Identifying how a non-stationary environment affects species persistence. This project aims to achieve the first application of new ecological theory that accounts for environmental change and species’ ability to respond to that change, using caddisflies that lay eggs on rocks in rivers as a case study. Long-term change in climate has always occurred but is often not accounted for when estimating future population sizes and extinction risk in species. Outcomes will include new knowledge on chang ....Identifying how a non-stationary environment affects species persistence. This project aims to achieve the first application of new ecological theory that accounts for environmental change and species’ ability to respond to that change, using caddisflies that lay eggs on rocks in rivers as a case study. Long-term change in climate has always occurred but is often not accounted for when estimating future population sizes and extinction risk in species. Outcomes will include new knowledge on changing habitat availability, species’ ability to move in the landscape and successfully lay and hatch eggs, while creating a general template for use in other species. This will lead to significant benefits for conservation efforts worldwide, via the template’s inclusion in accepted extinction assessment protocols.Read moreRead less
A new method for identifying actual groundwater contributions to base flow using both stream flow and groundwater head data. Estimating the groundwater contribution to river flow is difficult but critical for managing water resources and protecting stream environments. This project will deliver better methods for estimating these contributions using existing stream flow and groundwater data.
Source - receptor analysis of lignin and lipid macromolecules in karst to quantify stalagmite biomarker proxies of vegetation and temperature change. Cave stalagmites are archives of past climate and environmental changes. This project seeks to develop two novel biomarkers, lignin and bacterial membrane lipids, from which we will generate new records of historic and prehistoric vegetation and temperature change.
Groundwater organic matter: carbon source or sink? The contribution of organic matter in groundwater to the global terrestrial carbon budget is unknown. This project aims to determine the processes that control the amount of groundwater organic matter by using six research bore-fields and laboratory facilities to analyse the concentration and character of both dissolved and colloidal organic matter. This is designed to determine the rate and extent of both the biological and the physiochemical p ....Groundwater organic matter: carbon source or sink? The contribution of organic matter in groundwater to the global terrestrial carbon budget is unknown. This project aims to determine the processes that control the amount of groundwater organic matter by using six research bore-fields and laboratory facilities to analyse the concentration and character of both dissolved and colloidal organic matter. This is designed to determine the rate and extent of both the biological and the physiochemical processes determining groundwater organic matter concentration. By quantifying the environmental conditions under which groundwater is a carbon source or sink, the project could guide policy to enable the management of the groundwater resource as part of the carbon economy.Read moreRead less