Diet, gut microbiota and the evolution of lifespan and reproduction. Nutrition has pronounced effects on lifespan and reproduction across animal species, yet how these effects are mediated is poorly understood. This project aims to determine if the gut microbiota regulates these nutritional effects. This project expects to deliver key insights on the complex interplay between nutrition and the gut microbiota, as well as the potential to manipulate this relationship to extend lifespan and alter r ....Diet, gut microbiota and the evolution of lifespan and reproduction. Nutrition has pronounced effects on lifespan and reproduction across animal species, yet how these effects are mediated is poorly understood. This project aims to determine if the gut microbiota regulates these nutritional effects. This project expects to deliver key insights on the complex interplay between nutrition and the gut microbiota, as well as the potential to manipulate this relationship to extend lifespan and alter reproduction. The expected outcomes of this project include generating new knowledge, building multidisciplinary collaborations and the development of novel experimental approaches. This should provide significant benefits, fore-most in bolstering Australia’s high international standing in evolutionary research. Read moreRead less
Expanding gene-environment causality in evolutionary genetics. This project aims to investigate how environmental experiences shape phenotypes, engender variance in populations and ultimately contribute to evolution. It targets new discoveries for how environmental effects can multiply throughout ontogeny and/or propagate across generations. Although widely speculated to support new evolutionary paradigms, such knowledge lacks scrutiny according to the formal metric of quantitative genetics. Thi ....Expanding gene-environment causality in evolutionary genetics. This project aims to investigate how environmental experiences shape phenotypes, engender variance in populations and ultimately contribute to evolution. It targets new discoveries for how environmental effects can multiply throughout ontogeny and/or propagate across generations. Although widely speculated to support new evolutionary paradigms, such knowledge lacks scrutiny according to the formal metric of quantitative genetics. This project seeks to expose guppy pedigrees to unique manipulations and reconcile adaptive evolution across captive and wild populations. The outcome is expected to address knowledge gaps in the life and human sciences and potentially inform goals in primary production and conservation.Read moreRead less