Predicting adaptive responses to climate change in Australian native bees. This project aims to understand how insects will adapt to climate change by examining a largely overlooked but economically important group of species: Australian native bees. Native bees are important pollinators of both crops and native plants, but their sensitivity to changes in climate are unknown. Expected outcomes include new knowledge of the resilience of native bees to climate change, and new effective tools for p ....Predicting adaptive responses to climate change in Australian native bees. This project aims to understand how insects will adapt to climate change by examining a largely overlooked but economically important group of species: Australian native bees. Native bees are important pollinators of both crops and native plants, but their sensitivity to changes in climate are unknown. Expected outcomes include new knowledge of the resilience of native bees to climate change, and new effective tools for predicting climate change resilience that can be applied to many species. The intended benefits include increasing our understanding of the potential for native bees to act as future pollinators in Australia’s natural and agro-ecosystems, and guide policy and management decisions to better protect and conserve our bee fauna.Read moreRead less
Evolution in action or the demise of iconic Australian flora? The project aims to investigate the evolutionary history and conservation status of a group of closely related Grevillea species, in the light of increasing pressure from landscape modification. This project will incorporate leading methodologies for massively parallel sequencing, pollinator preference and breeding capacity in order to detect the patterns and processes underpinning divergence in widely distributed species. A phylogene ....Evolution in action or the demise of iconic Australian flora? The project aims to investigate the evolutionary history and conservation status of a group of closely related Grevillea species, in the light of increasing pressure from landscape modification. This project will incorporate leading methodologies for massively parallel sequencing, pollinator preference and breeding capacity in order to detect the patterns and processes underpinning divergence in widely distributed species. A phylogenetic framework will provide the evolutionary relationships among taxa. This project is expected to inform requirements for long-term species persistence and, for threatened species within the group, guide the decision making of biodiversity managers as to what actions are required and where best to invest limited funds.Read moreRead less
Artificial light at night as a driver of evolutionary change. This project aims to investigate whether artificial light at night drives evolutionary change using a combination of field observations, laboratory experiments and advanced genetic techniques. This multi-disciplinary study expects to provide a significant advance in understanding of the impact of light at night for animals and will enhance our capacity to predict the outcome of future urban expansions for all species. The outcomes wil ....Artificial light at night as a driver of evolutionary change. This project aims to investigate whether artificial light at night drives evolutionary change using a combination of field observations, laboratory experiments and advanced genetic techniques. This multi-disciplinary study expects to provide a significant advance in understanding of the impact of light at night for animals and will enhance our capacity to predict the outcome of future urban expansions for all species. The outcomes will have broad implications for estimating the future biodiversity and health of our urban areas and will benefit both globally and within Australia by providing much needed data regarding the likely resilience of species currently residing in our major cities.Read moreRead less
Eco-evolutionary drivers of niche dynamics in invasive weeds. The project aims to understand how and why invasive species become invasive. Many exotic species are known to expand their ecological niches in their novel range, exploiting habitats that ancestral populations never used. Using a unique approach that combines field transplant and quantitative genetics experiments, this study will identify the drivers of niche expansion in invasive Australian capeweed, and predict if the invasive popul ....Eco-evolutionary drivers of niche dynamics in invasive weeds. The project aims to understand how and why invasive species become invasive. Many exotic species are known to expand their ecological niches in their novel range, exploiting habitats that ancestral populations never used. Using a unique approach that combines field transplant and quantitative genetics experiments, this study will identify the drivers of niche expansion in invasive Australian capeweed, and predict if the invasive populations are likely to further expand their niches. By delivering key insights into mechanisms of adaptive evolution in invasive species, this research should benefit efforts to effectively limit the spread of invasive plants that threaten the native environment. Read moreRead less
The evolution of dispersal on range edges. The rate at which an invasive species spreads, and the ability of a native species to adapt to environmental change, are both contingent on the dispersal ability of the species. Dispersal ability, however, evolves rapidly on the edge of a species' range. The rapid evolution of dispersal, therefore, determines the eventual range-limits of invasive species, as well as of native species responding to changing conditions. This research will provide tools ....The evolution of dispersal on range edges. The rate at which an invasive species spreads, and the ability of a native species to adapt to environmental change, are both contingent on the dispersal ability of the species. Dispersal ability, however, evolves rapidly on the edge of a species' range. The rapid evolution of dispersal, therefore, determines the eventual range-limits of invasive species, as well as of native species responding to changing conditions. This research will provide tools with which to predict the direction and rate of dispersal evolution on range-edges. The results of this work will, thus, massively facilitate management of invasive species and climate change.Read moreRead less
Evolution on the edge: a model system for evolution on invasion fronts. This project aims to develop a shared experimental platform, using the well-studied ecological model, Daphnia, to test emergent predictions about evolution on invasion fronts. Evolution happens rapidly on invasion fronts, accelerating the speed and potentially the damage caused by an invasion. By manipulating invasions through an experimental landscape, the project aims to answer currently infeasible questions, including whe ....Evolution on the edge: a model system for evolution on invasion fronts. This project aims to develop a shared experimental platform, using the well-studied ecological model, Daphnia, to test emergent predictions about evolution on invasion fronts. Evolution happens rapidly on invasion fronts, accelerating the speed and potentially the damage caused by an invasion. By manipulating invasions through an experimental landscape, the project aims to answer currently infeasible questions, including whether pathogens become more virulent as they spread, and whether evolutionary trade-offs place limits on spread rate. This work would dramatically improve our understanding of biological invasions and may have implications for the management of phenomena ranging from emergent diseases to invasive pests and malignant growths.Read moreRead less
Shape-shifting birds: a novel consequence of climate change. This project aims to identify which species are affected by climate change, and whether these changes in their ecology enhance or decrease fitness and survival. Climate change is having drastic effects on animal biology, threatening many species. Recent data suggest that changes in body shape (the size of appendages) is one such effect. By studying the bills and legs of birds this project aims to investigate changes in body shape as a ....Shape-shifting birds: a novel consequence of climate change. This project aims to identify which species are affected by climate change, and whether these changes in their ecology enhance or decrease fitness and survival. Climate change is having drastic effects on animal biology, threatening many species. Recent data suggest that changes in body shape (the size of appendages) is one such effect. By studying the bills and legs of birds this project aims to investigate changes in body shape as a biological response to climate change. This project will model the predicted consequences of changes in body shape on population trends in Australian birds, enabling the prediction of which species are most threatened by climate change, and helping inform conservation priorities.Read moreRead less
The evolution of elaborate antennae in insects. This project will address several neglected but fundamental issues in the field of chemical communication and insect diversity. These include the evolutionary importance of receptor structures in a communication system, and the basis of diversity in one of the most defining characteristics of insects: antennae. The moth species in the proposed experiments are commercial pests of crops and therefore understanding of the evolutionary processes shapin ....The evolution of elaborate antennae in insects. This project will address several neglected but fundamental issues in the field of chemical communication and insect diversity. These include the evolutionary importance of receptor structures in a communication system, and the basis of diversity in one of the most defining characteristics of insects: antennae. The moth species in the proposed experiments are commercial pests of crops and therefore understanding of the evolutionary processes shaping their communication systems and mating behaviour will contribute to better predictive knowledge of the effects of control measures used against them. The project will also involve international collaboration to learn and develop new a technique in the analysis of pheromone communication. Read moreRead less
Testing evolutionary predictions about multiple unrelated traits under changed environmental conditions using visual ecology. An understanding of evolution is vital in managing the effects of environmental change. Senses determine success in survival/reproduction and environmental change affects what is sensed. This project will make and test explicit predictions about evolution under changed conditions using visual physiology, environmental parameters and evolution experiments.
Evolution and role of neo-sex chromosomes in mitonuclear co-evolution. This project aims to characterize the evolution of novel, extended sex chromosomes in an Australian bird, then elucidate their role in climate-associated adaptive evolution. The species falls into two lineages bearing distinct mitochondrial genomes and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes carried on sex chromosomes. The project aims to test whether this extraordinary genome arrangement is splitting the species into two forms: ....Evolution and role of neo-sex chromosomes in mitonuclear co-evolution. This project aims to characterize the evolution of novel, extended sex chromosomes in an Australian bird, then elucidate their role in climate-associated adaptive evolution. The species falls into two lineages bearing distinct mitochondrial genomes and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes carried on sex chromosomes. The project aims to test whether this extraordinary genome arrangement is splitting the species into two forms: one adapted to hotter, drier environments, one to milder ones. This would be tackled using an innovative combination of genomics, cytogenetics, and metabolic data. Understanding the mechanisms at play would represent a major advance in ecology and evolution, with potential implications for conservation management.Read moreRead less