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Curtin University
Science Seminars

E & A Seminar Next week 6th May

By Philip Bateman 1 May 2014 Environment & Agriculture Comments off

NEXT WEEK Tuesday 6th May at 4pm, 312.207 at Curtin University
Professor Grant-Wardell Johnson
Curtin University
Environment & Agriculture

Refugia as a focus for conservation management in the 21st Century

Abstract:
Economically efficient emissions reduction is urgent for local, national and international interests. However, even with immediate strong action on emissions significant climate change debt persists. So a continuing warming planet is inevitable – with consequences for climate, biodiversity and humanity. Therefore, adaptation and transformation will remain as critical responses to climate change. Refugia are habitats where species can contract to, persist in and expand from as the regional climate changes. Therefore they have potential for facilitating the regional persistence of biodiversity under anthropogenic climate change, and are critically important in climate change adaptation management. I introduce the idea of refugia and outline progress towards the identification and protection of refugia, with an emphasis on Australia in general and south-western Australia in particular. The identification of refugia is particularly problematic in drying landscapes of subdued topography – exemplified by south-western Australia – a global biodiversity hotspot. I outline results from ARC funded research to determine whether and how granite outcrops act as refugia. I also introduce research on forests which integrate management of carbon and biodiversity for better conservation outcomes; flag developing areas of conservation-focussed research on refugia on macro and micro-scales; the identification of living museums; and priority refugia with capacity to decouple local from regional climate impacts. I conclude with discussion of the limitations of refugia and the broader societal contract needed for the sustainability of the things we value.

Grant Wardell-Johnson is Associate Professor in the Department of Environment and Agriculture at Curtin University. His Environmental Science and Management research program is integrated across several disciplines in Ecology, Botany, Biodiversity conservation & Environmental science involving the analysis and evaluation of multiple data forms for more effective environmental management. He has wide experience in biogeographical survey and impact assessment, particularly of disturbance, including logging and fire, and has published extensively on pattern and scale, and the interactive effects of disturbance. His current research is associated with biodiversity, and climate change in high rainfall mediterranean-climate ecosystems, especially refugia. He has published more than a 100 refereed journal articles and book chapters. He leads a significant postgraduate program and convenes and teaches several undergraduate units including Climate Change & Adaptation, Plant diversity and adaptation and Terrestrial and Marine Field Ecology.

E & A Seminar

By Philip Bateman 24 April 2014 Environment & Agriculture Comments off
NEXT WEEK Tuesday 29th April at 4pm, 312.207 at Curtin University
Dr Jens Zinke
UWA
UWA Oceans Institute & University of Western Australia, AIMS
What drives current marine heat waves and coral bleaching in Western Australia?
Sea surface temperatures (SST) along the western shelf of Australia are tightly connected to those of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP) and the magnitude of El Niño/ Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events. Recent El Niño and La Niña events have been associated with mass coral bleaching on both fringing and isolated atoll reefs along the west coast of Australia, including those along the edge of the northwest continental shelf. Long-term temperature records, with which to establish the occurrence of past ENSO events at these atoll reefs, are nonexistent. Here, we use the strontium/calcium and stable isotope sea surface temperature proxies from ten coral cores drilled from three reef complexes (17-28S, 113-119E) to reconstruct a robust 215 year (1795-2010) mean annual SST record for the western Australian shelf. The record suggests a close association between WPWP SST throughout the 215 years while ENSO event impacts varied. Here we show that after 1980, the strongest warming signals are associated with strong La Niña’s and Western Pacific (WP) SST gradient, with the most severe warm event on record in 1999/2000. Our reconstruction shows that the recent extreme events were exacerbated by a strong WP warming trend after 1980. These findings point to an uncertain future for the southeastern Indian Ocean coral atoll reefs, living close to their upper thermal threshold.

E & A Seminar

By Philip Bateman 11 April 2014 Applied Geology Comments off

NEXT WEEK Tuesday 15th April at 4pm, 312.207 at Curtin University
Dr Kate Trinajstic
Curtin University
Dept. of Chemistry
The evolution of sexual reproduction: an examination of fossilized copulatory structures in the earliest jawed vertebrates.

Placoderms, an extinct paraphyletic group of armoured fishes resolved near the base of jawed vertebrates, are the first vertebrates to evolve external copulatory structures and internal fertilization. In living chondrichthyans and osteichthyans copulatory structures are mostly derived from the pelvic fins. However, it has recently been recognized that in placoderms the paired male claspers are independent of the pelvic fin and located posterior to the pelvic girdle and fins. Thus claspers in placoderms and chondrichthyans develop in very different ways. In addition, preserved abdominal muscles with an unusual orientation and until now unknown function have been recovered from placoderms and we suggest that these could have extended and manipulated the claspers during mating. This suggests that the claspers in placoderms and chondrichthyans are not homologous, a hypothesis supported by recent phylogenetic analyses, and the history of vertebrate sex is more complicated than first thought.

Paired appendages, including claspers, are a combination of dermal and perichondral bone, and represent iteratively repeated structures developing along the body flank within an enlarged ‘competent stripe’ for paired fin development. The competence to form fins would have originated in the jawless vertebrates, in the Osteostraci, by the evolution of a contact between the lateral plate mesoderm and the ectoderm. We suggest that in placoderms the independent development of paired copulatory structures involved a posterior extension of the ‘competent stripes’ for fin development, which previously was thought to be limited to the region between the paired pectoral and pelvic fins. In the jawless fish Euphanerops paired anal fins, are present which suggests that this zone of fin competence was more extensive in primitive forms and the ability to project appendages from the body was more fluid than previously hypothesized.

Other new insights into early vertebrate reproduction included the discovery of multiple embryos in pregnant females, embryos of differing sizes and of different sexes (e.g. male claspers preserved in some embryos) which again suggests more complex reproductive strategies in primitive vertebrates than previously appreciated. As a result of these discoveries placoderms are considered to be the first vertebrates to have practiced intimate sexual reproduction and provide the earliest fossil evidence of vertebrate copulation.

Please join us for drinks and nibbles after the presentation.

Link to map of Bentley Campus, Curtin University: http://properties.curtin.edu.au/maps/
Please find about our coming seminars in the attached document and at: http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/science-seminars/category/environment-agriculture/
To subscribe to weekly announcements: http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/science-seminars/rss-feeds/
For queries, or if you are interested in presenting at the E&A seminars, please contact Dr Bill Bateman (Bill.Bateman@curtin.edu.au)

E & A Seminar

By Philip Bateman 3 April 2014 Environment & Agriculture Comments off

APOLOGIES FOR SHORT NOTICE: THIS SEMINAR HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL 22ND APRIL DUE TO ILLNESS

NEXT WEEK Tuesday 8th April at 4pm, 312.207 at Curtin University

Justine Barker (PhD candidate, Supervisor Dr C. Cooper)
Curtin University

Echidnas are plastic
Physiological plasticity occurs in many mammals around the world as they adapt to environmental pressures. Echidnas provide the ideal model with which to examine plasticity within a species as they are found in every habitat type across Australia and it is of interest to determine what physiological strategies allow their great success.

Please join us for drinks and nibbles after the presentation.

Link to map of Bentley Campus, Curtin University: http://properties.curtin.edu.au/maps/
Please find about our coming seminars in the attached document and at: http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/science-seminars/category/environment-agriculture/
To subscribe to weekly announcements: http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/science-seminars/rss-feeds/

For queries, or if you are interested in presenting at the E&A seminars, please contact Dr Bill Bateman (Bill.Bateman@curtin.edu.au).

E & A Seminar: Fish Ecology Group

By Philip Bateman 31 March 2014 Environment & Agriculture Comments off
Tuesday 1st April at 4pm, 312.207 at Curtin University
Professor Euan Harvey
Curtin University

Fish, cameras and computers: An overview of research in the Fish Ecology group.​



Please join us for drinks and nibbles after the presentation.

Link to map of Bentley Campus, Curtin University: http://properties.curtin.edu.au/maps/
Please find about our coming seminars in the attached document and at: http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/science-seminars/category/environment-agriculture/
To subscribe to weekly announcements: http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/science-seminars/rss-feeds/​

For queries, or if you are interested in presenting at the E&A seminars, please contact Dr Dr Bill Bateman (Bill.Bateman@curtin.edu.au).​

Curtin Applied Geology Seminar, 2nd April: Greg Lester on the effects of anions on metal, REE and HFSE partitioning in magmatic processes

By Katy Evans 29 March 2014 Applied Geology Comments off
Curtin Applied Geology Seminars
Seminar series webpage

Wed 2nd April

12 – 1 pm

Rm 312.222

Greg Lester

Curtin Applied Geology

Trace element partitioning between immiscible silicate melts with H2O, P, S, F, and Cl: The effects of anions on metal, REE and HFSE partitioning during silicate melt un-mixing. Implications for the concentration and transport of economically desirable elements

Abstract

In silicate melts, anion and anion forming elements (AAFEs) such as phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, fluorine, oxygen and hydrogen are commonly observed in structural complexes with transitional metals, REE and HFSE. Thus, (AAFEs) affect solubility, transport and the partitioning of metals in magmatic-hydrothermal systems and play a critical role in the genesis of some ore deposit types. Trace element partitioning behavior in silicate melts as a function of AAFE has been determined through the experimental study of silicate melt un-mixing and the results quantify the relative associations of AAFE with a wide range of elements of both scientific and economic interest.

Biographical Details

Gregory Lester holds a PhD in economic geology from Queens University in Kingston, Canada, an M.A. in igneous petrology (Binghamton University) and a M.Sc. in geochemistry (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).  Greg has worked on; the petrology of the Grenville orogeny, as an economic geologist in industry, and is currently working as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Curtin University School of Applied Geology high temperature/pressure experimental geochemistry laboratory.

Chemistry seminar – Prof Rendina – Thursday 3rd April at 12PM – Exhibition space Bld 500

By Paolo Raiteri 27 March 2014 Chemistry Comments off

New Frontiers in the Therapeutic Application of Boron and Gadolinium

Prof Lou Rendina

School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006
lou.rendina@sydney.edu.au
http://sydney.edu.au/science/chemistry/~lmrgroup/

Boron and gadolinium are two elements which are central to our research program. Their respective chemistry is not only fascinating but each element offers its own distinct challenges and unique characteristics which to date have been heavily under- utilised in medicine. In this seminar I will present some of our key results in the recent development of new gadolinium agents for application in cutting-edge binary therapies known as photon activation therapy (PAT) and neutron capture therapy (NCT), both of which have the potential to treat intractable malignant cancers such as those of the brain. I will also present recent work on the use of polyhedral boron clusters, particularly the carboranes, as unique structural frameworks in medicinal chemistry.

Chemistry seminar – Prof Visscher – Tuesday 15th April at 9AM – Geology seminar room 312.222

By Paolo Raiteri 27 March 2014 Applied Geology Chemistry Comments off

Of Microbes and Minerals: Biogeochemistry of Microbialites through Geologic Time

Prof Pieter T. Visscher

Center for Integrative Geosciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, CT

Microbial mats are organosedimentary biofilms that greatly impacted the geochemical and physicochemical conditions on Earth through geological time. These laminated ecosystems are formed by various geomicrobiological processes, including biomass production, binding and trapping of sediments, and mineral precipitation. Lithified mats, or microbialites date back over 3 billion years in the rock record.

The interpretation of fossil microbial mats in the rock record and, consecutively, assessment of their potential role in the alteration of Earth’s geochemical environment through time is hampered by the poor preservation of these organic-rich structures. The preservation potential, however, can be enhanced through microbially-mediated lithification. The three key components of microbially- mediated mineral precipitation are: 1) the “alkalinity” engine (i.e., microbial community metabolism and environmental conditions impacting the calcium (or magnesium) carbonate saturation index); 2) the complex organic matrix comprised of exopolymeric substances (EPS); and 3) the coordination of community physiologies and sensing of environmental conditions (e.g., pH, oxygen concentration) through chemical communication, or quorum sensing. These combined geochemical-microbial activities provide conditions that allow specific microbialites to form, both on a macroscale (i.e., morphology) as well as on a microscale (i.e., shape and composition of minerals)

While mineral shape and composition may be a function of the EPS properties and therefore has the potential to reflect a specific signature of the microbial community, it is unresolved how, for example, continuous laminae vs. clotted fabrics form. The cyanobacterial community, situated near the surface according to the ambient light conditions, provides the organic carbon for heterotrophs. All these respiring organisms (including “strict” anaerobes, such as sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogens) display their maximum metabolic activity along a surface horizon that may lithify. Some ideas emerge how chemical communication may play a role in this, and how microbial signaling compounds may be used to detect specific environmental conditions and may allow synchronizing of intra- and interspecies metabolic activities. These recent observations and ideas are, however, merely a first step in the understanding of microbialite formation, and their potential to weather the diagenetic processes so that some of the biological signatures are preserved.

Biography

Pieter Visscher is director of the Center for Integrative Geosciences and Professor of Organic Geochemistry in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut, USA. He is a Fulbright Scholar, obtained a MS Cum Laude and a PhD from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, was post-doc in Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Miami, and research associate at the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA. He joined UConn in 1994, has written 100 peer-reviewed publications and obtained over $15M in extramural grant support throughout his career. He is director of the Geomicrobiology Laboratory where he combines organic and inorganic geochemistry with microbiology to address environment and geologic questions. Visscher is founding member of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute and member of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology.

Curtin Applied Geology Seminar, Wednesday 26th March, Jeff Dick on Geochemistry and Life

By Katy Evans 24 March 2014 Applied Geology Comments off

Curtin Applied Geology Seminars
Seminar series webpage

Wed 26th March

12 – 1 pm

Rm 312.222

Jeffrey Dick

Curtin University, Dept. Chemistry

Bringing Geochemistry to Life

Abstract

Among the thermodynamic concepts used in theoretical geochemistry are oxidation-reduction reactions, Gibbs energy changes, and equilibrium
models. These are powerful tools to quantify the conditions and products
of reactions involving rocks and fluids, and often are used to study
mineral paragenesis and other processes leading to compositional
zonation in geological systems. Geobiology also abounds with examples of compositional zonation, for instance, the biofilms growing in chemical
and thermal gradients in hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.
Inspired by the geochemical approach, this study uses models based on
chemical reactions to describe the compositions of proteins and the
relative abundances of organisms in microbial communities.

Environmental DNA sequences (metagenomes) can be used to predict protein sequences, which make up much of the cellular biomass. In the first part of this study, the spatial variation in the compositions of proteins in the source and cooling outflow channel of a hot spring, “Bison Pool”, is modeled using relative stability calculations. The model is calibrated by proposing a gradient of oxidation-reduction potential connected to temperature in the hot spring. The calibrated oxidation potential increases with decreasing temperature, but overall is more reducing compared to various inorganic redox proxies. Next, a metastable equilibrium model for predicting the relative abundances of coexisting microbial phyla is compared with the observed abundances from the metagenome. This model is also calibrated by adjusting the effective oxidation-reduction potential, in order to minimize the energetic
distance between theoretical relative abundances of phyla and the
observed abundances. Deviations of the metastable equilibrium model from the observed relative abundances can be interpreted as resulting from a contribution of additional energy sources or sinks such as
photosynthesis or low growth efficiency.

This approach uses thermodynamic relations to integrate aspects of
inorganic geochemistry and biochemistry in a way that has not previously been explored. The equilibrium predictions are necessarily independent of the timescale of reaction, but because the model takes account of differences in protein composition (derived from gene sequences), evolutionary differences are implicit in the comparisons. These results support the notion that chemical reactions can be used as a basis for describing the emergence of ecosystem patterns occurring over geological time and in an environmental context.

Curtin Applied Geology Special Seminar – Julian Pearce – Friday, 21st March, 1pm: Please note non standard day and time.

By Katy Evans 17 March 2014 Applied Geology Comments off

Curtin Applied Geology Seminars
Seminar series webpage

Friday 21st March

1 – 2 pm

Rm 312.222

Julian Pearce

Cardiff University, Wales

Geochemical Fingerprinting of Rocks and Minerals

Biographical Details

Julian is internationally recognised for his work on the use of immobile trace elements in magmatic rocks  to discriminate tectonic settings in the Phanerozoic  (the famous ‘Pearce diagrams’). He has also been working his way back in time to see if the same can be applied to the Precambrian. In this lecture, he will review the evidence and present the current state-of-the-art as to how well all these rocks can be fingerprinted.