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Field-Deployable Chemical Sensors for Water Quality Monitoring in the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 30054)
Field-deployable chemical sensors are increasingly necessary for high resolution in situ monitoring of water pollutants across the freshwater and marine ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) - the world’s largest coral reef system. Currently, the chemical sensors deployed in the GBR regions rely heavily on optical principles that encounter reliability and robustness issues when used in complex aquatic environments. This project will establish a collaboration with the world-leading research group in chemical sensor design and field deployment to address this current scientific challenge in Australia. The collaboration proposed here will provide significant benefits for better management of the GBR.
Coastal Communities Adapting to Change in the Asia-Pacific (Old ID 31090)
This project aims to better understand equitable pathways to supporting adaptation to environmental change in coastal communities the Asia-Pacific. It seeks to identify the limits and opportunities for people to cope with and adapting to cases of environmental change, and explore how to better account for people’s moral values. This particular part of the project focuses on human-wildlife conflict at sea—increasing rates of shark depredation—in Niue. Outcomes include increased understanding of local perspectives on the issue of shark depredation and recommendations to equitably govern this growing conservation issue.
Deciphering the molecular and environmental determinants of sex-change in barramundi (Old ID 20663)
Barramundi breeding programs to boost productivity and international competitiveness are hindered by a lack of reproductive control. Barramundi change sex from male to emale at 3-5 years of age, requiring hatcheries to maintain male broodstock for several years before they can be bred as females. This increases required infrastructure and decreases the rate of genetic improvement that can be achieved. This project will elucidate genetic mechanisms regulating barramundi sex change and will develop approaches allowing hatcheries to efficiently control broodstock sex. The ability to obtain reproductive control
Effects of ocean acidification on invertebrate behaviour (Old ID 21834)
New research shows ocean acidification alters marine invertebrate behaviour but the impacts are poorly known and this knowledge gap limits the capacity to understand and mitigate the effects of global change. This project will assess marine invertebrate behaviour and ecological interactions to better understand the effects of rising carbon dioxide on marine species.
Mitigation of Losses in Community from Extreme Wind Events (Old ID 22387)
The objective of the project is to investigate and inform on aspects of building codes/standards and implementation to mitigate losses from extreme wind events including Cyclones.
Next generation systematics for Nepenthes Pitcher Plants (Old ID 22790)
The carnivorous pitcher plant genus Nepenthes comprises c.160 species distributed throughout the Southeast Asia and Oceania. Species have traditionally been distinguished using morphological characteristics, but many recently described species have been distinguished on the basis of minor differences, whose stability has been questioned. To date, no taxonomically informative molecular phylogeny of Nepenthes has been published. The lack of an objective taxonomic framework has hindered efforts of biologists who seek to study and conserve threatened Nepenthes. This study seeks to eliminate this problem using next generation sequencing methods to construct a robust, informative phylogeny of Nepenthes based on c. 100 species.
The impact of increasing ocean temperatures on the movement and behaviour of the iconic Indo-Pacific fisheries species, coral trout (Old ID 22898)
Ocean warming is the most pervasive aspect of climate change, which impacts directly on the distribution, abundance, and population structure of fishes, as well as the viability and sustainability of fisheries. Tropical marine fishes are particularly vulnerable to ocean warming, because species are already exposed to summer temperatures that may have negative consequences for individual condition and fitness. Coral trout are among the most important tropical marine fisheries species, targeted by commercial and artisanal fishers throughout the Indo-Pacific. This study will explore if, and how coral trout mediate or acclimate to extreme temperatures, with a view to better understand the impacts of climate change on wild stocks of these important fishes.
Mapping global predation in coastal marine habitats (Old ID 22941)
Nearshore vegetated habitats are one of the most productive ecosystem on the planet providing services valued at AU$7 trillion annually. These habitats are structured by both bottom-up (supply of resources; e.g., light and nutrients) and top-down (consumption by animals) forces. While bottom-up forces are well understood and can be mapped with great precision, comparatively little is known about the geography of top-down forces. Here, I will conduct standardised predation experiments in vegetated (seagrass) and unstructured habitats in tropical Queensland linking with identical studies at sites around the world to produce the first global heat map of predation in coastal environments.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (Old ID 22972)
This Centre will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia's unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia's environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia's changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context.
'Let's get active at Dialysis', an Exercise Physiology led activity program at North Ward Haemodialysis centre (Old ID 23471)
This study will aim to answer the research question: Is exercise performed during dialysis sufficient to improve clinical outcomes of haemodialysis patients? The aim of the study is to measure the effect of progressive resistance training during dialysis on HD patients.