Subterranean invertebrate communities of arid zone Western Australia: diversity, assessment and food-web structure. The diverse and unique subterranean fauna associated with aquifers of the Western Australia arid zone is potentially threatened by water extraction, mining and other human impacts. This project aims to apply a powerful combination of molecular genetic analyses and compound specific isotope analyses to study, for the first time, the food web structure and source of energy of these g ....Subterranean invertebrate communities of arid zone Western Australia: diversity, assessment and food-web structure. The diverse and unique subterranean fauna associated with aquifers of the Western Australia arid zone is potentially threatened by water extraction, mining and other human impacts. This project aims to apply a powerful combination of molecular genetic analyses and compound specific isotope analyses to study, for the first time, the food web structure and source of energy of these groundwater ecosystems. The project aims to also develop novel procedures for monitoring their biodiversity using environmental DNA within the groundwater. The results will provide crucial information for the management of groundwater, and conservation of their associated ecosystems, and significantly improve the rigour of long-term environmental monitoring.Read moreRead less
Genetic variation in narrow leafed lupin (NLL) accessions and breeding programs. The centre of origin of a crop plant is expected to have the greatest extant genetic variation of wild relatives. Development of modern cultivars may be accompanied by a severe genetic bottleneck, whereby subsequent breeding efforts are hampered by lack of significant genetic variation within domesticated breeding material. This proposal will research the extent to which the available genetic variation in wild acces ....Genetic variation in narrow leafed lupin (NLL) accessions and breeding programs. The centre of origin of a crop plant is expected to have the greatest extant genetic variation of wild relatives. Development of modern cultivars may be accompanied by a severe genetic bottleneck, whereby subsequent breeding efforts are hampered by lack of significant genetic variation within domesticated breeding material. This proposal will research the extent to which the available genetic variation in wild accessions of the recently developed crop Lupinus angustifolius has been utilised in breeding programs around the world. Results will be applied to broaden the gene pool and improve adaptation of new cultivars in the National Lupin Improvement Program.Read moreRead less
Brassica genome organisation and evolution: unlocking the potential of using genome-specific repetitive elements for crop improvement. Introgression of chromosome segments from related Brassica species provides an opportunity to develop locally adapted varieties with improved agronomic and quality traits. There is a need to understand Brassica genome organisation and how this information can be used for enhancing the efficiency of cultivar development. Dispersed and tandem repetitive DNA sequen ....Brassica genome organisation and evolution: unlocking the potential of using genome-specific repetitive elements for crop improvement. Introgression of chromosome segments from related Brassica species provides an opportunity to develop locally adapted varieties with improved agronomic and quality traits. There is a need to understand Brassica genome organisation and how this information can be used for enhancing the efficiency of cultivar development. Dispersed and tandem repetitive DNA sequences provide valuable information on the organisation and evolution of plant chromosomes. Methods for monitoring chromosome segment transfer across Brassica species will be developed based on detecting and quantifying genome-specific repetitive DNA sequences. Australian Brassica improvement programs could benefit from this research by adopting methods to detect chromosome segment transfer during interspecific hybridisation.Read moreRead less
Fast tracking pea weevil resistance into field pea cultivars through interspecific hybridisation. Field pea is a high value export product of Australia and increased adoption will lead to greater sustainability of agriculture, improved farm income and value adding opportunities (eg. food industry) in regional Australia. Novel breeding tools used within this project will accelerate the development of pea weevil resistant field peas that are less dependent on the application of pesticides than cur ....Fast tracking pea weevil resistance into field pea cultivars through interspecific hybridisation. Field pea is a high value export product of Australia and increased adoption will lead to greater sustainability of agriculture, improved farm income and value adding opportunities (eg. food industry) in regional Australia. Novel breeding tools used within this project will accelerate the development of pea weevil resistant field peas that are less dependent on the application of pesticides than current varieties. Their availability will encourage further uptake of field pea into Australian cropping systems, contributing to environmentally sustainable farming systems by improving soil nitrogen levels and reducing the environmental effect of pesticides.Read moreRead less
Kruppel-like factors and the methylome. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the KLF/SP family of transcription factors work in part via dynamic interactions with methylated cytosine nucleotides in DNA. This is fundamental to their function as pioneer factors in reprograming and their ability to co-ordinate differentiation and organogenesis. Conversely, dynamic changes in methylation status engage or disengage new regulatory elements in the genome via recruitment of KLF/SP family protei ....Kruppel-like factors and the methylome. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the KLF/SP family of transcription factors work in part via dynamic interactions with methylated cytosine nucleotides in DNA. This is fundamental to their function as pioneer factors in reprograming and their ability to co-ordinate differentiation and organogenesis. Conversely, dynamic changes in methylation status engage or disengage new regulatory elements in the genome via recruitment of KLF/SP family proteins as specific effectors. This project will address a new paradigm in genetics that is likely to underpin development.Read moreRead less
Testing the costs and benefits of gene flow. The mixing of individuals from different populations has traditionally been viewed as beneficial because it maintains genetic variation and offsets the deleterious effects of inbreeding. However, this practice can also have detrimental effects on the fitness of populations. In this project field and laboratory experiments will test whether the benefits gained by mixing of individuals from different populations outweigh the costs or vice versa. In add ....Testing the costs and benefits of gene flow. The mixing of individuals from different populations has traditionally been viewed as beneficial because it maintains genetic variation and offsets the deleterious effects of inbreeding. However, this practice can also have detrimental effects on the fitness of populations. In this project field and laboratory experiments will test whether the benefits gained by mixing of individuals from different populations outweigh the costs or vice versa. In addition to providing information essential for the management of endangered species, the results will provide valuable insights on the processes that determine species' ranges and how new species evolve.Read moreRead less
Characterising structural variation in the canola genome. Characterising structural variation in the canola genome. This project aims to develop and apply genomic tools to identify and characterise structural genome variation in canola, a major Australian export crop, to better understand genome evolution and accelerate canola breeding. Advances in DNA sequencing revolutionise our understanding of crop genomes, their evolution and impact on the inheritance on agronomic traits. Variation of genom ....Characterising structural variation in the canola genome. Characterising structural variation in the canola genome. This project aims to develop and apply genomic tools to identify and characterise structural genome variation in canola, a major Australian export crop, to better understand genome evolution and accelerate canola breeding. Advances in DNA sequencing revolutionise our understanding of crop genomes, their evolution and impact on the inheritance on agronomic traits. Variation of genome structure between individuals could be important in the inheritance of important agronomic traits. Recent advances in technology permit the detailed characterisation of structural variation on a previously unfeasible scale. Anticipated outcomes are enhanced global food security, supporting rural Australian economies, and accelerating the improvement of other major crops.Read moreRead less
Fisheries genomics of snapper in Australia and New Zealand Waters. This industry-driven project aims to assemble a strategic research alliance to generate and apply knowledge to a highly significant fisheries resource. It involves collaboration between the five major state government fisheries agencies in Australia, the New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute for seafood and two Australian labs with leadership in fish genetics and genomics. It expects to generate and integrate genomic, environmen ....Fisheries genomics of snapper in Australia and New Zealand Waters. This industry-driven project aims to assemble a strategic research alliance to generate and apply knowledge to a highly significant fisheries resource. It involves collaboration between the five major state government fisheries agencies in Australia, the New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute for seafood and two Australian labs with leadership in fish genetics and genomics. It expects to generate and integrate genomic, environmental and phenotypic datasets for snapper populations from across vast coastal regions of the two countries. The outcomes should substantially enhance intra- and inter-jurisdictional fisheries management and aquaculture initiatives, providing commercial, social and environmental benefits for many stakeholders.Read moreRead less
Who’s who in the plant gene world? As many more plant genomes are sequenced, the bottleneck is being able to interrogate and translate this data into applications for crop improvement. This project will develop and apply a population graph database, hosting genome data for the world’s major crops and their wild relatives, allowing the characterisation of gene diversity on an unparalleled scale. Analysis of this data will reveal the presence/absence and sequence diversity for classes of genes for ....Who’s who in the plant gene world? As many more plant genomes are sequenced, the bottleneck is being able to interrogate and translate this data into applications for crop improvement. This project will develop and apply a population graph database, hosting genome data for the world’s major crops and their wild relatives, allowing the characterisation of gene diversity on an unparalleled scale. Analysis of this data will reveal the presence/absence and sequence diversity for classes of genes for important agronomic traits including disease resistance, flowering time and legume nitrogen fixation which will enable plant breeders to identify and apply novel genes and allelic variants for use in breeding programmes, accelerating the production of improved crop varieties.Read moreRead less
Understanding adaptation to improve conservation of Australian flora. Using the Australian flora as our model, this project aims to tackle a central issue of evolution and conservation - what drives species adaptation? Since dispersal should override selection in populations, we predict that plants that are good dispersers will display weak signals of adaptation, but a higher capacity to adapt, than poorer dispersers. From these expectations we plan to develop a new adaptation guild classificati ....Understanding adaptation to improve conservation of Australian flora. Using the Australian flora as our model, this project aims to tackle a central issue of evolution and conservation - what drives species adaptation? Since dispersal should override selection in populations, we predict that plants that are good dispersers will display weak signals of adaptation, but a higher capacity to adapt, than poorer dispersers. From these expectations we plan to develop a new adaptation guild classification, and test predictions using ecological genomics and functional genetics at a continental and multi-species scale. In addition to progressing a central tenet of evolutionary biology, this project aims to improve seed sourcing and biodiversity management, readily applicable to plants that can be quickly classified by life history traits.Read moreRead less