Zoology & Ecology
Saul Chemonges
- Adjunct Associate Professor
- saul.chemonges@jcu.edu.au
Daniel Montesinos Torres
- Senior Research Fellow
- daniel.montesinos@jcu.edu.au
Claire Gely
- Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology
- claire.gely@jcu.edu.au
Ben Hirsch
- Adjunct Senior Lecturer
- ben.hirsch@jcu.edu.au
Stephen Williams
- Adjunct Professor
- stephen.williams@jcu.edu.au
Myles Menz
- Senior Lecturer, Zoology and Ecology
- myles.menz@jcu.edu.au
Martijn van de Pol
- Associate Professor, Mathematical Modelling
- martijn.vandepol@jcu.edu.au
Slade Allen-Ankins
- Research Fellow
- slade.allenankins@jcu.edu.au
Noel Preece
- Adjunct Associate Professor
- noel.preece@jcu.edu.au
Conrad Hoskin
- Professor
- conrad.hoskin@jcu.edu.au
How plant heat stress will influence global warming this century
Our objective is to elucidate the mechanism, from subcellular to global scale, underlying the interdependence of
plants and climate during Earth's current climate transition. This century, rising CO2 will force global temperatures to
increase, pushing some vegetation systems into heat stress and potentially physiological collapse, irrespective of
rainfall (1). Indeed, the most vulnerable regions are humid, high rainfall zones where 'wet-bulb' temperature (the
lowest temperature that an evaporating object or organism can cool to) will rise to levels known to induce
physiological stress and cellular death (2).
Plants crucially affect climate through stomatal regulation of transpiration, which influences partitioning of
net solar radiation into heating and evaporative cooling actions at the land surface (3). Plant vulnerability to heat
stress can diminish this role and promote further climate warming, but little is known of the physiological and
molecular mechanisms of stomatal regulation under heat stress, or of the combined physiological and climatic
conditions that generate lethal leaf temperatures. This limits our capacity to predict and prepare for the long-term
effects of global warming (4). This project will unlock mechanistic information from plant molecular genetics and
heat stress physiology to formulate new theory describing stomatal regulation under temperature extremes, and
apply this in an Earth system modeling framework to develop tools for predicting and adapting plant-atmosphere
dynamics.
Our central hypothesis is that previously unrealized breakdown of the stomatal regulation mechanism under
heat stress, when expressed at the landscape scale, will add a significant and as yet unforeseen enhancing feedback
to climate change this century. To test this, we will undertake the first coordinated integration and scaling of the
stomatal control mechanism responding to heat under high CO2, from molecular signaling through to global fluxes, to
quantify the full effects of plant heat stress on regional and global climate. Genetic and physiological methods will be
used to develop and validate a new leaf-scale model of stomatal regulation at high temperature. This will be
implemented in Earth system simulations to re-evaluate end of century climate scenarios in the most heatvulnerable
regions using improved surface energy partitioning calculations.
Monitoring the threatened fauna of the Wet Tropics mountains. (Old ID 30024)
The Wet Tropics mountaintops have many endangered species, threatened by climate change, invasive species, and disease. I am monitoring many of these to assess changes in distribution, threats, and potential conservation actions. I am now working on this collaboratively with the Threatened Species Group of Qld Gov. DES. As part of this collaboration, they are providing financial support to keep my monitoring activities going and to start new monitoring. This grant will fund the upland research project that I, and my PhD students, will continue over the coming years.
Ecology and bioacoustics of the Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) (Old ID 27275)
A process has been designed by JCU, DAF and IPB University, based on Muller and Schwarzkopf, to determine and optimise ABST responses to lure calls and toad traps. Here we will extend that process to record, analyse and test ABST calls from outside of the local range of toads from Bogor Indonesia.
Conservation genetics and population trends in the endangered Mahogany Glider (Petaurus gracilis) (Old ID 27035)
Forest clearances has resulted in severe habitat fragmentation that threats population connectivity and genetic diversity of Mahogany Gliders, an endangered gliding possum endemic to Australian Wet Tropics. Using species distribution modelling, we aim to map the glider’s current theoretical distribution, and based on that, conducting fieldworks to collect DNA samples from different populations. These DNA samples enable us to do fine-scaled genomic analyses to estimate the population size and structures of the Mahogany Gliders, and to know whether the population suffers from inbreeding. Knowing these information helps to identify important corridors to connect populations and guide future conservation plans.
Desktop Analyses to Inform the Design for Monitoring Within the Reef Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMReP) (Old ID 24763)
Assist AIMS in the delivery of the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program Phase 2 under the Deed of Standing Offer for Environmental Research and Analysis Panel between Aims AND THE Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. This will be done by contributing to the development of detailed design recommendations for monitoring coral reefs within the Reef Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program (RIMReP) and to specific desktop analyses that underpin those recommendations.
Threatened frog surveys Kuranda (Old ID 23141)
Perform frog surveys on the KUR-World site and provide a report on threatened stream-associated frogs to NRA Environmental Consultants. Surveys will target threatened stream-breeding frogs after wet weather. The report will outline frog presence and abundance and recommendations on required habitat, stream buffers and ways to minimise ecological impacts.
Australian Acoustic Observatory: A Network to Monitor Biodiversity (Old ID 22643)
Acoustic sensing is transforming environmental science by recording vocal species 24 x 7, providing data of unparalleled spatial and temporal resolution for ecosystem monitoring and research. This is particularly relevant to Australia's fragile and mega-diverse environment and Australia has leading research expertise in this emerging field. The proposed observatory will be the world's largest terrestrial acoustic sensor network comprising 450 listening stations deployed across Australia. Funds will purchase autonomous sound recorders and online storage and processing hardware. Data will be freely available to all online, enabling new science in understanding ecosystems, long-term environmental change, data visualisation and acoustic science.
Project 3.7 Managing and monitoring resilience in Australia’s national parks (Old ID 27892)
This project will build on existing research in acoustic monitoring by Roe and Schwarzkopf, and on survey design analysis by Southwell et al (in review).1 The results will directly inform decisions about future avian monitoring on Christmas Island and provide lessons that can be applied in other places.
Population assessments and ecology of threatened Queensland plants. (Old ID 29008)
This project involves the assessment of population status, abundance, and ecology of 48 NCA/EPBC Vulnerable to Critically Endangered plant species. State of condition reports or population summaries will be generated for the species identified. We also propose to collect living material to investigate the feasibility for vegetative propagation. The data will be provided to DES for use in reviews of threat classification and development of management programs. The proposed project will generate key information on the status of 48 species of threatened plants and provide an important baseline for ongoing ecological research on these species.
Donation of Armoured Mist Frog translocation program (Old ID 27290)
Donation of $2,000 from AWS to my upcoming translocation of Armoured Mist Frogs to establish another breeding population in the wild.
Complex growth rate evolution in a latitudinally widespread species
- 2004
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Shade acclimation of rainforest leaves to colonization by lichens
- 2002
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Betsy Jackes
Master of them all: performance specialization does not result in trade-offs in tropical lizards
- 2007
- Evolutionary Ecology
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Does total reproductive effort evolve independently of offspring size?
- 2001
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Nomadic movement in tropical toads
- 2002
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Lin Schwarzkopf
Title:
Lead Investigator, ARC Discovery Grant ($395,000) Drought effects and insect attack on rainforests
Start Date:
01 Jan 2020
Start Date:
01 Jan 2022
Start Date:
23 Oct 2019
Start Date:
28 Sep 2018
Start Date:
02 Mar 2020
Start Date:
01 Jan 2023
End Date:
01 Jan 2026
Start Date:
31 Aug 2016
Start Date:
01 Jan 2013
Start Date:
15 Nov 2018
Start Date:
01 Jun 2016