Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101615
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
How does viviparity evolve? Genetic perspectives from a unique model system. By integrating decades of Australian natural history research with the same technology that allowed researchers to sequence the genome of the woolly mammoth, this project seeks to uncover the genetic mechanisms responsible for the transition from egg-laying to live-bearing in reptiles.
Defining unconscious and artificial selection. In 1868 Charles Darwin proposed that the process of domestication can be divided into two independent selective processes we now call unconscious and artificial selection. In this project, we include the Australian dingo as a functional intermediate between the wild wolf and domestic dogs and test Darwin's hypothesis using modern molecular and statistical techniques. It is now widely accepted that the dingo was not domesticated by indigenous Austral ....Defining unconscious and artificial selection. In 1868 Charles Darwin proposed that the process of domestication can be divided into two independent selective processes we now call unconscious and artificial selection. In this project, we include the Australian dingo as a functional intermediate between the wild wolf and domestic dogs and test Darwin's hypothesis using modern molecular and statistical techniques. It is now widely accepted that the dingo was not domesticated by indigenous Australians and is therefore the ideal extant population for the project. The project is significant because it will be a critical test of Darwin's hypothesis. The outcome could be an improved understanding of the genomic basis for selection that can inform the process of domestication.Read moreRead less