Value & Restore

We study the genomic diversity of populations and the value of ecosystem services across landscapes to facilitate climate-resilient ecosystem restoration

In the coming century, we will need to restore world ecosystems and prepare for a changing climate

Our group develops the restoration practices required to recover lost ecosystems and build communities resilient to future challenges.

The value of services provided by intact ecosystems is still poorly studied. Our work quantifies the value of a range of ecosystem services (such as pollination, microbial function, and carbon sequestration) to help motivate restoration programs.

We collaborate with government and industry to establish ecosystem baselines and develop rapid biodiversity and ecosystem assessment methods, translating our findings into evidence-based management guidelines.

Case Study: Managing genetic diversity and rethinking conservation units of spidery wattle

Image credit: Emily McAllan

Spidery wattle (Acacia araneosa) is a vulnerable species with a small distribution. Endemic to the northern Flinders Ranges, it exists in fragmented patches along rocky slopes.

Interestingly, spidery wattle can hybridise with its widely distributed relative, Acacia victoriae. But little is known about the viability and vigour of these hybrids.

Thanks to funding from the Threatened Species Initiative, we are investigating the genetic structure and diversity of spidery wattle (and hybrid) populations, as well as their evolutionary history and the abiotic constraints on their distribution.

This will help to determine the most appropriate management strategies for the species, and to understand what it is that we want to conserve.

Case Study: Designing revegetation strategies to safeguard pollination services in agricultural landscapes

Many of our food crops depend on feral honey bees and Australian native bees for pollination. But these crucial pollinators are at risk! Agricultural landscapes tend to offer little food for them when crops are not in flower. What's more, Varoa mite incursions could wipe out feral honey bees altogether.

To safeguard pollination services, our group led the Secure Pollination through Revegetation project. We created a molecular barcode library to identify pollen collected by bees, worked with industry partners to design and implement revegetation strategies for agricultural landscapes, and explored the link between plant diversity and pollinator diversity.

Case Study: Using eDNA to monitor the restoration of soil microbial communities

Restoring degraded habitats is crucial to reversing biodiversity decline, but how should we measure the success of ecosystem restoration? What are the meaningful metrics of a healthy habitat, and how can we monitor change cheaply and effectively?

In this project, we used eDNA metabarcoding to investigate changes in soil microbial communities before and after revegetation. We discovered that revegetation can facilitate the rapid recovery of a functional microbial ecosystem. We also learned that rapid soil biodiversity assessments are a great method for monitoring ecosystem recovery, quickly and affordably.