Saving Wildlife: Saving People On Our Roads. Wildlife roadkill accrues high economic and social costs to all Australians. Motor vehicle damage, human fatalities and passenger distress, high insurance premiums and loss of biodiversity all result from wildlife-vehicle collisions. We have formed a coalition between government agencies, animal welfare organisations and our research institution to strategically research roadkill. We will gather, collate and analyse statistics on collisions to identif ....Saving Wildlife: Saving People On Our Roads. Wildlife roadkill accrues high economic and social costs to all Australians. Motor vehicle damage, human fatalities and passenger distress, high insurance premiums and loss of biodiversity all result from wildlife-vehicle collisions. We have formed a coalition between government agencies, animal welfare organisations and our research institution to strategically research roadkill. We will gather, collate and analyse statistics on collisions to identify causal factors and develop predictive models of roadkill to target blackspots for mitigation. We will develop and apply effective abatement technologies to significantly reduce the incidence of roadkill. The result will be safer roads for us and our wildlife.Read moreRead less
The effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. Dispersal is thought to be critical for the persistence of small avian populations in fragmented landscapes. However, our knowledge of avian dispersal behaviour is limited. I will combine behavioural observations on radiotagged birds and powerful genetic markers to examine the effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. ....The effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. Dispersal is thought to be critical for the persistence of small avian populations in fragmented landscapes. However, our knowledge of avian dispersal behaviour is limited. I will combine behavioural observations on radiotagged birds and powerful genetic markers to examine the effects of habitat fragmentation on the dispersal behaviour of a rainforest restricted bird, the logrunner. This study will determine how landscape structure influences the movement of juvenile logrunners, investigate the causes and consequences of variation in dispersal behaviour, and use genetic data to test predictions about connectivity between populations made using behavioural observations on dispersal.Read moreRead less
Conservation genetics and socio-ecology of marsupials in fragmented populations of south-eastern South Australia: towards a regional biodiversity management plan. Habitat destruction and fragmentation is causing the decline of many species in native forests of eastern and southern Australia. Our project will investigate the interplay between the human activities of agriculture and forestry and their effects on native forest ecosystems. It will provide new data on the consequences of fragmentati ....Conservation genetics and socio-ecology of marsupials in fragmented populations of south-eastern South Australia: towards a regional biodiversity management plan. Habitat destruction and fragmentation is causing the decline of many species in native forests of eastern and southern Australia. Our project will investigate the interplay between the human activities of agriculture and forestry and their effects on native forest ecosystems. It will provide new data on the consequences of fragmentation to native mammal species in the rural and regional communities of south-east South Australia and western Victoria. It will establish a strong collaborative partnership between two forestry companies, conservation agencies and university conservation biologists to develop strategies to sustainably manage biodiversity in native forests and conserve populations of rare and threatened native mammals species. Read moreRead less
BEYOND ABUNDANCE: HOW TOP PREDATORS AFFECT MESOPREDATOR BEHAVIOUR AND LIFE HISTORY. Top predators strongly influence biodiversity. Areas with high biodiversity attract tourism income and provide valuable ecosystem services. In Australia, high biodiversity, and the opportunity to view top predators, increase the experience quality of tourists, and increase the probability that they will visit an area, but Australia has many highly fragmented ecosystems, which lose top predators. Disappearance of ....BEYOND ABUNDANCE: HOW TOP PREDATORS AFFECT MESOPREDATOR BEHAVIOUR AND LIFE HISTORY. Top predators strongly influence biodiversity. Areas with high biodiversity attract tourism income and provide valuable ecosystem services. In Australia, high biodiversity, and the opportunity to view top predators, increase the experience quality of tourists, and increase the probability that they will visit an area, but Australia has many highly fragmented ecosystems, which lose top predators. Disappearance of top predators can lead to expanding populations of mid-level predators, and concomitant losses of biodiversity. In Australia, where lizards are major top- and mid-level predators in terrestrial systems, our study will directly address the consequences of predator disappearance, and provide management strategies to deal with it.Read moreRead less
Beyond Abundance: An experimental study of the effects of predators on prey behaviour and reproduction. Understanding the influence of top predators on community composition and population dynamics at lower trophic levels is a central problem in ecology, with important implications for ecological theory and conservation biology. Our study will be among the first to examine effects of presence and absence of top-level predators on the behaviour, reproduction, and microhabitat use of mid-level p ....Beyond Abundance: An experimental study of the effects of predators on prey behaviour and reproduction. Understanding the influence of top predators on community composition and population dynamics at lower trophic levels is a central problem in ecology, with important implications for ecological theory and conservation biology. Our study will be among the first to examine effects of presence and absence of top-level predators on the behaviour, reproduction, and microhabitat use of mid-level predators. Understanding how the behaviour and ecology of lower-level species change in response to changes in abundance of top-level predators will increase the ability of managers to mitigate the impacts of changes in predator abundance on managed ecosystems.Read moreRead less
The major histocompatibility complex and scent-mediated mate choice in a Procellariiform, Gould's petrel. In Australia, there are 25 species of Procellariiformes listed as threatened or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Formulating comprehensive conservation plans for endangered species requires a good understanding of the species' breeding biology yet virtually nothing is known about the mechanisms involved in mate choice in the procellariiforms ....The major histocompatibility complex and scent-mediated mate choice in a Procellariiform, Gould's petrel. In Australia, there are 25 species of Procellariiformes listed as threatened or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Formulating comprehensive conservation plans for endangered species requires a good understanding of the species' breeding biology yet virtually nothing is known about the mechanisms involved in mate choice in the procellariiforms. A better understanding of the traits these long-lived birds use when choosing their lifelong breeding partner could greatly benefit conservation strategies designed to protect them. This could be particularly beneficial where translocation is an option because birds being translocated could be assessed for compatibility prior to translocation.Read moreRead less
Inbreeding: what are the reproductive costs and how are they avoided? Inbreeding in animal populations will undoubtedly become more prevalent in the face of increased habitat fragmentation brought on by human activities and climate change. By increasing our understanding of how inbreeding influences reproductive traits, my research will be directly applicable to conservation programs, specifically by providing insights into how Australia's rich biodiversity will respond to climate change and var ....Inbreeding: what are the reproductive costs and how are they avoided? Inbreeding in animal populations will undoubtedly become more prevalent in the face of increased habitat fragmentation brought on by human activities and climate change. By increasing our understanding of how inbreeding influences reproductive traits, my research will be directly applicable to conservation programs, specifically by providing insights into how Australia's rich biodiversity will respond to climate change and variability. This project also addresses critical issues in evolutionary biology, thereby contributing towards Australia's reputation as a world leader in this field. Australian science will further benefit through international collaborations and from the training of young scientists.Read moreRead less
The roles of relatedness and reproductive success in complex social systems of dolphins. Theories of the role of genetic relatedness and reproductive success in mammalian social behaviour have mostly been restricted to primates and carnivores. Coexisting alternative strategies within one population of bottlenose dolphins (Shark Bay WA) offer unprecedented opportunities for such investigations. The male alliances? complexity is unparalleled outside humans, and may require new theory. Some femal ....The roles of relatedness and reproductive success in complex social systems of dolphins. Theories of the role of genetic relatedness and reproductive success in mammalian social behaviour have mostly been restricted to primates and carnivores. Coexisting alternative strategies within one population of bottlenose dolphins (Shark Bay WA) offer unprecedented opportunities for such investigations. The male alliances? complexity is unparalleled outside humans, and may require new theory. Some female lineages show tool-use - rare outside humans, and virtually unknown in marine species. Our behavioural and genetic database has exceptional size, detail and duration for marine mammals, and is most valuable if continued while known individuals' offspring reach a stage where they can be sampled.Read moreRead less
Mate choice near and far: Genetic compatibility, sexual selection, and speciation in Australian grass finches. The pressure on individuals to choose a genetically compatible partner has the capacity to drive the evolution of mating systems and the process of speciation, and is therefore a major engine of biodiversity. Reproductive failure resulting from incompatibility between individuals is more likely when individuals from fragmented and genetically structured populations mate with one another ....Mate choice near and far: Genetic compatibility, sexual selection, and speciation in Australian grass finches. The pressure on individuals to choose a genetically compatible partner has the capacity to drive the evolution of mating systems and the process of speciation, and is therefore a major engine of biodiversity. Reproductive failure resulting from incompatibility between individuals is more likely when individuals from fragmented and genetically structured populations mate with one another. This work will give new insight into biological processes that drive biodiversity and effect the management of threatened populations and endangered species. The proposed research will raise the international profile of Australian science and biodiversity and improve our ability to manage our natural biological resources. Read moreRead less
Microbial Pathogens as Selective Agents in the Evolution of Arthropod Sociality. We will reveal ecological and evolutionary forces that have shaped a major response of social insects to microbial disease, then apply the results to drug discovery. We will generate the first data on a new approach to antibiotic bioprospecting in the social insects yielding two major outcomes: First, we identify novel sources of antimicrobial compounds. Second, we demonstrate that the new, biorational approach is a ....Microbial Pathogens as Selective Agents in the Evolution of Arthropod Sociality. We will reveal ecological and evolutionary forces that have shaped a major response of social insects to microbial disease, then apply the results to drug discovery. We will generate the first data on a new approach to antibiotic bioprospecting in the social insects yielding two major outcomes: First, we identify novel sources of antimicrobial compounds. Second, we demonstrate that the new, biorational approach is a potent tool for natural product pharmaceutical bioprospecting. Both outcomes contribute directly to the National Research Priority Goal for the Sustainable Use of Australia's Biodiversity by developing new ways to find and identify novel natural resources.
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