Evolution in tooth and claw: exploring the relationship between the radiation of marsupial herbivores and late Cenozoic climate change. Establishing how animals responded to past environmental changes is essential for understanding the ecology of modern species and managing them in light of contemporary climatic trends. By applying several novel analytical methods this project will unravel the links between the radiation of Australian marsupials and key stages in climatic evolution.
Faunal responses to environmental change and isolation on an Australian land-bridge island. Establishing how faunas responded to past isolation and environmental changes offers great potential for predicting long-term impacts of habitat fragmentation. By combining novel methods we will track extinction rates, diet and body-size shifts on Kangaroo Island, the only known land-bridge island with a fossil record spanning the past 100,000 years.
Plastic brains: Neural adaptations to changing environments in reptiles. The project aims to quantify brain anatomy on an unprecedented scale in comparative neurobiology. Focusing on Australia’s diverse and extensive collection of reptiles, including goannas, dragons and venomous snakes, the project expects to generate new knowledge on the evolution of brains as these animals adapted to new habitats and climates. Data will be collected by cutting-edge micro-CT technology and advanced phylogeneti ....Plastic brains: Neural adaptations to changing environments in reptiles. The project aims to quantify brain anatomy on an unprecedented scale in comparative neurobiology. Focusing on Australia’s diverse and extensive collection of reptiles, including goannas, dragons and venomous snakes, the project expects to generate new knowledge on the evolution of brains as these animals adapted to new habitats and climates. Data will be collected by cutting-edge micro-CT technology and advanced phylogenetic techniques, which will be complemented by detailed neuroanatomy. Expected outcomes include enhanced understanding of the effects of temperature on brains, and a large database of 3D digital anatomical models. A major benefit includes a greater ability to mitigate the effects of environmental change.Read moreRead less
Coevolution of sundew bugs and sundews. This project aims to conduct a study of insect-plant interactions to determine if insects and plants coevolve or if they diversify by other evolutionary processes. Insect-plant coevolution is a hotly contested field in evolutionary biology. In Australia, a remarkable interaction exists between carnivorous plants and a group of bugs that steal the plant’s prey. This system offers a great opportunity to test competing coevolutionary theories through a combin ....Coevolution of sundew bugs and sundews. This project aims to conduct a study of insect-plant interactions to determine if insects and plants coevolve or if they diversify by other evolutionary processes. Insect-plant coevolution is a hotly contested field in evolutionary biology. In Australia, a remarkable interaction exists between carnivorous plants and a group of bugs that steal the plant’s prey. This system offers a great opportunity to test competing coevolutionary theories through a combination of historical and ecological approaches. The project expects to showcase the evolution and uniqueness of Australia’s native biota.Read moreRead less
Evolution of the unique fauna of the Great Artesian Basin mound springs: the impact of aridification and climate change. The mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin represent one of Australia's most unique environments and are of national biodiversity, cultural and economic significance. Their conservation is a major issue following listing of the springs as a threatened ecological community. As economic productivity in the GAB intensifies, the mound springs are under increasing threat from es ....Evolution of the unique fauna of the Great Artesian Basin mound springs: the impact of aridification and climate change. The mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin represent one of Australia's most unique environments and are of national biodiversity, cultural and economic significance. Their conservation is a major issue following listing of the springs as a threatened ecological community. As economic productivity in the GAB intensifies, the mound springs are under increasing threat from escalating groundwater use. The results of this study on the evolution of two crustacean groups will provide significant biological information for management plans, facilitating conservation of mound springs communities, and helping to understand the impacts of water extraction and climate change on this unique habitat.Read moreRead less
Diet influences the selective advantage of mitochondrial DNA mutations. This project aims to examine critical mechanisms that affect mitochondrial DNA variation within species. It aims to test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes have the potential to be under nutritionally induced balancing selection as a consequence of cellular signalling and/or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by mitochondria. Diet can vary both seasonally and geographically and is a key environmental param ....Diet influences the selective advantage of mitochondrial DNA mutations. This project aims to examine critical mechanisms that affect mitochondrial DNA variation within species. It aims to test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes have the potential to be under nutritionally induced balancing selection as a consequence of cellular signalling and/or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by mitochondria. Diet can vary both seasonally and geographically and is a key environmental parameter that influences the ability of a species to colonise new habitats. The project plans to characterise the functional links between specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, mitochondrial functions and organismal traits. The expected outcome is a more precise grasp of the processes influencing genetic variation within and among species, which would inform current issues in ecology and genetics.Read moreRead less
Potential of gene drives to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii. This project aims to test the efficacy and evolutionary stability of different types of gene drives, and model whether gene drives can be used to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii into Australia. It is now possible to use genome editing technology to alter populations of organisms using ‘gene drives’. Multiple strategies have been conceived with a major distinction between those that aim to eliminate populations ver ....Potential of gene drives to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii. This project aims to test the efficacy and evolutionary stability of different types of gene drives, and model whether gene drives can be used to eliminate incursions of Drosophila suzukii into Australia. It is now possible to use genome editing technology to alter populations of organisms using ‘gene drives’. Multiple strategies have been conceived with a major distinction between those that aim to eliminate populations versus those that aim to modify populations. This project will examine these strategies in two fly species, the model, Drosophila melanogaster and the devastating pest of horticulture, Drosophila suzukii. The project expects to assess a gene drive strategy to control the invasive pest that threatens the Australian soft-skinned fruit industries.Read moreRead less
Switching Dynamics Approach for Distributed Global Optimisation . This project aims to create a breakthrough switching dynamics approach and new technology to speed up finding optimal solutions. It will develop a distributed switching dynamics based optimisation scheme for global optimisation problems in industrial big-data environments where timely decision making is required. It will result in a practical technology for industry optimisation problems such as economic energy dispatch in smart g ....Switching Dynamics Approach for Distributed Global Optimisation . This project aims to create a breakthrough switching dynamics approach and new technology to speed up finding optimal solutions. It will develop a distributed switching dynamics based optimisation scheme for global optimisation problems in industrial big-data environments where timely decision making is required. It will result in a practical technology for industry optimisation problems such as economic energy dispatch in smart grids and optimal charging and discharging tasks in a large network of electric vehicles, helping Australian power industry improve efficiency and security, as well as training the next generation scientists and engineers for Australia in this emerging field.Read moreRead less
Rediscovering Aboriginal dispersal pathways. This project aims to use cutting-edge and transdisciplinary tools in partnership with Aboriginal people to rediscover deliberate prehistoric plant dispersal pathways along the Australian east coast. By working on three unrelated species with similar disjunct distributions, expected outcomes include detecting significant ‘cultural’ vegetation patterns that will challenge current assumptions about 'natural' plant distributions. New associations between ....Rediscovering Aboriginal dispersal pathways. This project aims to use cutting-edge and transdisciplinary tools in partnership with Aboriginal people to rediscover deliberate prehistoric plant dispersal pathways along the Australian east coast. By working on three unrelated species with similar disjunct distributions, expected outcomes include detecting significant ‘cultural’ vegetation patterns that will challenge current assumptions about 'natural' plant distributions. New associations between plant biogeography and deliberate Aboriginal manipulation of Australian environments will benefit cultural heritage, land management and restoration initiatives.Read moreRead less
Multiobjective Memetic Algorithms for Multi-task Symbolic Regression. This project aims at developing the new generation of symbolic regression methods using a yet unexplored way to represent mathematical functions. We will use memetic algorithms to create mathematical models for symbolic regression. Our memetic computing approach will be data-driven and will use multi-objective optimization and multi-task evolutionary computation for symbolic regression, addressing a core need of many areas of ....Multiobjective Memetic Algorithms for Multi-task Symbolic Regression. This project aims at developing the new generation of symbolic regression methods using a yet unexplored way to represent mathematical functions. We will use memetic algorithms to create mathematical models for symbolic regression. Our memetic computing approach will be data-driven and will use multi-objective optimization and multi-task evolutionary computation for symbolic regression, addressing a core need of many areas of science and technology. A large number of datasets will be investigated to benchmark the new methods. The expected outcomes will help support our national priorities with new data analytic capabilities. With a strong and interdisciplinary team in three continents, the project will attract international collaboration. Read moreRead less