Race status, sources of resistance and mechanisms of resistance to Peronospora parasitica, a major threat to oilseed Brassica production in Australia. Through successful identification of mechanisms and molecular characterisation of resistance to Peronospora parasitica races and the identification of sources of host resistance against these races, breeders, for the first time, will be able to develop cultivars with resistance against the full spectrum of P. parasitica races occurring across sout ....Race status, sources of resistance and mechanisms of resistance to Peronospora parasitica, a major threat to oilseed Brassica production in Australia. Through successful identification of mechanisms and molecular characterisation of resistance to Peronospora parasitica races and the identification of sources of host resistance against these races, breeders, for the first time, will be able to develop cultivars with resistance against the full spectrum of P. parasitica races occurring across southern Australia. Benefits include prevention of severe losses in canola from downy mildew, and more viable and sustainable production with less reliance upon fungicides. This research addresses the National Research Priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia' and the Priority Goal of 'Transforming existing industries', and will particularly benefit southern Australian rural communities.Read moreRead less
Race status, resistance mechanisms, and new sources of resistance to Phytophthora clandestina, a major threat to subterranean clover production. Devastating outbreaks of disease caused by Phytophthora clandestina (Phytophthora root rot) since the late 1970s demonstrated the capacity of this disease to impact severely on clover pasture production across southern Australia, particularly as new races of Phytophthora have rapidly emerged to overcome the resistance of all commercial cultivars. The p ....Race status, resistance mechanisms, and new sources of resistance to Phytophthora clandestina, a major threat to subterranean clover production. Devastating outbreaks of disease caused by Phytophthora clandestina (Phytophthora root rot) since the late 1970s demonstrated the capacity of this disease to impact severely on clover pasture production across southern Australia, particularly as new races of Phytophthora have rapidly emerged to overcome the resistance of all commercial cultivars. The proposed research seeks to delineate new races of the pathogen, to identify the histological and biochemical mechanisms by which resistance to Phytophthora root rot is expressed, and to identify new sources of host resistance. This proposed research will enable breeders, for the first time, to incorporate multiple types of resistance and against different races into new host varieties.Read moreRead less
Sex, Sperm and Society. Insights into the evolutionary potential of sexual conflict in insects: a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Social insects are biologically and economically important species. Honeybees or stingless bees are used for crop pollination and honey production and invasive ants or termites are severe pest species causing economic damage. Part of the biological success of social insects is based on the capability to produce colonies with many workers although colonie ....Sex, Sperm and Society. Insights into the evolutionary potential of sexual conflict in insects: a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Social insects are biologically and economically important species. Honeybees or stingless bees are used for crop pollination and honey production and invasive ants or termites are severe pest species causing economic damage. Part of the biological success of social insects is based on the capability to produce colonies with many workers although colonies typically contain only one or very few reproductives. Consequently, colony success is bound to queen fertility and studying social insect reproduction can therefore optimize breeding regimes of species of interest or offer new possibilities to control pest species. Detailed information on sperm form and function will provide pioneering insights into the complexity of sexual reproduction.Read moreRead less
Quantifying vertical and lateral ocean transport due to fronts and eddies. This project aims to quantify the intensity and location of ocean currents at unprecedented fine spatial scales by using data from a new generation of high-resolution satellites. These fine scales dominate the lateral and vertical transport of ocean-borne material, including heat, larvae and pollutants like oil and plastics, yet are poorly understood. New algorithms for processing satellite data will be developed and test ....Quantifying vertical and lateral ocean transport due to fronts and eddies. This project aims to quantify the intensity and location of ocean currents at unprecedented fine spatial scales by using data from a new generation of high-resolution satellites. These fine scales dominate the lateral and vertical transport of ocean-borne material, including heat, larvae and pollutants like oil and plastics, yet are poorly understood. New algorithms for processing satellite data will be developed and tested using in situ data in the significant North West Shelf region. Expected outcomes will be novel methods to identify ocean currents and a paradigm shift in quantification of fine-scale ocean dynamics. This will benefit operational oceanography in the areas of maritime safety, defence, fisheries and the offshore industry.Read moreRead less
Population dynamics and genetic variation of plants with contrasting fire responses. We combine the traditional concerns of population viability analyses with the modern techniques of DNA fingerprinting for precise genotyping of individual plants and their seeds. We expect major breakthroughs in our understanding of how fire-killed species have survived thousands of years of frequent burning by Aborigines (by identifying seeds dispersed long distances from burnt parents); how paternity of offspr ....Population dynamics and genetic variation of plants with contrasting fire responses. We combine the traditional concerns of population viability analyses with the modern techniques of DNA fingerprinting for precise genotyping of individual plants and their seeds. We expect major breakthroughs in our understanding of how fire-killed species have survived thousands of years of frequent burning by Aborigines (by identifying seeds dispersed long distances from burnt parents); how paternity of offspring changes over the lifespan of plants which retain their seeds for many years; at what age within-plant genetic variation is at a maximum as a guide to optimal fire management; and the extent that deleterious somatic mutations explain low seed set among long-lived species.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101484
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,000.00
Summary
Developing custom RNA processing tools. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) code has been described as an RNA code that connects specific residues in PPR motifs with the precise recognition of individual nucleotides. It will enable the design of custom RNA-binding proteins with tremendous potential in research and biotechnology. RNA-processing technologies aim to be developed that consist of PPR domains fused with an additional endonuclease domain for cleaving chosen target RNAs. In the longer te ....Developing custom RNA processing tools. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) code has been described as an RNA code that connects specific residues in PPR motifs with the precise recognition of individual nucleotides. It will enable the design of custom RNA-binding proteins with tremendous potential in research and biotechnology. RNA-processing technologies aim to be developed that consist of PPR domains fused with an additional endonuclease domain for cleaving chosen target RNAs. In the longer term, successful technologies will be tested in living organisms for biotechnology applications or in new therapeutic strategies.Read moreRead less
Is restoration working? An ecological genetic assessment. This project aims to assess the success of restoration in terms of ecological and genetic viability for plant species in the Fitzgerald River–Stirling Range region of Western Australia, where significant investment is being made in restoring connectivity at a landscape scale. The project intends to compare reproductive output, pollinator behaviour, mating, genetic diversity and pollen dispersal in restored sites with those of undisturbed ....Is restoration working? An ecological genetic assessment. This project aims to assess the success of restoration in terms of ecological and genetic viability for plant species in the Fitzgerald River–Stirling Range region of Western Australia, where significant investment is being made in restoring connectivity at a landscape scale. The project intends to compare reproductive output, pollinator behaviour, mating, genetic diversity and pollen dispersal in restored sites with those of undisturbed natural vegetation. The project moves measures of restoration success beyond that of population establishment and survival to incorporate the evolutionary processes that provide long-term resilience, persistence and functional integration of restored populations into broader landscapes.Read moreRead less
Blocking of the interfaces of polymeric ion sensors - implications for novel sensor applications. Control of the transmembrane fluxes of polymeric ion sensors represents a paradigm shift that has revolutionised the use of these analytically important devices. This project will develop and characterise innovative methods for controlling these fluxes by using blocked interfaces, and this has important ramifications for the development of robust and reliable sensors, as well as novel biosensors.
Quantifying long-distance seed dispersal and its role in the metapopulation dynamics of plants with contrasting life histories. This work will contribute to the assessment of best fire-management practices, enabling land managers to compare current fire practices against those required for conservation of genetic resources. Our quantification of Long distance seed dispersal (LDD) among species with different life history attributes will be a major theoretical contribution to the fields of popula ....Quantifying long-distance seed dispersal and its role in the metapopulation dynamics of plants with contrasting life histories. This work will contribute to the assessment of best fire-management practices, enabling land managers to compare current fire practices against those required for conservation of genetic resources. Our quantification of Long distance seed dispersal (LDD) among species with different life history attributes will be a major theoretical contribution to the fields of population ecology and population genetics. LDD is also imperative if species are to survive the major shifts in climate projected under modelled climate change scenarios - species without effective LDD may have a greater probability of extinction due to climate change. Assessing LDD enables quantification of this significant aspect of the threat of climate change to biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Centre Of Research Excellence On Sitting Time And Chronic Disease Prevention – Mechanisms, Measurement And Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,657,874.00
Summary
Australian research has identified serious health consequences arising from the 7 to 10 hours of daily sitting that most people do, especially in relation to ‘diseases of inactivity’ – type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and breast and colon cancer – that are an unwelcome burden on individuals, families and health systems. This new research examines the practical feasibility and the preventive-health benefits of changing children’s and adults’ sitting time in schools, workplaces and the home ....Australian research has identified serious health consequences arising from the 7 to 10 hours of daily sitting that most people do, especially in relation to ‘diseases of inactivity’ – type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and breast and colon cancer – that are an unwelcome burden on individuals, families and health systems. This new research examines the practical feasibility and the preventive-health benefits of changing children’s and adults’ sitting time in schools, workplaces and the home environment.Read moreRead less