Assessment of the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of subterranean animals from calcrete aquifers in central western Australia. Recently a rich and diverse subterranean invertebrate fauna (stygofauna) was unexpectedly discovered from numerous isolated calcrete aquifers associated with palaeodrainage channels in central Western Australia. Our recent taxonomic and molecular studies have suggested that stygofaunas within each aquifer may be highly endemic. We aim to test this hypothesis by in ....Assessment of the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of subterranean animals from calcrete aquifers in central western Australia. Recently a rich and diverse subterranean invertebrate fauna (stygofauna) was unexpectedly discovered from numerous isolated calcrete aquifers associated with palaeodrainage channels in central Western Australia. Our recent taxonomic and molecular studies have suggested that stygofaunas within each aquifer may be highly endemic. We aim to test this hypothesis by investigating the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of stygofauna from three major calcrete regions. We further aim to document the environmental conditions and variability within the aquifers and to develop rigorous sampling protocols. Such data are essential for the development of appropriate strategies for sustainable management of subterranean water and their ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Latitudinal gradients in biotic processes affecting plant growth and establishment. The idea that plant-animal interactions are more intense in the tropics underpins much thinking about tropical ecology, global patterns in plant traits, and latitudinal gradients in biodiversity. In this project, we will provide the first direct and global test of this idea by quantifying the intensity of herbivory, seed predation and density-dependent seedling mortality at approximately 100 study sites around th ....Latitudinal gradients in biotic processes affecting plant growth and establishment. The idea that plant-animal interactions are more intense in the tropics underpins much thinking about tropical ecology, global patterns in plant traits, and latitudinal gradients in biodiversity. In this project, we will provide the first direct and global test of this idea by quantifying the intensity of herbivory, seed predation and density-dependent seedling mortality at approximately 100 study sites around the world. We will also investigate the causes of these latitudinal gradients by determining which environmental variables are most closely associated with the strength of biotic interactions.Read moreRead less
Testing Theories of Historical Divergence using South Eastern Australian Reptiles. The processes that serve to create species diversity must also be preserved in order to allow evolution to continue. My study will clarify the number and distribution of water skink species in south eastern Australia, a biologically diverse, yet under studied area of Australia. I will also be looking at processes, such as dispersal, that determine patterns of species distribution over time. These lizards are also ....Testing Theories of Historical Divergence using South Eastern Australian Reptiles. The processes that serve to create species diversity must also be preserved in order to allow evolution to continue. My study will clarify the number and distribution of water skink species in south eastern Australia, a biologically diverse, yet under studied area of Australia. I will also be looking at processes, such as dispersal, that determine patterns of species distribution over time. These lizards are also found on mountain tops and may be affected by global warming. Understanding how climate change has affected these lizards in the past may help us to predict how climate changes will affect them in the future and better enable us to conserve these and other species in the future.Read moreRead less
Were the Tertiary radiations of the Australian flora synchronous? A molecular phylogenetic approach. The fossil record shows that in a short period from about 20 Mya, the ancestral Gondwanan rainforest gave way to the unique Australian ?sclerophyll? flora dominated by eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas. This coincided with a drying climate and the advent of fire. It is hypothesized that ?explosive? evolutionary radiations rapidly increased the number of sclerophyll species, rather than a mere r ....Were the Tertiary radiations of the Australian flora synchronous? A molecular phylogenetic approach. The fossil record shows that in a short period from about 20 Mya, the ancestral Gondwanan rainforest gave way to the unique Australian ?sclerophyll? flora dominated by eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas. This coincided with a drying climate and the advent of fire. It is hypothesized that ?explosive? evolutionary radiations rapidly increased the number of sclerophyll species, rather than a mere range expansion of pre-existing species. In a novel approach, molecular phylogenies of several distantly related plant groups will be used to test whether explosive evolutionary radiations took place simultaneously and to identify the environmental triggers.Read moreRead less
Stable isotopes in marsupials: reconstruction of environmental change in Australia. This project will establish the application of stable isotope analysis of marsupial bones for the reconstruction of past environments, a key area to advance Australian prehistory. On a continental scale, it will establish the relationship between stable isotopes (C, O, N) in bones and environmental factors (e.g., plant distribution, humidity, temperature); on a local scale, the relationship between stable isotope ....Stable isotopes in marsupials: reconstruction of environmental change in Australia. This project will establish the application of stable isotope analysis of marsupial bones for the reconstruction of past environments, a key area to advance Australian prehistory. On a continental scale, it will establish the relationship between stable isotopes (C, O, N) in bones and environmental factors (e.g., plant distribution, humidity, temperature); on a local scale, the relationship between stable isotopes and aboriginal land management. The project will provide a late Quaternary environmental reconstruction along a transect from the coastal regions in South Australia into the Lake Eyre Basin and explore the methodological limitations at sites with long fossil records.Read moreRead less
The ancient symbiosis of crayfish and temnocephalan flatworms in Australian freshwaters investigated using molecules, morphology and biogeography. Freshwater parastacid crayfish are widespread and diverse in Australia's freshwaters. Associated with them (living on external surfaces) since their origins on Gondwana are very many species of temnocephalan flatworms. We will elucidate the molecular, morphological and biogeographic history of this association which appears to be ancient and specific. ....The ancient symbiosis of crayfish and temnocephalan flatworms in Australian freshwaters investigated using molecules, morphology and biogeography. Freshwater parastacid crayfish are widespread and diverse in Australia's freshwaters. Associated with them (living on external surfaces) since their origins on Gondwana are very many species of temnocephalan flatworms. We will elucidate the molecular, morphological and biogeographic history of this association which appears to be ancient and specific. The study will shed light on Australia's biological links with New Zealand and South America. It will also use the association between crayfish and temnocephalans as a model to investigate general features of symbioses, including molecular and morphological evolutionary responses and phenomena such as host-switching and cospeciation.Read moreRead less
Co-evolution of sociality and sex allocation: phylogenetic comparative approaches using insects. This project investigates the coevolution of sex allocation and sociality. Although linkage between these two traits has long been conjectured in evolutionary ecology, and numerous studies have investigated species-specific relationships, the question of how these two features interact over evolutionary time has not been examined. Here, we apply phylogenetic comparative approaches to determine wh ....Co-evolution of sociality and sex allocation: phylogenetic comparative approaches using insects. This project investigates the coevolution of sex allocation and sociality. Although linkage between these two traits has long been conjectured in evolutionary ecology, and numerous studies have investigated species-specific relationships, the question of how these two features interact over evolutionary time has not been examined. Here, we apply phylogenetic comparative approaches to determine whether sex allocation strategies have influenced subsequent social evolution. In particular, we extend the notion of parental manipulation to ask whether mothers have been able to use sex allocation to influence alloparental behaviour in their offspring, leading to greater levels of altruism.Read moreRead less
Predicting Biodiversity from Population Dynamics. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how changes to the environment, including those attributable to human activities, influence the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. This understanding is of urgent importance, in light of the predicted changes in climate and habitat over the next century, because biodiversity is critical to the proper functioning of ecosystems that human societies depend ....Predicting Biodiversity from Population Dynamics. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how changes to the environment, including those attributable to human activities, influence the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. This understanding is of urgent importance, in light of the predicted changes in climate and habitat over the next century, because biodiversity is critical to the proper functioning of ecosystems that human societies depend upon. The graduate student involved in this research will have the opportunity to receive in-depth training as part of a cross-disciplinary collaboration that combines mathematics, ecology, evolution, and paleontology.
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New Molecular Approaches to Comparative Phylogeography. Funds are requested to gather data to test new molecular and analytical approaches in the field of molecular phylogeography. We will generate phylogeographic hypotheses from mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA for six species and evaluate the utility of microsatellite data for the reconstruction of phylogeographic history. We will borrow powerful analytical techniques from the field of evolutionary ecology and use them in a completely nove ....New Molecular Approaches to Comparative Phylogeography. Funds are requested to gather data to test new molecular and analytical approaches in the field of molecular phylogeography. We will generate phylogeographic hypotheses from mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA for six species and evaluate the utility of microsatellite data for the reconstruction of phylogeographic history. We will borrow powerful analytical techniques from the field of evolutionary ecology and use them in a completely novel way to test hypotheses of microsatellite diversity. Our research is inter-disciplinary in that we will bridge the gap between molecular phylogenetics and molecular evolution and in so doing make a major advancement in this emerging field.Read moreRead less
Australia's monsoon tropical flora: invader or relict? The monsoonal tropics is a large region with unique yet poorly understood biodiversity. It is undergoing rapid agricultural, urban and tourist development, all of which threaten the sustainability of that biodiversity. The region includes three World Heritage areas, all with flora in their listed values: Kakadu National Park, Purnulu NP (Bungle Bungles) and Riversleigh. Additionally, the Kimberley is considered one of the last great wilderne ....Australia's monsoon tropical flora: invader or relict? The monsoonal tropics is a large region with unique yet poorly understood biodiversity. It is undergoing rapid agricultural, urban and tourist development, all of which threaten the sustainability of that biodiversity. The region includes three World Heritage areas, all with flora in their listed values: Kakadu National Park, Purnulu NP (Bungle Bungles) and Riversleigh. Additionally, the Kimberley is considered one of the last great wilderness areas in the world. This project will help us understand the evolutionary and geographic origins of the biodiversity of the monsoonal tropics, including the World Heritage areas, and it will identify those components that are uniquely Australian and therefore have the greatest heritage values.Read moreRead less