Sodium homeostasis and the molecular basis for neurotoxin production by bacteria and algae. An understanding of the physiology of saxitoxin-producing microorgansims in response to salt stress is critical for the prevention of toxic blooms and for risk assessment of contaminated water bodies. This is nowhere more relevant than in the depleted and increasingly saline water resources of inland Australia. This project will develop genetic tests to assay for saxitoxin-producers and to monitor toxin p ....Sodium homeostasis and the molecular basis for neurotoxin production by bacteria and algae. An understanding of the physiology of saxitoxin-producing microorgansims in response to salt stress is critical for the prevention of toxic blooms and for risk assessment of contaminated water bodies. This is nowhere more relevant than in the depleted and increasingly saline water resources of inland Australia. This project will develop genetic tests to assay for saxitoxin-producers and to monitor toxin production in response to the environment, representing an easier, more economic and ethical alternative to current tests. The market for this type of predictive test includes environmental, anti-bioterrorism and fishery organisations. These genes will also allow the bioengineering of novel therapeutic drugs based on neuroactive alkaloids.Read moreRead less
Eco-Turf: Water and nutrient use efficient turfgrasses from Australian biodiversity. Domestic water consumption in Australia is approximately 30% higher than the OECD average. Approximately one third of domestic water consumption is applied to the garden, including turfgrass lawns. Turfgrasses are significant users of fertilisers, which can lead to problems with runoff and infiltration into the water table. We will use the unique diversity of Australian couch grasses to identify new turfs for ....Eco-Turf: Water and nutrient use efficient turfgrasses from Australian biodiversity. Domestic water consumption in Australia is approximately 30% higher than the OECD average. Approximately one third of domestic water consumption is applied to the garden, including turfgrass lawns. Turfgrasses are significant users of fertilisers, which can lead to problems with runoff and infiltration into the water table. We will use the unique diversity of Australian couch grasses to identify new turfs for domestic, sportsground and amenity lawns. This project will develop tools to select turfgrasses that maintain quality with reduced inputs of water and nutrients, leading to an overall reduction in resource use and downstream ecological effects. Benefits of this project extend to urban and rural communities Australia-wide.Read moreRead less
Turning water into carbon: a synthesis of plant water-use efficiency from leaf to globe. The efficiency with which plants use water to gain carbon is a fundamental aspect of plant growth that has been frequently measured but is poorly understood. Using our new theory to draw together major datasets, the project will make a dramatic advance in our ability to understand and predict this key aspect of ecosystem function.
Living in a high carbon dioxide world: impacts on freshwater phytoplankton populations from elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. This project will investigate likely changes in phytoplankton populations in reservoirs that will be caused by increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide over the next century. The project will provide water supply managers with the necessary information to plan future strategies for water treatment and operating procedures.
Tree water use, bushfires, and the implications for urban and rural water supplies. After bushfires, regrowing trees in catchments may use water much faster than before the fire. This project will develop simple tests for whether this is the case for a particular area of forest, and why, and how such effects can be incorporated in planning for rural and urban water supplies.
Measuring tree water use and calculating stand water use. The national benefit of this project is significant. Woodlands and forests transpire vast amounts of water into the atmosphere and this water is thus lost to human consumptive use. Given large variation in rainfall between years and between seasons, it is vital that water and catchment resource managers are able to estimate how much water is lost through trees. This allows estimation of the amount of water available for irrigation, drinki ....Measuring tree water use and calculating stand water use. The national benefit of this project is significant. Woodlands and forests transpire vast amounts of water into the atmosphere and this water is thus lost to human consumptive use. Given large variation in rainfall between years and between seasons, it is vital that water and catchment resource managers are able to estimate how much water is lost through trees. This allows estimation of the amount of water available for irrigation, drinking, other industrial uses or maintaining ecosystem health. This project will be the first to generate a mechanistic understanding thereby allowing estimates of water use across a range of woody ecosystems in Australia.Read moreRead less
Toxic cyanobacterial blooms in a carbon dioxide (CO2)-rich world: assessing the impacts of global climate change. Cyanobacterial blooms in Australia cost the country over $150 million every year because of their impacts on water quality and animal and human health. The frequency, distribution and intensity of these blooms are all expected to increase worldwide as global climate change impacts increase over the next century. This project will provide much needed information of the severity of imp ....Toxic cyanobacterial blooms in a carbon dioxide (CO2)-rich world: assessing the impacts of global climate change. Cyanobacterial blooms in Australia cost the country over $150 million every year because of their impacts on water quality and animal and human health. The frequency, distribution and intensity of these blooms are all expected to increase worldwide as global climate change impacts increase over the next century. This project will provide much needed information of the severity of impacts on cyanobacteria commonly causing blooms in Australian aquatic ecosystems. This information will be important to authorities responsible for managing our precious water resources.Read moreRead less
Towards sustainable bioproduction systems: harnessing organic nitrogen for plant growth. It is of great concern that over 50% of nitrogen fertiliser applied to crops is lost to the environment, resulting in a large environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emission. Future farming systems have to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use but this threatens crop and biofuel production. Alternatives to man-made nitrogen fertilisers are crop residues and organic materials which are more stable in soils but l ....Towards sustainable bioproduction systems: harnessing organic nitrogen for plant growth. It is of great concern that over 50% of nitrogen fertiliser applied to crops is lost to the environment, resulting in a large environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emission. Future farming systems have to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use but this threatens crop and biofuel production. Alternatives to man-made nitrogen fertilisers are crop residues and organic materials which are more stable in soils but less available to plants. How plants can best access organic nitrogen will be explored, based on our recent discovery that plants can use protein as a nitrogen source for growth. The project will produce essential knowledge for nitrogen-efficient bioproduction.Read moreRead less
AirLIFT – an airborne active chlorophyll fluorescence sensing system for assessment of photosynthetic activity in plant canopies. Assessment of plant health and productivity is vital to ensure future food security of the global population under a changing climate. Chlorophyll fluorescence (CF), a signal emitted by green plants, can reveal this information. Although CF has revolutionised photosynthetic research, current measurements are limited to individual plants. Remote sensing of canopy CF is ....AirLIFT – an airborne active chlorophyll fluorescence sensing system for assessment of photosynthetic activity in plant canopies. Assessment of plant health and productivity is vital to ensure future food security of the global population under a changing climate. Chlorophyll fluorescence (CF), a signal emitted by green plants, can reveal this information. Although CF has revolutionised photosynthetic research, current measurements are limited to individual plants. Remote sensing of canopy CF is required for efficient management of agricultural crops, forests, and natural ecosystems and is crucial for accurate estimation of plant carbon assimilation and production. This project will deliver remote sensing technology to bridge the gap between leaf and canopy productivity and pave the way for understanding both artificial and solar induced canopy CF measured from space.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354740
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
CaGaWaLo: regulation of carbon gain and water loss by woody vegetation. Trees and shrubs are widely perceived as central to solving problems of national and international significance. Seed funding is sought to facilitate establishment of a research network focused on their ability to sequester carbon and transmit water to the atmosphere. The proposed network is broadly based in plant physiology and ecology and contains a strong cross-section of leading international expertise in relevant sub- ....CaGaWaLo: regulation of carbon gain and water loss by woody vegetation. Trees and shrubs are widely perceived as central to solving problems of national and international significance. Seed funding is sought to facilitate establishment of a research network focused on their ability to sequester carbon and transmit water to the atmosphere. The proposed network is broadly based in plant physiology and ecology and contains a strong cross-section of leading international expertise in relevant sub-disciplines. By leveraging the huge pool of international expertise and focusing on a range of scales (from molecular to biosphere scales), this network will yield new ideas and approaches that will produce outputs and outcomes of national significance.Read moreRead less