Wild eco-evolutionary dynamics: why is an iconic Australian bird declining

Studies that can properly test explanations for declines in wild populations are rare. This Project aims to use new analyses and exceptional long-term data to dissect the ecological and evolutionary processes causing a decline in an iconic Australian bird species. It aims to test (1) how environmental and genetic processes shape individual traits; (2) how these traits determine fitness; and hence (3) how changes in individual fitness affect population dynamics. The intended benefits are an unparalleled understanding of how environmental change affects wild populations, development of new methods, and maintenance of an internationally-important long-term study.