Biodiversity of coral reefs. An international team will provide the first robust measures of the biodiversity, abundance and functional roles of key coral reef species at a global scale. We will examine the processes underlying biodiversity patterns through a multi-disciplinary program of research, which focusses on ecological and evolutionary mechanisms at multiple scales. A modelling component will provide the mechanistic link between large-scale patterns and multi-scale processes. This resear ....Biodiversity of coral reefs. An international team will provide the first robust measures of the biodiversity, abundance and functional roles of key coral reef species at a global scale. We will examine the processes underlying biodiversity patterns through a multi-disciplinary program of research, which focusses on ecological and evolutionary mechanisms at multiple scales. A modelling component will provide the mechanistic link between large-scale patterns and multi-scale processes. This research is highly relevant for conservation and management of reef resources across international boundaries.Read moreRead less
Understanding coral reef biodiversity: a modelling approach. Australia's coral reefs are international icons, providing enormous economic, ecological, and aesthetic benefits to Australians. Connolly is a key provider of scientific knowledge that underpins the management of these reefs. This fellowship will enhance that contribution, using novel mathematical and statistical modelling to substantially increase our understanding of the factors that generate and maintain coral reef biodiversity, an ....Understanding coral reef biodiversity: a modelling approach. Australia's coral reefs are international icons, providing enormous economic, ecological, and aesthetic benefits to Australians. Connolly is a key provider of scientific knowledge that underpins the management of these reefs. This fellowship will enhance that contribution, using novel mathematical and statistical modelling to substantially increase our understanding of the factors that generate and maintain coral reef biodiversity, and to enhance our ability to anticipate and manage reefs' responses to environmental change. Read moreRead less
Science for Sustainable Management of Coral Reef Biodiversity: a multi-disciplinary approach to global-scale processes and patterns. Hughes will lead an international team to undertake a multi-disciplinary program of research that will quantify the processes underlying biodiversity patterns on coral reefs, focussing on ecological and evolutionary mechanisms of these complex systems at multiple scales in space and time. A novel modelling component will provide the mechanistic link between multi-s ....Science for Sustainable Management of Coral Reef Biodiversity: a multi-disciplinary approach to global-scale processes and patterns. Hughes will lead an international team to undertake a multi-disciplinary program of research that will quantify the processes underlying biodiversity patterns on coral reefs, focussing on ecological and evolutionary mechanisms of these complex systems at multiple scales in space and time. A novel modelling component will provide the mechanistic link between multi-scale processes and regional-scale patterns. This research will cement Australia's leading contribution to coral reef science, and will guide the management, sustainable use and conservation of coral reef biodiversity across international boundaries.Read moreRead less
Predicting Biodiversity from Population Dynamics. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how changes to the environment, including those attributable to human activities, influence the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. This understanding is of urgent importance, in light of the predicted changes in climate and habitat over the next century, because biodiversity is critical to the proper functioning of ecosystems that human societies depend ....Predicting Biodiversity from Population Dynamics. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how changes to the environment, including those attributable to human activities, influence the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. This understanding is of urgent importance, in light of the predicted changes in climate and habitat over the next century, because biodiversity is critical to the proper functioning of ecosystems that human societies depend upon. The graduate student involved in this research will have the opportunity to receive in-depth training as part of a cross-disciplinary collaboration that combines mathematics, ecology, evolution, and paleontology.
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Effectiveness of temperate Australian marine protected areas as tools for biodiversity conservation and informing fisheries management. The effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) for biodiversity protection and informing fisheries management will be investigated at a continental scale for the first time. Communities of fishes, invertebrates and plants at >100 sites within MPAs in WA, NSW and Tasmania will be studied from prior to fisheries protection, with changes over time compared with ....Effectiveness of temperate Australian marine protected areas as tools for biodiversity conservation and informing fisheries management. The effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) for biodiversity protection and informing fisheries management will be investigated at a continental scale for the first time. Communities of fishes, invertebrates and plants at >100 sites within MPAs in WA, NSW and Tasmania will be studied from prior to fisheries protection, with changes over time compared with changes at fished reference sites. This study represents a human predator exclusion experiment with a scale sufficiently large to distinguish general patterns from among site specific and species specific variability. It will provide management authorities with information crucial to determining MPA number, size and configuration.Read moreRead less