News
Site of the Month: French Island
This month we’re showcasing one of the newest sites in the TERN OzFlux network—French Island—and its measurement of methane and the dynamic coastal wetlands that protect our natural and managed landscapes.
Centre Spotlight: Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management
This month’s Spotlight focuses on University of Western Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management (CENRM) and projects on how to maximise success in conserving endangered species in refuges and the soil beneath the world’s richest, most endemic ecosystems.
Directors Update – September 2021
We understand that an ‘exposure draft’ of the all-important 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap will be released in early to mid-October for comment. Let’s do our best to coordinate the responses we make as the terrestrial ecosystem community!
Top 3 things that control ecosystem behaviour revealed
The prestigious journal Nature has just published a substantial international study involving TERN Australia personnel and use of TERN data. The study identified three main factors controlling the function of terrestrial ecosystems and their predicted responses to climate change. The findings reveal that >70% of the variability within ecosystems is described by these three key characteristics.
Accessing disparate soil data
TERN’s SoilDataFederator makes multiple, disparate sources of soil data available ‘on the fly’ in consistent, easy to use formats. The SoilDataFederator significantly eases access to soil data created by different agencies and enhances Australia’s ability to use the data for understanding and overseeing managed and natural landscapes.
TERN digital soil maps the next best thing for locked-down students
Movement restrictions have forged stronger connections between TERN and university educators. Teaching academics no longer able to take their students on field excursions because of COVID-19 are finding value in using TERN’s data and data tools as a way to bring the Australian environment into their online teaching.
People using TERN: Ecologists Megan Good and Libby Rumpff launch new threatened woodland recovery plan
TERN’s plot-based ecosystem monitoring data has been used by Australia’s top woodland ecologists to help build and validate a new framework to support conservation and recovery planning for threatened woodland communities. The framework identifies the most common threatening processes and provides guidance on management actions to aid recovery.
Soil microbiome and biodiversity implications – are we ignoring cost-effective proxies of biodiversity measures?
Environmental DNA (or eDNA) profiling is being used increasingly to analyse a range of substrates and historical samples, apparently even thin air, but what about soil? Join Prof. Andy Lowe as he investigates an important and cost-effective method of environmental DNA profiling.
The pillars of Australia’s research system
Australia is on the verge of making further substantial investments in the assets, facilities and services that support the nation’s health, STEM and agricultural research sectors, but what are they, what do they do and how do they remain relevant to emerging technologies and priorities?
Australians collaborate to provide an index of threatened species
This National Threatened Species Day, we highlight and celebrate the dedication of those individuals and organisations who contribute to monitoring the status of threatened plants and animals in Australia.
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