The evolutionary transition from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism. This project aims to find out how life on Earth survived the revolutionary changes when cyanobacteria first released oxygen into the atmosphere. These events led to a transition from anoxic (oxygen-free) to oxic (oxygen-rich) conditions. A comparative genomic view across a series of photosynthetic organisms will be performed at the molecular level with ecological interpretation. Understanding of what metabolic changes occurred in ....The evolutionary transition from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism. This project aims to find out how life on Earth survived the revolutionary changes when cyanobacteria first released oxygen into the atmosphere. These events led to a transition from anoxic (oxygen-free) to oxic (oxygen-rich) conditions. A comparative genomic view across a series of photosynthetic organisms will be performed at the molecular level with ecological interpretation. Understanding of what metabolic changes occurred in response to the shifts in the environment will have wide implications for predicting the evolutionary events that are still occurring today, such as rapidly changing climatic conditions. This fundamental research will enhance Australia's profile in this field.Read moreRead less
Exploring evolvability: its causes, consequences and practical applications in a changing environment. Are some species better able to adapt to a changing world? This question has been the focus of theoretical debate, but, as the scale of current environmental change becomes apparent, it has increasing practical importance, because it concerns the ability of biological communities to respond to climate change and the potential for agriculture to adapt a changing landscape. This project is the fi ....Exploring evolvability: its causes, consequences and practical applications in a changing environment. Are some species better able to adapt to a changing world? This question has been the focus of theoretical debate, but, as the scale of current environmental change becomes apparent, it has increasing practical importance, because it concerns the ability of biological communities to respond to climate change and the potential for agriculture to adapt a changing landscape. This project is the first of its kind, because it translates theoretical concepts into practical information needed for the development of salt-tolerant crops, new strategies for avoiding the growing problem of resistance in parasites, and new ways of detecting biological communities at risk of extinction and invasion. Read moreRead less
Linkages between productivity and consistent behavioural traits in fish: implications for harvesting, climate impacts, and selective breeding for aquaculture. The extent to which behavior, growth and reproduction are genetically linked in fish populations is unknown, but critical for predicting the impacts of fish harvesting and climate warming, and developing fish stains for aquaculture. If strongly linked, fish harvest will always remove aggressive, large and productive fish, requiring their p ....Linkages between productivity and consistent behavioural traits in fish: implications for harvesting, climate impacts, and selective breeding for aquaculture. The extent to which behavior, growth and reproduction are genetically linked in fish populations is unknown, but critical for predicting the impacts of fish harvesting and climate warming, and developing fish stains for aquaculture. If strongly linked, fish harvest will always remove aggressive, large and productive fish, requiring their protection; in aquaculture, selecting for productive fish will also increase aggression-related injuries. If not strongly linked, we may be able to select for high productivity and low aggression in fish, or high productivity and low metabolism, thus reducing feed costs in aquaculture associated with aggressive behaviour leading to injury and infection, and reduced growth at warmer temperatures.Read moreRead less
Community and ecosystem consequences of adaptive evolution in Eucalyptus. There is emerging evidence across plant systems that genes in one species influence biodiversity and the services ecosystems provide, including soil fertility, carbon storage, and pollination. These results suggest that adaptive evolution in plants can lead to change in biodiversity and ecosystem function. If this finding proves to be true, results from this proposal might be critical to future decisions on the ecosystem ....Community and ecosystem consequences of adaptive evolution in Eucalyptus. There is emerging evidence across plant systems that genes in one species influence biodiversity and the services ecosystems provide, including soil fertility, carbon storage, and pollination. These results suggest that adaptive evolution in plants can lead to change in biodiversity and ecosystem function. If this finding proves to be true, results from this proposal might be critical to future decisions on the ecosystem consequences of landscape level selective events. There may be major implications for the rapidly expanding environmental and forestry plantings across Australia and temperate regions of the world where choice of seed source may have far reaching consequences.Read moreRead less
Tolerance of temperature extremes under drought: linking physiological processes with morphological constraints on leaf function. Freezing temperatures affect over 70% of Australia. Each year frosts cause substantial damage to agriculture and forestry. We will examine how decrease in hydraulic conduit diameter increases freeze tolerance in native woody species and quantify impacts of this tolerance on productivity of leaves. The results have application in managing temperate woody vegetation un ....Tolerance of temperature extremes under drought: linking physiological processes with morphological constraints on leaf function. Freezing temperatures affect over 70% of Australia. Each year frosts cause substantial damage to agriculture and forestry. We will examine how decrease in hydraulic conduit diameter increases freeze tolerance in native woody species and quantify impacts of this tolerance on productivity of leaves. The results have application in managing temperate woody vegetation under current and future climate scenarios. By improving understanding of the behaviour of water in leaves during freezing, we will contribute to improved models of physical stresses and strains in biological tissues during freezing, which find application in cryo-storage of biological materials important in agriculture, medicine, and conservation.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the adaptive potential of organisms to respond to environmental change. The program utilizes technological advances to develop a gene inventory for climatic change adaptation, using, as model system, the vinegar fly from divergent climates along eastern Australia. The inventory will result in new methods for monitoring climatic change impact on populations, and for testing adaptive potential of organisms from threatened habitats. A key hypothesis is that these organisms have restricte ....Evaluating the adaptive potential of organisms to respond to environmental change. The program utilizes technological advances to develop a gene inventory for climatic change adaptation, using, as model system, the vinegar fly from divergent climates along eastern Australia. The inventory will result in new methods for monitoring climatic change impact on populations, and for testing adaptive potential of organisms from threatened habitats. A key hypothesis is that these organisms have restricted genetic options to counter environmental change, increasing extinction risk. The program investigates genetic adaptation to pollutants in midges, a key group for monitoring water health. By assessing evolutionary potential and DNA species markers, biological signatures of aquatic pollutants should result.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation in the Victorian Alps. This project will integrate novel approaches from experimental ecology, genetics and ecological monitoring to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on biodiversity in the Victorian Alps. Warming of alpine landscapes is increasingly likely, yet the potential impacts are poorly understood. We will examine the responses of key plant species to experimental warming, asses their inherent genetic ....An Integrated Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change on Vegetation in the Victorian Alps. This project will integrate novel approaches from experimental ecology, genetics and ecological monitoring to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on biodiversity in the Victorian Alps. Warming of alpine landscapes is increasingly likely, yet the potential impacts are poorly understood. We will examine the responses of key plant species to experimental warming, asses their inherent genetic capacity to adapt to changing environmental conditions, and asses the consequences of individual species responses for broader habitat change using simulation modelling. The project will result in a sound framework for monitoring management strategies that anticipate climate change in the Australian Alps.Read moreRead less
Novel Chlorophylls and New Directions in Photosynthesis. Understanding how solar energy is used in photosynthesis is of global importance and will contribute to cutting-edge photosynthetic research by Australian scientists. We aim to discover how and why the key photosynthetic pigments, chlorophylls, are synthesised and used; this will provide new opportunities for breakthroughs in frontier technologies, such as photoelectric cells based on carbon rather than silicon. We aim to understand how no ....Novel Chlorophylls and New Directions in Photosynthesis. Understanding how solar energy is used in photosynthesis is of global importance and will contribute to cutting-edge photosynthetic research by Australian scientists. We aim to discover how and why the key photosynthetic pigments, chlorophylls, are synthesised and used; this will provide new opportunities for breakthroughs in frontier technologies, such as photoelectric cells based on carbon rather than silicon. We aim to understand how novel chlorophylls are used in a variety of important organisms in a range of ecological niches. The results will aid understanding of the effects of global climate change on coral reefs, in open-ocean systems and in other important biological communities.Read moreRead less
The transcriptome, genome and metagenome of Acropora millepora: a model system for studying coral health and disease. Corals have an iconic significance for Australia, which has the best-preserved reef system in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is worth more than $6 billion per year to the Australian economy, and provides employment for 68000 people. The research will provide insights into the molecular bases of stress and disease in corals and the internal mechanisms by which corals attempt to ....The transcriptome, genome and metagenome of Acropora millepora: a model system for studying coral health and disease. Corals have an iconic significance for Australia, which has the best-preserved reef system in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is worth more than $6 billion per year to the Australian economy, and provides employment for 68000 people. The research will provide insights into the molecular bases of stress and disease in corals and the internal mechanisms by which corals attempt to combat them. The results will allow the design of strategies for better reef management, resulting in economic, environmental and social benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Invasive plant species and climate change in Australia: predicting the threat and projecting the future. The interaction between climate change and invasive pest species poses a significant threat to Australia's biodiversity. The need for research on both the independent impacts of climate change and invasive species, as well as their interaction, has been clearly identified by both national and state governments, and is identified as a priority under the National Biodiversity and Climate Change ....Invasive plant species and climate change in Australia: predicting the threat and projecting the future. The interaction between climate change and invasive pest species poses a significant threat to Australia's biodiversity. The need for research on both the independent impacts of climate change and invasive species, as well as their interaction, has been clearly identified by both national and state governments, and is identified as a priority under the National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan (2004-2007). The proposed research will assess exotic plant species' responses to climate change, identify potential hotspots of invasion, and provide a risk assessment framework to enable prioritization of exotic plant management under future climate.Read moreRead less