Phytoplankton communities of the Coorong Wetland – Opportunity for a Scholarship

Project description

The Coorong wetland faces potential significant changes that will impact its ecological dynamics, due to climate change. Two scenarios have been identified to reflect these changes and depict the following ecological conditions: (1) minimal inflows causing decreased water levels, salinity increase, algal blooms, habitat loss, and reduced fish and waterbird diversity; and (2) sea-level rise dominance leading to stable water levels, varied salinity, and shifts in habitat and fish communities. Both scenarios highlight changes in salinity and water levels. Fluctuating salinity is one of the major natural stress factors for aquatic life in coastal waters, estuaries, brackish environments and hypersaline water bodies. Salinity and nutrients seem to drive phytoplankton community structure; in the Coorong, diatoms dominate under high/hyper salinity while chlorophytes and cyanobacteria dominate when freshwater inflow occurs. A community shift towards cyanobacteria usually induces toxin production, altered food webs and a higher risk of hypoxia. Harmful taxa have been observed under certain conditions in the Coorong, including during the 2022-23 flood event, and it is unknown how the identified scenarios of change will impact the structure of the phytoplankton community, including the occurrence of cyanobacteria and harmful algae in the Coorong. This project will investigate communities of phytoplankton during drought and flood events in the Coorong, allowing the identification of indicator species of change.

Further information

The Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre is providing scholarships for projects relevant to their research priorities. This project aligns with the Centre's research priorities.

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You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.