Eco-evolutionary drivers of niche dynamics in invasive weeds. The project aims to understand how and why invasive species become invasive. Many exotic species are known to expand their ecological niches in their novel range, exploiting habitats that ancestral populations never used. Using a unique approach that combines field transplant and quantitative genetics experiments, this study will identify the drivers of niche expansion in invasive Australian capeweed, and predict if the invasive popul ....Eco-evolutionary drivers of niche dynamics in invasive weeds. The project aims to understand how and why invasive species become invasive. Many exotic species are known to expand their ecological niches in their novel range, exploiting habitats that ancestral populations never used. Using a unique approach that combines field transplant and quantitative genetics experiments, this study will identify the drivers of niche expansion in invasive Australian capeweed, and predict if the invasive populations are likely to further expand their niches. By delivering key insights into mechanisms of adaptive evolution in invasive species, this research should benefit efforts to effectively limit the spread of invasive plants that threaten the native environment. Read moreRead less
Predicting adaptation and range expansion under climate change. This project investigates the repeatability and thereby the predictability of adaptation to climate change by leveraging 1000 genomes sampled over 150 years and multiple climatic gradients in the rapidly adapting, globally invasive, and highly allergenic ragweed. We expect to deepen our understanding of the genetic basis of adaptation and decipher the circumstances under which adaptive genetic change is repeatable, by integrating a ....Predicting adaptation and range expansion under climate change. This project investigates the repeatability and thereby the predictability of adaptation to climate change by leveraging 1000 genomes sampled over 150 years and multiple climatic gradients in the rapidly adapting, globally invasive, and highly allergenic ragweed. We expect to deepen our understanding of the genetic basis of adaptation and decipher the circumstances under which adaptive genetic change is repeatable, by integrating a novel evolutionary model with genomic data. We will develop the capacity to predict species’ distributions and trait evolution under climate change using a powerful empirical dataset. This will provide us with the capacity to anticipate and manage the effects of climate change on noxious and threatened species.Read moreRead less
Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and ....Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and the spread of exotic species. Outcomes will include strategies for minimising impacts of invasive mussels and boosting warm-temperature adaptation in aquaculture mussels and restored shellfish reefs. This project will yield fundamental insights into how marine species can quickly adapt to warming seas.Read moreRead less
Using decision theory to design smart plant surveys. Threatened species may remain unprotected, or weeds detected too slowly if, because of imperfect detection, a species is believed to be absent when it is in fact present. This project will develop new theory and combine it with new estimates of detection rates to minimise the impact of imperfect detection on management decisions.
A predictive framework for invaded communities. Australian native and agricultural landscapes are under threat from introduced plant species. Over $1.5 billion per year is spent on subsequent land management. However it is not clear that this is money is well spent. This project aims to determine the importance of the two major factors (dispersal and habitat) that drive the invasion of Australian native plant communities by surveying native Australian plant communities with different levels of d ....A predictive framework for invaded communities. Australian native and agricultural landscapes are under threat from introduced plant species. Over $1.5 billion per year is spent on subsequent land management. However it is not clear that this is money is well spent. This project aims to determine the importance of the two major factors (dispersal and habitat) that drive the invasion of Australian native plant communities by surveying native Australian plant communities with different levels of disturbance and numbers of introduced species. The results could enable the building and testing of an innovative model for predicting the establishment and spread of invasive species. This critical research could help target money towards better management of invasive species in native environments.Read moreRead less
Interactions among invading species: transient hybridisation and rates of replacement. Habitats are often invaded sequentially by multiple species. Interactions between these invaders can potentially alter their rates of spread and eventual distributions. This project will combine experimental research and modelling to test specific hypotheses about the processes occurring as one species arrives in a region already containing a close relative and proceeds to replace it. It will use two sea rock ....Interactions among invading species: transient hybridisation and rates of replacement. Habitats are often invaded sequentially by multiple species. Interactions between these invaders can potentially alter their rates of spread and eventual distributions. This project will combine experimental research and modelling to test specific hypotheses about the processes occurring as one species arrives in a region already containing a close relative and proceeds to replace it. It will use two sea rockets (Cakile sp.) currently invading Australia’s coastline is its focus. By determining the importance of such species interactions, the research will contribute to the development of better estimates of invasive species impacts, thereby improving decisions on their management.Read moreRead less
How positive interactions improve predictions of plant community diversity. Though common in nature, the importance of plant-plant facilitation to coexistence and the maintenance of plant diversity at community scales is poorly understood. This project aims to advance understanding of how positive interactions (facilitation) impact on coexistence among plant species as well as local patterns of diversity. To achieve these aims the project will use a combination of field experiments and a compara ....How positive interactions improve predictions of plant community diversity. Though common in nature, the importance of plant-plant facilitation to coexistence and the maintenance of plant diversity at community scales is poorly understood. This project aims to advance understanding of how positive interactions (facilitation) impact on coexistence among plant species as well as local patterns of diversity. To achieve these aims the project will use a combination of field experiments and a comparative analysis of competition and facilitation in Australian, Californian and Spanish annual plant communities with a novel modelling approach for predicting coexistence across variable environments. Outcomes are expected to include an innovative predictive framework of use for plant conservation in Australia and beyond.Read moreRead less
Predicting the causes and consequences of plant invasions. Invasive plants are one of the most costly and significant environmental threats in Australia. To deal with this threat we need to understand how and why certain plant species are able to invade into and dominate native communities. The aim of this project is to uncover the rules that govern this environmental threat. The project endeavours to use theory to predict the outcomes that would be observed given different underlying rules, and ....Predicting the causes and consequences of plant invasions. Invasive plants are one of the most costly and significant environmental threats in Australia. To deal with this threat we need to understand how and why certain plant species are able to invade into and dominate native communities. The aim of this project is to uncover the rules that govern this environmental threat. The project endeavours to use theory to predict the outcomes that would be observed given different underlying rules, and then test these predictions with field experiments. By uncovering the rules that govern invasions, this project could provide fundamental knowledge to assist in managing the environmental threat posed by new and emerging weeds.Read moreRead less
The evolution of phenotypic plasticity during a biological invasion. The project seeks to unravel the mechanisms by which a species responds to challenges such as pollution, invasive species and climate change. Organisms can deal with challenges by changing their phenotypes in response to environmental cues (plasticity) and/or by longer-term changes in gene frequencies within a population (adaptation). Plasticity itself can be adaptive; so how does it evolve? Invasive species offer a unique oppo ....The evolution of phenotypic plasticity during a biological invasion. The project seeks to unravel the mechanisms by which a species responds to challenges such as pollution, invasive species and climate change. Organisms can deal with challenges by changing their phenotypes in response to environmental cues (plasticity) and/or by longer-term changes in gene frequencies within a population (adaptation). Plasticity itself can be adaptive; so how does it evolve? Invasive species offer a unique opportunity to answer that question, because a founding population (with modest genetic variation) must deal with myriad challenges in its new home. Using Australia’s cane toad invasion as the model system, the project aims to tease apart the roles of epigenetic and genetic modifications, and the interplay between them, as drivers for the toads’ success and rapid evolution in Australia.Read moreRead less
Comparative biosecurity informatics to anticipate invasive species threats. Invasive species cause billions in economic damages to Australia, but we do not have effective means to identify dangerous species before they arrive and cause harm. This project aims to overcome this challenge using the latest techniques in machine learning combined with genetic, ecological, and functional datasets for thousands of species. This project expects to generate a novel framework that allows us to identify an ....Comparative biosecurity informatics to anticipate invasive species threats. Invasive species cause billions in economic damages to Australia, but we do not have effective means to identify dangerous species before they arrive and cause harm. This project aims to overcome this challenge using the latest techniques in machine learning combined with genetic, ecological, and functional datasets for thousands of species. This project expects to generate a novel framework that allows us to identify and rank dangerous invasive species in an unbiased way, helping to safeguard Australia's unique biological community. Expected outcomes include improved methods for detecting ecologically and functionally similar species, providing substantial economic efficiency benefits to Australian biosecurity.Read moreRead less