Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems --presented by Dr Tanya Doody (CSIRO)

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are complex and dynamic ecosystems that have varying temporal and spatial dependency on groundwater. GDEs can include vegetation, wetlands, and subsurface stygofauna, to name a few. Altered connectivity between GDEs and groundwater results in ecosystem decline leading to irreversible change over extended periods, with ecosystem components succeeded and often by opportunistic invasive weed species. This seminar will illustrate different types of GDEs, characteristics of groundwater dependency and knowledge gaps in their management.
Dr Tanya Doody is a spatial ecohydrological research scientist who facilitates understanding and advancement of research in relation to groundwater dependent ecosystems, with an overarching aim to inform multiple scales of hydrological management. Tanya’s core expertise is in field data collection and interpretation of plant water relations in floodplain and forest environments with skills developed over 30 years in CSIRO, Australia’s national research organisation.
Tanya has significant experience in quantifying the water requirements of vegetation and at times, their impact on water resources. Additionally, using spatial approaches, she scales field evapotranspiration to local and regional scales to identify relationships between hydrology, ecology, surface water and groundwater interactions using integrative science. Collectively, this research helps to understand the water requirements of woody vegetation and the impact of perturbations, especially on native trees in the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia, to ensure suitable provision of groundwater and surface water to maintain ecosystem functions.