Environmental determinants of mass extinctions by emerging disease: why does chytridiomycosis exterminate frogs in rainforest but not in open forest? The emerging fungal disease known as chytridiomycosis is causing decline and extinctions of many species of frogs around the world; Australia is no exception. Although a threat abatement plan is currently in place, a successful management strategy to deal with this problem in the wild does not exist. In the wet tropics region of north Queensland, h ....Environmental determinants of mass extinctions by emerging disease: why does chytridiomycosis exterminate frogs in rainforest but not in open forest? The emerging fungal disease known as chytridiomycosis is causing decline and extinctions of many species of frogs around the world; Australia is no exception. Although a threat abatement plan is currently in place, a successful management strategy to deal with this problem in the wild does not exist. In the wet tropics region of north Queensland, healthy populations of torrent frogs exist in the drier areas adjacent to the rainforest where they disappeared. Understanding how they coexist with this pathogen, as well as their dispersal capacity to recolonise the rainforest is basic information necessary to aid theses species in future conservation efforts.Read moreRead less
Tracing the origins of stress in the symbionts of reef-building corals. Symbiotic dinoflagellates of corals are critical to the world's major tropical reef ecosystems. Recent work in our laboratories and others has revealed that these algae are sensitive to a wide array of stresses (including climate change) and hence may be the ?Achilles Heel? of reef ecosystems. This project will identify the key genes and processes in these algae using expressed sequence tags and microarray technology. On th ....Tracing the origins of stress in the symbionts of reef-building corals. Symbiotic dinoflagellates of corals are critical to the world's major tropical reef ecosystems. Recent work in our laboratories and others has revealed that these algae are sensitive to a wide array of stresses (including climate change) and hence may be the ?Achilles Heel? of reef ecosystems. This project will identify the key genes and processes in these algae using expressed sequence tags and microarray technology. On this basis, the underlying molecular mechanisms of these stress responses and their genetic diversity will be studied in order to better understand the differential susceptibility of reef-building corals to bleaching.Read moreRead less
A Bayesian framework for metapopulation dynamics of species in endangered communities: integrating demographic, environmental and genetic data. Biodiversity conservation is a spatial and temporal problem. Populations change in time, constrained by the structure and spatial division of their habitat. This study will develop a tool that can be used to assess the influence of environmental fluctuations and landscape heterogeneity on the persistence of endemic species in the mound springs of the Gr ....A Bayesian framework for metapopulation dynamics of species in endangered communities: integrating demographic, environmental and genetic data. Biodiversity conservation is a spatial and temporal problem. Populations change in time, constrained by the structure and spatial division of their habitat. This study will develop a tool that can be used to assess the influence of environmental fluctuations and landscape heterogeneity on the persistence of endemic species in the mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin. Using a Bayesian framework to integrate data from diverse sources, we will develop models for the biodiversity impacts of groundwater withdrawal and climate change in central Australia. These tools are essential for management of this ecosystem, which has been listed as an 'endangered community' under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989642
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Environmentally Controlled Infrastructure to Investigate the Effects of Climate Change on the Great Barrier Reef. The coral reefs of Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef, and Lord Howe Island World Heritage Area are Australian national icons, of great economic, social, and aesthetic value to this country. Climate change has the potential to impact the biodiversity of these reefs and their sustainable management. Temperature, CO2, pH and light can affect coral and fish re ....Environmentally Controlled Infrastructure to Investigate the Effects of Climate Change on the Great Barrier Reef. The coral reefs of Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef, and Lord Howe Island World Heritage Area are Australian national icons, of great economic, social, and aesthetic value to this country. Climate change has the potential to impact the biodiversity of these reefs and their sustainable management. Temperature, CO2, pH and light can affect coral and fish reproduction, coral bleaching and the response to other anthropogenic intrusions. This facility will provide essential infrastructure for conducting fundamental research on these issues and will directly interface with management agencies to assist with the sustainable management of Australian reefs.Read moreRead less
Animal movement between populations deduced from family trees - a test case on dugongs in southern Queensland. This project responds to a national research priority by developing new methodology that will assist with the management and protection marine and terrestrial biodiversity in Australia and worldwide. It aligns with the requirements of the Australian community and our industry partners by contributing to plans for the long-term use of ecosystem goods and services, ranging from fisheries ....Animal movement between populations deduced from family trees - a test case on dugongs in southern Queensland. This project responds to a national research priority by developing new methodology that will assist with the management and protection marine and terrestrial biodiversity in Australia and worldwide. It aligns with the requirements of the Australian community and our industry partners by contributing to plans for the long-term use of ecosystem goods and services, ranging from fisheries to ecotourism. The outcomes will provide data on dugong movements between protected areas on the eastern Australian coast. This information is currently unattainable but is indispensable for the lasting security of this culturally and ecologically significant mammal.Read moreRead less
Diversity out of a hybrid zone: the interplay of reinforcement and sexual selection in the formation of new species. How are there so many different species? Understanding how new species arise is a fundamental question because it explains current biodiversity and reveals the processes that will continue to give rise to new species in the future. An integral part of any animal species is who they choose to mate with, but how mate choice evolves to create new species remains poorly understood. He ....Diversity out of a hybrid zone: the interplay of reinforcement and sexual selection in the formation of new species. How are there so many different species? Understanding how new species arise is a fundamental question because it explains current biodiversity and reveals the processes that will continue to give rise to new species in the future. An integral part of any animal species is who they choose to mate with, but how mate choice evolves to create new species remains poorly understood. Here I will be studying the processes that affect the evolution of mate choice in an Australian rainforest frog hybrid zone. This system is uniquely suitable for providing internationally important insights into the evolutionary processes that form new species.Read moreRead less
Ecology, impacts and management of wild dogs in urbanising coastal landscapes of the wet tropics, Queensland. All management agencies and local governments in north Queensland identify wild dogs as a significant threat and a complex problem for management, and are in the process of developing wild dog management plans. However, these plans tend to be reactive and short-term, because too little is known to develop effective long-term management strategies. This project will provide a sound basis ....Ecology, impacts and management of wild dogs in urbanising coastal landscapes of the wet tropics, Queensland. All management agencies and local governments in north Queensland identify wild dogs as a significant threat and a complex problem for management, and are in the process of developing wild dog management plans. However, these plans tend to be reactive and short-term, because too little is known to develop effective long-term management strategies. This project will provide a sound basis for the development of such strategies. The results of the study will also inform wild dog management in many other parts of Australia that face similar problems.Read moreRead less
The effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. Dispersal is thought to be critical for the persistence of small avian populations in fragmented landscapes. However, our knowledge of avian dispersal behaviour is limited. I will combine behavioural observations on radiotagged birds and powerful genetic markers to examine the effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. ....The effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. Dispersal is thought to be critical for the persistence of small avian populations in fragmented landscapes. However, our knowledge of avian dispersal behaviour is limited. I will combine behavioural observations on radiotagged birds and powerful genetic markers to examine the effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. This study will determine how landscape structure influences the movement of juvenile logrunners, investigate the causes and consequences of variation in dispersal behaviour, and use genetic data to test predictions about connectivity between populations made using behavioural observations on dispersal.Read moreRead less
Conserving species in human-modified landscapes: incorporating spatial population processes. Many regions of Australia are experiencing rapid population growth and urban expansion and these are predominantly located in areas that are rich in biodiversity. Therefore, conserving biodiversity in these regions is critical for the conservation of Australia's unique flora and fauna. This project will make a major national contribution to this by developing new conservation planning tools to conserve b ....Conserving species in human-modified landscapes: incorporating spatial population processes. Many regions of Australia are experiencing rapid population growth and urban expansion and these are predominantly located in areas that are rich in biodiversity. Therefore, conserving biodiversity in these regions is critical for the conservation of Australia's unique flora and fauna. This project will make a major national contribution to this by developing new conservation planning tools to conserve biodiversity in areas where people live and work. This will have substantial benefits for achieving environmentally sustainable development in Australia, maintaining quality of life in urban areas, and sustaining Australia's important nature-based tourism industry.Read moreRead less
Genetic variation of the vulnerable Eucalyptus argophloia, and its development for sustainable hardwood forestry in low rainfall areas. We will examine the biodiversity in a vulnerable species of eucalypt, Eucalyptus argophloia. This species is under threat due to land clearing, and only 1000 trees remain in the wild. E. argophloia has great promise for plantation timber in low rainfall areas of Northern Australia. We will breed superior varieties for plantation forestry designed to cope with cl ....Genetic variation of the vulnerable Eucalyptus argophloia, and its development for sustainable hardwood forestry in low rainfall areas. We will examine the biodiversity in a vulnerable species of eucalypt, Eucalyptus argophloia. This species is under threat due to land clearing, and only 1000 trees remain in the wild. E. argophloia has great promise for plantation timber in low rainfall areas of Northern Australia. We will breed superior varieties for plantation forestry designed to cope with climate change, low rainfall and salinity. This project will help to manage and preserve the species in the wild and create profitable and sustainable timber plantations on marginal lands.Read moreRead less