Evolutionary history and impact of adeno-associated viruses in Australia. Recently accrued evidence identifies Australia as an ideal closed-model system in which to elucidate the evolutionary history of a group of non-pathogenic viruses, known as adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). This project aims to trace back the evolutionary history of AAVs for tens of millions of years via molecular fossil imprints left behind by ancient viral invasions of Australian marsupial genomes. Concurrently, the poten ....Evolutionary history and impact of adeno-associated viruses in Australia. Recently accrued evidence identifies Australia as an ideal closed-model system in which to elucidate the evolutionary history of a group of non-pathogenic viruses, known as adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). This project aims to trace back the evolutionary history of AAVs for tens of millions of years via molecular fossil imprints left behind by ancient viral invasions of Australian marsupial genomes. Concurrently, the potential impact that these viral invasions had on the evolutionary development of their ancestral hosts will be investigated. This could facilitate previously unattainable insights into both AAV and marsupial evolution, with broader implications relevant to the advancement of the fields of virology and mammalian evolution.Read moreRead less
Will genetic rescue save the Tasmanian devil? This project aims to measure the long-term genetic impacts of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s ‘Wild Devil Recovery’ initiative. The project will determine whether supplementing small populations with individuals that are genetically diverse reduces inbreeding depression. The project will also monitor the impact of supplementation on the evolutionary trajectory of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The project will train a cohort of conservation scie ....Will genetic rescue save the Tasmanian devil? This project aims to measure the long-term genetic impacts of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program’s ‘Wild Devil Recovery’ initiative. The project will determine whether supplementing small populations with individuals that are genetically diverse reduces inbreeding depression. The project will also monitor the impact of supplementation on the evolutionary trajectory of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The project will train a cohort of conservation scientists to translate genetic data into management actions. The outputs will directly inform the management actions of the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries Parks, Water and the Environment and will help shape other species recovery programs.Read moreRead less
From developmental stability to organismic senility: Hox genes and telomere impact on life history evolution. Australia benefits from training researchers and technicians in new, break-through biotechnology and from applying this knowledge to relevant, cutting-edge questions in highly publicized research fields. This project contains both these ingredients. Our model species (a lizard) has a relatively high level of offspring malformations (ca 15%), which makes it much more likely to detect thei ....From developmental stability to organismic senility: Hox genes and telomere impact on life history evolution. Australia benefits from training researchers and technicians in new, break-through biotechnology and from applying this knowledge to relevant, cutting-edge questions in highly publicized research fields. This project contains both these ingredients. Our model species (a lizard) has a relatively high level of offspring malformations (ca 15%), which makes it much more likely to detect their underlying genetic mechanism. Furthermore, we can also assess how these animals survive and reproduce in relation to how quickly they age, which can be measured by assessing the shortening of telomeres per unit time. Thus, this collaboration provides an opportunity to train Australian researchers and in that process generate very high profile research.Read moreRead less
Inbreeding and Amphibian Decline: from an Individual to a Global Perspective. Amphibian decline is not a phenomenon unique to overseas continents and countries. In the long line of research papers addressing this issue in the best science journals (e.g., Nature and Science), Australian frog decline has even been singled out for specific coverage. This project targets the interplay between habitat fragmentation, loss of genetic variation (inbreeding), and its effects on UV and pathogen resistance ....Inbreeding and Amphibian Decline: from an Individual to a Global Perspective. Amphibian decline is not a phenomenon unique to overseas continents and countries. In the long line of research papers addressing this issue in the best science journals (e.g., Nature and Science), Australian frog decline has even been singled out for specific coverage. This project targets the interplay between habitat fragmentation, loss of genetic variation (inbreeding), and its effects on UV and pathogen resistance in a laboratory model system. It integrates three disciplines (immunobiology, evolutionary genetics, and conservation biology) to resolve fundamental aspects of the drastic, ongoing disappearance of the most significant ecological indicator taxa known today (amphibians). Read moreRead less
A stitch in time: evidence-based strategy to keep platypus from extinction. This project aims to assess the status of the iconic platypus, identified as ‘near-threatened’ in 2014. The project’s multidisciplinary approach plans to compare regulated and unregulated rivers to investigate metapopulation structure (via physical and genetic tagging), current condition and future adaptability of the species, as well as other threats and habitat quality. The project also links vulnerability of platypus ....A stitch in time: evidence-based strategy to keep platypus from extinction. This project aims to assess the status of the iconic platypus, identified as ‘near-threatened’ in 2014. The project’s multidisciplinary approach plans to compare regulated and unregulated rivers to investigate metapopulation structure (via physical and genetic tagging), current condition and future adaptability of the species, as well as other threats and habitat quality. The project also links vulnerability of platypus populations to conservation actions that reduce extinction risk, through rigorous decision analyses. It is anticipated that the project will deliver implementable conservation actions at relevant scales.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture. The ARC CoE for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture will discover the adaptive strategies underpinning productivity and resilience in diverse plants and deepen knowledge of the genetic and physiological networks driving key traits. Using novel quantitative and computational approaches, the Centre will link gene networks with traits across biological levels, giving breeders an unparalleled predictive capacity. The Centre wi ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture. The ARC CoE for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture will discover the adaptive strategies underpinning productivity and resilience in diverse plants and deepen knowledge of the genetic and physiological networks driving key traits. Using novel quantitative and computational approaches, the Centre will link gene networks with traits across biological levels, giving breeders an unparalleled predictive capacity. The Centre will accelerate technologies to transfer successful networks into crops and build legal frameworks to secure this knowledge. With a uniquely multidisciplinary team, the Centre will deliver new strategies to address the problems of food security and climate change, establishing Australia as a global leader in these areas.Read moreRead less
Biotic connectivity within the temperate Australian marine protected area network at three levels of biodiversity, communities, populations and genes. Project outcomes will improve management of coastal biodiversity through a multi-state collaboration of managers, marine ecologists, population geneticists and taxonomists. Sites most needed within marine protected area (MPA) networks for maintaining resilience of populations across seascapes will be identified, including sites with exceptional en ....Biotic connectivity within the temperate Australian marine protected area network at three levels of biodiversity, communities, populations and genes. Project outcomes will improve management of coastal biodiversity through a multi-state collaboration of managers, marine ecologists, population geneticists and taxonomists. Sites most needed within marine protected area (MPA) networks for maintaining resilience of populations across seascapes will be identified, including sites with exceptional endemism or key roles in dispersal of larvae. The ecological efficacy of the temperate Australian MPA network will be assessed through analysis of long-term ecological datasets and further development of a novel 'remote sensing' methodology, whereby surveys are undertaken by volunteer divers across much greater spatial and temporal scales than could be studied by dedicated scientific dive teams.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100203
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,000.00
Summary
Autonomous benthic observing system. This project seeks to improve our ability to monitor marine habitats and characterise their variability by enhancing the Integrated Marine Observing system (IMOS) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Facility. The new AUV infrastructure will reduce operating costs, increase robustness of the sampling effort and insure continued operation for the next decade.
Rewiring marine food webs: Predicting consequences of species range shifts. This project aims to predict how changes in climate-driven species distributions affect shallow marine communities globally. Environmental change affects the structure, resilience and productivity of coastal marine ecosystems at regional and global scales. This project will combine global species distribution and trait databases, existing experimental data and targeted field sampling to develop, test and apply an integra ....Rewiring marine food webs: Predicting consequences of species range shifts. This project aims to predict how changes in climate-driven species distributions affect shallow marine communities globally. Environmental change affects the structure, resilience and productivity of coastal marine ecosystems at regional and global scales. This project will combine global species distribution and trait databases, existing experimental data and targeted field sampling to develop, test and apply an integrated modelling platform to predict how global warming-driven changes in species distributions and their interactions affect the structure and dynamics of shallow marine communities. This project addresses a knowledge gap on how species’ redistributions and trophic dynamics produce communities, and aims to forecast future species abundances for sustainable marine ecosystem management.Read moreRead less