Nitrogen Removal in Wastewater Treatment Using the Nitrite Pathway. Nitrogen removal from our wastewater is becoming very important in most parts of Australia to protect our unique aquatic environment. This removal is achieved biologically through two steps: Nitrification converts ammonium via nitrite to nitrate; and denitrification converts nitrate via nitrite again to harmless nitrogen gas. This project aims to develop a method that allows this process to go just via nitrite, instead of nitrat ....Nitrogen Removal in Wastewater Treatment Using the Nitrite Pathway. Nitrogen removal from our wastewater is becoming very important in most parts of Australia to protect our unique aquatic environment. This removal is achieved biologically through two steps: Nitrification converts ammonium via nitrite to nitrate; and denitrification converts nitrate via nitrite again to harmless nitrogen gas. This project aims to develop a method that allows this process to go just via nitrite, instead of nitrate, to nitrogen gas. This would significantly reduce oxygen and/or carbon requirement in nitrogen removal. If successful, the new operating method will allow modern wastewater treatment plants to achieve a better effluent quality at lower costs.Read moreRead less
Metapopulation dynamics of coral communities on the Great Barrier Reef. Mathematical models for the dynamics of coral metapopulations on the Great Barrier Reef will be formulated and parameterised. Analysis of the models will focus on how the effects of competition between corals with different growth forms are influenced by other processes that generate spatial and temporal environmental variation. The project aims to understand how these factors influence the maintenance of high diversity in ....Metapopulation dynamics of coral communities on the Great Barrier Reef. Mathematical models for the dynamics of coral metapopulations on the Great Barrier Reef will be formulated and parameterised. Analysis of the models will focus on how the effects of competition between corals with different growth forms are influenced by other processes that generate spatial and temporal environmental variation. The project aims to understand how these factors influence the maintenance of high diversity in coral communities. It will also provide a modelling framework for predicting how that diversity will be affected by long-term environmental changes, making an important contribution to conservation and management of the Great Barrier Reef.Read moreRead less
The sponge genome project and the evolution of multicellularity: using comparative genomics and developmental biology to reconstruct the first animals. Recently the entire genome from a living fossil - a sponge from the Great Barrier Reef - was sequenced (jointly supported by the ARC and US Department of Energy). As this genome is assembled and analysed, many of the fundamental biological processes that underlie the construction and evolution of all animals, including humans, will be revealed. ....The sponge genome project and the evolution of multicellularity: using comparative genomics and developmental biology to reconstruct the first animals. Recently the entire genome from a living fossil - a sponge from the Great Barrier Reef - was sequenced (jointly supported by the ARC and US Department of Energy). As this genome is assembled and analysed, many of the fundamental biological processes that underlie the construction and evolution of all animals, including humans, will be revealed. In addition, sponge genomics will fuel innovations in medicine and biotechnology. Specifically, sponges are renowned for their capacity to synthesise bioactive compounds used in drug development, and high-grade silica used for semi-conductor construction. This project will identify the gene networks controlling these biosynthetic processes.Read moreRead less
Understanding marine biodiversity across vast spatial scales. Large-scale studies of biodiversity are frequently recommended by ecologists, but their costs are prohibitive. More efficient, yet accurate, sampling and analytical procedures are needed. This proposal will provide new quantitative knowledge on patterns of diversity of marine species (fish & invertebrates) from local to regional scales across southern Australia and northern New Zealand. An innovative feature of this research is the c ....Understanding marine biodiversity across vast spatial scales. Large-scale studies of biodiversity are frequently recommended by ecologists, but their costs are prohibitive. More efficient, yet accurate, sampling and analytical procedures are needed. This proposal will provide new quantitative knowledge on patterns of diversity of marine species (fish & invertebrates) from local to regional scales across southern Australia and northern New Zealand. An innovative feature of this research is the contribution of new ecological information with novel analytical procedures to identify the consequences of using more cost-effective techniques on quantifying patterns of biodiversity. This understanding is fundamental to the on-going advancement of ecology and conservation biology.Read moreRead less
Biodiversity of coral reefs. An international team will provide the first robust measures of the biodiversity, abundance and functional roles of key coral reef species at a global scale. We will examine the processes underlying biodiversity patterns through a multi-disciplinary program of research, which focusses on ecological and evolutionary mechanisms at multiple scales. A modelling component will provide the mechanistic link between large-scale patterns and multi-scale processes. This resear ....Biodiversity of coral reefs. An international team will provide the first robust measures of the biodiversity, abundance and functional roles of key coral reef species at a global scale. We will examine the processes underlying biodiversity patterns through a multi-disciplinary program of research, which focusses on ecological and evolutionary mechanisms at multiple scales. A modelling component will provide the mechanistic link between large-scale patterns and multi-scale processes. This research is highly relevant for conservation and management of reef resources across international boundaries.Read moreRead less
Understanding coral reef biodiversity: a modelling approach. Australia's coral reefs are international icons, providing enormous economic, ecological, and aesthetic benefits to Australians. Connolly is a key provider of scientific knowledge that underpins the management of these reefs. This fellowship will enhance that contribution, using novel mathematical and statistical modelling to substantially increase our understanding of the factors that generate and maintain coral reef biodiversity, an ....Understanding coral reef biodiversity: a modelling approach. Australia's coral reefs are international icons, providing enormous economic, ecological, and aesthetic benefits to Australians. Connolly is a key provider of scientific knowledge that underpins the management of these reefs. This fellowship will enhance that contribution, using novel mathematical and statistical modelling to substantially increase our understanding of the factors that generate and maintain coral reef biodiversity, and to enhance our ability to anticipate and manage reefs' responses to environmental change. Read moreRead less
The essence of being an animal: sponge allorecognition and the evolution of individuality. The human genome encodes the ability to recognise self from nonself at the cellular level. In medicine, this innate ability results in the rejection of transplanted (grafted) tissues from unrelated individuals. This project seeks to get to the evolutionary foundation of self-nonself recognition by studying this process in a simple and tractable model - a sponge from the Great Barrier Reef. Like humans, spo ....The essence of being an animal: sponge allorecognition and the evolution of individuality. The human genome encodes the ability to recognise self from nonself at the cellular level. In medicine, this innate ability results in the rejection of transplanted (grafted) tissues from unrelated individuals. This project seeks to get to the evolutionary foundation of self-nonself recognition by studying this process in a simple and tractable model - a sponge from the Great Barrier Reef. Like humans, sponges reject cells and tissues derived from another individual. By defining the genetic basis of self-recognition in sponges we reveal the antiquity of this system and the core features of histocompatibility and immunity. Such insights can inform a range of regenerative medical pursuits.Read moreRead less
Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response. Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics is an emerging field that integrates gene profiling technologies with experimental and field approaches of ecology and evolution. I take this approach to address a key problem in marine invertebrate biology: how do larvae respond to their environment and how does variation in this response influence the distribu ....Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response. Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics is an emerging field that integrates gene profiling technologies with experimental and field approaches of ecology and evolution. I take this approach to address a key problem in marine invertebrate biology: how do larvae respond to their environment and how does variation in this response influence the distribution and evolution of a species? I will use a marine gastropod (abalone) model, for which there exists substantial development and population genetic data, and established aquaculture methodologies. Outcomes of this study will enhance knowledge of the stock structure of this and other commercial fisheries, as well as aquaculture efficiency.Read moreRead less
Predicting Biodiversity from Population Dynamics. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how changes to the environment, including those attributable to human activities, influence the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. This understanding is of urgent importance, in light of the predicted changes in climate and habitat over the next century, because biodiversity is critical to the proper functioning of ecosystems that human societies depend ....Predicting Biodiversity from Population Dynamics. This research aims to deepen our understanding of how changes to the environment, including those attributable to human activities, influence the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. This understanding is of urgent importance, in light of the predicted changes in climate and habitat over the next century, because biodiversity is critical to the proper functioning of ecosystems that human societies depend upon. The graduate student involved in this research will have the opportunity to receive in-depth training as part of a cross-disciplinary collaboration that combines mathematics, ecology, evolution, and paleontology.
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Testing indicators of genetic exchange and adaptation of populations, essential for biodiversity assessment and management. There will be diverse benefits from our testing and improvement of genetic indicators for exchange between populations and adaptive differentiation of populations. Managers and population biologists will have confidence in choice and use of these vital tools in sustainable use of our terrestrial and aquatic bioresources, as recommended by the federal State of Environment s ....Testing indicators of genetic exchange and adaptation of populations, essential for biodiversity assessment and management. There will be diverse benefits from our testing and improvement of genetic indicators for exchange between populations and adaptive differentiation of populations. Managers and population biologists will have confidence in choice and use of these vital tools in sustainable use of our terrestrial and aquatic bioresources, as recommended by the federal State of Environment system. Also, the use of these tools to identify differential genetic adaptations is the first step in bioprospecting, as well as revealing the raw material for natural and artificial populations to adapt to changes: soil loss, salinity, acidity, climate change. Forensic genetics will benefit from the improved tools for defining subpopulations.Read moreRead less