Uncovering the microbial ecology of Australia's coasts: Friends next-door or enemies at the gate? The health and function of coastal habitats is mediated by an abundant community of marine microbes, which perform essential ecosystem services. However, some microbes can periodically disrupt the biogeochemical balance of coastal habitats, while others are dangerous pathogens that cause human illness. Anthropogenic impacts may underpin episodic shifts in the balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ coastal micr ....Uncovering the microbial ecology of Australia's coasts: Friends next-door or enemies at the gate? The health and function of coastal habitats is mediated by an abundant community of marine microbes, which perform essential ecosystem services. However, some microbes can periodically disrupt the biogeochemical balance of coastal habitats, while others are dangerous pathogens that cause human illness. Anthropogenic impacts may underpin episodic shifts in the balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ coastal microbes, but the mechanisms and dynamics of these shifts are undefined. This project will unite cutting-edge analytical tools, including microfluidics and ecogenomics, to redefine our understanding of the microbiology of the Australian coast, providing transformative new insights for preserving our aquatic backyard and protecting our health.Read moreRead less
Microbial junk food: developing synthetic platforms for plastic degradation. This project aims to establish the genetic basis of polyethelene biodegradation (PED) by microbes from the gut microbiome of plastic-eating caterpillars. It will transform the active microbial PED genes into carefully designed synthetic microbes for efficient, safe and large-scale PED. The project will combine innovative functional microbial genetic tools and synthetic biology techniques with solid biochemistry and bioi ....Microbial junk food: developing synthetic platforms for plastic degradation. This project aims to establish the genetic basis of polyethelene biodegradation (PED) by microbes from the gut microbiome of plastic-eating caterpillars. It will transform the active microbial PED genes into carefully designed synthetic microbes for efficient, safe and large-scale PED. The project will combine innovative functional microbial genetic tools and synthetic biology techniques with solid biochemistry and bioinformatics to produce translatable synthetic platforms containing key genes optimised for efficient PE waste removal. The outcomes will have the potential to transform the relative ineffective and expensive current methods for PE disposal into flexible, cost-effective and sustainable solutions applicable to multiple sectors.Read moreRead less
Understanding mycorrhizal phenotypes using functional traits. This project aims to develop a new framework linked to tangible, measurable traits of beneficial plant-fungal partnerships that lead to empirical predictions. The project expects to deliver an understanding of how ecological strategies of plant-fungal partnerships control plant productivity and soil nutrient cycling. Expected outcomes include new methods for predicting whether beneficial partnerships can be realised and knowledge that ....Understanding mycorrhizal phenotypes using functional traits. This project aims to develop a new framework linked to tangible, measurable traits of beneficial plant-fungal partnerships that lead to empirical predictions. The project expects to deliver an understanding of how ecological strategies of plant-fungal partnerships control plant productivity and soil nutrient cycling. Expected outcomes include new methods for predicting whether beneficial partnerships can be realised and knowledge that can be transformed into recommendations for practitioners. This should lead to significant impact associated with trustworthy assessments of commercial products and of management recommendations, supporting economic and environmental benefits linked with more productive soils and improved ecosystem health.Read moreRead less
The dynamics of evolution: How horizontal gene transfer drives the diversification and adaptation of complex, bacterial communities. The genetic exchange between populations is a prerequisite for the long-term evolution of bacteria, however its short-term dynamics are largely unexplored. This project aims to define the temporal dynamics of gene transfer and how it shapes the genetic composition of entire bacterial communities. Using innovative DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, This ....The dynamics of evolution: How horizontal gene transfer drives the diversification and adaptation of complex, bacterial communities. The genetic exchange between populations is a prerequisite for the long-term evolution of bacteria, however its short-term dynamics are largely unexplored. This project aims to define the temporal dynamics of gene transfer and how it shapes the genetic composition of entire bacterial communities. Using innovative DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, This project aims to offer a significant new understanding of the short-term diversification of communities and how different evolutionary forces shape bacterial function. It will show how bacterial systems can adapt to new environmental conditions and the effect on essential ecosystem functions.Read moreRead less
Chemical warfare in the marine environment: the role of surface-associated bacteria and their antibiotics. Antibiotics from natural sources are an essential part of modern medicine, however their function in the environment is poorly understood. This project aims to define how antibiotic-producing bacteria from marine macroalgae determine ecological interactions on the micro- and macro-biological level. This work will combine innovative approaches in microbial and chemical analysis to provide in ....Chemical warfare in the marine environment: the role of surface-associated bacteria and their antibiotics. Antibiotics from natural sources are an essential part of modern medicine, however their function in the environment is poorly understood. This project aims to define how antibiotic-producing bacteria from marine macroalgae determine ecological interactions on the micro- and macro-biological level. This work will combine innovative approaches in microbial and chemical analysis to provide insights into how antibiotics influence microbial communities and how this impacts on macroalgal health. The outcomes of this project will answer the fundamental question of the impact of antibiotics in natural systems and the role of antibiotic-producing bacteria in safeguarding important habitat-forming macroalgae against environmental stress.Read moreRead less
Cell division in archaea. This project aims to reveal how archaeal FtsZ proteins and their spatial regulators control cell division, and develop an archaeal paradigm for cell biology. Archaea, a major group of microorganisms, are one of the three major domains of life on earth. They are diverse and show potential for innovation, but, owing to their relatively recent identification, are poorly understood compared to bacteria and eukaryotes. Expected outcomes are insights into the function of FtsZ ....Cell division in archaea. This project aims to reveal how archaeal FtsZ proteins and their spatial regulators control cell division, and develop an archaeal paradigm for cell biology. Archaea, a major group of microorganisms, are one of the three major domains of life on earth. They are diverse and show potential for innovation, but, owing to their relatively recent identification, are poorly understood compared to bacteria and eukaryotes. Expected outcomes are insights into the function of FtsZ-based cell division in archaea; better understanding of cell structure, function and diversity; and a wide range of cell and molecular biology studies.Read moreRead less
Breaking through the Gram-negative cell barrier. This project aims to develop fundamental knowledge of the cell envelope in Gram-negative bacteria, which functions as a permeability barrier to small molecules. Combining innovative functional genomics with biochemistry, this project will determine how small molecules can pass across the cell envelope, and the chemical properties that they need to do so. Some Gram-negative bacteria are human pathogens and cause serious infections, whereas others a ....Breaking through the Gram-negative cell barrier. This project aims to develop fundamental knowledge of the cell envelope in Gram-negative bacteria, which functions as a permeability barrier to small molecules. Combining innovative functional genomics with biochemistry, this project will determine how small molecules can pass across the cell envelope, and the chemical properties that they need to do so. Some Gram-negative bacteria are human pathogens and cause serious infections, whereas others are used in biotechnology for biosynthetic chemical production or bioremediation. This project expects to help the future development of new antibiotics and assist in the design of strains to be used in biotechnological applications.Read moreRead less
Microbe-produced repellents and their roles in marine pathogen behaviours. Economic losses caused by disease outbreaks in marine fisheries and aquaculture exceed US$6 billion per year globally. Decades of research in human and plant pathogens have revealed that the ability of pathogens to infect their host is governed by behaviours; however our understanding of the chemical cues affecting the behaviour of marine pathogens is very poor. This research program aims to combine new approaches in micr ....Microbe-produced repellents and their roles in marine pathogen behaviours. Economic losses caused by disease outbreaks in marine fisheries and aquaculture exceed US$6 billion per year globally. Decades of research in human and plant pathogens have revealed that the ability of pathogens to infect their host is governed by behaviours; however our understanding of the chemical cues affecting the behaviour of marine pathogens is very poor. This research program aims to combine new approaches in microfluidics and chemical imaging to identify the cues that govern the behaviour of marine pathogens. Expected outcomes include an improved capacity to predict, monitor and manage marine diseases, as well as novel strategies to prevent disease outbreaks, helping to protect Australia’s valuable marine estate.Read moreRead less
Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life c ....Unlocking bacterial shapeshifting and its role in antimicrobial resistance. This project aims to combine advanced imaging with innovative microfluidics to identify how microbial shapeshifting can be exploited as a target for new antimicrobials. Infections that are hard to treat due to increasing antimicrobial resistance not only have an enormous, global impact on mammalian health, including livestock and humans, but also carry a growing economic burden. Advanced understanding of microbial life can propel urgently needed progress this area. Specifically, the project outcomes are expected to aid the development of next generation antibiotics. The new fundamental knowledge should also benefit translational prevention, identification and management efforts of a rising national and global health threat.Read moreRead less
Atmospheric carbon fixation: a novel microbial process in Antarctic soils. This project aims to challenge our global understanding of carbon fixation. In most ecosystems, phototrophy supports higher-trophic life, yet no genetic evidence for photosynthesis exists in Antarctic desert soils. The project will determine the significance of atmospheric chemotrophy, a microbial driven process based on the consumption of atmospheric gases that it is proposed supports energy maintenance and biomass assim ....Atmospheric carbon fixation: a novel microbial process in Antarctic soils. This project aims to challenge our global understanding of carbon fixation. In most ecosystems, phototrophy supports higher-trophic life, yet no genetic evidence for photosynthesis exists in Antarctic desert soils. The project will determine the significance of atmospheric chemotrophy, a microbial driven process based on the consumption of atmospheric gases that it is proposed supports energy maintenance and biomass assimilation in nutrient-starved Antarctic desert soils. Additionally, the project will establish if these processes are structuring soil microbial communities, particularly in response to climate change. The expected project outcome is knowledge of primary production at the nutritional limits of life. This should provide significant benefit, such as a shift in our knowledge of the biological sciences as a new minimalistic mode of primary production.Read moreRead less