The origins of electroreception and nocturnality in the earliest known jawed vertebrates and their bearing on vertebrate diversification. This project aims to discover primary new data to pinpoint the timing, anatomical origins and phylogenetic significance when two key sensory systems first appeared in modern vertebrates: electroreception and specialised nocturnal vision. Such abilities today allow high diversity of vertebrates to co-exist within the same geographical range, for example on trop ....The origins of electroreception and nocturnality in the earliest known jawed vertebrates and their bearing on vertebrate diversification. This project aims to discover primary new data to pinpoint the timing, anatomical origins and phylogenetic significance when two key sensory systems first appeared in modern vertebrates: electroreception and specialised nocturnal vision. Such abilities today allow high diversity of vertebrates to co-exist within the same geographical range, for example on tropical reefs or rainforest communities, through careful temporal niche partitioning where reliance on other sensory systems takes over from vision and olfaction as the principal method of prey detection. This project aims to elucidate how the modern fish diversity was shaped by such significant early evolutionary events.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101660
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The secret of bee navigation: magnetic field sensitive cells in the honeybee Apis mellifera. Honeybees are known to use the Earth's geomagnetic field to orient themselves and carry out their vital role as crop pollinators and honey producers. Locating and characterising the cells responsible for this magnetic sense is of great significance to neuroscience and will provide important new insights into animal behaviour and ecology.
Islands of rocks: geckos as a model system to understand patterns of biodiversity, endemism and speciation in the Kimberley. Australia is renowned for its diversity of lizards, yet a plethora of new "cryptic" gecko species continue to be discovered. The project will densely sample the complex Kimberley to understand the evolution of its geckos, which will shed light on true levels of species diversity and the geological and environmental history of this biodiversity hotspot.
Developmental regulation of plant mitochondrial genome structure and copy number. Recombination is a major driving force behind mitochondrial DNA evolution and is responsible for the occurrence of cytoplasmic male sterile plants that are used by plant breeders to obtain high yield hybrids. A better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie mitochondrial and chloroplast genome maintenance and segregation will be a major fundamental scientific advance that will permit an integrated picture of ....Developmental regulation of plant mitochondrial genome structure and copy number. Recombination is a major driving force behind mitochondrial DNA evolution and is responsible for the occurrence of cytoplasmic male sterile plants that are used by plant breeders to obtain high yield hybrids. A better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie mitochondrial and chloroplast genome maintenance and segregation will be a major fundamental scientific advance that will permit an integrated picture of the interactions between the three plant genomes (nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplastic). It is also a pre-requisite for the future manipulation of the cytoplasmic genomes leading to new ways to develop varieties with modified cytoplasms.Read moreRead less
The nature, extent and effect of infant removal by child protection. This project aims to provide new knowledge about the nature, extent and effect of removals of babies from their parents in Australia. Removal is the highest level of intervention by the child protection system, and one which some mothers experienced on multiple occasions. Little is known, however, about its incidence and effects, nor whether there are over-represented groups (e.g. Aboriginal mothers and babies) who would respon ....The nature, extent and effect of infant removal by child protection. This project aims to provide new knowledge about the nature, extent and effect of removals of babies from their parents in Australia. Removal is the highest level of intervention by the child protection system, and one which some mothers experienced on multiple occasions. Little is known, however, about its incidence and effects, nor whether there are over-represented groups (e.g. Aboriginal mothers and babies) who would respond to targeted interventions. This project aims to identify appropriate early intervention and prevention strategies, preventing the need for babies to spend their whole childhood in care at great financial and societal cost.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genome. In this Australian-led Kangaroo Genome Project, we will map and characterize the tammar wallaby genome at the molecular level. Marsupial genomes are uniquely valuable because they provide comparisons that reveal new human genes, regulatory sequences and marsupial-specific genes. These will deliver new products and information useful for medicine, industry, agriculture and conservation. We will construct integrated genetic and physical maps of the genome, clone the ....ARC Centre for Kangaroo Genome. In this Australian-led Kangaroo Genome Project, we will map and characterize the tammar wallaby genome at the molecular level. Marsupial genomes are uniquely valuable because they provide comparisons that reveal new human genes, regulatory sequences and marsupial-specific genes. These will deliver new products and information useful for medicine, industry, agriculture and conservation. We will construct integrated genetic and physical maps of the genome, clone the whole genome as large inserts in BAC vectors, and build a "golden path" with minimal overlap. We will construct libraries of expressed genes from tammar tissues and array them for use in analysing gene expression.Read moreRead less
Work-related fatal and non-fatal accidents and injuries and exposure to workplace hazards in migrant workers in Australia. Do migrants have worse workplace conditions and more work-related accidents and injuries than Australian-born workers? This project will analyse national deaths and hospital discharge data, and determine best practice methods to include migrant workers in a future cross-sectional study looking at occupational health and safety.
Brassica genome organisation and evolution: unlocking the potential of using genome-specific repetitive elements for crop improvement. Introgression of chromosome segments from related Brassica species provides an opportunity to develop locally adapted varieties with improved agronomic and quality traits. There is a need to understand Brassica genome organisation and how this information can be used for enhancing the efficiency of cultivar development. Dispersed and tandem repetitive DNA sequen ....Brassica genome organisation and evolution: unlocking the potential of using genome-specific repetitive elements for crop improvement. Introgression of chromosome segments from related Brassica species provides an opportunity to develop locally adapted varieties with improved agronomic and quality traits. There is a need to understand Brassica genome organisation and how this information can be used for enhancing the efficiency of cultivar development. Dispersed and tandem repetitive DNA sequences provide valuable information on the organisation and evolution of plant chromosomes. Methods for monitoring chromosome segment transfer across Brassica species will be developed based on detecting and quantifying genome-specific repetitive DNA sequences. Australian Brassica improvement programs could benefit from this research by adopting methods to detect chromosome segment transfer during interspecific hybridisation.Read moreRead less
Technical Change, Productivity Growth and Pricing in Australian Manufacturing. We examine productivity growth and price competitiveness of Australian manufacturing by estimating an econometric model for aggregate manufacturing and as well as individual industries. The parameter estimates from the econometric model are used to identify the separate impacts on productivity growth and price changes due to technical change, economies of scale, capacity utilization and market power. We then estimate ....Technical Change, Productivity Growth and Pricing in Australian Manufacturing. We examine productivity growth and price competitiveness of Australian manufacturing by estimating an econometric model for aggregate manufacturing and as well as individual industries. The parameter estimates from the econometric model are used to identify the separate impacts on productivity growth and price changes due to technical change, economies of scale, capacity utilization and market power. We then estimate how each separate impact is affected by industry characteristics, including seller concentration and investment in physical, human and intellectual capital, and policy related variables, such as tariff rates and degree of unionisation of the labour force. This will provide an important contribution of the knowledge of how the economic environment and government policies impact on productivity growth and the international competitiveness of Australian manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Lived experiences of treatment for hepatitis C in Australia. This project aims to support uptake of new hepatitis C treatments. With the introduction of new treatments in 2016, the Australian Government adopted the WHO’s goal of eliminating the disease by 2030. While early treatment rates were high, they have since plateaued, with stigma and poor information considered key obstacles. This project will generate new knowledge on treatment decisions and experiences, using a proven qualitative metho ....Lived experiences of treatment for hepatitis C in Australia. This project aims to support uptake of new hepatitis C treatments. With the introduction of new treatments in 2016, the Australian Government adopted the WHO’s goal of eliminating the disease by 2030. While early treatment rates were high, they have since plateaued, with stigma and poor information considered key obstacles. This project will generate new knowledge on treatment decisions and experiences, using a proven qualitative methodology. In doing so, it will produce a website covering personal experiences of treatment, issues in treatment decision-making, and advice on enhancing life on treatment and after. It will tackle hepatitis C-related stigma, and inform and benefit potential treatment users, families and relevant professionals.
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