Is restoration working? An ecological genetic assessment. This project aims to assess the success of restoration in terms of ecological and genetic viability for plant species in the Fitzgerald River–Stirling Range region of Western Australia, where significant investment is being made in restoring connectivity at a landscape scale. The project intends to compare reproductive output, pollinator behaviour, mating, genetic diversity and pollen dispersal in restored sites with those of undisturbed ....Is restoration working? An ecological genetic assessment. This project aims to assess the success of restoration in terms of ecological and genetic viability for plant species in the Fitzgerald River–Stirling Range region of Western Australia, where significant investment is being made in restoring connectivity at a landscape scale. The project intends to compare reproductive output, pollinator behaviour, mating, genetic diversity and pollen dispersal in restored sites with those of undisturbed natural vegetation. The project moves measures of restoration success beyond that of population establishment and survival to incorporate the evolutionary processes that provide long-term resilience, persistence and functional integration of restored populations into broader landscapes.Read moreRead less
Functional links between estuaries and their catchments: How does land use change affect estuarine ecological and bio-geochemical function? Estuaries are iconic recreational areas of high ecological and socio-economic value. Estuarine health is strongly linked to the catchments that feed them, yet we have no detailed understanding of these links. This project will use a number of state of the art approaches to better understand how land use affects estuarine health.
Managing evolutionary-ecological process in restoring Banksia woodland resilient to global environmental changes. By manipulating genetic diversity, local selection and gene flow in restored plant communities, this project will establish suitable regimes to manage evolutionary processes in large-scale restoration, thereby improving success and resilience to future changes. It will significantly advance our understanding of evolutionary processes operating in restoration efforts, and lead to impr ....Managing evolutionary-ecological process in restoring Banksia woodland resilient to global environmental changes. By manipulating genetic diversity, local selection and gene flow in restored plant communities, this project will establish suitable regimes to manage evolutionary processes in large-scale restoration, thereby improving success and resilience to future changes. It will significantly advance our understanding of evolutionary processes operating in restoration efforts, and lead to improved restoration success, better long-term ecological functioning in restored ecosystems, better investment of resources, and maintenance of Australia’s biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change. These findings should be of relevance to broader restoration initiatives managed by the government, community, and industry nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
A proteomic approach to identifying the signaling pathway(s) by which acute oxidative stress causes cell death by apoptosis. Oxidative stress following traumatic injury (heart attack or stroke) is known to activate signaling pathways leading to programmed cell death (apoptosis). The aim of this project is to develop methods to identify the signaling proteins involved. Identifying proteins involved in causing cell death will be useful in developing diagnostic tools as well as providing potential ....A proteomic approach to identifying the signaling pathway(s) by which acute oxidative stress causes cell death by apoptosis. Oxidative stress following traumatic injury (heart attack or stroke) is known to activate signaling pathways leading to programmed cell death (apoptosis). The aim of this project is to develop methods to identify the signaling proteins involved. Identifying proteins involved in causing cell death will be useful in developing diagnostic tools as well as providing potential therapeutic possibilities.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in estuaries. The aim of this project is to understand and quantify the factors controlling the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide from estuaries. Coastal systems play a disproportionately large role in the global emissions of greenhouse gases, but this is poorly quantified. The project plans to use a combination of continuous concentration and stable isotope measurements, process measurements and advanced numerical modelling ....Unravelling the drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in estuaries. The aim of this project is to understand and quantify the factors controlling the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide from estuaries. Coastal systems play a disproportionately large role in the global emissions of greenhouse gases, but this is poorly quantified. The project plans to use a combination of continuous concentration and stable isotope measurements, process measurements and advanced numerical modelling across a range of undisturbed to disturbed systems. It is intended that this project will provide information for conceptualising, calibrating and verifying models, including green-house gas production. Good models, and the data that support them, such as that provided by this study, are critical for the efficient allocation of management resources in Australian coastal systems, including by our partners. The findings from this project will have direct implications to the management, rehabilitation and protection of waterways (including biodiversity) in Australia.Read moreRead less
Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. This project aims to develop the first quantitative risk assessment framework to improve decisions about moving threatened species to new places. Moving threatened plants and animals to new environments, or reintroducing them where they previously persisted, is a growing focus of conservation. Moving species can have unanticipated effects on other specie ....Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. Assessing the ecosystem-wide risks of threatened species translocation. This project aims to develop the first quantitative risk assessment framework to improve decisions about moving threatened species to new places. Moving threatened plants and animals to new environments, or reintroducing them where they previously persisted, is a growing focus of conservation. Moving species can have unanticipated effects on other species in the ecosystem. Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature deems ecosystem-wide risk assessments essential for conservation translocations, no framework exists to assess these risks and inform these decisions. New tools for assessing the risks of conservation translocations are expected to improve global and local conservation outcomes.Read moreRead less
Characterising the transport and delivery of oligonucleotides . Short RNA and DNA molecules represent a class of macromolecules that have great potential, but to facilitate their trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers into specific sites of action is challenging. This project aims to develop and apply novel imaging approaches to track them in cells and tissues. Expected outcomes include better understanding of the trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers, and improved imaging ....Characterising the transport and delivery of oligonucleotides . Short RNA and DNA molecules represent a class of macromolecules that have great potential, but to facilitate their trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers into specific sites of action is challenging. This project aims to develop and apply novel imaging approaches to track them in cells and tissues. Expected outcomes include better understanding of the trafficking across cellular and membrane barriers, and improved imaging tools that could be used to further study the molecular mechanisms of accumulation, metabolism and trafficking of these molecules. This project should provide new strategies to target these molecules to specific cells and tissues, which have significant social and economic benefits to the Australian community.Read moreRead less
A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit i ....A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit in areas where a strong need exists for conservation of prey species with economic importance too low to justify expensive at-sea research.Read moreRead less
Quantitative metrics for determining aquifer ecosystem state. Clean groundwater comes from dirty surface water by way of biological purification. This project will develop quantitative ways to assess groundwater ecosystems to ensure the sustainable extraction of water and maintenance of these crucial ecosystems.
Ecohydrologic functioning of ephemeral streams. This project aims to increase understanding of how surface-groundwater interactions sustain vegetation associated with ephemeral streams. One of the biggest problems faced by mining and regional development in arid regions is how to protect ecological and heritage values of ephemeral streams by minimising impacts of water abstraction and surplus discharge. The project will use environmental tracers, coupled with assessment of vegetation water use a ....Ecohydrologic functioning of ephemeral streams. This project aims to increase understanding of how surface-groundwater interactions sustain vegetation associated with ephemeral streams. One of the biggest problems faced by mining and regional development in arid regions is how to protect ecological and heritage values of ephemeral streams by minimising impacts of water abstraction and surplus discharge. The project will use environmental tracers, coupled with assessment of vegetation water use and numerical modelling, to assess resilience of ephemeral streams to changes in flows resulting from mining activities and climate-related shifts in recharge. Expected outcomes of the project include providing appropriate context for evaluating and adapting management to conserve scarce water resources. This project should significantly contribute to the sustainable management of both mineral and groundwater resources.Read moreRead less