Oh, what a tangled web we weave: understanding the role of flows for food webs

Flow-MER Friday
-
2023
Food Webs and Water Quality
Presenters:
Dr Paul McInerney
Dr James Hitchcock

Presentation Description

Understanding energy flow through ecosystems is critical for understanding patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Alteration of riverine flows can modify the structure and function of ecosystems, changing the availability and quality of food for animals. Research carried out within the Environmental Water Knowledge and Research (EWKR) and Flow MER food web themes has sought to improve our understanding of the complex relationship between hydrology and aquatic food webs. In this session Paul will highlight some of the research that has arisen from the EWKR and other MDB projects that set the scene for research in Flow MER. James will provide an overview of a Basin-scale food web simulator that integrates knowledge of Basin food webs with long-term monitoring data to provide estimates of the contribution that environmental water is making to the biomass of key taxa groups. We will touch on recent research that helps us understand what is happening in the food web during large floods and directions for future work.

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Artwork credit: Wiradjuri Artist Rebecca Salcole
Acknowledgement of Country

The Flow-MER Program team acknowledges the First Nations communities of the Murray–Darling Basin and pays respect to Elders past and present.

We acknowledge First Nations people as the Traditional Owners of the land, water and sky Country across the Basin and value the expertise, wisdom and enduring connections that have informed their care for Country over millennia.

We recognise the intrinsic connection of First Nations people to Country, and we value the enduring cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and economic connection to the rivers, wetlands, and floodplains of the Basin. We are committed to working with First Nations people across the Murray–Darling Basin to build relationships in a meaningful and genuine way to support and empower them in reaching their aspirations.

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