How isolated is Antarctica? Assessing past and present plant colonisations. The project aims to assess how biologically isolated Antarctica is by discovering how, when and where natural colonisations of the continent have occurred. The research will focus on mosses, the dominant plant group in the Antarctic. genomic tools will be combined with environmental, spatial, and ecological data to assess mechanisms and directions of dispersal to and around Antarctica, and to predict areas most likely to ....How isolated is Antarctica? Assessing past and present plant colonisations. The project aims to assess how biologically isolated Antarctica is by discovering how, when and where natural colonisations of the continent have occurred. The research will focus on mosses, the dominant plant group in the Antarctic. genomic tools will be combined with environmental, spatial, and ecological data to assess mechanisms and directions of dispersal to and around Antarctica, and to predict areas most likely to be colonised in the future. This will help understand the processes underpinning the evolution and diversity of Antarctic species, and the vulnerability and adaptability of Antarctic ecosystems. Read moreRead less
Evolution of Australia's globally unique hotspot of floral diversity. Australia has a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot, the southwest of Western Australia, but this unique eucalypt-dominated flora is threatened. This project will gain new insights into the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain such diversity, their vulnerability; and how the iconic eucalypts came to dominate the Australian landscape.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100035
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,000.00
Summary
Why are biodiversity hotspots found where they are? This project aims to develop a method to study how evolution within species shapes the broad-scale distribution of unique biological diversity across landscapes and continents. The distribution of biological diversity is strikingly uneven, with much diversity found only in small ‘hotspots’. What factors determine the locations of these hotspots of endemism? This project aims to answer this question by using three biologically diverse areas as t ....Why are biodiversity hotspots found where they are? This project aims to develop a method to study how evolution within species shapes the broad-scale distribution of unique biological diversity across landscapes and continents. The distribution of biological diversity is strikingly uneven, with much diversity found only in small ‘hotspots’. What factors determine the locations of these hotspots of endemism? This project aims to answer this question by using three biologically diverse areas as test cases. It plans to use a new model to simulate processes of evolution over time, including range shifts, niche evolution, isolation and extinction, to determine how dynamics of divergence evolving within species contribute to broad-scale patterns of diversity. The project intends to improve understanding and management of biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing the impact of climate change on Australian native species. This project will explore the impact of past climate change on Australian native animals to identify species and ecosystems at greatest potential risk, and to help predict and minimise the effects of future change.
Warrakan'puy Djäma: A new biocultural approach to fauna conservation. This project aims to record endangered Indigenous knowledge of fauna and integrate this with innovative Western science to develop Australia’s first cross-cultural fauna conservation strategy. In partnership with the Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Area and one of Australia’s strongest Aboriginal cultural groups, the Yolngu, this project expects to generate new biocultural solutions to two of the most urgent challenges of our t ....Warrakan'puy Djäma: A new biocultural approach to fauna conservation. This project aims to record endangered Indigenous knowledge of fauna and integrate this with innovative Western science to develop Australia’s first cross-cultural fauna conservation strategy. In partnership with the Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Area and one of Australia’s strongest Aboriginal cultural groups, the Yolngu, this project expects to generate new biocultural solutions to two of the most urgent challenges of our time: species and cultural loss. The expected outcomes include targeted on-ground fauna surveys with Elders, Rangers and youth, cross-cultural knowledge mapping, new species and landscape genetics. Innovative multimedia knowledge sharing platforms will demonstrate the multiple benefits of cross-cultural fauna science. Read moreRead less
Drivers of fine scale genetic spatial structuring in aquatic organisms. Understanding factors that influence genetic spatial structure of species is essential for conserving biodiversity. Movement of freshwater organisms in riverine environments is severely constrained by dendritic structure of streams, variation in aridity, and geomorphology. The project aims to test hypotheses of how these factors impact genetic patterns across east-west climatic gradients in eastern Australia. For most aquati ....Drivers of fine scale genetic spatial structuring in aquatic organisms. Understanding factors that influence genetic spatial structure of species is essential for conserving biodiversity. Movement of freshwater organisms in riverine environments is severely constrained by dendritic structure of streams, variation in aridity, and geomorphology. The project aims to test hypotheses of how these factors impact genetic patterns across east-west climatic gradients in eastern Australia. For most aquatic species, research is limited on genetic patterns across spatial scales with varying riverine dendritic structure and rarely incorporates historical data. Uncovering genetic spatial structure in aquatic ecosystems is necessary for conservation management and predicting species movements in the current changing climate.Read moreRead less
Evolutionary origins of sexual parasitism in an Australian freshwater fish. Carp gudgeons are the most abundant, widespread and biodiverse freshwater fishes in southeastern Australia. The unacknowledged presence of many cryptic species and sexually-parasitic lineages severely taints all research on this cornerstone group. This project aims to provide unrivalled evolutionary, genomic, and taxonomic insights into this new instance of vertebrate sexual parasitism, which offers a unique mix of resea ....Evolutionary origins of sexual parasitism in an Australian freshwater fish. Carp gudgeons are the most abundant, widespread and biodiverse freshwater fishes in southeastern Australia. The unacknowledged presence of many cryptic species and sexually-parasitic lineages severely taints all research on this cornerstone group. This project aims to provide unrivalled evolutionary, genomic, and taxonomic insights into this new instance of vertebrate sexual parasitism, which offers a unique mix of research advantages not displayed by any other sexual/unisexual complex. The knowledge gained could impact many research fields, including evolutionary theory addressing the unexplainable prevalence of sex, native fish ecology, and environmental monitoring of the Murray-Darling Basin, an ecosystem of world significance.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,939,883.00
Summary
New approaches to discovering biodiversity and understanding its response to past climate change. New technologies will be used to predict and discover biodiversity hotspots in Australia, especially in the monsoonal tropics. New capacity will be built in biodiversity science, and the results used to improve conservation policy and the effectiveness of conservation planning.
Australia's Distinctive Succulent Flora. The project plans to investigate why Australia, the driest vegetated continent, has no landscape dominated by large succulents but nevertheless supports a distinctive, diverse and widespread succulent flora. Focusing on terrestrial succulents and epiphytic orchids, the project plans to explore the evolution, assembly and biodiversity of Australia’s succulent flora, evaluating the roles of genetic composition, photosynthetic physiology, aridity, fire, soil ....Australia's Distinctive Succulent Flora. The project plans to investigate why Australia, the driest vegetated continent, has no landscape dominated by large succulents but nevertheless supports a distinctive, diverse and widespread succulent flora. Focusing on terrestrial succulents and epiphytic orchids, the project plans to explore the evolution, assembly and biodiversity of Australia’s succulent flora, evaluating the roles of genetic composition, photosynthetic physiology, aridity, fire, soil nutrients and salinity in its historical expansion, and assessing the resilience of the assemblages to changing climate. Of particular interest will be how the most water-use efficient type of photosynthesis, crassulacean acid metabolism, is expressed across the succulent landscape.Read moreRead less