Using cane toads to eradicate cane toads. This project aims to develop effective ways to reduce the devastating ecological impact of cane toads, by exploiting the cannibalistic behaviour of tadpoles. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of invasion biology and amphibian development utilising recent discoveries about cannibalism. Expected outcomes of this project include a powerful new method to reduce or eliminate recruitment of juvenile toads from natural waterbodies. Bene ....Using cane toads to eradicate cane toads. This project aims to develop effective ways to reduce the devastating ecological impact of cane toads, by exploiting the cannibalistic behaviour of tadpoles. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of invasion biology and amphibian development utilising recent discoveries about cannibalism. Expected outcomes of this project include a powerful new method to reduce or eliminate recruitment of juvenile toads from natural waterbodies. Benefits of this project include conservation of native wildlife that are threatened by the cane toad invasion across much of tropical and subtropical Australia.Read moreRead less
Origin and evolution of plant functional traits in relation to fire. This project addresses the fundamental question as to what extent the Australian flora is adapted to fire by tracing the evolutionary history of the iconic family Proteaceae over the last 100 million years. The answer to this question has significant implications for informing Australia’s fire management and nature conservation policies.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101521
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,699.00
Summary
The development, ecology and evolution of alternative phenotypes. Diseases, crops, livestock, and even some natural resources evolve, therefore comprehending evolutionary processes and their implications for humans is paramount. A paradigm shift in evolutionary theory was the realisation that genes are not the whole story, and that plasticity to the environment is vital for evolution. This highlights the importance of environmentally sensitive traits, such as conditional alternative phenotypes, ....The development, ecology and evolution of alternative phenotypes. Diseases, crops, livestock, and even some natural resources evolve, therefore comprehending evolutionary processes and their implications for humans is paramount. A paradigm shift in evolutionary theory was the realisation that genes are not the whole story, and that plasticity to the environment is vital for evolution. This highlights the importance of environmentally sensitive traits, such as conditional alternative phenotypes, where a genome can produce completely different morphologies in different environments. This project aims to investigate the development, evolutionary potential, and ecology of alternative phenotypes, contributing to our ability to understand and manage the most important of biological processes, evolution.Read moreRead less