Evolution of halophytes: a phyloinformatic approach to understanding and exploiting the traits underlying salt-tolerance in plants. Salinity is an increasing burden on the Australian economy & environment, with >2 million ha of salt-affected land, at an annual cost to agriculture over $187 million. One solution is to exploit naturally salt-tolerant plants to increase productive agricultural land and restore salt-affected environments. To do this, we must increase basic knowledge of the diversity ....Evolution of halophytes: a phyloinformatic approach to understanding and exploiting the traits underlying salt-tolerance in plants. Salinity is an increasing burden on the Australian economy & environment, with >2 million ha of salt-affected land, at an annual cost to agriculture over $187 million. One solution is to exploit naturally salt-tolerant plants to increase productive agricultural land and restore salt-affected environments. To do this, we must increase basic knowledge of the diversity & distribution of salt-tolerance. This project is the first to use DNA sequences from thousands of species to understand the evolution of salt-tolerance in order to provide the foundation for the development of new crop varieties, selection of species that can be developed for bioremediation, and identification of traits that will be profitable targets for breeding programs. Read moreRead less
Evolution of vascular tissue in land plants. This project will investigate genetic mechanisms of secondary cell wall thickening in a new genetic model representing an ancient plant lineage. This research will reveal the evolutionary origin of plant vascular tissue; a significant innovation that allowed increased size of plants and the origin of wood.
Molecular phylogeny and biodiversity of the plant family Rutaceae: evidence for Australian-New Caledonian biogeography. The results will contribute biological evidence for geological models of the evolution of New Caledonia and the Southwest Pacific region. Analyses will also contribute to improvement of methods and data interpretation in the field of historical biogeography. The molecular phylogeny will be the foundation for a new predictive classification of Australian Rutaceae at the level ....Molecular phylogeny and biodiversity of the plant family Rutaceae: evidence for Australian-New Caledonian biogeography. The results will contribute biological evidence for geological models of the evolution of New Caledonia and the Southwest Pacific region. Analyses will also contribute to improvement of methods and data interpretation in the field of historical biogeography. The molecular phylogeny will be the foundation for a new predictive classification of Australian Rutaceae at the level of tribes and genera. Improved phylogenetic classification underpins the delivery of biodiversity research, goods and services in Australia. Outcomes of improved taxonomy include species identification for ecological studies, identification of rare species, geographic areas of high conservation value and plants for horticulture.Read moreRead less
A predictive phylogenetic classification for Australian acacias and their tropical legume relatives worldwide. The results of this project will provide the foundation for a new predictive classification of Australian acacias and their relatives, among tropical legumes. Improved phylogenetic classification will underpin the delivery of biodiversity research, goods and services in Australia and neighbouring tropical countries. Outcomes of improved taxonomy include species identification and spec ....A predictive phylogenetic classification for Australian acacias and their tropical legume relatives worldwide. The results of this project will provide the foundation for a new predictive classification of Australian acacias and their relatives, among tropical legumes. Improved phylogenetic classification will underpin the delivery of biodiversity research, goods and services in Australia and neighbouring tropical countries. Outcomes of improved taxonomy include species identification and species selection in various industries and environmental programs. Acacias and legumes are used in agro-forestry, as shade trees for crops, fuel wood, stock feed, nitrogen fixation, planting for land reclamation in arid and salinity-affected areas, and as new plantation timber products. Read moreRead less
Resolving the classification and evolutionary history of the eucalypts. This collaborative project addresses the need to achieve a stable classification of the eucalypts, Australia's most ecologically and commercially important trees. The industry partners are lead agencies with responsibility for classification and identification of biodiversity, delivering taxonomic knowledge for end-users. Despite molecular studies in the last decade, the phylogenetic relationships of a number of the major ....Resolving the classification and evolutionary history of the eucalypts. This collaborative project addresses the need to achieve a stable classification of the eucalypts, Australia's most ecologically and commercially important trees. The industry partners are lead agencies with responsibility for classification and identification of biodiversity, delivering taxonomic knowledge for end-users. Despite molecular studies in the last decade, the phylogenetic relationships of a number of the major subgroups of the eucalypts are unknown. We will sequence new regions of DNA and combine this with morphological data to resolve the relationships of the eucalypt lineages, and hence their classification. Phylogenetic analysis also aids identification of high-value areas for conservation of relictual species.Read moreRead less
Resolving the molecular phylogeny and classification of Australian acacias, a major biodiversity resource. This collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne will resolve the phylogeny of Australia's largest group of flowering plants, the acacias, to form the basis of a new classification. With more than 960 species, Australian acacias are a major biodiversity resource yet their genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships are poorly known. We will determine the main taxonomic gro ....Resolving the molecular phylogeny and classification of Australian acacias, a major biodiversity resource. This collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne will resolve the phylogeny of Australia's largest group of flowering plants, the acacias, to form the basis of a new classification. With more than 960 species, Australian acacias are a major biodiversity resource yet their genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships are poorly known. We will determine the main taxonomic groups and their relationships by sequencing the DNA of more than 300 species. Acacias are of ecological importance and of use in land reclamation, horticulture, and rural craftwood industries.
Read moreRead less
Evolution of the alternation of generations in the land plant life cycle. This project aims to investigate the genetic and evolutionary basis of land plants’ dimorphic life cycle where a single genome can generate two body plans. Like animals, land plants spend part of their life as a diploid, where meiosis generates haploid spores. Unlike animals, these spores grow into multicellular organisms before generating gametes. The project will study a homeodomain protein encoding a gene family that co ....Evolution of the alternation of generations in the land plant life cycle. This project aims to investigate the genetic and evolutionary basis of land plants’ dimorphic life cycle where a single genome can generate two body plans. Like animals, land plants spend part of their life as a diploid, where meiosis generates haploid spores. Unlike animals, these spores grow into multicellular organisms before generating gametes. The project will study a homeodomain protein encoding a gene family that controls the haploid to diploid transition in unicellular algae and fungi. It will investigate land plant genes in a flowering plant and a liverwort. These findings could help scientists understand and manipulate important processes such as pollen and seed production.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101164
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Evolution of chemical warfare in invasive plants. The project aims to test when, where and how exotic plant populations become invasive through the rapid evolution of chemical compounds that inhibit native plant species. Using an innovative quantitative genetics framework, the intended outcome is to determine how the chemicals are selected, and whether there is sufficient heritable variation for the chemicals to evolve across heterogeneous landscapes characteristic of introduced ranges. The proj ....Evolution of chemical warfare in invasive plants. The project aims to test when, where and how exotic plant populations become invasive through the rapid evolution of chemical compounds that inhibit native plant species. Using an innovative quantitative genetics framework, the intended outcome is to determine how the chemicals are selected, and whether there is sufficient heritable variation for the chemicals to evolve across heterogeneous landscapes characteristic of introduced ranges. The project will deliver key insights into the ecological and genetic mechanisms of adaptive evolution in invasive species, and predict evolutionary dynamics of biological invasions that inform their effective management. The project’s expected outcomes will be useful to policy makers, weed managers and farming communities.Read moreRead less
The evolution of the alternation of generations in land plants. This project aims to investigate how a genetic system, comprised of a homeodomain protein encoding gene family controlling the haploid to diploid transition, has evolved during land plant evolution.
The project expects to generate new knowledge concerning the evolution of land plants from which our food and fibre are derived.
The intended outcomes include an elucidation of how an ancestral genetic network was elaborated during the e ....The evolution of the alternation of generations in land plants. This project aims to investigate how a genetic system, comprised of a homeodomain protein encoding gene family controlling the haploid to diploid transition, has evolved during land plant evolution.
The project expects to generate new knowledge concerning the evolution of land plants from which our food and fibre are derived.
The intended outcomes include an elucidation of how an ancestral genetic network was elaborated during the evolution of a multicelluar organism, including the retention of ancestral functions and the origins of new functions.
An anticipated benefit is the ability to manipulate the the growth and development of plants based on fundamental principles, which has broad agricultural implications.Read moreRead less
The origin and evolution of the land plant meristem. This project aims to identify the extent of overlap between the genetic determinants of the gametophyte and sporophyte shoot meristems.
The project expects to generate new knowledge of the evolution and development of land plants by applying comparative genomics and new technologies to a novel model genetic system.
Expected outcomes include an elucidation of the genetic basis for one of the key morphological adaptations for life on land.
Th ....The origin and evolution of the land plant meristem. This project aims to identify the extent of overlap between the genetic determinants of the gametophyte and sporophyte shoot meristems.
The project expects to generate new knowledge of the evolution and development of land plants by applying comparative genomics and new technologies to a novel model genetic system.
Expected outcomes include an elucidation of the genetic basis for one of the key morphological adaptations for life on land.
The ability to manipulate the growth and development of plants via the activity of meristems based on fundamental principles has broad agricultural implications.
Read moreRead less