Habitat

Broken Creek 2: Azolla continued This new project is a follow-on from the "Ecological Model and Data Assessment Broken Creek" and will examine the links between Azolla growth and water quality in the Broken Creek. In particular, the role of sediments in nutrient dynamics of the creek, the contribution of sediment processes to Azolla growth and the links that Azolla has with the sediment quality will be examined. June 2007

Darling River fish - Habitat investigation A project building on earlier MDFRC work, to characterise the physical habitat and fish assemblages of the Lower Darling River

Drought Monitoring The drought poses a number of significant risks for the natural environment including poor water quality (e.g. high temperatures, low dissolved oxygen and high salinity); fish kills; blue-green algal blooms; wetland acidification; loss of vegetation; and increased erosion when drought breaks. The drought also provides a number of opportunities to examine the response of the system to a rare but significant disturbance. There may be opportunities to observe both the effects of the drought but also the systems recovery which may help inform restoration planning. ongoing

Ecology of the purple-spotted gudgeon A literature and data review of existing information on the purple-spotted gudgeon with the aim of identifying knowledge gaps

Effects of turbidity on native fish populations above and below Casey's Weir on the Broken River Looking at the effects of turbidity on native fish above (low turbidity) and below (high turbidity)Casey's weir on the Broken River, before, during and after the decommissioning of Lake Mokoan.

Environmental Water for Fish The project is a collaboration between wetland managers and research providers, and will evaluate the fish community response to inundation in a series of actively managed wetlands on the Murray River, between Hume Dam and Echuca. The wetlands will have a variety of connection types to the River (disrupted flood way, open floodway, constructed regulators, open channel etc.) and management interventions. Wetlands will be monitored to relate changes in the fish community to characteristics of the habitat such as water quality, food abundance, food quality and habitat complexity. Experimental manipulations using both large mesocosms and field experimentation will also allow field patterns to be explored. December 2011

Food webs and in-stream processes This aim of this project is to determine how changes in the type and concentrations of key constituents (primarily carbon and nitrogen) alter in-stream processes. February 2009

Rivers and floodplains interactions This project aims to advance scientific understanding and management of Australian rivers and their floodplains by assessing how variability in riverine flow across a continuum of wet-summer and wet-winter catchments generates and affects: 1. Habitats and water quality within riverine systems. 2. The flow-related ecology of important aquatic and riparian plants, invertebrates and fish species inhabiting rivers and floodplains. January 2012

Spawning and Recruitment of Native Fish in the Lachlan Catchment A project investigating the distribution and viability of fish populations in the Lachlan catchment.

The Integration Blueprint This project will design and develop integration processes and produce the Integration Blueprint. February 2009

Watering regimes to protect floodplains This project will examine the impacts of flooding regime on soil biogeochemical processes, soil biota and how changes in soil health impact ecosystem function. The purpose of the project is to determine if critical thresholds exist in soil condition, which, if exceeded lead to irreversible changes in ecosystem function and stability. These thresholds can be used by floodplain managers to set minimum flooding requirements for restoration of floodplain ecosystems, leading to more efficient use of the limited volumes of environmental water available. December 2010