4 March 2019

Queensland Hub researchers were among the first scientists to hear about an innovative new monitoring method that uses fatty acids (important components of cells and fatty tissues) and stable isotopes as biomarkers to better understand river food webs.

Dr Martin Kainz from Danube University explained that this method reveals important information about the quality and quantity of dietary energy sources and subsequent effects on growth, reproduction and species’ survival. Dr Kainz, along with other workshop presenters (including Assoc Prof David Crook) and participants, discussed several methods for food-web analysis and their applications for northern Australian environments, which will inform the Hub’s environmental flows projects among other uses. Presentations from the workshop, organised by Hub partners at the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, can be watched here.