Building giants: the origins of extreme biology in baleen whales. Baleen whales are unlike any other animal. They have evolved unparalleled specialisations for feeding, hearing, smell, cognition and – above all – the largest ever body size. These extreme features underlie the unmatched dominance of baleen whales in today's oceans. The origins of these key adaptations required major changes in the anatomy and function of the skull and teeth. However, exactly how and when the extreme innovations o ....Building giants: the origins of extreme biology in baleen whales. Baleen whales are unlike any other animal. They have evolved unparalleled specialisations for feeding, hearing, smell, cognition and – above all – the largest ever body size. These extreme features underlie the unmatched dominance of baleen whales in today's oceans. The origins of these key adaptations required major changes in the anatomy and function of the skull and teeth. However, exactly how and when the extreme innovations of baleen whales began remains an outstanding question in animal biology. This proposal aims to combine exceptional Australian fossils with recent advances in 3D imaging, biomechanics, and evolutionary analysis to discover how the secrets to the success of baleen whales first evolved.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101052
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,959.00
Summary
All you can eat: evolution of feeding in the largest animals on Earth. This project aims to establish how Baleen whales, the largest animals on Earth and major ecosystem engineers, evolved their signature filter-feeding strategy. Unlike other mammals, whales are toothless, and instead use a keratinous, comb-like sieve to filter vast amounts of small prey from seawater. Various approaches, including biomechanics, three-dimensional imaging, geochemistry and quantitative palaeobiology will unravel ....All you can eat: evolution of feeding in the largest animals on Earth. This project aims to establish how Baleen whales, the largest animals on Earth and major ecosystem engineers, evolved their signature filter-feeding strategy. Unlike other mammals, whales are toothless, and instead use a keratinous, comb-like sieve to filter vast amounts of small prey from seawater. Various approaches, including biomechanics, three-dimensional imaging, geochemistry and quantitative palaeobiology will unravel how and when filter feeding emerged, how it diversified over time, and whether its evolution correlated with past environmental change. The project is expected to reveal clues on how whales became one of the greatest ecological actors in the sea, and will benefit conservation by providing a glimpse into their future.Read moreRead less
Dark canaries: new multidisciplinary understanding about the origins, radiation and response to environmental change of southern hemisphere bats. This project will overhaul global understanding of the origins of bats, their flight patterns and the role of echolocation in resource partitioning in an environmentally changing Australia. It will also provide information vital for conservation and novel biomimetic understanding of the modulation of ultrasound for medical and engineering purposes.
The Eocene high latitude Australasian 'tropics' in a changing climate: resolving conflicting evidence. Between 45 to 30 million years ago, high latitude subtropical floras in Australia and New Zealand experienced significant climate change, leading to the evolution of present day vegetation. Understanding the effects of this climate change on extinction and speciation will produce more accurate predictions about modern floras when faced with climate change.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100391
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,500.00
Summary
Island resilience to tropical cyclones and rising sea levels. This project aims to produce a dynamic model to address the global problem of low-lying island inundation following high-energy events, such as tropical cyclones and storm surges. These events threaten coastal habitats and biodiversity, and in worst cases, displace human populations. The model will identify islands at risk to inundation thereby enabling governments to adopt appropriate mitigation and/or adaptation strategies to impr ....Island resilience to tropical cyclones and rising sea levels. This project aims to produce a dynamic model to address the global problem of low-lying island inundation following high-energy events, such as tropical cyclones and storm surges. These events threaten coastal habitats and biodiversity, and in worst cases, displace human populations. The model will identify islands at risk to inundation thereby enabling governments to adopt appropriate mitigation and/or adaptation strategies to improve outcomes for island economic, societal and biological values.Read moreRead less
New tools for old rocks: first cycle provenance information. The aims of this research are to enhance stratigraphic understanding of sedimentary sequences in Western Australia through application of novel provenance fingerprinting tools in K-feldspar (Pb isotopes) & apatite (U-Pb, Sr isotopes and grain chemistry). While much stratigraphic characterization has been based on detrital zircon ages & their correlation to basement sources, two major limitations are apparent: a) zircon may be multicycl ....New tools for old rocks: first cycle provenance information. The aims of this research are to enhance stratigraphic understanding of sedimentary sequences in Western Australia through application of novel provenance fingerprinting tools in K-feldspar (Pb isotopes) & apatite (U-Pb, Sr isotopes and grain chemistry). While much stratigraphic characterization has been based on detrital zircon ages & their correlation to basement sources, two major limitations are apparent: a) zircon may be multicycle, blurring source-sink relationships, b) zircon may be absent in mafic lithologies thus biasing investigations. In this work K-feldspar & apatite provenance investigation will be undertaken on a state wide basis and include case studies in the Yilgarn Craton and Canning & Northern Carnarvon Basins.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101519
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Sedimentary basins: Windows into the dynamics of Australian lithosphere. This project aims to investigate the structure and stability of the Australian continent. It will focus on improving predictive models of sedimentary basin development on the edge of thick lithosphere, which host large quantities of metal, hydrocarbons, and freshwater. Understanding their formation will enhance the ability to locate resources in frontier areas. The research combines state-of-the-art geodynamical modelling w ....Sedimentary basins: Windows into the dynamics of Australian lithosphere. This project aims to investigate the structure and stability of the Australian continent. It will focus on improving predictive models of sedimentary basin development on the edge of thick lithosphere, which host large quantities of metal, hydrocarbons, and freshwater. Understanding their formation will enhance the ability to locate resources in frontier areas. The research combines state-of-the-art geodynamical modelling with the burgeoning quantity of geophysical and geological data collected by the government and research community. The project would build Australian research capability and stimulate novel approaches to critical problems, highlighting opportunities at the interface between academic and industry geoscience.Read moreRead less
Size matters: evolution of body size of species in deep time. Global warming is predicted to form 'sick seas' and cause widespread stunted growth of taxa and ecosystem-wide dwarfism. Exactly how this works requires substantiation of both short-term empirical and experimental research as well as evidence from the deep-time fossil record. Using the high-resolution marine fossil record from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction ~252 million years ago, the most severe in the history of animals, this ....Size matters: evolution of body size of species in deep time. Global warming is predicted to form 'sick seas' and cause widespread stunted growth of taxa and ecosystem-wide dwarfism. Exactly how this works requires substantiation of both short-term empirical and experimental research as well as evidence from the deep-time fossil record. Using the high-resolution marine fossil record from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction ~252 million years ago, the most severe in the history of animals, this project will investigate how body size of marine species and communities evolved in response to the mass extinction and rapid global warming. It is expected that the project findings will help better understand the links between global warming, anoxia, hypercapnia, euxinia, ocean acidification, and species adaptation and evolution.Read moreRead less
U/Th dating of coral mortality and recovery rates in the Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to use high-efficiency U-Th geochronology and palaeoecology to identify past coral mortality events and community changes in the inshore Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and quantify subsequent recovery rates across a water quality gradient. These records will then be linked to natural and human impacts, especially since European settlement. The project outcomes will improve understanding of past disturbances ....U/Th dating of coral mortality and recovery rates in the Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to use high-efficiency U-Th geochronology and palaeoecology to identify past coral mortality events and community changes in the inshore Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and quantify subsequent recovery rates across a water quality gradient. These records will then be linked to natural and human impacts, especially since European settlement. The project outcomes will improve understanding of past disturbances and recovery rates in the GBR ecosystem and help focus management in the face of increased human pressure and environmental changes.Read moreRead less
New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late ....New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late Miocene in age. This project will reveal how Australia’s wildlife responded to one of the world’s biggest climate changes and help better anticipate what will be required to ensure its survival into the future. Benefits include enhanced understanding about long-term biota/climate interactions and significant additions to Australia’s unique, internationally significant palaeontological artefacts.Read moreRead less