Understanding the evolutionary tempo and significance of the first animals through exceptional fossil preservation. This project will shed new light on the origins and early evolutionary history of the first complex marine animals that appeared over half a billion years ago. Extraordinarily preserved fossils, including soft tissues, from South Australia will highlight the rapid anatomical innovation that occurred during this crucial phase in the history of life.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101222
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,132.00
Summary
Australia's key role in the evolution of songbirds. This project aims to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of songbirds, which originated in Australia and now make up over half of the world's birds. The project will combine fossil, morphological, and genomic data to describe early songbird diversity in Australia, reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, estimate the timescale of their diversification, and resolve the timing and nature of key evolutionary c ....Australia's key role in the evolution of songbirds. This project aims to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of songbirds, which originated in Australia and now make up over half of the world's birds. The project will combine fossil, morphological, and genomic data to describe early songbird diversity in Australia, reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, estimate the timescale of their diversification, and resolve the timing and nature of key evolutionary changes in songbirds. The project is expected to produce critical new fossil evidence and to strengthen international and multidisciplinary collaborations. Expected outcomes include significant advances in our understanding of a major component of the Australian and global fauna.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101133
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Evolution, breeding biology and extinction of giant fowl in Australia and the Southwest Pacific. New investigation of the extinct giant flightless Australian mihirungs and similar giant fowl of Oceania by analysis of fossils will reveal their relationships and resolve the evolutionary history of fowl globally. This project will provide insight into breeding strategies of these fossil species and the causes and impacts of their extinction.
Determining the relative roles of dispersal and vicariance in the assembly of the New Zealand fauna. New fossils from New Zealand's St Bathans Fauna (19-16 million years) will revolutionise our understanding of the shared biodiversity and evolutionary history of New Zealand and Australia through the first views of the origin and evolution of major Gondwanan groups including frogs, crocodiles, birds and bats on the now mostly-drowned continent Zealandia.
Improved management of coastal plankton systems by ancient DNA technology. This project aims to assemble comprehensive long term Australian plankton records spanning 50 to 1000 years, by applying ancient DNA technology to dated sediment depth cores. Long-term data for Australian coastal and estuarine waters are sparse, so cannot be used for management of fisheries, tourism or urban development. Long-term records are essential to understand how disruptive algal and jellyfish blooms, introduced sp ....Improved management of coastal plankton systems by ancient DNA technology. This project aims to assemble comprehensive long term Australian plankton records spanning 50 to 1000 years, by applying ancient DNA technology to dated sediment depth cores. Long-term data for Australian coastal and estuarine waters are sparse, so cannot be used for management of fisheries, tourism or urban development. Long-term records are essential to understand how disruptive algal and jellyfish blooms, introduced species and increased human use of coastal resources affect dynamic plankton ecosystems. This project’s findings are expected to explore cyclical patterns, define range expansions and understand and manage how dynamic coastal ecosystems respond to multistressor anthropogenic change. Findings will improve understanding of how dynamic marine environments retain their biodiversity values and critical ecological functions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100028
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. This proposal is for an 18-month membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), the world’s largest collaborative research program in Earth and Ocean sciences. The Program studies the history and current activity of the Earth by conducting seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes, using globally unique infrastructure that Australians would otherwise have no access to. Program outcomes ....Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. This proposal is for an 18-month membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), the world’s largest collaborative research program in Earth and Ocean sciences. The Program studies the history and current activity of the Earth by conducting seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes, using globally unique infrastructure that Australians would otherwise have no access to. Program outcomes include understanding past global environmental change on multiple time scales, the deep biosphere, plate tectonics, formation and distribution of resources, and generation of hazards. These outcomes are paramount to Australia’s national science and research priorities, and societal and economic prosperity.Read moreRead less