Dynamics of animal mediated vegetation establishment and persistence in disturbed landscapes. This project aims to provide strategies and commercial products for the best management of animals in plant community restoration. Ensuring effective seed dispersal and minimizing levels of herbivory will reduce resources expended on restoration and ensure sustainable ecosystems. A small reduction in the costs of individual plant protection not only improves the success of rehabilitation programs but sa ....Dynamics of animal mediated vegetation establishment and persistence in disturbed landscapes. This project aims to provide strategies and commercial products for the best management of animals in plant community restoration. Ensuring effective seed dispersal and minimizing levels of herbivory will reduce resources expended on restoration and ensure sustainable ecosystems. A small reduction in the costs of individual plant protection not only improves the success of rehabilitation programs but save millions of dollars throughout the mining industry and rural areas generally. It will also save thousands of dollars in culling programs. An extension of our study will target roadside hazards where kangaroos and traffic have high impact rates.Read moreRead less
Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental mana ....Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental management ensure neither efficiency nor environmental security. The aim of the project is to develop theories and techniques to make monitoring both cost effective and reliable, thereby providing monetary savings and better environmental outcomes.Read moreRead less
Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicab ....Deciphering genome function in animal development. The normal development of an embryo depends on complex and finely tuned gene regulatory mechanisms. In this Fellowship, I will use sophisticated new technologies to discover which of our 30,000 genes is important for embryonic development, reveal the roles of these genes, and identify the control mechanisms that can go awry to cause birth defects. Our research will suggest new ways to diagnose and deal with these conditions, and will be applicable to stem cell technologies, tissue regeneration, cancer biology, conservation, pest management and livestock breeding, thus delivering significant economic and social benefits to Australia. Read moreRead less
Identifying novel insecticides and their targets: probing Australian arachnid venoms. Insect pests destroy an estimated 2-3 billion dollars of crops in Australia. Insect pests also are responsible for the transmission of many new and re-emerging human, animal and plant diseases threatening health, wellbeing and prosperity. Current insecticides are severely limited by toxicity and/or insect resistance, and some are undergoing use cancellation overseas. Thus there is an urgent need to develop safe ....Identifying novel insecticides and their targets: probing Australian arachnid venoms. Insect pests destroy an estimated 2-3 billion dollars of crops in Australia. Insect pests also are responsible for the transmission of many new and re-emerging human, animal and plant diseases threatening health, wellbeing and prosperity. Current insecticides are severely limited by toxicity and/or insect resistance, and some are undergoing use cancellation overseas. Thus there is an urgent need to develop safer and more specific insecticides that are effective against disease vectors and agricultural pest insects, as well as to identify new insecticide targets. This research has a multi-million dollar potential benefit to agricultural, health and pest control sectorsRead moreRead less
Stress, virulence and bacterial disease in temperate seaweeds: the rise of the microbes. Climate change is predicted to increase the spread and virulence of pathogens, and decrease the resistance to disease via temperature stress on the hosts. Combined with other human impacts (higher nutrients, pollution), we may be facing a major rise in the effect of disease on natural communities. However, these effects are largely unstudied. We will investigate the impact of marine pathogens on kelps and ....Stress, virulence and bacterial disease in temperate seaweeds: the rise of the microbes. Climate change is predicted to increase the spread and virulence of pathogens, and decrease the resistance to disease via temperature stress on the hosts. Combined with other human impacts (higher nutrients, pollution), we may be facing a major rise in the effect of disease on natural communities. However, these effects are largely unstudied. We will investigate the impact of marine pathogens on kelps and other seaweeds when they are stressed by temperature, elevated nutrients or other anthropogenic stressors. Kelp are the 'trees of the oceans', the organisms responsible for creating much of the habitat that fishes and other organisms live in. The loss of kelp forests due to disease would radically change these environments.Read moreRead less
Optimizing the allocation of resources for defending marine protected areas against invasive species. The National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas contributes directly to the protection of marine biodiversity, and to Australia's international obligations under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Non-indigenous species have potential to undermine native biodiversity in marine protected areas across Australia. By identifying the most effective strategies for dealing with pot ....Optimizing the allocation of resources for defending marine protected areas against invasive species. The National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas contributes directly to the protection of marine biodiversity, and to Australia's international obligations under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Non-indigenous species have potential to undermine native biodiversity in marine protected areas across Australia. By identifying the most effective strategies for dealing with potential incursions of non-indigenous species in Victorian marine national parks and sanctuaries, the project will make a valuable contribution to the viability of local marine ecosystems and the maintenance of biodiversity. Furthermore, it will provide a template to aid similar decision-making in other marine protected areas around the country.Read moreRead less
The future of fruit fly control: making the Sterile Insect Technique work for Queensland fruit fly. The future of fruit fly control in Australia lies in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): it is the only non-pesticide option that can totally eliminate pest populations. Millions of dollars have already been invested to establish an SIT program against Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly) in southern and eastern Australia, but this program is currently largely ineffective due to the poor performance of t ....The future of fruit fly control: making the Sterile Insect Technique work for Queensland fruit fly. The future of fruit fly control in Australia lies in the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): it is the only non-pesticide option that can totally eliminate pest populations. Millions of dollars have already been invested to establish an SIT program against Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly) in southern and eastern Australia, but this program is currently largely ineffective due to the poor performance of the mass-reared sterile flies. This project will apply genetic, ecological and technical solutions to the problems facing the current Q-fly control program. Effective control of Q-fly will enhance the international competitiveness of Australia's horticultural industries.Read moreRead less
The renaissance predator: complex predator-prey interactions and vertebrate diversity in arid Australia. This project will greatly increase understanding of how predators influence the ecology and diversity of their prey in Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to conserve and manage our iconic but fragile inland landscapes. It will increase awareness locally about the richness of desert life and stimulate national and international interest by contributing to emerging debate about h ....The renaissance predator: complex predator-prey interactions and vertebrate diversity in arid Australia. This project will greatly increase understanding of how predators influence the ecology and diversity of their prey in Australia's deserts, and thus improve our ability to conserve and manage our iconic but fragile inland landscapes. It will increase awareness locally about the richness of desert life and stimulate national and international interest by contributing to emerging debate about how predators influence diversity. It will also establish an unparalleled 24-year time series of ecological data, and thus provide a key resource to chart the biological effects of climate change and assist sustainable management of biodiversity across the continent's vast interior. Read moreRead less
Toad vs Toad: Innovative approaches to understand and control an invasive species. Understanding the ecology of an invasive pest species can be a powerful tool for developing control methods. Cane toads pose a major threat to Australian native species, and are spreading increasingly rapidly through the Australian tropics. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the biology of invasion-front populations of toads. This project will provide that understanding, and will explore new ideas a ....Toad vs Toad: Innovative approaches to understand and control an invasive species. Understanding the ecology of an invasive pest species can be a powerful tool for developing control methods. Cane toads pose a major threat to Australian native species, and are spreading increasingly rapidly through the Australian tropics. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the biology of invasion-front populations of toads. This project will provide that understanding, and will explore new ideas about ways to control toad populations. For example, if we can reduce the survival of feral animals by increasing the intensity of competition within their own popualtions rather than relying on effects of other species, we may be able to use the toads to control their own populations.Read moreRead less
The regeneration niche of invasive plants: managing the weed-shaped hole. In Australia $20 million was spent on weed control in natural areas in 2001-02 and is indicative of the level of funding for weed control programs each year. An understanding of how current weed control programs affect the regeneration of weeds in the system will give us novel insights into the persistence of weed populations despite sustained investment in control. Environmental weeds threaten biodiversity and ecosystem ....The regeneration niche of invasive plants: managing the weed-shaped hole. In Australia $20 million was spent on weed control in natural areas in 2001-02 and is indicative of the level of funding for weed control programs each year. An understanding of how current weed control programs affect the regeneration of weeds in the system will give us novel insights into the persistence of weed populations despite sustained investment in control. Environmental weeds threaten biodiversity and ecosystem function in unique Australian communities, better management of weeds will have conservation, ecosystem service provision and amenity values nationally. This project highlights the importance of understanding the weed regeneration niche for successful long-term and sustainable control.Read moreRead less