to summarise the existing information. We will test how well the traits of plants and animals can be predicted from previous research, and the benefit of this existing information for environmental management. By taking advantage of the ....Synthesising prior information for ecological research and management. While using existing information to design studies and compare results, ecologists rarely use existing information in their analyses. We will combine the results of previous ecological studies to summarise the existing information. We will test how well the traits of plants and animals can be predicted from previous research, and the benefit of this existing information for environmental management. By taking advantage of the wealth of previous ecological research, our project can save time and money for ecological research by scientists and environmental management by federal and state agencies. This will fundamentally change the way that ecology is conducted.Read moreRead less
Towards sustainable floodplain communities: Assessing River Red Gum health. Floodplain vegetation in Australia has suffered severe degradation from river regulation but there is limited understanding of the functioning, responses and requirements of the ecosystem's most critical species, the River Red Gum. We will address three knowledge gaps needed for effective management of floodplain river red gums by assessing current and past health, determining stressors affecting health and by building ....Towards sustainable floodplain communities: Assessing River Red Gum health. Floodplain vegetation in Australia has suffered severe degradation from river regulation but there is limited understanding of the functioning, responses and requirements of the ecosystem's most critical species, the River Red Gum. We will address three knowledge gaps needed for effective management of floodplain river red gums by assessing current and past health, determining stressors affecting health and by building a model for predicting future health based on projected trends. Outcomes from this study will help land managers to prioritise environmental flow allocations based on the requirements for sustaining future river red gum populations.Read moreRead less
New strategies to save the Critically Endangered plant Grampians Pincushion Lily (Borya mirabilis, Liliaceae/Boryaceae) from extinction. The Grampians Pincushion Lily (Borya mirabilis) is Critically Endangered (only 7 remain). Efforts to increase its population and range and maintain or enhance its genetic diversity by standard methods have had only modest success so far. The aim of this proposal is to create more innovative methods in a deeper, more research-based approach to solving these ....New strategies to save the Critically Endangered plant Grampians Pincushion Lily (Borya mirabilis, Liliaceae/Boryaceae) from extinction. The Grampians Pincushion Lily (Borya mirabilis) is Critically Endangered (only 7 remain). Efforts to increase its population and range and maintain or enhance its genetic diversity by standard methods have had only modest success so far. The aim of this proposal is to create more innovative methods in a deeper, more research-based approach to solving these problems by using greater knowledge and understanding of its biology and reproduction. In particular, plant tissue culture and molecular biology will allow us to devise more effective approaches and potentially create methods that could be applied to other endangered species, particularly Borya and its relatives.Read moreRead less
Building capacity for adaptive management in protected areas through improved systems for monitoring and evaluation. The project demonstrates how evaluation can lead to improved management of protected areas. Effectively managed protected areas are essential for biodiversity conservation. Improved management, and hence improved conservation outcomes will flow from enhanced use of monitoring and evaluation data in decision-making. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in management will allow mana ....Building capacity for adaptive management in protected areas through improved systems for monitoring and evaluation. The project demonstrates how evaluation can lead to improved management of protected areas. Effectively managed protected areas are essential for biodiversity conservation. Improved management, and hence improved conservation outcomes will flow from enhanced use of monitoring and evaluation data in decision-making. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in management will allow managers to better allocate resource for more effective conservation outcomes. The project establishes connections with all protected area management agencies in Australia, and will contribute to the development of national policy and practice in protected area evaluation and reporting, thus helping to meet national and international reporting obligations. Read moreRead less
Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental mana ....Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental management ensure neither efficiency nor environmental security. The aim of the project is to develop theories and techniques to make monitoring both cost effective and reliable, thereby providing monetary savings and better environmental outcomes.Read moreRead less
The role of mycorrhizal fungi in nutrient supply and habitat specificity of the rare underground orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri). The underground orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri) is an extremely rare achlorophyllous myco-heterotroph that shares a mycorrhizal fungus with broom bush (Melaleuca uncinata). This project will investigate habitat requirements for R. gardneri and assess the orchid dependence on M. uncinata for carbon and nutrient supply. We will measure magnitude and timing of nutrient a ....The role of mycorrhizal fungi in nutrient supply and habitat specificity of the rare underground orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri). The underground orchid (Rhizanthella gardneri) is an extremely rare achlorophyllous myco-heterotroph that shares a mycorrhizal fungus with broom bush (Melaleuca uncinata). This project will investigate habitat requirements for R. gardneri and assess the orchid dependence on M. uncinata for carbon and nutrient supply. We will measure magnitude and timing of nutrient and carbon transfers between M. uncinata roots, fungal hyphae and R. gardneri using stable isotope techniques. This project will provide knowledge essential for conserving the underground orchid, a unique Australian plant, and other critically endangered orchids.Read moreRead less