Nutritional ecology of free ranging herbivores. Australian grasslands underpin most of our livestock industries and provide important habitats for many native plants and animals. In order to manage these areas sustainably, farmers and other land managers need to know how much food animals consume and how the nutritional quality of that food varies. However there is no simple way of doing this and this prevents timely manipulation of stock numbers and limits our ability to predict fluctuations i ....Nutritional ecology of free ranging herbivores. Australian grasslands underpin most of our livestock industries and provide important habitats for many native plants and animals. In order to manage these areas sustainably, farmers and other land managers need to know how much food animals consume and how the nutritional quality of that food varies. However there is no simple way of doing this and this prevents timely manipulation of stock numbers and limits our ability to predict fluctuations in numbers of native herbivores such as kangaroos. The project will provide a cheap and quick means for ecologists and land managers to incorporate nutritional analyses into their work
Read moreRead less
Organisation and function of embedded oil glands in eucalypts. Some eucalypt leaves contain large quantities of essential oils, which have been extracted for commercial purposes for many years. Advancement of this industry, however, requires basic research directed at enhancing both the yield of oil and the range of valuable constituents. This project will make use of a new protocol for isolating and purifying the foliar oil-producing glands to identify a new suite of oil gland constituents and ....Organisation and function of embedded oil glands in eucalypts. Some eucalypt leaves contain large quantities of essential oils, which have been extracted for commercial purposes for many years. Advancement of this industry, however, requires basic research directed at enhancing both the yield of oil and the range of valuable constituents. This project will make use of a new protocol for isolating and purifying the foliar oil-producing glands to identify a new suite of oil gland constituents and to understand the way in which they are made and deployed in the gland. The research will also contribute to our general understanding of oil gland structure and function.Read moreRead less
High temperature limits of leaf function. In arid and semi-arid central Australia, Acacia spp. dominate the over-storey, but this shifts to Eucalyptus and Corymbia spp. in more mesic coastal regions. Areas of central Australia are extremely hot, dry and sunny, and it is this combination of stresses that likely excludes Eucalyptus spp. from many landforms. There has been little research on high temperature tolerance of Acacia and Eucalyptus, despite the putative importance of this stress, in co ....High temperature limits of leaf function. In arid and semi-arid central Australia, Acacia spp. dominate the over-storey, but this shifts to Eucalyptus and Corymbia spp. in more mesic coastal regions. Areas of central Australia are extremely hot, dry and sunny, and it is this combination of stresses that likely excludes Eucalyptus spp. from many landforms. There has been little research on high temperature tolerance of Acacia and Eucalyptus, despite the putative importance of this stress, in combination with other stresses, in limiting species? distributions. Our program of collaborative research will examine the tolerance of Acacia and Eucalyptus to a combination of high temperatures, drought and high light.Read moreRead less
Exploring the genetic and functional diversity nexus in ericoid mycorrhizal and related symbioses. Epacrids are important components of the Australian flora and several are considered threatened, yet we know relatively little regarding the importance of ericoid mycorrhizal fungal diversity to their survival. The proposed work will provide essential information on the functional significance of ericoid mycorrhizal endophyte diversity in the growth and survival of epacrids. It will further lead to ....Exploring the genetic and functional diversity nexus in ericoid mycorrhizal and related symbioses. Epacrids are important components of the Australian flora and several are considered threatened, yet we know relatively little regarding the importance of ericoid mycorrhizal fungal diversity to their survival. The proposed work will provide essential information on the functional significance of ericoid mycorrhizal endophyte diversity in the growth and survival of epacrids. It will further lead to improved propagation of epacrids and better informed decisions for sustainable management of Australian native vegetation.Read moreRead less
You are what you eat: can tissues of top predators which show sequential dietary change identify long-term trends in ecosystems? This project uses stable isotope signatures in the whiskers of top predators to determine foraging ecology. We aim to validate current stable isotopic models so this cost-effective tool can be used to examine large scale changes in food web dynamics in one of the world's climate hotspots in the Antarctic. Changes in the Antarctic directly impact the Australian communit ....You are what you eat: can tissues of top predators which show sequential dietary change identify long-term trends in ecosystems? This project uses stable isotope signatures in the whiskers of top predators to determine foraging ecology. We aim to validate current stable isotopic models so this cost-effective tool can be used to examine large scale changes in food web dynamics in one of the world's climate hotspots in the Antarctic. Changes in the Antarctic directly impact the Australian community as our climate is affected by changes in Antarctica. As this project is part of an International Polar Year Program, Impact of CLImate induced glacial melting on marine and terrestric COastal communities on a gradient along the Western Antarctic PENinsula (ClicOPEN), it strengthens Australia's international scientific links and exposes Australia's future scientists to internationally collaborative research which is of global significance.Read moreRead less
The role of biological and chemical interactions in the rhizosphere in sustainable intercropping systems. Intercropping can result in large yield increases compared to mono-cropped systems. It is used extensively in China and could be an option for sustainable land-use in Australia. Belowground interactions between intercropped crop species may be important for the yield increase, but they are poorly understood, especially with regard to nutrient availability and soil biology. We will combine th ....The role of biological and chemical interactions in the rhizosphere in sustainable intercropping systems. Intercropping can result in large yield increases compared to mono-cropped systems. It is used extensively in China and could be an option for sustainable land-use in Australia. Belowground interactions between intercropped crop species may be important for the yield increase, but they are poorly understood, especially with regard to nutrient availability and soil biology. We will combine the field experience in intercropping systems of the Chinese scientists with the expertise of the Australian scientists in plant nutrition and rhizosphere ecology to characterise chemical and biological interactions in the rhizosphere governing nutrient availability and the competitive ability of intercropped species.Read moreRead less