Saddlepoint approximation, likelihood analysis and ancestral graphs for strong and weak natural selection, genetic drift and population subdivision. Building new research strength in theoretical population genetics and related statistical techniques will enhance Australia's capability in harnessing the power of post-genomic information. Sophisticated statistical techniques that make smart use of genetic data are being developed in this project. The extent to which natural selection and migrati ....Saddlepoint approximation, likelihood analysis and ancestral graphs for strong and weak natural selection, genetic drift and population subdivision. Building new research strength in theoretical population genetics and related statistical techniques will enhance Australia's capability in harnessing the power of post-genomic information. Sophisticated statistical techniques that make smart use of genetic data are being developed in this project. The extent to which natural selection and migration affect current genetic polymorphism on a population level can be quantified using these new methods. New modeling provides a rigorous foundation with which to construct inference techniques currently beyond computational approaches to the data. Assessing selective effects on genetic mutations associated with human disease will be a consequence of this new statistical methodology.Read moreRead less
Landscape level effects on dispersal behaviour and gene flow in the logrunner, a rainforest restricted bird. Dispersal is thought to be critical for the persistence of small avian populations in fragmented landscapes. However, our knowledge of dispersal 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 deter ....Landscape level effects on dispersal behaviour and gene flow in the logrunner, a rainforest restricted bird. Dispersal is thought to be critical for the persistence of small avian populations in fragmented landscapes. However, our knowledge of dispersal 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 juvenile dispersal behaviour, and use molecular data to determine how connectivity between habitats effects the genetic structure of logrunner populations.Read moreRead less
Identifying genes causing thermal evolution of ectotherm body size. Cold-blooded animals increase in body size as they are found in populations at greater distances from the equator. These patterns are due to populations adapting to temperature. The aim of this project is to identify the genes involved in this adaptation process. We will do this by taking advantage of a well-studied body size cline in the vinegar fly on the east coast of Australia, and by building on an international collaborati ....Identifying genes causing thermal evolution of ectotherm body size. Cold-blooded animals increase in body size as they are found in populations at greater distances from the equator. These patterns are due to populations adapting to temperature. The aim of this project is to identify the genes involved in this adaptation process. We will do this by taking advantage of a well-studied body size cline in the vinegar fly on the east coast of Australia, and by building on an international collaboration between a leading UK and two Australian research groups. In doing so we will provide an explanation at the molecular level for one of the great unresolved phenomena in biology: why do cold-blooded animals get bigger in the cold? The research also leads to the potential to manipulate body size in animals.Read moreRead less
A Genomic Dissection of Natural Adaptation in Mate Recognition. Adaptation is a fundamental area of evolutionary biology but we know surprisingly little about its underlying genetic basis. As a process, adaptation poses several challenges for Australian society including bacterial evolution of resistance to antibiotics, HIV resistance to antiviral medications and the evolution of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests. This study will use a model system and genomic tools to test theoretical ....A Genomic Dissection of Natural Adaptation in Mate Recognition. Adaptation is a fundamental area of evolutionary biology but we know surprisingly little about its underlying genetic basis. As a process, adaptation poses several challenges for Australian society including bacterial evolution of resistance to antibiotics, HIV resistance to antiviral medications and the evolution of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests. This study will use a model system and genomic tools to test theoretical models of the genetic basis of adaptation. This integrative approach will enhance Australia's research profile in genomics and evolutionary biology. The project will provide emerging scientists with skills in areas including genomics, molecular biology, evolutionary biology and agricultural genetics.Read moreRead less
Maximising knowledge from dense SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) data using multi-locus analysis. The genomics revolution has made it possible to measure thousands of DNA variants in individuals. This information can be used in many ways, including to find genes that cause variation between individuals in a population and to estimate the size of the population in the past. Our study will lead an analysis method that will extract more information out of such data. This will improve the effi ....Maximising knowledge from dense SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) data using multi-locus analysis. The genomics revolution has made it possible to measure thousands of DNA variants in individuals. This information can be used in many ways, including to find genes that cause variation between individuals in a population and to estimate the size of the population in the past. Our study will lead an analysis method that will extract more information out of such data. This will improve the efficiency of gene mapping methods, including applications in humans for traits related to productive ageing and a healthy start to life, will allow the estimation of genetic relatedness and genetic variation in natural populations, and will lead to more efficient selection programs in agricultural populations.Read moreRead less
Testing the DNA decay hypothesis of ecological specialization. Australia's biodiversity has been increasingly threatened by climate change and fragmentation from habitat loss. To conserve biodiversity we need to identify species most at risk of extinction. One way species avoid extinction is to evolve and adapt to changing conditions, however, it now appears that many species have a limited adaptive potential. Here we develop and test a new idea that helps to predict species most threatened b ....Testing the DNA decay hypothesis of ecological specialization. Australia's biodiversity has been increasingly threatened by climate change and fragmentation from habitat loss. To conserve biodiversity we need to identify species most at risk of extinction. One way species avoid extinction is to evolve and adapt to changing conditions, however, it now appears that many species have a limited adaptive potential. Here we develop and test a new idea that helps to predict species most threatened by climate change and other types of stresses. We also identify the sets of genes that are involved in adapting to dry/cold conditions and toxins. This information provides a rapid way of identifying species most at risk and least likely to adapt, and a new perspective on Australia's biodiversity.Read moreRead less
A high-through-put method for unlocking the mitochondrial genomes of significant pathogens. The national/community benefits of this research are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to ....A high-through-put method for unlocking the mitochondrial genomes of significant pathogens. The national/community benefits of this research are: (1) to develop a long-term, high quality scientific and technological program contributing to national objectives, including the maintenance of a strong capability in basic research, the development of new scientific concepts and the enhancement of international collaborative links; (2) to strengthen the links between basic and applied research; (3) to develop excellence in research by promoting collaborative research, resulting in a more efficient use of resources in a national and international context; (4) to enhance the skills-base in biology and biotechnology; and (5) to substantially increase global visibility through quality research, leading to an increased investment in Australian science.Read moreRead less
Does divergent natural selection drive the early stages of speciation? Australia is a megadiverse country containing more than one million species, including many endemic and endangered species. Nonetheless, human driven activities, including climate change and the introduction of invasive pests, threaten Australia's biodiversity and economic wealth. This project will test how species diversify in response to environmental differences and will provide resources to compliment efforts to better un ....Does divergent natural selection drive the early stages of speciation? Australia is a megadiverse country containing more than one million species, including many endemic and endangered species. Nonetheless, human driven activities, including climate change and the introduction of invasive pests, threaten Australia's biodiversity and economic wealth. This project will test how species diversify in response to environmental differences and will provide resources to compliment efforts to better understand the destructive effects of interbreeding between native and invasive plants. Information on the role of the environment on the origin of new species will help us manage Australia's unique biodiversity. This project will provide research training opportunities in ecology, genetics, and molecular biology.Read moreRead less
Speciation and the breakdown of coevolution during hybridisation. The preservation of Australia's biodiversity depends on understanding its origins and the mechanisms that prevent its disappearance. Interacting genes, such as those coding for the machinery of the cell, evolve together and can prevent the fusion of species during hybridisation. This occurs because the cellular machinery evolves independently in different species, leading to incompatible parts that fail in hybrids. This project wi ....Speciation and the breakdown of coevolution during hybridisation. The preservation of Australia's biodiversity depends on understanding its origins and the mechanisms that prevent its disappearance. Interacting genes, such as those coding for the machinery of the cell, evolve together and can prevent the fusion of species during hybridisation. This occurs because the cellular machinery evolves independently in different species, leading to incompatible parts that fail in hybrids. This project will investigate novel genetic mechanisms that lead to reduced hybrid survival and reproduction, and therefore to the preservation of species. Australian students will receive advanced training at the frontier where ecology, genetics, and molecular biology intersect.Read moreRead less
Sympatric speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. Speciation has generated the diversity of life, yet the mechanisms of speciation remain poorly understood. Chiloglottis orchids are pollinated by highly specific sexually attracted male pollinators-an intriguing and predominantly Australian pollination mechanism. New evidence indicates these orchids offer novel opportunities to illuminate the evolutionary processes of speciation. This project will integrate new and powerful molecul ....Sympatric speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. Speciation has generated the diversity of life, yet the mechanisms of speciation remain poorly understood. Chiloglottis orchids are pollinated by highly specific sexually attracted male pollinators-an intriguing and predominantly Australian pollination mechanism. New evidence indicates these orchids offer novel opportunities to illuminate the evolutionary processes of speciation. This project will integrate new and powerful molecular laboratory procedures with field studies to investigate the mechanisms of speciation within the genus. These orchids may provide rare examples of sympatric speciation-the evolution of species in the absence of geographic isolation. This is currently a speciation mechanism of current and intense research interest worldwide.Read moreRead less