Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. This project aims to develop a new shark deterrent technology to protect surfers and paddlers. Shark attacks are physically and emotionally devastating for the victims, and make the community disproportionately afraid. Surfers are at most risk of attack, but current surfboard-mounted deterrents are ineffective and not widely used. This project will build on the recent discove ....Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. Bio-inspired camouflage to prevent shark attacks on surfers. This project aims to develop a new shark deterrent technology to protect surfers and paddlers. Shark attacks are physically and emotionally devastating for the victims, and make the community disproportionately afraid. Surfers are at most risk of attack, but current surfboard-mounted deterrents are ineffective and not widely used. This project will build on the recent discovery that white sharks do not attack counter-illuminated (light emitting) seal-shaped decoys, and use new information about shark vision to understand why this ‘camouflage’ is so successful. This will also help to protect threatened shark species by reducing reliance on culling programs to keep people safe in the water.Read moreRead less
Human-animal relationships in zoos: Optimising animal and visitor experiences. Extensive research on human-animal relationships in agricultural and domestic settings shows that human-animal interaction affects animal behaviour and welfare, which in turn affect human attitudes to animals. As conservation and welfare organisations, zoos aim to provide visitors with opportunities to closely interact with animals to improve visitor experience and conservation outcomes, whilst maintaining good animal ....Human-animal relationships in zoos: Optimising animal and visitor experiences. Extensive research on human-animal relationships in agricultural and domestic settings shows that human-animal interaction affects animal behaviour and welfare, which in turn affect human attitudes to animals. As conservation and welfare organisations, zoos aim to provide visitors with opportunities to closely interact with animals to improve visitor experience and conservation outcomes, whilst maintaining good animal welfare. Some visitor interactions may be stressful for some animals creating conflict between animal welfare and visitor experience. By determining visitor effects, this project aims to provide zoos with practical animal management and educational strategies to optimise both animal welfare and visitor experience.Read moreRead less
The ecology of trace metal contamination in native Australian mammals. The ecology of trace metal contamination in native Australian mammals . This project aims to evaluate the impacts of mined trace metals on the health and performance of native Australian mammals in a northern tropical ecosystem and to determine how each species’ ecology contributes to their risk of contamination. The research also aims to give local Indigenous Rangers scientifically based strategies to improve wildlife conser ....The ecology of trace metal contamination in native Australian mammals. The ecology of trace metal contamination in native Australian mammals . This project aims to evaluate the impacts of mined trace metals on the health and performance of native Australian mammals in a northern tropical ecosystem and to determine how each species’ ecology contributes to their risk of contamination. The research also aims to give local Indigenous Rangers scientifically based strategies to improve wildlife conservation on their island. Australia’s long-term health relies on its ability to minimise the environmental costs of mining, particularly in areas characterised by high biodiversity, unique native species, or species of cultural or touristic value. Anticipated outcomes are better, more targeted strategies for conservation in mining areas.Read moreRead less
Movement, migration and social networks in wild shark populations. Sharks are vital components of marine ecosystems and contribute significantly to ecotourism and fisheries. Due to their slow rate of growth and reproduction, sharks are susceptible to over exploitation. A lack of knowledge regarding their behaviour and movement patterns is a key impediment to effective management. This project aims to examine social interactions and migration patterns of Port Jackson sharks using a unique combina ....Movement, migration and social networks in wild shark populations. Sharks are vital components of marine ecosystems and contribute significantly to ecotourism and fisheries. Due to their slow rate of growth and reproduction, sharks are susceptible to over exploitation. A lack of knowledge regarding their behaviour and movement patterns is a key impediment to effective management. This project aims to examine social interactions and migration patterns of Port Jackson sharks using a unique combination of genetic techniques, novel acoustic tag technology, behavioural manipulations and modern social network analysis. Once verified, the approach developed can be applied to other marine predators of particular management concern. The data generated will directly inform fisheries and conservation management policy.Read moreRead less
Assessing the determinants and consequences of safety climate in the maritime industry. This project will examine the predictors and outcomes of safety climate in the Australian maritime industry. Findings from this project will be used to improve safety policies, regulations and practices that aim to minimise the number of accidents and incidents in Australian waters.
New Approaches to the Control of Post-Weaning Diarrhoea in Piglets. In Australia, post?weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets is a major constraint to efficient and profitable production. Increasing levels of resistance to dietary antibiotics by gut pathogens such as Escherichia coli, the bacterium implicated in PWD, is a major reason for this problem. This research will identify nutritional means of controlling PWD and increasing production after weaning. This will be achieved by strategic nutritio ....New Approaches to the Control of Post-Weaning Diarrhoea in Piglets. In Australia, post?weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets is a major constraint to efficient and profitable production. Increasing levels of resistance to dietary antibiotics by gut pathogens such as Escherichia coli, the bacterium implicated in PWD, is a major reason for this problem. This research will identify nutritional means of controlling PWD and increasing production after weaning. This will be achieved by strategic nutritional interventions in the pre-weaning and (or) post-weaning periods targeted at reducing bacterial pathogens in the gut. A reduction in PWD will increase the overall efficiency of pig production in Australia and reduce antibiotic use.Read moreRead less
Strategies for mid-air collision avoidance in aircraft: lessons from bird flight. Birds seldom collide with each other and other objects, despite the high speeds at which they fly in complex environments. This project will examine how birds sense and avoid impending collisions, and will use these results to design novel strategies for the detection and avoidance of aircraft mid-air collisions.
Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. This project aims to understand how different animals encounter pesticide in the landscape through quantifying residue deposition in arid grasslands and investigating how pesticides used to control locust plagues affect fauna. This project will investigate fenitrothion and fipronil, the main pesticides used in Australia for locust control. It will develop a deposition model for aeria ....Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. This project aims to understand how different animals encounter pesticide in the landscape through quantifying residue deposition in arid grasslands and investigating how pesticides used to control locust plagues affect fauna. This project will investigate fenitrothion and fipronil, the main pesticides used in Australia for locust control. It will develop a deposition model for aerial pesticide spraying, determine the short-term effect of sprayed pesticides on the behaviour and condition of free-ranging target fauna that use the environment differently, and quantify the relative importance of dietary and non-dietary exposure routes to gauge the importance of animal behaviour on pesticide exposure. Anticipated outcomes are improved baseline assessments for locusticides.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the effect of nutrient-gene interaction in utero in key tissues instrumental to productivity and sustainability of the beef industry. The cattle industry occupies 43 per cent of the land mass and provides 13 per cent of rural employment. Nutritional insult in utero affects postnatal reproductive and production traits in cattle and imposes epigenetic modifications. This project investigates the effect upon genes affecting appetite, ovarian development, adipogenesis, myogenesis and pos ....Quantifying the effect of nutrient-gene interaction in utero in key tissues instrumental to productivity and sustainability of the beef industry. The cattle industry occupies 43 per cent of the land mass and provides 13 per cent of rural employment. Nutritional insult in utero affects postnatal reproductive and production traits in cattle and imposes epigenetic modifications. This project investigates the effect upon genes affecting appetite, ovarian development, adipogenesis, myogenesis and post natal growth.Read moreRead less
Development of cloning technology for the Australian Pig Industry. Cloning has the potential to be the most efficient of the reproductive technologies developed for increasing genetic improvement in livestock. Currently up to 5% of cloned embryos develop to term in the pig. This is higher than that reported for cattle and sheep. Moreover the use of this technology in the pig does not appear not to result in the same sorts of problems and losses seen around the time of birth in these species ....Development of cloning technology for the Australian Pig Industry. Cloning has the potential to be the most efficient of the reproductive technologies developed for increasing genetic improvement in livestock. Currently up to 5% of cloned embryos develop to term in the pig. This is higher than that reported for cattle and sheep. Moreover the use of this technology in the pig does not appear not to result in the same sorts of problems and losses seen around the time of birth in these species i.e. the majority of cloned pigs appear normal and are healthy at birth. However before cloning can be used commercially, current efficiencies need to be increased approx two fold for this to be economically viable. The aim of the present study is to improve the efficiency of our current cloning protocol and develop associated technologies such as embryo freezing to facilitate commercialisation. This will ensure that the Australian Pig Industry remains competitive at a pivotal time in its development.Read moreRead less