Connectivity and movements of large pelagic species of ecotourism value. The project aims to answer key questions about the biology, ecology and sustainability of the world’s manta ray species to provide the information and tools for management and conservation of these charismatic and valuable species. In particular, the project aims to determine the likely impact of climate variability and fisheries that operate to Australia’s north on manta-based ecotourism in the Indo-Pacific region, as clim ....Connectivity and movements of large pelagic species of ecotourism value. The project aims to answer key questions about the biology, ecology and sustainability of the world’s manta ray species to provide the information and tools for management and conservation of these charismatic and valuable species. In particular, the project aims to determine the likely impact of climate variability and fisheries that operate to Australia’s north on manta-based ecotourism in the Indo-Pacific region, as climate change and active low-value fisheries may both jeopardise a high-value ecotourism industry. The project seeks to explore geographic distributions, local and large-scale movements, population sizes, structure, and inter-connectivity in the region to assess the effect of climate and fisheries on manta ray populations.Read moreRead less
Testing metabolic theories in ecology. There are striking similarities in the way plants and animals take up and use energy (metabolism), despite enormous variation in size and life-style. This project will make the first experimental comparison of the predictions of the two major theories for these broad patterns. The results will significantly progress this controversial and exciting field.
Detecting sex differences in natural selection. This project aims to develop new genomic approaches for understanding how genetic mutations can differentially affect reproductive success in males and females. Applying novel tests, this project aims to uncover previously hidden genetic conflicts between the sexes. This will provide significant benefits, such as new tools that will be broadly applicable to the wider research community, and help to answer key questions in genetics and evolutionary ....Detecting sex differences in natural selection. This project aims to develop new genomic approaches for understanding how genetic mutations can differentially affect reproductive success in males and females. Applying novel tests, this project aims to uncover previously hidden genetic conflicts between the sexes. This will provide significant benefits, such as new tools that will be broadly applicable to the wider research community, and help to answer key questions in genetics and evolutionary biology in the current genomic era.Read moreRead less
Simulating viral evolution and genetic complexity. This project has direct relevance to understanding the growth of viral infections, and therefore has possible practical applications in disease research and control. Examples of these are emerging diseases in humans such as those caused by HIV-1, SARS coronavirus and Dengue virus, which cause considerable human suffering throughout the world. A major part of current research into these diseases involves attempts to model the evolutionary geneti ....Simulating viral evolution and genetic complexity. This project has direct relevance to understanding the growth of viral infections, and therefore has possible practical applications in disease research and control. Examples of these are emerging diseases in humans such as those caused by HIV-1, SARS coronavirus and Dengue virus, which cause considerable human suffering throughout the world. A major part of current research into these diseases involves attempts to model the evolutionary genetics and dynamics of virus populations in order to understand how to control epidemics, develop vaccines and design drugs. The research program is designed to provide new computational modelling tools for this purpose, which may have wider applications as well.
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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
Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. This project aims to optimise health and aged care services throughout Australia, by bringing together researchers and key organisations in the health, aged, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) sectors to build a much-needed evidence base. Older LGBTI Australians have vastly poorer health outcomes than the broader population. This project will provide detaile ....Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. Reducing health disparities for older LGBTI Australians. This project aims to optimise health and aged care services throughout Australia, by bringing together researchers and key organisations in the health, aged, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) sectors to build a much-needed evidence base. Older LGBTI Australians have vastly poorer health outcomes than the broader population. This project will provide detailed quantitative and qualitative data on the challenges and needs of older LGBTI Australians and service providers, and develop essential resources so policymakers and service providers can reduce older LGBTI Australians’ health disparities.Read moreRead less
Superbugs and veterinary drugs: are multidrug-resistant zoonotic pathogens residing in Australian animals? Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem affecting human health that is now emerging in animals and veterinary hospitals. This project will integrate surveillance with novel treatments and preventatives to develop effective strategies to limit the impact of resistant bacteria to animal health and prevent transfer between humans and animals.
The demographic consequences of migration to, from and within Australia. The long-term demographic consequences of migration to, from and within Australia, and the dynamic pathways that produced them, will be studied. This will involve the identification of the specific contributions made by international and internal migration to the age and sex population compositions of nine birthplace-specific populations from 1981 to 2011. To do this, publically available data will be collected and augmente ....The demographic consequences of migration to, from and within Australia. The long-term demographic consequences of migration to, from and within Australia, and the dynamic pathways that produced them, will be studied. This will involve the identification of the specific contributions made by international and internal migration to the age and sex population compositions of nine birthplace-specific populations from 1981 to 2011. To do this, publically available data will be collected and augmented with statistical methods to provide a complete, consistent account of population change for around 60 subnational areas. As migration and population change underpins many aspects of societal change in Australia, this research aims to provide an invaluable resource to other scientists and policy makers.Read moreRead less
Discovering sex determining genes in a reptile with genetic and environmental sex determination. Reptile sex determination is particularly fascinating because it is triggered either by genes on sex chromosomes or by the nest temperature. This project will identify and characterise candidate sex determining genes in a model reptile to understand how genes control sexual differentiation and how they interact with temperature.
Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, loc ....Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, local recruitment and/or adaptation are at play. Recent developments in genomics and bioinformatics should allow this project to understand the ecological processes underpinning these genetic signatures and determine their evolutionary implications. Such findings could direct targeted rebuilding of depleted fisheries stocks.Read moreRead less