Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101164
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Evolution of chemical warfare in invasive plants. The project aims to test when, where and how exotic plant populations become invasive through the rapid evolution of chemical compounds that inhibit native plant species. Using an innovative quantitative genetics framework, the intended outcome is to determine how the chemicals are selected, and whether there is sufficient heritable variation for the chemicals to evolve across heterogeneous landscapes characteristic of introduced ranges. The proj ....Evolution of chemical warfare in invasive plants. The project aims to test when, where and how exotic plant populations become invasive through the rapid evolution of chemical compounds that inhibit native plant species. Using an innovative quantitative genetics framework, the intended outcome is to determine how the chemicals are selected, and whether there is sufficient heritable variation for the chemicals to evolve across heterogeneous landscapes characteristic of introduced ranges. The project will deliver key insights into the ecological and genetic mechanisms of adaptive evolution in invasive species, and predict evolutionary dynamics of biological invasions that inform their effective management. The project’s expected outcomes will be useful to policy makers, weed managers and farming communities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101393
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Genetic and epigenetic drivers of the Australian cane toad invasion. Although invasive species are a massive threat to biodiversity, and costly to society, we still do not understand the evolutionary processes that shape invasions. Invasive populations often show rapid evolutionary change in novel environments but attempts to identify the underlying genetic mechanisms have been largely unsuccessful. This project aims to explore an innovative and untested alternative possibility: that invader evo ....Genetic and epigenetic drivers of the Australian cane toad invasion. Although invasive species are a massive threat to biodiversity, and costly to society, we still do not understand the evolutionary processes that shape invasions. Invasive populations often show rapid evolutionary change in novel environments but attempts to identify the underlying genetic mechanisms have been largely unsuccessful. This project aims to explore an innovative and untested alternative possibility: that invader evolution is primarily driven by epigenetic change. Using an iconic Australian invasive species, the cane toad, the project aims to quantify genetic and epigenetic change across the invasion and use manipulative experiments to determine the influence of epigenetic change on the evolution of phenotypic traits important to invasion.Read moreRead less
The origins, global spread and evolution of novel honey bee parasites. This project aims to study how emergent diseases arise, spread and evolve, studying varroa mites – a parasite of honey bees that will inevitably arrive in Australia and is expected to damage agriculture and the environment. As the mites have a well-characterised native range, independent host switches and a well-documented history of spread, they make good models. Mites have evolved after invasion, although without significan ....The origins, global spread and evolution of novel honey bee parasites. This project aims to study how emergent diseases arise, spread and evolve, studying varroa mites – a parasite of honey bees that will inevitably arrive in Australia and is expected to damage agriculture and the environment. As the mites have a well-characterised native range, independent host switches and a well-documented history of spread, they make good models. Mites have evolved after invasion, although without significant genetic differentiation at neutral markers. This project aims to identify genetic mechanisms associated with the host switches; reconstruct the pattern and demography of varroa’s global spread; and determine how selection acted on the mites after the host switch.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100685
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Historical pest genomes inform debate about how rapid evolution proceeds. This project plans to compare the genomes of archived and contemporary specimens to discover how two key Australian pest moths have adapted to insecticides, aiding prediction of how they may respond in the future. Agricultural pest species are often capable of rapid adaptation to insecticides, resulting in widespread genetic resistance. Does this resistance build on existing genetic variation, or are fresh mutations used t ....Historical pest genomes inform debate about how rapid evolution proceeds. This project plans to compare the genomes of archived and contemporary specimens to discover how two key Australian pest moths have adapted to insecticides, aiding prediction of how they may respond in the future. Agricultural pest species are often capable of rapid adaptation to insecticides, resulting in widespread genetic resistance. Does this resistance build on existing genetic variation, or are fresh mutations used to produce a fast adaptive response? How do adaptive strategies differ among key Australian pests? This project aims to answer these questions and advance understanding of mechanisms that underpin rapid evolution to improve approaches toward pest management and agricultural protection.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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100083
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,000.00
Summary
A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals. A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals: This project seeks to create the first high-throughput phenomic facility for animals in Australia. The molecular revolution has brought unprecedented capacity to understand genetic variation. Genetic variation is now better understood and more easily and cheaply characterised than the physical traits that organisms exhibit. Linking phenotypic variation ....A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals. A high throughput phenomics facility for pace of life traits in animals: This project seeks to create the first high-throughput phenomic facility for animals in Australia. The molecular revolution has brought unprecedented capacity to understand genetic variation. Genetic variation is now better understood and more easily and cheaply characterised than the physical traits that organisms exhibit. Linking phenotypic variation to genetic variation represents the major challenge in harnessing the power of the biomolecular age. This facility will accommodate animals from marine, freshwater and terrestrial systems across a diverse array of phyla. It will allow Australian researchers to leverage advances in high throughput genomic technologies to address a major bottleneck in biology.Read moreRead less
Understanding the ecological effects of genetic diversity: causes, consequences and relative importance. This project will examine the effect of genetic diversity on key demographic parameters (for example, population growth rates) for organisms from three groups, including a commercially important oyster. This project provides valuable information that can be used by managers of wild and cultivated populations to minimise impacts of human activities and maximise yields.
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL120100074
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,175,454.00
Summary
Using biological invasions to understand evolutionary processes. The invasion of cane toads through Australia has been devastating for many native species, but created opportunities for others. The rapid evolutionary responses stimulated by toad invasion provide a uniquely powerful model system with which to explore the broader question of how species adapt to novel challenges.
Who's calling? Understanding and exploiting signalling system ecology to improve success in trapping cane toads. This project has five major national and community benefits for Australia. It will: 1. provide a much-needed control option for a major pest, 2. actually remove many toads during the course of the study, through trapping at various locations around Australia, 3. support an Australian small business by providing research outcomes that will enable it to develop and market a highly desi ....Who's calling? Understanding and exploiting signalling system ecology to improve success in trapping cane toads. This project has five major national and community benefits for Australia. It will: 1. provide a much-needed control option for a major pest, 2. actually remove many toads during the course of the study, through trapping at various locations around Australia, 3. support an Australian small business by providing research outcomes that will enable it to develop and market a highly desired product, and 4. provide high level, postgraduate training in science. This project directly addresses the National Research Priority goal safeguarding Australia, protecting Australia from invasive … pests, because it will generate new technologies useful for controlling an invasive species.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL100100183
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,168,370.00
Summary
Biological adaptation under natural and anthropogenic conditions. This project covers all four national priority areas. Nature abounds with conflicts between what is good for the individual or a larger entity (a population, a society, or a species). Researching them will explain why populations adapt or fail to adapt to novel conditions (e.g., climate change) and predict when interventions are beneficial. Similar rules govern the spread of invasive species. Even health problems, e.g., new virule ....Biological adaptation under natural and anthropogenic conditions. This project covers all four national priority areas. Nature abounds with conflicts between what is good for the individual or a larger entity (a population, a society, or a species). Researching them will explain why populations adapt or fail to adapt to novel conditions (e.g., climate change) and predict when interventions are beneficial. Similar rules govern the spread of invasive species. Even health problems, e.g., new virulent strains of human, animal or plant diseases, require such evolutionary thinking. Cutting-edge mathematical tools also prepare Australians for an era in the near future where genomic data are so cheap to acquire that training in complex mathematical and logical analysis becomes a factor limiting scientific progress.Read moreRead less