Fiddling while home burns: climate change and fiddler crabs. Climate change is already affecting many Australian animals, including fiddler crabs. This project will use extensive knowledge of fiddler crab biology to determine whether they can behaviourally compensate for the rapid changes that are occurring by using experiments and observations conducted under natural conditions in the mangroves of Darwin harbour.
Fitness in free-living populations in a changing world. We understand very little about the evolutionary and ecological response of populations to periods of rapid environmental change or volatility. New methods raise the possibility dissecting the various causes of change, and their demographic consequences. However, these methods depend on long-term studies of the genealogy, survival and reproductive success of individuals. Data on the iconic superb fairy-wren will be used to establish this ....Fitness in free-living populations in a changing world. We understand very little about the evolutionary and ecological response of populations to periods of rapid environmental change or volatility. New methods raise the possibility dissecting the various causes of change, and their demographic consequences. However, these methods depend on long-term studies of the genealogy, survival and reproductive success of individuals. Data on the iconic superb fairy-wren will be used to establish this species as a model for the study of climate change, and the extent to which living in social groups helps or hinders evolutionary response to such change.Read moreRead less
A Multi-setting Intervention To Reduce Sedentary Behaviour, Promote Physical Activity And Improve Childrens Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$860,343.00
Summary
Sedentary behaviours and physical inactivity play a major role in the rising prevalence of obesity among children in Australia. This intervention study will take place in the school and family settings which play a critical role in shaping children's health behaviours. The objective is to determine whether a 2-year behavioural intervention reduces sedentary behaviour and promotes physical activity and results in improved health among 8-9 year old children.
Getting smaller as temperatures rise? Body size responses of Australian birds to climate change. Many animals appear to be declining in size as climate change occurs, but why this is so is unclear. Using historical records and museum specimens we will determine the factors underlying body size reductions in Australian birds, and especially the role of changing temperature and ecosystem productivity.
How does climate change affect arid zone birds? This project aims to address how climate affects avian behaviour and the consequences for survival and reproduction. The project will apply a suite of methods to explore fundamental questions within behavioural ecology that also have applied relevance. The data will be used for building individual-based models that predict population dynamics in response to climate change, and biophysical models that can provide insights into species sensitivities. ....How does climate change affect arid zone birds? This project aims to address how climate affects avian behaviour and the consequences for survival and reproduction. The project will apply a suite of methods to explore fundamental questions within behavioural ecology that also have applied relevance. The data will be used for building individual-based models that predict population dynamics in response to climate change, and biophysical models that can provide insights into species sensitivities. The intended outcome is to improve understanding of the mechanistic links between climate and population processes.Read moreRead less
Cuckoo - host coevolution: a model system for investigating the impact of climate change on interspecific interactions and biodiversity. Climate change is causing alterations to the timing of breeding and migration in Australian birds, resulting in mismatches in timing between closely interacting species. This project will assess the impact of climate change on interactions between parasitic cuckoos, hosts and prey and formulate predictions about the long-term viability of these species.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101446
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The battle of the sexes heats up: climate change and the ecological and evolutionary fate of reptiles when sex is determined by temperature. In species where gender (male or female) is determined by temperature early in life, what will happen when climate changes? This project will examine the sex ratios, behaviour and evolutionary potential of a native Australian lizard in relation to climate, addressing a question of global significance and informing management of native species.
Sitting Less And Moving More: Population Health Research To Understand And Influence Sedentary Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,367,518.00
Summary
The majority of Australian adults spend most of their waking hours sitting: at home, at work, and in their cars; most do not participate in exercise or sport. This leads to weight gain and to diseases of inactivity (particularly diabetes, heart disease, cancer and depression). New research will measure sitting time and the physical activity in people's daily lives, what factors encourage inactivity, and how to increase activity levels, especially among the ageing 'baby boomer' population.
Group dynamics, Allee effects and population regulation in cooperative breeders. Understanding population dynamics is crucial for effective conservation biology. In many cases breeding is limited by high density, but in social species the opposite is true, exposing small groups to high extinction risk. However, analyses of population dynamics in social species is rare, limiting our ability to effectively conserve such species.
The Evolution of Embodied Intelligence. The aim of the project is to write a collaborative monograph that integrates the recent development in cognitive science of alternatves to classical cognitivism with recent developments in evolutionary biology. Those developments include in particular the recognition of the importance both of non-genetic inheritence and of the role agents play in constructing their own environments. The monograph will argue that these evolutionary processes are of particul ....The Evolution of Embodied Intelligence. The aim of the project is to write a collaborative monograph that integrates the recent development in cognitive science of alternatves to classical cognitivism with recent developments in evolutionary biology. Those developments include in particular the recognition of the importance both of non-genetic inheritence and of the role agents play in constructing their own environments. The monograph will argue that these evolutionary processes are of particular importance in human evolution, and they are the key to explaining how it is that humans are simulataneously encultured beings and biological agents.Read moreRead less