Understanding the Future of the Great Southern Reef. I will integrate long-term ecological field data, field experiments and comparative analyses of ecosystem functions of projected replacement habita

Description

Understanding the Future of the Great Southern Reef. I will integrate long-term ecological field data, field experiments and comparative analyses of ecosystem functions of projected replacement habitats, to uncover the resilience, mechanisms of change and consequences of climate-driven transformation of kelp forests on the Great Southern Reef (GSR). This will generate new knowledge critical to understanding future trajectories for the GSR, and their implications for ecosystem services to Australia. This project will help secure the legacy of the GSR, a global biodiversity hotspot and sentinel of climate-driven change for the world’s kelp forests, one of the largest, most unique and valuable, but consistently overlooked, ecosystems in Australia.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4101 - Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. Lead: Prof Thomas Wernberg