Wheat biomarkers - the effect of nitrogen withdrawal on the proteome and peptidome. Nitrogen is a crucial macroelement for plants. Its importance is highlighted by the wide use of agricultural nitrogen fertilizers in Australia and world wide. This comes at substantial costs for the environment and the economy, due to low nitrogen use efficiency of cereals and environmental impacts. By understanding plant responses to nitrogen we can improve nitrogen efficiency. This project will identify protein ....Wheat biomarkers - the effect of nitrogen withdrawal on the proteome and peptidome. Nitrogen is a crucial macroelement for plants. Its importance is highlighted by the wide use of agricultural nitrogen fertilizers in Australia and world wide. This comes at substantial costs for the environment and the economy, due to low nitrogen use efficiency of cereals and environmental impacts. By understanding plant responses to nitrogen we can improve nitrogen efficiency. This project will identify proteins and peptides as biomarkers of plant responses to nitrogen withdrawal. Such biomarkers can be used in plant breeding and in agricultural prediction of plant nitrogen requirements with the potential to reduce agricultural costs and environmental impacts.Read moreRead less
Deep Downunder: designing a deep-sea exploration and discovery capability for Australia. Exploration of the deep-sea with the modern technologies to be developed by Deep-Downunder is a first for Australia. We aim to explore and discover life at depths from 50-3000m off The Great Barrier Reef, around the seamounts of Lord Howe Island and Tasmania and in the deep canyons of WA and SA. We expect to discover new species, hope for a glimpse of giant squid at home and will answer specific questions on ....Deep Downunder: designing a deep-sea exploration and discovery capability for Australia. Exploration of the deep-sea with the modern technologies to be developed by Deep-Downunder is a first for Australia. We aim to explore and discover life at depths from 50-3000m off The Great Barrier Reef, around the seamounts of Lord Howe Island and Tasmania and in the deep canyons of WA and SA. We expect to discover new species, hope for a glimpse of giant squid at home and will answer specific questions on Australia's ocean biology, fisheries and biotechnology never before approachable. To be effective guardians of Australian waters we must learn what lies in the depths we can't see from a boat.Read moreRead less
Colour vision in birds: consequences to fatal collisions with wind farms. Wind-farms represent a key component of sustainable energy generation world-wide. However, many birds die as a result of collisions with wind-farms, posing an unsolved and controversial conservation issue. The proliferation of wind-farms in Australia will exacerbate the problem. Birds rely on vision to negotiate static and moving objects. Wind-farms, currently coloured to meet human aesthetic criteria, may be 'invisible' t ....Colour vision in birds: consequences to fatal collisions with wind farms. Wind-farms represent a key component of sustainable energy generation world-wide. However, many birds die as a result of collisions with wind-farms, posing an unsolved and controversial conservation issue. The proliferation of wind-farms in Australia will exacerbate the problem. Birds rely on vision to negotiate static and moving objects. Wind-farms, currently coloured to meet human aesthetic criteria, may be 'invisible' to birds since they see colours differently from humans. We will determine bird spectral sensitivities and compare them to the spectral reflectance of wind-farms. We will then develop modifications improving the visibility of wind-farms to birds, thereby reducing fatalities.Read moreRead less
A multidisciplinary research program to assess limiting factors and predict impacts of climate change for endangered Australian orchids. Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity. Australian sexually deceptive orchids are dependent on obligate and specialised interactions with pollinators and fungi. Consequently, they may face a high risk of extinction if climate change uncouples these interactions. Thus orchids provide an important bio-indicator of change. The tools and expertis ....A multidisciplinary research program to assess limiting factors and predict impacts of climate change for endangered Australian orchids. Climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity. Australian sexually deceptive orchids are dependent on obligate and specialised interactions with pollinators and fungi. Consequently, they may face a high risk of extinction if climate change uncouples these interactions. Thus orchids provide an important bio-indicator of change. The tools and expertise developed will contribute directly to the conservation of endangered Australian orchids, and will take into account the risks of climate change. The project will contribute to the priority research goals of sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity as well as responding to climate change and variability. The project will also provide high quality, cross-disciplinary training.Read moreRead less
Establishment of the Australian Cane Toad Genome Program. The Cane Toad is one of Australia's greatest environmental menaces, and is in the top 100 of the "World's Worst invader species". Over a billion toads infest Northern Australia, and they will soon invade WA and move further into NSW. Their poisons and voracious appetite could make many native mammals, birds and reptiles extinct. The only possibility to eradicate the Toad is by biological control, but there is no known control agent. We wi ....Establishment of the Australian Cane Toad Genome Program. The Cane Toad is one of Australia's greatest environmental menaces, and is in the top 100 of the "World's Worst invader species". Over a billion toads infest Northern Australia, and they will soon invade WA and move further into NSW. Their poisons and voracious appetite could make many native mammals, birds and reptiles extinct. The only possibility to eradicate the Toad is by biological control, but there is no known control agent. We will identify the 'Toad's Achilles' heel' against which control agents can be developed. We can do this by identifying every Toad gene. This project forms the first step to this goal by establishing the Australian Cane Toad Genome Program. Toad control will help preserve Australia's unique natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Exploitation of a Novel Drug Target for Controlling Animal Trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomiasis greatly reduces livestock productivity in countries where it is endemic and is a threat to livestock and native wildlife in countries such as Australia where it is exotic but there is a risk of entry. New trypanocidal drugs with different modes of action are urgently needed to overcome growing resistance. This project aims to characterise trypanosome tubulin and, with this information, produce new tubulin ....Exploitation of a Novel Drug Target for Controlling Animal Trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomiasis greatly reduces livestock productivity in countries where it is endemic and is a threat to livestock and native wildlife in countries such as Australia where it is exotic but there is a risk of entry. New trypanocidal drugs with different modes of action are urgently needed to overcome growing resistance. This project aims to characterise trypanosome tubulin and, with this information, produce new tubulin-binding compounds for assessment in vitro and in vivo. Upon completion of the project it is expected that drug binding sites on trypanosome tubulin will be characterised and at least one candidate for clinical trials identified.Read moreRead less