Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) - Project 2.5ii.2

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About Us Our Services Management Contact Us Feedback Reef Rescue Water Quality R&D Program MTSRF Research Impacts of the MTSRF Research Providers Co-Investors in MTSRF Postgraduate Research MTSRF Research Programme Structure Theme 1 - Status of the Ecosystems Theme 2 - Risks and Threats to the Ecosystems Program 5i - Climate Change (Great Barrier Reef) Program 5ii - Climate Change (Rainforests and Catchments) Project 2.5ii.1 Project 2.5ii.2 Project 2.5ii.3 Project 2.5ii.4 Program 6 - Invasive Pests Theme 3 - Water Quality Theme 4 - Sustainable Use and Management of Natural Resources Theme 5 - Enhancing Delivery Transition Funding 2010 Marine Monitoring Program MMP Publications MEDIA Media Releases Visual Documentation Publications Website Publications List Search by Publication Type Search by MTSRF Program No. Search by Issue / Research Topic of Focus Annual Reports Research Report Series RSS Feeds News and Events Calendar of Events MTSRF Annual Conferences 'Essential Science' Sessions CRC REEF RESEARCH CENTRE CRC Reef - Research Programs CRC Reef Research Centre's Priorities CRC Reef - Publications RAINFOREST CRC Rainforest CRC - A Brief History Rainforest CRC - Research Programs Rainforest CRC - Publications CRC TORRES STRAIT CRC Torres Strait - Aims & Objectives CRC Torres Strait - Publications CATCHMENT TO REEF Catchment to Reef - Research Program Catchment to Reef - Products and Downloads Catchment to Reef - Publications Intranet
	Home / MTSRF Research / Theme 2 - Risks and Threats to the Ecosystems / Program 5ii - Climate Change (Rainforests and Catchments) / Project 2.5ii.2 Project 2.5ii.2 - Climate change: Scaling from trees to ecosystems Project Leader and Host Organisation Dr Michael Liddell, James Cook University Project Description and Objectives For detailed descriptions of the outputs for this project for Year 4 (2009/2010) of the MTSRF Research Programme, see the Annual Research Plan. Most of the research discussed in Program 5ii is at the landscape level with a range of sites being used to provide data for the modelling work. Project 2.5ii.2 will look in much more detail at two sites in particular (tropical lowland rainforest) and determine how plants and invertebrates respond physiologically and phenologically (e.g. fruiting, flowering) to natural climate variability, and how trees and forests as a whole respond in terms of carbon and water use. This information will be used to indicate the sensitivity of ecosystems of this type to climate change. This research will be carried out at the Australian Canopy Crane research facility and the SkyRail rainforest cableway and takes advantage of over $50 million in infrastructure and ten years' worth of existing data sets. Key Objectives: To improve our understanding of the factors influencing the variability in carbon and water fluxes from the rainforest through a long-term study in parallel with microclimate measurements; To monitor the differential effect of climate change on productivity of different floristic elements of a taxonomically diverse rainforest canopy – essential baseline data for predictive and scaling models of ecosystem productivity; To determine the fluxes of carbon and water below ground, and the factors controlling these fluxes, including the influence of climate; To describe flowering and fruiting phenology in lowland rainforest and determine correlations with fluctuations in climatology; and To understand how invertebrate resource use fluctuates in relation to seasonal local climatic variables and link this to ecosystem productivity and plant phenology.	Further Information Ms Mellissa Jess Rainforests and Catchments Program Research Manager Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited Tel: (07) 4050 7400 mellissa.jess@rrrc.org.au Major Project Outputs The Annual Research Plans, or ARPs, outline the specific tasks, products, budgets and staff for each research project within each of the Research Themes and Programs of the MTSRF. The ARPs also outline the key deliverables, or 'project milestones' (e.g. major reports, journal articles, communications products) to be achieved. An ARP is developed for each operating year of the MTSRF (2006-2010). Details of this and previous years' outputs from this project are included in each of the Annual Research Plans. Access and Download MTSRF Publications Final Project Reports (June 2010) Syntheses of MTSRF Research (2010 Synthesis Products) MTSRF Research Report Series Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles Book and Book Chapters Conference Abstracts and Proceedings Unpublished Scientific and Technical Reports Project Milestone (Progress) Reports Brochures and Booklets North Queensland Fact Sheets Newsletters and Other Publications Conference Poster Presentations Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Technical and Transition Reports

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