Jennifer Firn
A5011534234- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Biological Control of Invasive Species
- Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Forest ecology and management
- Forest Management and Policy
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
- Economic and Environmental Valuation
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Invertebrate Taxonomy and Ecology
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Fire effects on ecosystems
Queensland University of Technology
2014-2023
Visayas State University
2021
University of the Sunshine Coast
2018-2021
Griffith University
2015-2020
University of California, Davis
2020
University of Michigan
2019
Queen's University
2019
Austral University of Chile
2017
Ecological Society of America
2017
John Wiley & Sons (United States)
2017
Significance Human activities have resulted in large increases the availability of nutrients terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Although plant community responses to elevated been well studied, soil microbial remain poorly understood, despite their critical importance ecosystem functioning. Using DNA-sequencing approaches, we assessed response communities experimentally added nitrogen and phosphorus at 25 grassland sites across globe. Our results demonstrate that composition these shifts...
Abstract Aboveground–belowground interactions exert critical controls on the composition and function of terrestrial ecosystems, yet fundamental relationships between plant diversity soil microbial remain elusive. Theory predicts predominantly positive associations but tests within single sites have shown variable relationships, across broad spatial scales largely unexplored. We compared plant, bacterial, archaeal fungal communities in one hundred forty‐five 1 m 2 plots 25 temperate...
For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that hump-shaped, with first rising then declining increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account methodological differences among studies. We...
Significance Accurate prediction of community responses to global change drivers (GCDs) is critical given the effects biodiversity on ecosystem services. There consensus that human activities are driving species extinctions at scale, but debate remains over whether GCDs systematically altering local communities worldwide. Across 105 experiments included 400 experimental manipulations, we found evidence for a lagged response herbaceous plant caused by shifts in identities and relative...
Abstract Plant growth can be limited by resource acquisition and defence against consumers, leading to contrasting trade‐off possibilities. The competition‐defence hypothesis posits a between competitive ability enemies (e.g. herbivores pathogens). growth‐defence suggests that strong competitors for nutrients are also defended enemies, at cost rate. We tested these hypotheses using observations of 706 plant populations over 500 species before following identical fertilisation fencing...
Humans dominate many important Earth system processes including the nitrogen (N) cycle. Atmospheric N deposition affects fundamental such as carbon cycling, climate regulation, and biodiversity, could result in changes to primary production. Both modelling experimentation have suggested a role for anthropogenically altered increasing productivity, nevertheless, current understanding of relative strength with respect other controls on production edaphic conditions is limited. Here we use an...
Abstract We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values plant traits for taxa in Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). synthesises data on 448 across 28,640 from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary scope physiological measures performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes leaf area, seed mass, height) which link aspects ecological variation. contains...
Grasslands are ubiquitous globally, and their conservation restoration critical to combat both the biodiversity climate crises. There is increasing interest in implementing effective multifunctional grassland restore concomitant with above- belowground carbon sequestration, delivery of credits and/or integration land dedicated solar panels. Other common considerations include improved forage value, erosion control, water management, pollinator services, wildlife habitat provisioning. In...
Abstract Exotic species dominate many communities; however the functional significance of species’ biogeographic origin remains highly contentious. This debate is fuelled in part by lack globally replicated, systematic data assessing relationship between provenance, function and response to perturbations. We examined abundance native exotic plant at 64 grasslands 13 countries, a subset sites we experimentally tested responses two fundamental drivers invasion, mineral nutrient supplies...
Pumice is an extremely effective rafting agent that can dramatically increase the dispersal range of a variety marine organisms and connect isolated shallow coastal ecosystems. Here we report on significant recent pumice long-distance event occurred across southwest Pacific following 2006 explosive eruption Home Reef Volcano in Tonga. We have constrained trajectory, rate, biomass biodiversity transfer, discovering more than 80 species substantial underwent >5000 km journey 7–8 months....
Soil nitrogen mineralisation (Nmin), the conversion of organic into inorganic N, is important for productivity and nutrient cycling. The balance between immobilisation (net Nmin) varies with soil properties climate. However, because most global-scale assessments net Nmin are laboratory-based, its regulation under field-conditions implications real-world functioning remain uncertain. Here, we explore drivers realised (field) potential (laboratory) across 30 grasslands worldwide. We find that...
Abstract Human activities are enriching many of Earth’s ecosystems with biologically limiting mineral nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). In grasslands, this enrichment generally reduces plant diversity increases productivity. The widely demonstrated positive effect on productivity suggests a potential negative feedback, whereby nutrient‐induced declines in reduce the initial gains arising from nutrient enrichment. addition, can be inhibited by accumulations dead biomass,...
Abstract Threats to biodiversity and the integrity of ecological systems are escalating globally, both within outside protected areas. Decision makers have inadequate resources manage all threats typically lack information on likely outcomes cost‐effectiveness possible management strategies. Priority Threat Management ( PTM ) is an emerging approach designed address this challenge, by defining appraising cost‐effective strategies for mitigating across regions. The scientific practical...