5.1: Bottom up and top down control of tropical river food webs

Michael Douglas — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:21:18 +0000

Project Number:

5.01

Proj Number:

501

Leader:

Michael Douglas

Abstract

The food webs of Australia's tropical rivers are poorly understood yet provide the foundation for healthy rivers. This project will explore how these food webs are structured to support complex river ecosystems. Using a variety of experiments scientists will identify the sources of organic matter which kick-start tropical river food webs, which animals exert a strong control in the food chain and how land and water based food webs relate to one another.

Outcomes

The project will provide a better understanding of Australia's tropical river food webs and insight into how we might go about developing new economic enterprises in the north without cutting the critical connections that bind ecosystems together. It will provide improved capacity to predict the consequences of environmental changes such as global warming, and important river dependent industries such as fishing, tourism and agriculture on river functioning and biodiversity.

River foodwebs

TRaCK Project 501 Updates

5.1: Bottom up and top down control of tropical river food webs

Outcomes