Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101567
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,848.00
Summary
Skulls as machines: diversity and evolution in a group of charismatic Australian lizards. This project uses sophisticated computer software to analyse how the complex skulls of dragon lizards work. This will provide a greater understanding of the factors underlying their evolution and radiation in Australia where they are one of the most successful lizard groups and a vital part of the desert fauna.
Ecology and management of the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat. Ecology and management of the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat. This project aims to use the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat as a model species to evaluate ecological models for evidence-based continental and site-specific management of native fauna. Predators and climate change threaten Australia's arid-zone wildlife. Wildlife management, especially in areas of human–wildlife conflict, relies on empirical evidence for abundance and distribution ....Ecology and management of the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat. Ecology and management of the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat. This project aims to use the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat as a model species to evaluate ecological models for evidence-based continental and site-specific management of native fauna. Predators and climate change threaten Australia's arid-zone wildlife. Wildlife management, especially in areas of human–wildlife conflict, relies on empirical evidence for abundance and distribution of species and to understand what controls species abundance in space and time. Modern spatial technologies can make such information easier to find. This project’s species distribution model is expected to improve wildlife management.Read moreRead less
Immunisation to protect against transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils. This project aims to identify the immune escape mechanisms that the transmissible cancers, Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) use to avoid being killed by the immune system. Since the discovery of the second transmissible cancer (DFT2) mystery surrounds whether the devils immune system can respond to this cancer, hence this project will investigate the immune response to DFT2. The final aims are to develop a vaccine with ....Immunisation to protect against transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils. This project aims to identify the immune escape mechanisms that the transmissible cancers, Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) use to avoid being killed by the immune system. Since the discovery of the second transmissible cancer (DFT2) mystery surrounds whether the devils immune system can respond to this cancer, hence this project will investigate the immune response to DFT2. The final aims are to develop a vaccine with the potential to protect healthy devils and cure devils with DFTD.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Morphology and Evolution of Invasive Rabbits and Hares. This project aims to uncover the morphological variation that allows rapid adaptive evolution in two invasive species, the rabbit and hare. This project expects to generate new knowledge at the interface between invasion biology and evolutionary biology, using cutting-edge methods to phenotype widespread populations. This project will address key inter-related hypotheses of rapid adaptive evolution at temporal, spatial and phylogen ....Adaptive Morphology and Evolution of Invasive Rabbits and Hares. This project aims to uncover the morphological variation that allows rapid adaptive evolution in two invasive species, the rabbit and hare. This project expects to generate new knowledge at the interface between invasion biology and evolutionary biology, using cutting-edge methods to phenotype widespread populations. This project will address key inter-related hypotheses of rapid adaptive evolution at temporal, spatial and phylogenetic scales, particularly about changing morphologies involved role in locomotion and dispersal ability. Expected outcomes of this project include a comprehensive phenotypic database of these two species and identifying how these invasive species are adapting to the Australian landscape.Read moreRead less
The immune response as a determinant of female reproductive investment. Aims: This project will define how ‘cryptic female choice’ affects reproductive outcomes through immune recognition of embryo histocompatibility genes, to modulate maternal nutrient provision and fetal growth.
Significance: The research will tackle an important knowledge gap in animal reproduction science, where poorly-understood male-female compatibility effects cause variation in breeding efficiency with major economic an ....The immune response as a determinant of female reproductive investment. Aims: This project will define how ‘cryptic female choice’ affects reproductive outcomes through immune recognition of embryo histocompatibility genes, to modulate maternal nutrient provision and fetal growth.
Significance: The research will tackle an important knowledge gap in animal reproduction science, where poorly-understood male-female compatibility effects cause variation in breeding efficiency with major economic and environmental impact.
Expected outcomes: We expect to generate new understanding of the genes, immune response elements, and vascular changes that explain compatibility effects.
Benefits: The results will inform strategies to improve fertility in livestock animals, and in rare and threatened species.
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The developmental genetics of major evolutionary transitions: a multidisciplinary investigation of limb reduction and loss in lizards. The five-toed limb is an iconic evolutionary innovation of land vertebrates, yet has been lost repeatedly. This project will use anatomical, developmental and genetic approaches to understand how vertebrates lose their legs, whether limbs can be reacquired, and the degeneration of limb genes after they lose their function (analogous to 'vestigial organs').
Going beyond genetics: the shape of marsupial evolution and conservation. This project aims to explain the past and protect the present biodiversity of endangered marsupial mammals such as bilbies and koalas. It will generate new knowledge using an interdisciplinary combination of 3D analysis of skull shape, reflecting a mammal’s ability to feed and sense its surrounds, with the fast-moving fields of marsupial conservation and evolutionary genetics. This will help to anticipate if, and how, chan ....Going beyond genetics: the shape of marsupial evolution and conservation. This project aims to explain the past and protect the present biodiversity of endangered marsupial mammals such as bilbies and koalas. It will generate new knowledge using an interdisciplinary combination of 3D analysis of skull shape, reflecting a mammal’s ability to feed and sense its surrounds, with the fast-moving fields of marsupial conservation and evolutionary genetics. This will help to anticipate if, and how, changing environments and declining numbers reduce these species’ ability to adapt. Benefits include better information to support improved conservation decisions and identification of genes underlying the evolution of marsupial skull diversity.Read moreRead less