Safeguarding coral reef fisheries for future food security. This Fellowship aims to address the vulnerability of coral reef fisheries in Australia and the Indo-Pacific by identifying fishery targets that benefit human nutrition and will persist despite declining coral habitats and rising water temperature. This project will advance knowledge on coral and fish responses to increasingly frequent marine heatwaves, using novel methodologies rooted in ecological modelling, experimental marine biology ....Safeguarding coral reef fisheries for future food security. This Fellowship aims to address the vulnerability of coral reef fisheries in Australia and the Indo-Pacific by identifying fishery targets that benefit human nutrition and will persist despite declining coral habitats and rising water temperature. This project will advance knowledge on coral and fish responses to increasingly frequent marine heatwaves, using novel methodologies rooted in ecological modelling, experimental marine biology and climate forecasting. Expected outcomes include (i) a comprehensive toolbox for improved management of coral reefs and associated fisheries in Australia and beyond, and (ii) an integrated socio-ecological model for predicting coral reef fishery responses under environmental change.Read moreRead less
Saving seagrass from climate change. This research aims to test whether seagrass ecosystems can be safeguarded from climate change impacts by enhancing genetic connectivity in range edge populations using novel genetic rescue approaches. We will use the range edge seagrass meadows of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shark Bay as our model, which was significantly impacted by a marine heat wave in 2010/2011. The project will generate new knowledge on how seagrasses can adapt and survive in situ. ....Saving seagrass from climate change. This research aims to test whether seagrass ecosystems can be safeguarded from climate change impacts by enhancing genetic connectivity in range edge populations using novel genetic rescue approaches. We will use the range edge seagrass meadows of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shark Bay as our model, which was significantly impacted by a marine heat wave in 2010/2011. The project will generate new knowledge on how seagrasses can adapt and survive in situ. Expected outcomes are improved conservation, management and restoration practices for seagrass meadows. This should provide significant benefits for long-term resilience of this economically and culturally significant ecosystem.Read moreRead less
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
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
Pair bonding: is it all in the brain? This project aims to understand the interaction between classic pair bonding neural circuits, parasites, and the immune system in sleepy lizards. Social bonds are a cornerstone of human societies, especially true of the pair bond and this project expects to generate knowledge to help understand why healthy adult pair bonds are the single best predictor of longevity in humans. The expected outcomes of this project are to reveal the mechanistic basis of pair b ....Pair bonding: is it all in the brain? This project aims to understand the interaction between classic pair bonding neural circuits, parasites, and the immune system in sleepy lizards. Social bonds are a cornerstone of human societies, especially true of the pair bond and this project expects to generate knowledge to help understand why healthy adult pair bonds are the single best predictor of longevity in humans. The expected outcomes of this project are to reveal the mechanistic basis of pair bonding by identifying the brain regions, cell types and neurochemicals that promote pair bonding behaviour — for the first time in a wild animal. This project should provide significant benefits by increasing our knowledge of how pair bonds promote wellness.Read moreRead less
Investing in ecological portfolios: retaining migratory strategies of fish. In finance, investors minimize risk and optimize long term returns by building stock portfolios with different attributes. This contingency strategy also occurs in ecological systems. We will use portfolio effects as a conceptual model to characterise the poorly known sub-population variations in migratory strategies of estuarine fish and their response to environmental conditions. In doing so, we will determine how envi ....Investing in ecological portfolios: retaining migratory strategies of fish. In finance, investors minimize risk and optimize long term returns by building stock portfolios with different attributes. This contingency strategy also occurs in ecological systems. We will use portfolio effects as a conceptual model to characterise the poorly known sub-population variations in migratory strategies of estuarine fish and their response to environmental conditions. In doing so, we will determine how environmental change drives variations in migratory strategies, impacts long-term growth and population trophic web dynamics. Outcomes will foster novel and dynamic management frameworks that enhance population stability despite the predicted volatility of environmental conditions.Read moreRead less
Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the rel ....Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the release of cryptic genetic variation that can allow novel morphologies to evolve in new environments. The project expects to provide further understanding of how species may potentially adapt to environmental stresses in the future, including climate change.Read moreRead less
Bio-inspired Computing for Problems with Chance Constraints. Bio-inspired algorithms have successfully been applied to a wide range of optimisation problems. Uncertainties in real-world applications can lead to critical failures of production schedules or safe critical systems. Chance constraints model such uncertainties and allow to limit the possibility of such failures. This future fellowship builds up the area of bio-inspired computing for problems with chance constraints. It develops high ....Bio-inspired Computing for Problems with Chance Constraints. Bio-inspired algorithms have successfully been applied to a wide range of optimisation problems. Uncertainties in real-world applications can lead to critical failures of production schedules or safe critical systems. Chance constraints model such uncertainties and allow to limit the possibility of such failures. This future fellowship builds up the area of bio-inspired computing for problems with chance constraints. It develops high performing bio-inspired algorithms for stochastic problems where the constraints can only be violated with a small probability. The outcomes will lead to more effective and reliable optimisation methods for complex planning processes in areas of national priority such as mining and manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Evolutionary diversity optimisation. This project aims to build up and establish the area of evolutionary diversity optimisation. The project will cover the design and application of evolutionary diversity optimisation methods to complex problems of significance and high national economic benefit and build up the theoretical foundations of these methods. The project is expected benefit decision makers by providing them a diverse set of high quality alternatives to choose from. This project will ....Evolutionary diversity optimisation. This project aims to build up and establish the area of evolutionary diversity optimisation. The project will cover the design and application of evolutionary diversity optimisation methods to complex problems of significance and high national economic benefit and build up the theoretical foundations of these methods. The project is expected benefit decision makers by providing them a diverse set of high quality alternatives to choose from. This project will allow them to make highly informed decisions and lead to more reliable solutions for optimisation problems, in areas of high economic impact such as manufacturing and supply chain management.Read moreRead less