Animals response to extreme climatic events. Climate change is causing extreme climatic events, such as floods and heat waves, to become more frequent. This project will investigate by which mechanism animals can adjust to extreme climatic events and whether the response is fast enough to avoid extinction, thereby providing urgently needed insights into the natural resilience of Australian fauna.
How are weeds adapting to life in Australia? Quantifying the rate and direction of evolution in introduced species. Introduced plants are a major problem throughout Australia. Introduced species are listed as one of the most severe threats to biodiversity in Australia, and managing them costs Australia around $4 billion per annum. The information we gather in this project will tell us what sort of changes introduced plants undergo when they arrive in Australia; how quickly plants can adapt to a ....How are weeds adapting to life in Australia? Quantifying the rate and direction of evolution in introduced species. Introduced plants are a major problem throughout Australia. Introduced species are listed as one of the most severe threats to biodiversity in Australia, and managing them costs Australia around $4 billion per annum. The information we gather in this project will tell us what sort of changes introduced plants undergo when they arrive in Australia; how quickly plants can adapt to a new environment, and what sort of species are best able to adapt to new conditions. We will also ask whether introduced species are still adapting to Australian conditions. If so, then we might expect even more naturalised species to become problem weeds in the future. This sort of knowledge is fundamental to our ability to develop appropriate control programs.Read moreRead less
Evolution in a changing environment. Climate change is having dramatic effects on wild animal populations. This project will investigate how and why these effects occur, and whether populations will be able to evolve to adapt to a changing environment.
How does developmental plasticity shape adaptation to environmental change? This project aims to address how animals adapt to environmental change by examining a process largely ignored in current studies: how the environment alters animal development. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of the genetics of adaptation using an innovative approach to determine how genetic variation, environmental conditions, and development interact to shape adaptation to changing environmen ....How does developmental plasticity shape adaptation to environmental change? This project aims to address how animals adapt to environmental change by examining a process largely ignored in current studies: how the environment alters animal development. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of the genetics of adaptation using an innovative approach to determine how genetic variation, environmental conditions, and development interact to shape adaptation to changing environments. Expected outcomes of this project include enhancing predictions of how species respond to climate change and building capacity for international collaborations. The intended impact of this project is to increase our understanding of how animals respond to environmental change by determining how multiple environmental cues act together to alter development, and how the genetic makeup of the individual affects these responses.Read moreRead less
Environmental stress profiling (ESP): Molecular profiling of sediment microbial communities for improved biological monitoring in aquatic ecosystems. Water resource management is a key issue for environmental sustainability in Australia and strategies that include ecological principles are important to improve present conditions and reduce further degradation. Current biomonitoring methods suffer from a low degree of sensitivity that can seriously impact their effectiveness as early warning sign ....Environmental stress profiling (ESP): Molecular profiling of sediment microbial communities for improved biological monitoring in aquatic ecosystems. Water resource management is a key issue for environmental sustainability in Australia and strategies that include ecological principles are important to improve present conditions and reduce further degradation. Current biomonitoring methods suffer from a low degree of sensitivity that can seriously impact their effectiveness as early warning signals of ecological disturbance. We propose to combine molecular and ecotoxicological assessment of the effect of zinc toxicity on microbial communities to provide rapid pollution sensitive bioassessment. Our research will lead to a better understanding of the cause and effect of heavy metal pollution within aquatic ecosystems and greater insight on how to reduce and repair the negative effects.Read moreRead less
The puzzle of Metazoan life history evolution: are feeding larvae always primitive? Most marine animals have a complex life-cycles with alternating pelagic larvae and benthic adults. An theory about animal life-history evolution states that feeding larvae are always primitive and larval feeding is lost but not gained. This hypothesis is based in part on studies on the 'classical' trochophore of marine worms such as Serpulidae, a group with both feeding and non-feeding larvae. We intend to establ ....The puzzle of Metazoan life history evolution: are feeding larvae always primitive? Most marine animals have a complex life-cycles with alternating pelagic larvae and benthic adults. An theory about animal life-history evolution states that feeding larvae are always primitive and larval feeding is lost but not gained. This hypothesis is based in part on studies on the 'classical' trochophore of marine worms such as Serpulidae, a group with both feeding and non-feeding larvae. We intend to establish a detailed phylogeny for Serpulidae and assess the evolution of larvae in the group. If feeding larvae are shown to be secondary this will raise doubts about established theories of animal evolution.Read moreRead less
The evolution of parental care in leeches: costs and benefits in a clade of hermaphroditic, invertebrate ectotherms. Parental care is a basic element of reproduction in many species. Nearly everything we know about parental care comes from study of vertebrates, especially birds and mammals. Leech is synonymous with exploitation, but many of these annelid worms are devoted parents. Because they differ dramatically from most vertebrates, leeches present an excellent, but as yet unused, opportunity ....The evolution of parental care in leeches: costs and benefits in a clade of hermaphroditic, invertebrate ectotherms. Parental care is a basic element of reproduction in many species. Nearly everything we know about parental care comes from study of vertebrates, especially birds and mammals. Leech is synonymous with exploitation, but many of these annelid worms are devoted parents. Because they differ dramatically from most vertebrates, leeches present an excellent, but as yet unused, opportunity to test our theories and understanding of the evoluton of parental care. We will examine the evolution of degrees of care and sibling competition in leech families, and use molecular markers to better understand the genetic structure of populations of these invertebrates.Read moreRead less
Genomic vulnerability . Aims: This project aims to validate genomic predictions of species’ vulnerability to climate change.
Significance: Species are already responding to climate change, and many face high predicted rates of extinction. Some species will be able to avoid extinction via evolutionary adaptation. Yet we currently lack the ability to accurately predict which species do and do not have the capacity to adapt and avoid extinction.
Expected outcomes: Expected outcomes of this project ....Genomic vulnerability . Aims: This project aims to validate genomic predictions of species’ vulnerability to climate change.
Significance: Species are already responding to climate change, and many face high predicted rates of extinction. Some species will be able to avoid extinction via evolutionary adaptation. Yet we currently lack the ability to accurately predict which species do and do not have the capacity to adapt and avoid extinction.
Expected outcomes: Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced ability to predict species’ vulnerability to ongoing climate change.
Benefits: This project should significantly improve our capacity to manage threatened and keystone species by identifying those that will require targeted conservation management.
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Does size really matter? Selection, constraints and allometry. Australia is internationally recognized for its strong performance in evolutionary biology and quantitative genetics. This study contributes to the advancement of these fields. It is explicitly designed to create selection lines that can be used by developmental biologists, physiologists, geneticists and endocrinologists. This will strengthen links between institutes within Australia and internationally and later allow more applied q ....Does size really matter? Selection, constraints and allometry. Australia is internationally recognized for its strong performance in evolutionary biology and quantitative genetics. This study contributes to the advancement of these fields. It is explicitly designed to create selection lines that can be used by developmental biologists, physiologists, geneticists and endocrinologists. This will strengthen links between institutes within Australia and internationally and later allow more applied questions to be asked. Although this study addresses a basic research question, it uses techniques and statistics that are integral to work selecting for improvement of commercial crops and animals. It therefore provides valuable training opportunities for an essential part of Australia's agricultural sector.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102821
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Molecular genetic adaptive processes in natural co-evolution between rabbits and the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus. This project will use extensive sampling and long-term field data to reveal ongoing co-evolutionary mechanisms behind the increasing resistance of pest Australian wild rabbits against a viral pathogen. The results will increase the understanding of evolutionary mechanisms in nature and will provide basic information for biological pest control of rabbits.