Selection and deployment of browsing resistant Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens. Marsupial browsing is a significant problem for eucalypt plantation establishment in Australia. To date, browsing control has relied on the use of 1080 pesticide, but through political and social pressure this will cease in Tasmanian State Forests by December 2005. To develop new approaches to integrated pest management, we will explore the use of natural plant resistance to marsupial browsers. We will dete ....Selection and deployment of browsing resistant Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus nitens. Marsupial browsing is a significant problem for eucalypt plantation establishment in Australia. To date, browsing control has relied on the use of 1080 pesticide, but through political and social pressure this will cease in Tasmanian State Forests by December 2005. To develop new approaches to integrated pest management, we will explore the use of natural plant resistance to marsupial browsers. We will determine the genetic and chemical basis of seedling resistance in Eucalyptus globulus and E. nitens, and investigate the stability of resistance though tree development and across different sites. Resistant germplasm will be identified and tested in operational plantings.Read moreRead less
Re-evaluating the nature, origins and roles of terpenes in Eucalyptus. Terpenes give eucalypts their characteristic smell and mediate many interactions between trees and the environment. Studies of the genome show that eucalypts have more genes to make terpenes than any other plant. Our knowledge of the chemistry and roles of these terpenes is confined to leaves but almost half of the genes occur in roots, wood and bark and there is little idea what their roles are. This project will conduct the ....Re-evaluating the nature, origins and roles of terpenes in Eucalyptus. Terpenes give eucalypts their characteristic smell and mediate many interactions between trees and the environment. Studies of the genome show that eucalypts have more genes to make terpenes than any other plant. Our knowledge of the chemistry and roles of these terpenes is confined to leaves but almost half of the genes occur in roots, wood and bark and there is little idea what their roles are. This project will conduct the first comprehensive study of terpenes in Eucalyptus to identify where and how they are made in the plant, how the major compounds evolved and how terpenes contribute to defence against insects, atmospheric emissions and the composition of soil.Read moreRead less
Ecology, impact and control of cane toads on the southern invasion front. The invasion of cane toads has killed many native animals in tropical Australia, but the toads’ southern (NSW) invasion front remains unstudied. This project will build on recent research to understand how toads affect southern biodiversity, and will develop new ways to reduce that impact.
Do microbes facilitate the invasion of marine plants? Worldwide, management of invasive species is limited by the understandings of processes that allow invasive species to establish and proliferate in a new environment. It is believed that marine microbes play a critical, but untested, role in the establishment of invasive marine macrophytes. This project aims to test the theory by integrating cutting edge microbial ecology with eukaryote ecology, two largely disparate research areas. Invasive ....Do microbes facilitate the invasion of marine plants? Worldwide, management of invasive species is limited by the understandings of processes that allow invasive species to establish and proliferate in a new environment. It is believed that marine microbes play a critical, but untested, role in the establishment of invasive marine macrophytes. This project aims to test the theory by integrating cutting edge microbial ecology with eukaryote ecology, two largely disparate research areas. Invasive species are a serious threat to biodiversity globally and cost more than $4 billion annually. This project aims to create new knowledge essential for safeguarding Australia’s marine ecosystems from invasive pests, and will place Australia at the forefront of invasion ecology.Read moreRead less
Do costs of dispersal reduce connectivity in marine invertebrate populations? Current approaches to marine management - designing marine reserves, understanding pest incursions, and managing fisheries, acknowledge that marine animals exist in isolated local populations, connected by dispersal. Dispersal is crucial for local populations to persist or be managed sustainably, but our understanding remains poor and often limits our management. Most current approaches to estimating connectivity are ....Do costs of dispersal reduce connectivity in marine invertebrate populations? Current approaches to marine management - designing marine reserves, understanding pest incursions, and managing fisheries, acknowledge that marine animals exist in isolated local populations, connected by dispersal. Dispersal is crucial for local populations to persist or be managed sustainably, but our understanding remains poor and often limits our management. Most current approaches to estimating connectivity are adequate only if all dispersers are equally successful at establishing. Dispersal, however, is risky or costly, and we propose that these costs reduce the success of colonists from more distant populations. If this is correct, persistence of local populations may rely disproportionately on other nearby local populations.Read moreRead less
Post-settlement mortality as a filter for variable settlement in marine invertebrates. Most marine organisms have a planktonic dispersive stage. Recruitment from this stage into adult populations is a key process. Variations in recruitment affect our ability to manage fisheries, plan national parks, and predict environmental impacts. Our ability to understand variation in recruitment is limited by our poor understanding of one key component of recruitment, post-settlement mortality. I will t ....Post-settlement mortality as a filter for variable settlement in marine invertebrates. Most marine organisms have a planktonic dispersive stage. Recruitment from this stage into adult populations is a key process. Variations in recruitment affect our ability to manage fisheries, plan national parks, and predict environmental impacts. Our ability to understand variation in recruitment is limited by our poor understanding of one key component of recruitment, post-settlement mortality. I will take several common, economically important, marine invertebrates, and determine how strongly post-settlement mortality affects overall recruitment. By looking at several species, I will be able to identify general patterns applicable to a wider range of species.Read moreRead less
Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non- ....Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non-government agencies across the entire Kimberley region. It will also result in the evaluation of methods for deployment of taste-aversion at a landscape scale. This should provide significant benefits by conserving vulnerable fauna and building a powerful network within a region of high biodiversity in tropical Australia.Read moreRead less
Population fluctuations: models, mechanisms and management. Changes in plant populations lead to extinctions and invasions in Australia and globally. The project will determine the drivers of plant population change and provide new tools to enable better population management.
Determining how plant populations will respond to climate change. It is widely predicted that global climate change will result in extinctions, invasions and disruption of the ecosystem services plants provide. In order to manage or adapt to these consequences of changing climate we need accurate forecasts of where suitable conditions for sustainable plant populations will occur. This project will enable better forecasts of where and how fast plant populations will expand or contract in response ....Determining how plant populations will respond to climate change. It is widely predicted that global climate change will result in extinctions, invasions and disruption of the ecosystem services plants provide. In order to manage or adapt to these consequences of changing climate we need accurate forecasts of where suitable conditions for sustainable plant populations will occur. This project will enable better forecasts of where and how fast plant populations will expand or contract in response to climate change. New population modelling methods which integrate plant survival, growth and reproduction along environmental gradients, together with field studies at unprecedented national and international scales, will enable better forecasts of future locations for plant dependent industries and environmental services.Read moreRead less
Dispersal and colonisation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The problem of pest or disease organisms for humanity is fundamentally a problem of unwanted colonisation. For example, colonisation of the surfaces of human tissues by bacterial biofilms is responsible for up to 70% of bacterial infections; colonisation of the surfaces of boat hulls by marine organisms costs the marine shipping industry > $5 billion per year. This proposal will generate fundamental information on the ability of both bac ....Dispersal and colonisation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The problem of pest or disease organisms for humanity is fundamentally a problem of unwanted colonisation. For example, colonisation of the surfaces of human tissues by bacterial biofilms is responsible for up to 70% of bacterial infections; colonisation of the surfaces of boat hulls by marine organisms costs the marine shipping industry > $5 billion per year. This proposal will generate fundamental information on the ability of both bacteria and higher organisms to disperse and colonise surfaces, allowing for the development of novel technologies for the prevention of unwanted colonisation of surfaces. Read moreRead less