Escalation of a coevolutionary arms race between cuckoos and their hosts: cognitive causes and evolutionary consequences. Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other species, provoking an evolutionary arms race in which hosts evolve defences against parasitism and cuckoos evolve ever more cunning tricks to gain reproductive success. In principle, the degree of specialization required to defeat host defences could cause cuckoo speciation. Our previous research has revealed that the arms race bet ....Escalation of a coevolutionary arms race between cuckoos and their hosts: cognitive causes and evolutionary consequences. Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other species, provoking an evolutionary arms race in which hosts evolve defences against parasitism and cuckoos evolve ever more cunning tricks to gain reproductive success. In principle, the degree of specialization required to defeat host defences could cause cuckoo speciation. Our previous research has revealed that the arms race between the Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo and its superb fairy-wren host has reached a uniquely advanced stage, hitherto undescribed, and previously thought imposssible to attain. We aim to investigate the mechanisms underlying this specialization and investigate whether it is driving speciation of the Chrysococcyx cuckoos.Read moreRead less
Sperm competition, sexual conflict, and gamete evolution in mice. The innovative experiments of this project will yield results that are at the forefront of research in evolutionary biology. This project will generate publications in high profile journals, and will foster collaborations between Australian and European researchers, creating a significant international impact and promoting excellence in Australian research. Since European settlement of Australia, sixty percent of the native rodent ....Sperm competition, sexual conflict, and gamete evolution in mice. The innovative experiments of this project will yield results that are at the forefront of research in evolutionary biology. This project will generate publications in high profile journals, and will foster collaborations between Australian and European researchers, creating a significant international impact and promoting excellence in Australian research. Since European settlement of Australia, sixty percent of the native rodent species have become extinct or are threatened with extinction. As there is a significant lack of research on the mating systems of Australian rodents, our investigations on a native mouse will generate information that will be extremely valuable to the national conservation efforts of threatened rodent species.Read moreRead less
The influence of breeding synchrony on avian reproductive strategies. Australia has a strong international reputation for research on avian evolutionary biology, in part, because of our diverse and unique avifauna. This research will resolve one of the more contentious issues in this field concerning the influence of breeding synchrony on a range of reproductive behaviours. Our experimental approach incorporates a series of new and innovative techniques and will help maintain Australia's leading ....The influence of breeding synchrony on avian reproductive strategies. Australia has a strong international reputation for research on avian evolutionary biology, in part, because of our diverse and unique avifauna. This research will resolve one of the more contentious issues in this field concerning the influence of breeding synchrony on a range of reproductive behaviours. Our experimental approach incorporates a series of new and innovative techniques and will help maintain Australia's leading role in this area. The project will provide intensive training for students and also promote awareness about Australia's bird life to a wide audience, including rural communities who have a critical role in the long-term preservation of many species.Read moreRead less
Sexual conflict in the mitochondrion. Australia boasts an international reputation for scientific excellence, and this holds true for the field of evolutionary biology. This groundbreaking project will resolve an outstanding evolutionary conundrum, and integrate two major sets of theory to have witnessed recent paradigm shifts - sexual selection and mitochondrial evolutionary theory. By doing so, the project will push the field in new directions, promoting cutting-edge Australian science abroad. ....Sexual conflict in the mitochondrion. Australia boasts an international reputation for scientific excellence, and this holds true for the field of evolutionary biology. This groundbreaking project will resolve an outstanding evolutionary conundrum, and integrate two major sets of theory to have witnessed recent paradigm shifts - sexual selection and mitochondrial evolutionary theory. By doing so, the project will push the field in new directions, promoting cutting-edge Australian science abroad. This project promises educational benefits, by training postgraduate and honours students that are highly competitive in the international academic market. Finally, the project may yield novel insights into the genetics of male infertility, which affects five percent of Australian men.Read moreRead less
The evolution of sequential polyandry: An experimental approach. The notion that polyandry has evolved as an adaptive female strategy remains highly controversial because empirical work lags far behind theoretical advances. This study will empirically test current hypotheses for the evolution of polyandry using the Australian frog Pseudophryne bibroni as a model species. Aspects of the reproductive biology of this species make it ideal for critically testing diverse hypotheses that can not be ea ....The evolution of sequential polyandry: An experimental approach. The notion that polyandry has evolved as an adaptive female strategy remains highly controversial because empirical work lags far behind theoretical advances. This study will empirically test current hypotheses for the evolution of polyandry using the Australian frog Pseudophryne bibroni as a model species. Aspects of the reproductive biology of this species make it ideal for critically testing diverse hypotheses that can not be easily tested in groups with internal fertilisation or with simultaneous polyandry. Understanding why females mate with multiple males will have extreme implications for sexual selection and mating system theory.Read moreRead less
Female roles during postcopulatory sexual selection. The project will evaluate the importance of postcopulatory sexual selection in the guppy, a polyandrous species of livebearing fish. The use of artificial insemination, which experimentally controls the relative contribution of sperm from competing males (as well as other confounding effects), will facilitate a powerful test of recent theoretical predictions in evolutionary biology. The project will enable me to distinguish between competing h ....Female roles during postcopulatory sexual selection. The project will evaluate the importance of postcopulatory sexual selection in the guppy, a polyandrous species of livebearing fish. The use of artificial insemination, which experimentally controls the relative contribution of sperm from competing males (as well as other confounding effects), will facilitate a powerful test of recent theoretical predictions in evolutionary biology. The project will enable me to distinguish between competing hypotheses for postcopulatory paternity bias following female multiple mating (sperm competition, cryptic female choice, genetic compatibility) and provide additional insights into the selective forces promoting the evolution of female promiscuity.Read moreRead less
The Geometry of Genetic Limits to Evolutionary Change. Genetic limits to evolutionary change are a fundamental issue for plant and animal improvement, as well as understanding how natural populations may respond to human-induced changes such as habitat degradation and climate change. Because we still know very little about how genetic variation is distributed among the multiple traits that are likely to respond to selection in such circumstances, we have no way of directly measuring the evoluti ....The Geometry of Genetic Limits to Evolutionary Change. Genetic limits to evolutionary change are a fundamental issue for plant and animal improvement, as well as understanding how natural populations may respond to human-induced changes such as habitat degradation and climate change. Because we still know very little about how genetic variation is distributed among the multiple traits that are likely to respond to selection in such circumstances, we have no way of directly measuring the evolutionary potential of any natural population. In this proposal, we develop the theory, statistical tools, and experimental designs to investigate the nature and prevalence of these multivariate genetic constraints.Read moreRead less
Testing the adaptive benefit of physiological acclimation. For over a century, physiologists have observed that organisms can modify their physiological function in response to changes in the environment, a process known as acclimation. However, until recently, the adaptive benefit of these acclimation responses has been assumed rather than tested. In this study, I will utilize the effects of temperature on the ability of male mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki) to obtain matings and subsequently ....Testing the adaptive benefit of physiological acclimation. For over a century, physiologists have observed that organisms can modify their physiological function in response to changes in the environment, a process known as acclimation. However, until recently, the adaptive benefit of these acclimation responses has been assumed rather than tested. In this study, I will utilize the effects of temperature on the ability of male mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki) to obtain matings and subsequently sire offspring to test the benefit of both thermal acclimation and developmental plasticity. This will allow the most comprehensive test of two important hypotheses in comparative physiology: the Beneficial Acclimation Hypothesis and the Beneficial Developmental Plasticity Hypothesis.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561251
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,887.00
Summary
Facility for Analyses of Evolutionary Immunology. Our understanding of how selection in natural populations shape (favour and disfavour) immunity, and how this process contribute to organismal (including human) fitness, is rudimentary. In order to study such processes our collective experience strongly suggests and increasing need for geographic amalgamation of necessary and complementary molecular and biomedical techniques. We therefore request funding to establish a collaborative research labo ....Facility for Analyses of Evolutionary Immunology. Our understanding of how selection in natural populations shape (favour and disfavour) immunity, and how this process contribute to organismal (including human) fitness, is rudimentary. In order to study such processes our collective experience strongly suggests and increasing need for geographic amalgamation of necessary and complementary molecular and biomedical techniques. We therefore request funding to establish a collaborative research laboratory in a novel research field - Evolutionary Immuno-Ecology- in which all vital aspects, from a mechanistic to an evolutionary level, can be studied at one research centre.Read moreRead less
Ecological dynamics of parasite infections in reptiles. Australian ecosystems are threatened by new epidemics of diseases and parasites, some local, others from overseas. Examples include the facial tumours of Tasmanian devils and the fungus that threatens many native frog species. To manage these epidemics effectively, we must understand how they spread through animal populations. With better knowledge of how diseases of wildlife spread, we can develop more effective control of those diseases t ....Ecological dynamics of parasite infections in reptiles. Australian ecosystems are threatened by new epidemics of diseases and parasites, some local, others from overseas. Examples include the facial tumours of Tasmanian devils and the fungus that threatens many native frog species. To manage these epidemics effectively, we must understand how they spread through animal populations. With better knowledge of how diseases of wildlife spread, we can develop more effective control of those diseases thereby protecting wildlife species, animal populations and, ultimately, Australian ecology. This project will help to protect our fauna from invasive diseases and contribute to sustaining the biodiversity of the country. Read moreRead less