Coastal permeable sediments as a novel source of greenhouse gases. Emissions of the greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane are increasing from unknown sources. High concentrations of these gases have been observed in coastal waters which bear the brunt of nutrient pollution (primarily nitrogen) from cities and agriculture. This project aims to investigate the sources of these gases within these environments and the processes that lead to their formation. This new knowledge is expected to ....Coastal permeable sediments as a novel source of greenhouse gases. Emissions of the greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane are increasing from unknown sources. High concentrations of these gases have been observed in coastal waters which bear the brunt of nutrient pollution (primarily nitrogen) from cities and agriculture. This project aims to investigate the sources of these gases within these environments and the processes that lead to their formation. This new knowledge is expected to develop new models which aim to enable us to better predict the emissions of greenhouse gases within coastal waters. Expected benefit of this will be strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Read moreRead less
Bacterial communities in metropolitan, rural and indigenous Australians. This project aims to apply recently developed culturing methods to archive and phenotype bacterial species found in the human gut in a representative sample from metropolitan, rural and indigenous Australians. This project expects to isolate, genome sequence, classify, characterize and permanently archive 1500 bacterial species. Expected outcomes of this project include detailed knowledge of previously undiscovered bacteria ....Bacterial communities in metropolitan, rural and indigenous Australians. This project aims to apply recently developed culturing methods to archive and phenotype bacterial species found in the human gut in a representative sample from metropolitan, rural and indigenous Australians. This project expects to isolate, genome sequence, classify, characterize and permanently archive 1500 bacterial species. Expected outcomes of this project include detailed knowledge of previously undiscovered bacterial species, improved methods to measure the bacterial species that inhabit the human gut and a detailed understanding of the gut microbiota of Australians. This project should significantly enhance our knowledge of bacterial diversity and evolution and provide detailed insights into bacterial transmission.Read moreRead less
Deciphering the coral minimal microbiome. This project aims to decipher the functions of coral-associated bacteria by taking advantage of low-diversity microbiomes that are naturally found in some coral species. A further aim is to unveil the importance of bacterial genome evolution in coral adaptation to climate change. Climate warming is the biggest threat to coral reefs with half of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) corals dead due to recent summer heat waves. Expected outcomes are an incr ....Deciphering the coral minimal microbiome. This project aims to decipher the functions of coral-associated bacteria by taking advantage of low-diversity microbiomes that are naturally found in some coral species. A further aim is to unveil the importance of bacterial genome evolution in coral adaptation to climate change. Climate warming is the biggest threat to coral reefs with half of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) corals dead due to recent summer heat waves. Expected outcomes are an increased understanding of how bacteria contribute to coral heat tolerance, and new knowledge to assist in the development of bacterial probiotics for enhancing coral thermal tolerance. This should provide significant benefits to the protection of the GBR and Australia’s economy.Read moreRead less
Defining and engineering the rhizosphere for Australian rainfall patterns. The manner in which plants use carbon and water defines agricultural and natural landscapes. Today's models that predict plant improvement rely on carbon and water usage by plant leaves. However, the first interaction between plants, carbon and water occurs in the rhizosphere; a diverse zone with dynamic root-microbiome interactions. We will use advanced visualisation and mathematics to determine fine scale relationships ....Defining and engineering the rhizosphere for Australian rainfall patterns. The manner in which plants use carbon and water defines agricultural and natural landscapes. Today's models that predict plant improvement rely on carbon and water usage by plant leaves. However, the first interaction between plants, carbon and water occurs in the rhizosphere; a diverse zone with dynamic root-microbiome interactions. We will use advanced visualisation and mathematics to determine fine scale relationships between microbes and roots in the rhizosphere when exposed to water levels reflective of current and projected rainfall values. From generated knowledge of water and carbon dynamics caused by intimate microbe-root interactions, we will provide water saving, soil regeneration and improved carbon biosequestration strategies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100965
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$444,582.00
Summary
Understanding nutritional interactions for targeted microbiome manipulation. This project aims to identify how microbial communities, known as microbiomes, can be effectively manipulated to the benefit of their host. Microbiome manipulation has been in the spotlight as a potential solution to maintain or improve the health of several hosts, from threatened coral species to livestock and humans, but the development of industry-scale strategies has been slow. This project proposes to chart the nut ....Understanding nutritional interactions for targeted microbiome manipulation. This project aims to identify how microbial communities, known as microbiomes, can be effectively manipulated to the benefit of their host. Microbiome manipulation has been in the spotlight as a potential solution to maintain or improve the health of several hosts, from threatened coral species to livestock and humans, but the development of industry-scale strategies has been slow. This project proposes to chart the nutritional interactions among microorganisms and to identify cascade effects of microbiome manipulation. This will generate fundamental knowledge on the biological processes underlying community stability and malleability, which will ultimately help engineering optimised microbiomes.Read moreRead less
Functional dynamics of skeletal microbiota in healthy and bleached corals. Little is known about the microbiota inhabiting coral skeletons, but several sources of evidence point to their importance in the coral holobiont. Particularly during coral bleaching, drastic changes happen in the skeletal microbiome, with potential beneficial as well as detrimental effects on the holobiont. This project will characterise the functions of skeletal microbiota, how microbial communities are structured along ....Functional dynamics of skeletal microbiota in healthy and bleached corals. Little is known about the microbiota inhabiting coral skeletons, but several sources of evidence point to their importance in the coral holobiont. Particularly during coral bleaching, drastic changes happen in the skeletal microbiome, with potential beneficial as well as detrimental effects on the holobiont. This project will characterise the functions of skeletal microbiota, how microbial communities are structured along physico-chemical gradients, and how microbial gene expression changes through coral bleaching. This will lead to better insights into the roles of skeletal microbiota in the holobiont, the processes occurring in the skeleton during bleaching, and the role that skeletal microbiota may play in the fate of bleached corals.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100977
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,016.00
Summary
How ecology shapes the viromes of wild birds. This project will reveal the host factors associated with the diversity, evolution and dynamics of viruses using state-of-the-art metatranscriptomics in Australian wild birds. The structure of virus communities and their associated ecological drivers in wild animal hosts remain a black-box, even though they are the largest source of viral diversity in nature. This project expects to generate key insights into host-associated drivers of viral communit ....How ecology shapes the viromes of wild birds. This project will reveal the host factors associated with the diversity, evolution and dynamics of viruses using state-of-the-art metatranscriptomics in Australian wild birds. The structure of virus communities and their associated ecological drivers in wild animal hosts remain a black-box, even though they are the largest source of viral diversity in nature. This project expects to generate key insights into host-associated drivers of viral community dynamics and the subsequent effect of anthropogenic factors such as urbanisation and poultry production. Identifying host factors that affect viral ecology in wild birds will constitute a cornerstone in understanding the emergence of virulent viruses and/or their spread to poultry or humansRead moreRead less
Structural Characterisation of the Type IX Secretion System. The Type IX Secretion System present in diverse bacteria of veterinary, agricultural, environmental and industrial importance enables effector proteins to be secreted and attached to the cell surface where they contribute to disease pathogenesis or degrade biopolymers of commercial interest. This project aims to determine the structure and assembly mechanism of this complex secretion nanomachine comprising 15 different proteins using s ....Structural Characterisation of the Type IX Secretion System. The Type IX Secretion System present in diverse bacteria of veterinary, agricultural, environmental and industrial importance enables effector proteins to be secreted and attached to the cell surface where they contribute to disease pathogenesis or degrade biopolymers of commercial interest. This project aims to determine the structure and assembly mechanism of this complex secretion nanomachine comprising 15 different proteins using state of the art microscopy. Knowledge of the structure will greatly enhance our understanding of secretion mechanisms and our ability to both inhibit the system to treat disease in animals or manipulate the system for industrial applications providing future economic and environmental benefits to our nation.Read moreRead less