Determining the links between size and function in phytoplankton. Marine phytoplankton are responsible for around 50% of the carbon fixation on planet. This project will examine how phytoplankton size declines will alter marine food webs and carbon sequestration. Changes in nutrients and temperature will cause phytoplankton to be smaller but the consequences of these changes are uncertain because of a lack of knowledge regarding how changes in cell size affect function within a species. This pro ....Determining the links between size and function in phytoplankton. Marine phytoplankton are responsible for around 50% of the carbon fixation on planet. This project will examine how phytoplankton size declines will alter marine food webs and carbon sequestration. Changes in nutrients and temperature will cause phytoplankton to be smaller but the consequences of these changes are uncertain because of a lack of knowledge regarding how changes in cell size affect function within a species. This project will evolve 20 species of algae to be different sizes and estimate the consequences of these size changes for biological functions. The project will then use these data to refine global models of carbon budgets, leading to better predictions about how the global carbon pump will change. Read moreRead less
Using genetic Allee effects to manage invasive populations. An invasion can be started with only a small number of individuals, and it is very difficult to reliably detect these individuals. This project aims to develop new genetic technology that can send small founder populations extinct without affecting large populations. This technology removes the problem of having to detect small populations; these small populations will go extinct on their own, without the need for management interventio ....Using genetic Allee effects to manage invasive populations. An invasion can be started with only a small number of individuals, and it is very difficult to reliably detect these individuals. This project aims to develop new genetic technology that can send small founder populations extinct without affecting large populations. This technology removes the problem of having to detect small populations; these small populations will go extinct on their own, without the need for management intervention. This technology could be used to prevent establishment and spread of invasive species and agricultural pests. Through a combination of experimentation and modelling, the project develops this technology and assesses its use in applied problems ranging across environment, agriculture, and health.Read moreRead less
Fitness and evolutionary consequences of developmental plasticity. This project aims to develop a framework for accurately predicting species responses to global change. Phenotypic plasticity will act as a rapid-response mechanism, enabling organisms to survive climatic shifts in the first instance. Understanding how and when plasticity underpins species’ persistence under climate change is lacking. This project aims to integrate developmental responses to environmental change with evolutionary ....Fitness and evolutionary consequences of developmental plasticity. This project aims to develop a framework for accurately predicting species responses to global change. Phenotypic plasticity will act as a rapid-response mechanism, enabling organisms to survive climatic shifts in the first instance. Understanding how and when plasticity underpins species’ persistence under climate change is lacking. This project aims to integrate developmental responses to environmental change with evolutionary adaptation and population persistence in a spatially explicit context. The intended outcome is a powerful and general tool for predicting the impact of environmental change on the distribution and abundance of organisms. Benefits include improved conservation outcomes and better control of pest/disease vectors.Read moreRead less
Hybridisation leading to lost sex: genomic and experimental insights. The project intends to apply advanced genomics to two classic Australian systems and quantitative genetics to one to address long-standing questions about why asexual reproduction is rare. It aims to test for rapid changes in genomes accompanying hybrid-origins of asexuals and whether this new diversity enables their ongoing evolution. The significance is that support for this hypothesis would challenge current theory for why ....Hybridisation leading to lost sex: genomic and experimental insights. The project intends to apply advanced genomics to two classic Australian systems and quantitative genetics to one to address long-standing questions about why asexual reproduction is rare. It aims to test for rapid changes in genomes accompanying hybrid-origins of asexuals and whether this new diversity enables their ongoing evolution. The significance is that support for this hypothesis would challenge current theory for why sex is so common. The expected outcome is to understand how variation is generated in natural populations with different ways of reproducing. Benefits would include significant contributions to global science, evolutionary training and potential applications in using hybridisation to manage threatened species or pests.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100188
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,245.00
Summary
Sensory and bioengineering approaches to predict hearing abilities in fish. This project aims to understand the factors responsible for the extraordinary diversity in the shape and size of fish ears and why some fishes are more sensitive to sound than others, which is little understood. Using innovative techniques and a multidisciplinary approach, expected outcomes of this project include the first model representing the hearing function of fish underwater. This may allow unique insights into th ....Sensory and bioengineering approaches to predict hearing abilities in fish. This project aims to understand the factors responsible for the extraordinary diversity in the shape and size of fish ears and why some fishes are more sensitive to sound than others, which is little understood. Using innovative techniques and a multidisciplinary approach, expected outcomes of this project include the first model representing the hearing function of fish underwater. This may allow unique insights into the importance of sound for fish, as well as inspire the development of new sensor technologies, including in robotics and biomedical applications. Benefits include the ability to predict the vulnerability of a fish species to noise pollution and to inform conservation strategies and policy guidelines.Read moreRead less