Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

About: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is a government organization based out in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Soil water. The organization has 33765 authors who have published 79910 publications receiving 3356114 citations.

Butterfly genome reveals promiscuous exchange of mimicry adaptations among species

Abstract: Sequencing of the genome of the butterfly Heliconius melpomene shows that closely related Heliconius species exchange protective colour-pattern genes promiscuously.

The pace of shifting climate in marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Abstract: Climate change challenges organisms to adapt or move to track changes in environments in space and time. We used two measures of thermal shifts from analyses of global temperatures over the past 50 years to describe the pace of climate change that species should track: the velocity of climate change (geographic shifts of isotherms over time) and the shift in seasonal timing of temperatures. Both measures are higher in the ocean than on land at some latitudes, despite slower ocean warming. These indices give a complex mosaic of predicted range shifts and phenology changes that deviate from simple poleward migration and earlier springs or later falls. They also emphasize potential conservation concerns, because areas of high marine biodiversity often have greater velocities of climate change and seasonal shifts.

Physics of the Earth

Abstract: Preface 1. Origin and history of the Solar System 2. Composition of the Earth 3. Radioactivity, isotopes and dating 4. Isotopic clues to the age and origin of the Solar System 5. Evidence of the Earth's evolutionary history 6. Rotation, figure of the Earth and gravity 7. Precession, wobble and rotational irregularities 8. Tides and the evolution of the lunar orbit 9. The satellite geoid, isostasy and post-glacial rebound 10. Elastic and inelastic properties 11. Deformation of the crust: rock mechanics 12. Tectonics 13. Convective and tectonic stresses 14. Kinematics of the earthquake process 15. Earthquake dynamics 16. Seismic wave propagation 17. Seismological determination of Earth structure 18. Finite strain and high pressure equations of state 19. Thermal properties 20. The surface heat flux 21. The global energy budget 22. Thermodynamics of convection 23. Thermal history 24. The geomagnetic field 25. Rock magnetism and paleomagnetism 26. Alternative energy sources and natural climate variations: some geophysical background Appendix A. General reference data Appendix B. Orbital dynamics (Kepler's laws) Appendix C. Spherical harmonic functions Appendix D. Relationships between elastic moduli of an isotropic solid Appendix E. Thermodynamic parameters and derivative properties Appendix F. An Earth model: mechanical properties Appendix G. A thermal model of the Earth Appendix H. Radioactive isotopes Appendix I. A geological time scale 2004 Appendix J. Problems References Index.

Focal Species: A Multi-Species Umbrella for Nature Conservation

Abstract: To prevent the further loss of species from landscapes used for productive enterprises such as agri- culture, forestry, and grazing, it is necessary to determine the composition, quantity, and configuration of landscape elements required to meet the needs of the species present. I present a multi-species approach for de- fining the attributes required to meet the needs of the biota in a landscape and the management regimes that should be applied. The approach builds on the concept of umbrella species, whose requirements are believed to encapsulate the needs of other species. It identifies a suite of "focal species," each of which is used to define different spatial and compositional attributes that must be present in a landscape and their appropriate man- agement regimes. All species considered at risk are grouped according to the processes that threaten their per- sistence. These threats may include habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, weed invasion, and fire. Within each group, the species most sensitive to the threat is used to define the minimum acceptable level at which that threat can occur. For example, the area requirements of the species most limited by the availability of partic- ular habitats will define the minimum suitable area of those habitat types; the requirements of the most dis- persal-limited species will define the attributes of connecting vegetation; species reliant on critical resources will define essential compositional attributes; and species whose populations are limited by processes such as fire, predation, or weed invasion will define the levels at which these processes must be managed. For each rel- evant landscape parameter, the species with the most demanding requirements for that parameter is used to define its minimum acceptable value. Because the most demanding species are selected, a landscape designed and managed to meet their needs will encompass the requirements of all other species.

Coherent eddies and turbulence in vegetation canopies: The mixing-layer analogy

Abstract: This paper argues that the active turbulence and coherent motions near the top of a vegetation canopy are patterned on a plane mixing layer, because of instabilities associated with the characteristic strong inflection in the mean velocity profile. Mixing-layer turbulence, formed around the inflectional mean velocity profile which develops between two coflowing streams of different velocities, differs in several ways from turbulence in a surface layer. Through these differences, the mixing-layer analogy provides an explanation for many of the observed distinctive features of canopy turbulence. These include: (a) ratios between components of the Reynolds stress tensor; (b) the ratio K H /K M of the eddy diffusivities for heat and momentum; (c) the relative roles of ejections and sweeps; (d) the behaviour of the turbulent energy balance, particularly the major role of turbulent transport; and (e) the behaviour of the turbulent length scales of the active coherent motions (the dominant eddies responsible for vertical transfer near the top of the canopy). It is predicted that these length scales are controlled by the shear length scale L s = U(h)/U′(h) (where h is canopy height, U(z) is mean velocity as a function of height z, and U′ = dU/dz). In particular, the streamwise spacing of the dominant canopy eddies Λ x = mL s , with m = 8.1. These predictions are tested against many sets of field and wind-tunnel data. We propose a picture of canopy turbulence in which eddies associated with inflectional instabilities are modulated by larger-scale, inactive turbulence, which is quasi-horizontal on the scale of the canopy.