Genetic control of plant organ growth. Plants organs, such as leaves and petals, have a distinct size and shape reflecting differences in growth. Despite its importance, very little is known about the mechanisms that regulate growth. The objectives of this proposal are a) to test whether organ growth depends on cell-cell signalling and b) to identifying genes that regulate growth, and to characterize their molecular function.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453608
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$579,230.00
Summary
Multifunctional confocal laser scanning microscope with time resolved and two photon imaging and fluorescence correlation capabilities. We seek to establish an Australian first confocal laser scanning microscope with time resolved imaging and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy capabilities. Its advantages include ultrasensitive detection of weak fluorescent emissions against high autofluorescent background by using fluorescence lifetime signatures, with over three orders of magnitude discrimi ....Multifunctional confocal laser scanning microscope with time resolved and two photon imaging and fluorescence correlation capabilities. We seek to establish an Australian first confocal laser scanning microscope with time resolved imaging and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy capabilities. Its advantages include ultrasensitive detection of weak fluorescent emissions against high autofluorescent background by using fluorescence lifetime signatures, with over three orders of magnitude discrimination improvement. The system will also be able to monitor binding of single molecules. These techniques will open new and exciting avenues for interdisciplinary research at the frontier between biological and physical sciences. The microscope will operate within an existing multi-user Optical Characterisation Facility supporting research of an established network of scientists in the Sydney area.Read moreRead less
Biology of flowering plant male gametic cells in relation to fertilization. The world food supply is primarily dependent on plants. The continuation of an adequate food supply depends upon the success of fertilization that involves the fusion of the sperm cell with the egg cell. The entire process of fertilization can be manipulated once the specific molecules involved in its regulation have been identified. This project deals with the discovery of male gamete biomolecules involved in fertili ....Biology of flowering plant male gametic cells in relation to fertilization. The world food supply is primarily dependent on plants. The continuation of an adequate food supply depends upon the success of fertilization that involves the fusion of the sperm cell with the egg cell. The entire process of fertilization can be manipulated once the specific molecules involved in its regulation have been identified. This project deals with the discovery of male gamete biomolecules involved in fertilization. The knowledge obtained will have potential applications in developing novel breeding technologies for improved crop plants.Read moreRead less
Australian rushes: unearthing the function of root clusters and sand-binding roots. Unearthing the functioning of highly specialised root structures provides fundamental insights into the role of native rush plants in south-western Australian ecosystems and addresses a major issue with Australia's biodiversity, currently a Priority area for the ARC. Native rushes form a prominent but inconspicuous component of the Australian 'grass-like' flora, accounting for more than half the plant biomass on ....Australian rushes: unearthing the function of root clusters and sand-binding roots. Unearthing the functioning of highly specialised root structures provides fundamental insights into the role of native rush plants in south-western Australian ecosystems and addresses a major issue with Australia's biodiversity, currently a Priority area for the ARC. Native rushes form a prominent but inconspicuous component of the Australian 'grass-like' flora, accounting for more than half the plant biomass on some landscapes. Rushes are also highly sensitive to small increments in nutrients in disturbed environments and thus form a management priority relating to their use in rehabilitation of degraded landscapes, such as mine sites and wetland margins. Read moreRead less
When to Flower - analysis of a novel genetic locus (FLH) that accelerates flowering. The development of plants is largely determined by the environment. The flowering time of some plants, including many crop species, is accelerated by vernalization, a long period of low temperature. Using a combination of genetic and molecular techniques in the model plant Arabidopsis, this project will characterise a novel locus, FLH that enhances the response to vernalization. The identification of FLH will si ....When to Flower - analysis of a novel genetic locus (FLH) that accelerates flowering. The development of plants is largely determined by the environment. The flowering time of some plants, including many crop species, is accelerated by vernalization, a long period of low temperature. Using a combination of genetic and molecular techniques in the model plant Arabidopsis, this project will characterise a novel locus, FLH that enhances the response to vernalization. The identification of FLH will significantly enhance our understanding of flowering time pathways, and may lead to the generation of plant varieties designed to flower faster or slower than usual.Read moreRead less
Fossil evidence for the evolution of Australia's modern vegetation. This project will provide Australian scientists and public with a better appreciation of the origins of our modern flora by providing evidence of landscape and community change over the past 40 million years, the nature of major extinction and diversification events and the response of the vegetation to climate change. The project will raise our understanding of the changing role of fire in the Australian landscape. It will also ....Fossil evidence for the evolution of Australia's modern vegetation. This project will provide Australian scientists and public with a better appreciation of the origins of our modern flora by providing evidence of landscape and community change over the past 40 million years, the nature of major extinction and diversification events and the response of the vegetation to climate change. The project will raise our understanding of the changing role of fire in the Australian landscape. It will also revise our understanding of the geological evolution of southeastern Australian basins and provide better genetic modelling of Victoria's brown coal deposits. Importantly, the project will provide postgraduate research training opportunities for a new generation of palaeobotanists and coal petrologists.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882893
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$260,000.00
Summary
A cryopreparation facility for Western Australia. Western Australia is home to a number of world-leading biological and biomedical research groups and some of the best microscopy facilities in the country. Establishing a world-class cryopreparation facility in WA will enable local researchers to remain at the forefront of their research fields and will serve to attract additional high profile international scientists and students to WA. Significant research advancements in areas such as genetic ....A cryopreparation facility for Western Australia. Western Australia is home to a number of world-leading biological and biomedical research groups and some of the best microscopy facilities in the country. Establishing a world-class cryopreparation facility in WA will enable local researchers to remain at the forefront of their research fields and will serve to attract additional high profile international scientists and students to WA. Significant research advancements in areas such as genetic muscular diseases, nerve regeneration, parasitic infection in humans, crop optimisation and tolerance to environmental conditions, and animal growth and reproduction, will result from the establishment of such a facility. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668417
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$108,667.00
Summary
New-Generation Near Infrared Spectrometer for Ecological Research. Sustainable use of the natural resources of Australia depends on studies that define how ecological communities respond to disturbance and change. An important part of this is understanding how the composition of plants and animals such as insects, change reflecting for example, increased concentrations of toxins. However making large numbers of analyses is expensive and slow. Near infrared spectroscopy is a non-destructive an ....New-Generation Near Infrared Spectrometer for Ecological Research. Sustainable use of the natural resources of Australia depends on studies that define how ecological communities respond to disturbance and change. An important part of this is understanding how the composition of plants and animals such as insects, change reflecting for example, increased concentrations of toxins. However making large numbers of analyses is expensive and slow. Near infrared spectroscopy is a non-destructive analytical method that allows the composition of materials to be deduced based on their interaction with light. Adopting these methods in ecology will allow many samples to be analysed quickly and cheaply and also stop waste and duplication of analytical work.Read moreRead less
Traversing a treacherous landscape: Modelling caterpillar movement and behaviour on whole plants at multiple scales. How caterpillars move on plants and where they feed is central to developing plants resistant to these insect pests. Our research program will generate computer models of caterpillar behaviour on virtual plants that interact in realistic ways with the changing structure of the plant as it grows, its micro-architecture and environment. We provide a set of tools that will form the ....Traversing a treacherous landscape: Modelling caterpillar movement and behaviour on whole plants at multiple scales. How caterpillars move on plants and where they feed is central to developing plants resistant to these insect pests. Our research program will generate computer models of caterpillar behaviour on virtual plants that interact in realistic ways with the changing structure of the plant as it grows, its micro-architecture and environment. We provide a set of tools that will form the cornerstone of important future research agendas in the ecology of foraging caterpillars, optimisation of insecticide spray application, and the development of novel genetically transformed plants for insect control central to the future of Australian agriculture.
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Genetic control of floral architecture. Different flowers have different designs, and so the design must ultimately be controlled by genes. We have identified a gene that keeps sepals separate, and promotes the initiation of petals. We think it does this by a novel growth suppression mechanism, and will now deduce its molecular and cellular basis. This will help maintain Australia's strength in fundamental plant biology. Also, by understanding how sepals and petals arise in a model laboratory sp ....Genetic control of floral architecture. Different flowers have different designs, and so the design must ultimately be controlled by genes. We have identified a gene that keeps sepals separate, and promotes the initiation of petals. We think it does this by a novel growth suppression mechanism, and will now deduce its molecular and cellular basis. This will help maintain Australia's strength in fundamental plant biology. Also, by understanding how sepals and petals arise in a model laboratory species, we can generalise for many species, including economic plants. Thus it may be possible to make designer crops through targeted genetic changes to their floral structure.Read moreRead less