Supported Projects
Photo: Greg Mercer
2024 Grants
Hidden Interactions of Sub-Antarctic Ecosystems: Using Stable Isotopes to Examine the Terrestrial Food Web and Nutrient Flows of Macquarie Island
Kita Williams, Dr Justine Shaw (Queensland University of Technology and Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future) & Prof Jennifer Fern (Queensland University of Technology)
This project examines the Macquarie Island ecosystem, and how it is recovering following the successful vertebrate pest eradication program 10 years ago.
First, will be an examination of nutrient flows through the ecosystem, using stable isotope analysis of soil, plant, and invertebrate samples collected in 2023. This work builds on earlier studies of terrestrial ecosystems and nutrient flows on Macquarie Island. A comparison will be made between our samples to legacy data to identify changes.
Second, we will focus on invertebrates, using stable isotopes to construct the food web; for example, we expect that predators such as spiders and wasps, will have the highest isotope signatures, followed by omnivores, herbivores, and finally detritivores such as springtails, snails and earthworms. This will fill a gap in our knowledge of invertebrate interactions and ecosystem functioning.
Third, we will examine the impact of non-native invertebrates such as isopods, aphids and blowflies, in the changing structure of the Macquarie Island terrestrial food web.
The findings of this project will support ecosystem monitoring, management, and biosecurity measures, which are fundamental to the conservation of the island.
MICF funds committed $7335
Photos: Kita Williams
Rockhopper diet and trophic position, a 67-year comparison
Assoc. Prof Patti Virtue (University of Tasmania) &
John van den Hoff (Australian Antarctic Division)
The populations of rockhopper penguins, including those on Macquarie Island have been declining globally. Changes in ocean surface temperature, influenced by climate change, have led to reduced prey abundance, affecting the penguins' food supply and resulting in poor reproductive success or higher mortality rates of juveniles or adults. The rockhopper penguin is facing significant challenges to its survival in the wild.
This project will use stable isotope analysis to compare historical rockhopper penguins’ eggshells collected in 1953 with those collected in present day populations in 2020. Stable isotope analyses provides a powerful tool to understand penguin diets and foraging ecology. Data derived from this analysis will provide insights into their feeding habits, migration strategies, and the sources of their prey.
This work will help us to better understand the factors affecting the decline of rockhopper penguins on Macquarie Island.
MICF funds committed $6000
Diversity of the Macquarie Island intertidal macrofauna
Dr Quentin Jossart (Université de Bourgogne – France), Dr Jonathon Stark &
Dr Glen Johnstone (Australian Antarctic Division)
The intertidal zone (seashore) is a critical environment at the dynamic interface between marine and terrestrial habitats. Unlike elsewhere in the world, the intertidal zone remains biologically underexplored in both Antarctic and sub-Antarctic areas.
At Macquarie Island, the first intertidal inventories were undertaken during legacy expeditions (such as the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in the 1910’s and the British Australian & New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition in 1931). While there have been some more recent studies in the 1960’s, 1970’s and early 2000’s, the inventory of the island’s intertidal zone remains very limited compared to terrestrial or deeper marine investigations.
This project will evaluate the diversity of Macquarie Island intertidal communities and determine the faunal relationship with other areas of the Southern Ocean using an integrative community-based approach (morphological and genetic data).
This is of crucial importance to determine the origin and evolution of these communities, and more practically, to assess their current vulnerability to the multiple effects of global changes.
MICF funds committed $4500
Grant supporters
The 2024 MICF Grants were made possible thanks to our major supporters, including the PONANT Foundation, and generous donors.
Photos: Copyright Belgica 121 Expedition – Quentin Jossart