Coral-associated viruses: pathogens, mutualists and agents of evolution? Corals host numerous organisms, of which viruses are the least studied. The aim of this project is to characterise the viruses associated with corals and to obtain a detailed understanding of the critical roles that viruses play in coral health, coral bleaching and adaptation of corals to climate change.
Using phylogenomics to record the impacts of climate change, extinction and population fragmentation. This project will use ancient DNA from permafrost-preserved Steppe bison bones and bovid exome capture systems to build a detailed record of the genomic impacts of rapid climate and environmental change at the end of the Pleistocene (30 to 11 kyr). The project will analyse how ancestral genetic diversity is distributed amongst surviving bison populations, and the role of nuclear loci under selec ....Using phylogenomics to record the impacts of climate change, extinction and population fragmentation. This project will use ancient DNA from permafrost-preserved Steppe bison bones and bovid exome capture systems to build a detailed record of the genomic impacts of rapid climate and environmental change at the end of the Pleistocene (30 to 11 kyr). The project will analyse how ancestral genetic diversity is distributed amongst surviving bison populations, and the role of nuclear loci under selection and drift. It will create a novel temporal dataset of genomic adaptation and evolution, and will generate critical data for studies of evolutionary processes such as extinctions, speciation and conservation biology and management.Read moreRead less
Understanding diet designs that break life history trade-offs. The aim of this project is to understand the mechanisms by which organisms use nutrition to enhance fitness. Food availability is a key predictor of evolutionary fitness. Surprisingly, recent data shows that some key assumptions informing how these predictions are realised are not strictly correct, thus exposing a lack of important mechanistic knowledge. This project seeks to understand these mechanisms. The project plans to use nove ....Understanding diet designs that break life history trade-offs. The aim of this project is to understand the mechanisms by which organisms use nutrition to enhance fitness. Food availability is a key predictor of evolutionary fitness. Surprisingly, recent data shows that some key assumptions informing how these predictions are realised are not strictly correct, thus exposing a lack of important mechanistic knowledge. This project seeks to understand these mechanisms. The project plans to use novel genomics techniques to develop diets that support or improve fitness under circumstances such as stress or ageing, and to understand the molecular underpinnings of these improvements. Project outcomes may expand academic knowledge of fundamental nutritional biochemistry, and improve predictions of species’ responses to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of tumour variants of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. This project will take a new approach to cancer research by studying the evolution of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The results will directly contribute to the conservation management of the Tasmanian devil, as well as generating new information on tumour growth, metastasis and emergence of resistance.
Identifying the diversity and evolution of loci associated with adaptation to aridity/heat and salinity in ancient cereal crops. This project will use ancient grains of wheat, barley and rye to find 'lost' genetic diversity at key genes associated with resistance to aridity, salt and disease. This project will make the proteins of key genes, and study their interaction with the environment over time by measuring ions in the grains to reveal the ancient environmental conditions.
The dynamics of evolution: How horizontal gene transfer drives the diversification and adaptation of complex, bacterial communities. The genetic exchange between populations is a prerequisite for the long-term evolution of bacteria, however its short-term dynamics are largely unexplored. This project aims to define the temporal dynamics of gene transfer and how it shapes the genetic composition of entire bacterial communities. Using innovative DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, This ....The dynamics of evolution: How horizontal gene transfer drives the diversification and adaptation of complex, bacterial communities. The genetic exchange between populations is a prerequisite for the long-term evolution of bacteria, however its short-term dynamics are largely unexplored. This project aims to define the temporal dynamics of gene transfer and how it shapes the genetic composition of entire bacterial communities. Using innovative DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, This project aims to offer a significant new understanding of the short-term diversification of communities and how different evolutionary forces shape bacterial function. It will show how bacterial systems can adapt to new environmental conditions and the effect on essential ecosystem functions.Read moreRead less
Lifestyle choices: genomic analysis of niche adaptations in marine Synechococcus. Photosynthetic marine bacteria are very important in the global carbon cycle. This project aims to discover how these bacteria adapt to survive in different marine environments. This is important for understanding how they will be affected by climate change and other environmental alterations.
Australia’s native sorghums. This project aims to investigate the biological mechanisms driving the evolution of toxic cyanogenic glucosides by exploiting the natural diversity of Australian wild relatives of the crop sorghum that are adapted to different environments. Wild crop relatives are an important source of traits for improving their cultivated counterparts. Analysing the diversity and evolution of Australia’s 17 native sorghum species will provide new understanding of how plants have ad ....Australia’s native sorghums. This project aims to investigate the biological mechanisms driving the evolution of toxic cyanogenic glucosides by exploiting the natural diversity of Australian wild relatives of the crop sorghum that are adapted to different environments. Wild crop relatives are an important source of traits for improving their cultivated counterparts. Analysing the diversity and evolution of Australia’s 17 native sorghum species will provide new understanding of how plants have adapted to environmental challenges across diverse Australian environments. This should provide significant benefit by providing new resources for plant breeders to produce more climate-resilient crops.Read moreRead less
Genomic signatures of adaptive diversification in woodland Eucalyptus. This project aims to map the sources of adaptive alleles underlying diversification is to reveal insights into the mechanisms of speciation. The source of the raw material for evolution can have significant impacts on the speed with which populations can adapt. An emerging pattern in speciation research is the importance of ancient alleles and introgressed genes, which differ in the genomic signatures left by selection. Eucal ....Genomic signatures of adaptive diversification in woodland Eucalyptus. This project aims to map the sources of adaptive alleles underlying diversification is to reveal insights into the mechanisms of speciation. The source of the raw material for evolution can have significant impacts on the speed with which populations can adapt. An emerging pattern in speciation research is the importance of ancient alleles and introgressed genes, which differ in the genomic signatures left by selection. Eucalyptus offers a unique opportunity to explore these modes of evolution using the latest genomic tools. Improving our understanding of adaptation and genetic variation in woodland eucalypts is expected to make a significant contribution to their conservation, management and restoration.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100025
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,000.00
Summary
A high-throughput screening and sequencing facility for single cell genomics. Genomics has revolutionised biology, but for most microorganisms this revolution has not arrived because very few can be grown in pure culture. The single cell genomics facility will address this major bottleneck by allowing as little as a single cell in a clinical or environmental setting to be sequenced thereby accelerating new discoveries and outcomes.