Hyper-accumulations of monosulfidic sediments: Exploring a biogeochemical extreme to resolve fundamental sulfur biomineralisation pathways. The hyper-accumulation of monosulfidic sediments has a directsocial, economic and environmental impact on communities in many parts of Australia, including highly valued wetland systems such as the Ramsar wetlands of the lower Murray Darling Basin and internationally recognised Peel-Harvey Estuary of WA. Maintenance dredging of these materials alone costs th ....Hyper-accumulations of monosulfidic sediments: Exploring a biogeochemical extreme to resolve fundamental sulfur biomineralisation pathways. The hyper-accumulation of monosulfidic sediments has a directsocial, economic and environmental impact on communities in many parts of Australia, including highly valued wetland systems such as the Ramsar wetlands of the lower Murray Darling Basin and internationally recognised Peel-Harvey Estuary of WA. Maintenance dredging of these materials alone costs the nation millions of dollars annually. The hyper monosulfidic sediments are also linked to severe environmental impacts. This project will inform how these materials develop and accumulate. This new knowledge will be of immediate relevance for the management of eutrophic estuaries.Read moreRead less
Effects of European colonisation on indigenous ecosystems: multiple-scale spatial structure of pre- and post-settlement Callitris forests. Since European colonisation, altered disturbance regimes, especially fire and grazing, have greatly affected intact ecosystems across the globe. However, the extent and causes of changes are often hotly contested. This study will examine how European colonisation has affected natural ecosystems, by documenting historical fire regimes and comparing pre- and po ....Effects of European colonisation on indigenous ecosystems: multiple-scale spatial structure of pre- and post-settlement Callitris forests. Since European colonisation, altered disturbance regimes, especially fire and grazing, have greatly affected intact ecosystems across the globe. However, the extent and causes of changes are often hotly contested. This study will examine how European colonisation has affected natural ecosystems, by documenting historical fire regimes and comparing pre- and post-settlement forest patterns across multiple spatial scales. The study will be conducted in temperate Callitris forests, and will provide the first, multiple-scale, spatial analysis of post-settlement vegetation changes in Australia. Results will enhance our global understanding of European environmental impacts and provide quantitative benchmarks to inform vegetation management.Read moreRead less
A biogeochemical study of a coastal lagoon - tests of a mechanistic model. The water quality and seagrass biomass of intermittently closed-open lagoons (ICOLs), which dominate the NSW coast, are declining in response to development and their low flushing rates. A combination of field sampling, biogeochemical analysis and ecological modelling will be used to improve our quantitative understanding and prediction of ecological processes in small estuaries. A novel, mechanistic model of nutrients- ....A biogeochemical study of a coastal lagoon - tests of a mechanistic model. The water quality and seagrass biomass of intermittently closed-open lagoons (ICOLs), which dominate the NSW coast, are declining in response to development and their low flushing rates. A combination of field sampling, biogeochemical analysis and ecological modelling will be used to improve our quantitative understanding and prediction of ecological processes in small estuaries. A novel, mechanistic model of nutrients-phytoplankton-seagrass-zooplankton will be improved with detailed sampling of Smiths Lake on the central NSW coast. Simulations indicative of future development, fish re-stocking or management options will indicate the cost-benefit on estuarine ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Wetland regeneration for effluent reuse, acid sulfate soil management and carbon credits. This project will research and develop a full-scale effluent reuse wetland to manage acid sulfate soils, regenerate wetlands and sequester atmospheric carbon. Many rural communities worldwide are affected by acid sulfate soils, unsustainable effluent disposal and wetland degradation, and the Greenhouse Effect threatens all coastal areas worldwide. This project is located at Byron Bay, a coastal and predomin ....Wetland regeneration for effluent reuse, acid sulfate soil management and carbon credits. This project will research and develop a full-scale effluent reuse wetland to manage acid sulfate soils, regenerate wetlands and sequester atmospheric carbon. Many rural communities worldwide are affected by acid sulfate soils, unsustainable effluent disposal and wetland degradation, and the Greenhouse Effect threatens all coastal areas worldwide. This project is located at Byron Bay, a coastal and predominantly rural electorate in northern NSW that is strongly affected by this combination of environmental stresses, causing serious degradation of water quality culminating in regular fish kills. The technology developed from this project will be readily transferable to other rural coastal communities worldwide.Read moreRead less
Port Stephens Flood Tide Delta: Shoreline Management Issues. The results of this project will contribute substantially to the knowledge of flood tide delta morphodynamics and specifically to those deltas exposed to ocean waves which are most typical throughout eastern and southern Australia. The model generated by the project will be used to test solutions to the problems in Port Stephens and more generally to similar systems elsewhere in Australia. The model will permit the assessment of the re ....Port Stephens Flood Tide Delta: Shoreline Management Issues. The results of this project will contribute substantially to the knowledge of flood tide delta morphodynamics and specifically to those deltas exposed to ocean waves which are most typical throughout eastern and southern Australia. The model generated by the project will be used to test solutions to the problems in Port Stephens and more generally to similar systems elsewhere in Australia. The model will permit the assessment of the responses of the deltas and shoreline to climate change, changing wave climate and reinvigorated sediment budgets, thereby addressing National Research priority-Responding to climate change and variability. The project will is provide training for one APDI and two APAIs in a range of skills.Read moreRead less
Bioinvasions: the interactive effects of propagule pressure and pollution. The successful establishment of species outside their native range is an increasingly frequent occurrence and can cause reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem disruption. Bioinvasions may also cause public health risks and damage to agriculture and fisheries. Nowhere is the accelerating pace of bioinvasions more dramatic than in ports and harbours. This project will determine the effects of pollution on invasion in a ma ....Bioinvasions: the interactive effects of propagule pressure and pollution. The successful establishment of species outside their native range is an increasingly frequent occurrence and can cause reductions in biodiversity and ecosystem disruption. Bioinvasions may also cause public health risks and damage to agriculture and fisheries. Nowhere is the accelerating pace of bioinvasions more dramatic than in ports and harbours. This project will determine the effects of pollution on invasion in a marine system. This project is in the national interest because it will identify mechanisms through which the invasion of exotic species are encouraged and assist in the identification and prioritisation of effective management strategies to prevent invasion.Read moreRead less
Do pollution events facilitate biotic invasion in marine systems? This project aims to determine whether pollution affects the biological resistance of assemblages to invasion. The discharge of toxicants into coastal waters is an increasingly important source of disturbance that has the potential to make marine assemblages more susceptible to biotic invasion. The project will determine if pollution events facilitate the colonisation, persistence and spread of non-native species and how initial a ....Do pollution events facilitate biotic invasion in marine systems? This project aims to determine whether pollution affects the biological resistance of assemblages to invasion. The discharge of toxicants into coastal waters is an increasingly important source of disturbance that has the potential to make marine assemblages more susceptible to biotic invasion. The project will determine if pollution events facilitate the colonisation, persistence and spread of non-native species and how initial assemblage diversity modifies this response. The generality of several important ecological hypotheses developed in plant communities are tested in marine systems for the first time and extended to include the role of toxic disturbances.Read moreRead less
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
Identifying and creating essential habitat for rare Australian intertidal molluscs. Coastal development in Australia causes major changes to natural habitats. Obligations to conserve biodiversity are impossible without reliable information about how animals respond to habitat and how best to restore damaged habitat. Current management treats habitats as large-scale units and ignores fine-scale use of habitat by animals. This project will provide essential understanding to guide policy about coas ....Identifying and creating essential habitat for rare Australian intertidal molluscs. Coastal development in Australia causes major changes to natural habitats. Obligations to conserve biodiversity are impossible without reliable information about how animals respond to habitat and how best to restore damaged habitat. Current management treats habitats as large-scale units and ignores fine-scale use of habitat by animals. This project will provide essential understanding to guide policy about coastal conservation, by providing ecologically realistic understanding of associations between rare invertebrates and habitat. New protocols to measure these associations and success of restoration, will be applicable to any rare species in any complex habitat, increasing present capabilities for conservation.Read moreRead less
Symbiosomes and symbiosome membranes of corals and other cnidaria. Reef building corals and many other marine animals depend on symbiotic algae. Very little is known about the ways in which these organisms achieve effective communication with their endosymbionts, yet this is vital for understanding coral bleaching, a major present-day problem. In corals and their relatives, algae are housed in membrane-bounded vesicles, symbiosomes, which mediate the signal regulation that maintains an ongoin ....Symbiosomes and symbiosome membranes of corals and other cnidaria. Reef building corals and many other marine animals depend on symbiotic algae. Very little is known about the ways in which these organisms achieve effective communication with their endosymbionts, yet this is vital for understanding coral bleaching, a major present-day problem. In corals and their relatives, algae are housed in membrane-bounded vesicles, symbiosomes, which mediate the signal regulation that maintains an ongoing and healthy association at the cellular level. Unlike some terrestrial symbioses, little is known about the structure and function of the coral symbiosome. This study sets out to investigate this membrane at the cellular and molecular level.Read moreRead less