TERN South East Queensland Peri-urban SuperSite - Samford - Australia

The South East Queensland Peri-urban SuperSite is a member of the Australian SuperSite Network (SuperSites, http://www.supersites.net.au/), a facility within the Australian Terrestrial Ecosystem Network (TERN, http://www.tern.org.au/). The SEQ Peri-urban Supersite’s (SEQP) core infrastructure is located at the sub-tropical 50 ha Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF) of the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane (https://www.qut.edu.au/research/why-qut/infrastructure/samford-ecological-research-facility). SERF is located at the western extent of the Pine longitudinal transect north of Brisbane where the urban footprint is rapidly expanding. The transect extends from the upper reaches of the Pine River catchment through the Samford Valley to Central Moreton Bay. The traditional custodians of the Samford Valley are the Yugara nation. Clan relations may well have extended into and from the neighbouring Jinibara and Kabi Kabi. The Supersite focuses on the impact of urban development and low frequency, high flow (ephemeral) events on terrestrial biogeochemistry, biodiversity and downstream water quality. Rapid population growth in SEQ is expected to continue particularly in peri-urban areas. The development, transformation of land use and exploitation of resources associated with this population growth will intensify the pressure on catchment, aquatic and coastal environments, potentially leading to significant habitat fragmentation, water quality issues, biodiversity loss and loss of economic and amenity values. The vulnerability of SEQ’s high biodiversity ecosystems will be compounded by climate change in the region. Key research questions: • Can ecosystem services be maintained in an urbanising environment? • How do carbon and energy balances change under different land uses in transition from a natural dry sclerophyll forest to a peri-urban area? • What impact will Brisbane’s peri-urban development have on water quality and soil borne greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane) and surrounding vegetation? • What are the long-term effects of urbanisation on remnant vegetation? • What impact does pasture composition and management have on greenhouse gas emissions? • How will changes in the climate, land-use (e.g. from rural to residential) affect soil nutrient balances and water leaving the catchment? • How can bio-acoustic monitoring be used for measuring ecosystem biodiversity and health?