E&E Seminar: Our rather surprising highland grasslands and their future: the ecology and ecophysiology of an ecosystem

E&E Seminar: Our rather surprising highland grasslands and their future: the ecology and ecophysiology of an ecosystem

Highland grasslands present a familiar landscape to anyone keen on mountain areas. These ecosystems are aesthetically pleasing, support many endemic species and are important grazing lands for both native animals and stock.

schedule Date & time
Date/time
20 Oct 2022 1:00pm
person Speaker

Speakers

Mark Hovenden, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania
next_week Event series
contact_support Contact
Adrienne Nicotra

Description

Highland grasslands present a familiar landscape to anyone keen on mountain areas. These ecosystems are aesthetically pleasing, support many endemic species and are important grazing lands for both native animals and stock. These communities have long been of keen interest to ecologists, most commonly because of their unique flora and fauna. What is perhaps less widely recognised is that these systems are important contributors to our economic prosperity because of their role in capturing, storing, filtering and releasing vast quantities of water. This role in the hydrological cycle is strongly dependent upon the peaty nature of the soil underlying highland grasslands. These peaty soils are threatened by climate change and land management practices, endangering these ecosystems themselves but also having enormous ramifications for ecosystems, settlements and industries downstream and downhill. In this talk I will present observational and experimental research from Tasmania over the past decade that seeks to understand the interplay between climate, plants and ecosystem-level processes crucial to the maintenance of these ecosystems as well as to predict the future of both them and the services they provide. I will also highlight the contribution of the recently established Australian Mountain Research Facility to our understanding and ability to predict the future of highland ecosystems.

Location

Please note: this seminar will be held in the Eucalyptus Rm and via Zoom, details are included below.

Eucalyptus Room, Rm S205, Level 2, RN Robertson Building (46)

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://anu.zoom.us/j/89246114450?pwd=WU5XemhsTUdiVnlPU3VlMEJjdGFTdz09

Passcode: 729634

Canberra time: please check your local time & date if you are watching from elsewhere.

Upcoming events in this series

Darren Wong
31 Jul 2025 | 1 - 2pm

Many flowering plants have evolved diverse strategies to communicate with and attract animal pollinators. We have discovered exciting new evidence for the role of anthocyanins and terpenes in the evolution of the highly diverse terrestrial orchid subtribe Caladeniinae (Diurideae).

View the event
Emily Stringer & Jarrod Sopniewski, UC
7 Aug 2025 | 1 - 2pm

This seminar is presented by Dr Emily Stringer and Dr Jarrod Sopniewski, Postdoctoral Research Fellows from the Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics at the University of Canberra.

View the event
Distinguished Prof Natalia Dudareva, Purdue University
11 Aug 2025 | 1 - 2pm

Plants synthesize an amazing diversity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that facilitate interactions with their environment, ranging from attracting pollinators and seed dispersers to protecting themselves from pathogens, parasites, and herbivores.

View the event