Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100115
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Confocal microscope for high-resolution microtopographic analysis of surfaces in historical, forensic and polymer sciences. High-resolution analyses of microscopic patterns on surfaces using confocal microscopy can provide vital clues into the nature of ancient diets and environments, adaptive evolution, weapons used in crimes, and properties of polymers. This instrument will heighten Australia’s capacity for world-leading research in areas of major national importance.
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
Continuous tooth replacement in mammals: revealing the fundamental processes in tooth generation and movement. This project will investigate how molar teeth are made in mammals by examining the nabarlek, or little rock-wallaby, which is one of a handful of mammals that is able to regenerate new molars throughout its life. These new teeth migrate through the bone in order to move into the correct position in the mouth. By investigating two well-studied organisms, the mouse and the tammar wallaby, ....Continuous tooth replacement in mammals: revealing the fundamental processes in tooth generation and movement. This project will investigate how molar teeth are made in mammals by examining the nabarlek, or little rock-wallaby, which is one of a handful of mammals that is able to regenerate new molars throughout its life. These new teeth migrate through the bone in order to move into the correct position in the mouth. By investigating two well-studied organisms, the mouse and the tammar wallaby, as well as the nabarlek itself, the developmental processes and genes involved in molar generation and movement will be revealed. This project will integrate findings in regenerative medicine, evolutionary biology, materials engineering and palaeontology to reveal the mechanisms and origins of this astounding capability.Read moreRead less
Genomics and mixed source populations in wildlife translocations. Translocation is a conservation strategy to help the plight of endangered species, and is becoming increasing important to mitigate against climate change. However translocations often fail. Theory suggests mixing individuals from different source populations would benefit species' genomic diversity and potentially success rates, however this is untested in animals. Also unclear is what parts of the genome are important for mitiga ....Genomics and mixed source populations in wildlife translocations. Translocation is a conservation strategy to help the plight of endangered species, and is becoming increasing important to mitigate against climate change. However translocations often fail. Theory suggests mixing individuals from different source populations would benefit species' genomic diversity and potentially success rates, however this is untested in animals. Also unclear is what parts of the genome are important for mitigating against climate change. Using an endangered lizard model, this project aims to understand how to best start new populations by 1) providing the first empirical test in terrestrial vertebrates of using mixed source populations; and 2) uncovering regions of the genome important for considering in translocations.Read moreRead less
Islands of rocks: geckos as a model system to understand patterns of biodiversity, endemism and speciation in the Kimberley. Australia is renowned for its diversity of lizards, yet a plethora of new "cryptic" gecko species continue to be discovered. The project will densely sample the complex Kimberley to understand the evolution of its geckos, which will shed light on true levels of species diversity and the geological and environmental history of this biodiversity hotspot.
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