Threshold evolution: conceptualising decisions as traits. All organisms make decisions, yet the diversity of decision rules across the spectrum of life can be understood through a few key evolutionary models. This project will test these models and then apply them to understanding topics as diverse as pest outbreaks, human twinning, sex ratio evolution and disease spread as a consequence of climate change.
Paternal effects: Non-genetic inheritance via seminal fluid? This project seeks to improve understanding of the mechanisms of non-genetic inheritance and its ability to promote adaptation. Although offspring are known to resemble their parents through the action of genes, there is now a growing awareness of non-genetic mechanisms by which parents can affect the growth and health of their offspring. This project aims to quantify the putative role of seminal fluid in so-called non-genetic inherita ....Paternal effects: Non-genetic inheritance via seminal fluid? This project seeks to improve understanding of the mechanisms of non-genetic inheritance and its ability to promote adaptation. Although offspring are known to resemble their parents through the action of genes, there is now a growing awareness of non-genetic mechanisms by which parents can affect the growth and health of their offspring. This project aims to quantify the putative role of seminal fluid in so-called non-genetic inheritance. Using an insect model, the project aims to identify proteins in the seminal fluid that promote early embryo development, explore how males allocate these proteins to their mates, and how females adjust their own reproduction in response to seminal fluid proteins. Improving knowledge of these mechanisms may enable the development of interventions to control the unwanted evolution of harmful organisms.Read moreRead less
Expanding gene-environment causality in evolutionary genetics. This project aims to investigate how environmental experiences shape phenotypes, engender variance in populations and ultimately contribute to evolution. It targets new discoveries for how environmental effects can multiply throughout ontogeny and/or propagate across generations. Although widely speculated to support new evolutionary paradigms, such knowledge lacks scrutiny according to the formal metric of quantitative genetics. Thi ....Expanding gene-environment causality in evolutionary genetics. This project aims to investigate how environmental experiences shape phenotypes, engender variance in populations and ultimately contribute to evolution. It targets new discoveries for how environmental effects can multiply throughout ontogeny and/or propagate across generations. Although widely speculated to support new evolutionary paradigms, such knowledge lacks scrutiny according to the formal metric of quantitative genetics. This project seeks to expose guppy pedigrees to unique manipulations and reconcile adaptive evolution across captive and wild populations. The outcome is expected to address knowledge gaps in the life and human sciences and potentially inform goals in primary production and conservation.Read moreRead less
Sound discrimination in embryos affects lifetime fitness. This project aims to investigate the role of prenatal sound discrimination on postnatal vocal learning and foraging breadth. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of neuroscience and psychology using an innovative approach to measure how embryos learn, and determine effects of prenatal vocal experience on the repertoire of postnatal behaviour. Expected outcomes include understanding biological mechanisms for effective ....Sound discrimination in embryos affects lifetime fitness. This project aims to investigate the role of prenatal sound discrimination on postnatal vocal learning and foraging breadth. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of neuroscience and psychology using an innovative approach to measure how embryos learn, and determine effects of prenatal vocal experience on the repertoire of postnatal behaviour. Expected outcomes include understanding biological mechanisms for effective learning across life stages that would be useful to develop novel approaches for non-invasive monitoring of embryonic cognition.Read moreRead less