The impact of environmental toxicants on the fertility of female animals. This study aims to address a problem of national significance; determining the impact of commonly used environmental toxicants (pesticides) on the fertility and health of female animals, both agricultural and native. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the fields of ovarian biology, female fertility and toxicology by using a combination of mouse and marsupial animal models. The expected outcomes include the e ....The impact of environmental toxicants on the fertility of female animals. This study aims to address a problem of national significance; determining the impact of commonly used environmental toxicants (pesticides) on the fertility and health of female animals, both agricultural and native. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the fields of ovarian biology, female fertility and toxicology by using a combination of mouse and marsupial animal models. The expected outcomes include the establishment of interdisciplinary collaborations and provision of world-class training for staff and students in the field of reproductive biology. This project should provide significant benefits, such as improved chemical management in livestock production and the development of marsupial conservation action plans.Read moreRead less
Physiology of oxygen transport in the mammalian kidney. This project aims to improve understanding of oxygen regulation in renal tissue and knowledge of the physiology of the kidney. The mammalian kidney receives more oxygen than it uses or needs, and yet renal tissue is commonly found to be hypoxic. This project proposes that oxygen transport to the renal tissue is limited by blood vessel surface area. The project expects to generate anatomical data currently missing from the renal physiology c ....Physiology of oxygen transport in the mammalian kidney. This project aims to improve understanding of oxygen regulation in renal tissue and knowledge of the physiology of the kidney. The mammalian kidney receives more oxygen than it uses or needs, and yet renal tissue is commonly found to be hypoxic. This project proposes that oxygen transport to the renal tissue is limited by blood vessel surface area. The project expects to generate anatomical data currently missing from the renal physiology community, and potentially change the accepted story of oxygen homeostasis in the kidney. This will provide significant benefits, such as the provision of the foundational physiological science behind a determinant of kidney health and its flow-on impact to quality of life.Read moreRead less
Cellular and network basis of information processing in the mammalian visual system. The project aims to discover the strategies by which cells in the brain interact with each other to code the sensory input efficiently. It is expected that simultaneous recording of the activity of many neurones from the visual cortex of anaesthetised cats during visual stimulation will reveal how the biophysics of synaptic integration combined with excitatory and inhibitory inputs from different sources sculpt ....Cellular and network basis of information processing in the mammalian visual system. The project aims to discover the strategies by which cells in the brain interact with each other to code the sensory input efficiently. It is expected that simultaneous recording of the activity of many neurones from the visual cortex of anaesthetised cats during visual stimulation will reveal how the biophysics of synaptic integration combined with excitatory and inhibitory inputs from different sources sculpts the output of individual neurones. The experiments will be extended to the study of possible interactions between different areas of the brain and the study of mechanisms by which the cortical network and higher cognitive factors such as attention and memory might influence the coding of sensory information in awake animals.Read moreRead less
Environmental contamination and pig disease: an Australian microbe evolves. The Australian pig industry produces pork commodities from over 4.75 million pigs per year. Infectious diseases in industrial-scale piggeries can have a devastating effect on pork production, particularly on feed conversion efficiency and growth rates, and can pose downstream environmental contamination and food safety risks. This project aims to assess a current infectious disease problem in pigs by studying a microbe t ....Environmental contamination and pig disease: an Australian microbe evolves. The Australian pig industry produces pork commodities from over 4.75 million pigs per year. Infectious diseases in industrial-scale piggeries can have a devastating effect on pork production, particularly on feed conversion efficiency and growth rates, and can pose downstream environmental contamination and food safety risks. This project aims to assess a current infectious disease problem in pigs by studying a microbe that appears to have uniquely evolved in Australia. These results could inform the rational design of monitoring, prevention and treatment strategies to minimise infection outbreaks in Australian pigs and may result in production benefits to the pork industry, reduced environmental microbial contamination and safer food.Read moreRead less
Old brains, new data - early evolution of structural complexity in the vertebrate head. Of the all the complex structures biology has provided, the evolution of the vertebrate brain and its sensory organs is perhaps the most enigmatic. The fossil record occasionally provides a chance to trace this evolution, but only with the use of novel X-ray scanning techniques can these secrets be detailed in three dimensions. Exploiting the exceptional fossil record from Australia and China, this team will ....Old brains, new data - early evolution of structural complexity in the vertebrate head. Of the all the complex structures biology has provided, the evolution of the vertebrate brain and its sensory organs is perhaps the most enigmatic. The fossil record occasionally provides a chance to trace this evolution, but only with the use of novel X-ray scanning techniques can these secrets be detailed in three dimensions. Exploiting the exceptional fossil record from Australia and China, this team will for the first time collect a vast comparative data base which will yield clues on the early evolution of the ear, eye and brain. Read moreRead less
Nucleolus targeting by negative strand RNA viruses. Negative strand viruses (NSVs) include diverse animal pathogens that represent significant threats to Australian livestock industries and access to export markets. The project aims to investigate the interface formed by NSVs with cellular nucleoli in order to determine roles in viral manipulation of cell biology during infection. This project hopes to address a major gap in knowledge in virology regarding the fundamental biology of NSVs, and is ....Nucleolus targeting by negative strand RNA viruses. Negative strand viruses (NSVs) include diverse animal pathogens that represent significant threats to Australian livestock industries and access to export markets. The project aims to investigate the interface formed by NSVs with cellular nucleoli in order to determine roles in viral manipulation of cell biology during infection. This project hopes to address a major gap in knowledge in virology regarding the fundamental biology of NSVs, and is expected to redefine our understanding of the virus-host interactions formed by these important pathogens. By determining the mechanisms of NSV-nucleolus interaction, the project plans to also provide important information for the development of new vaccines/therapeutics for livestock to combat NSVs that target nucleoli.Read moreRead less
Ethical and Social Issues in Translating Epigenetics into Antenatal Care. This project aims to investigate how knowledge about the intergenerational transmission of health and disease is shaping antenatal care in Australia. It expects to generate new knowledge about how the science of epigenetics can be used to address social inequality and is anticipated to have impact across the social sciences, bioethics and public health. Expected outcomes of the project include novel theoretical approaches ....Ethical and Social Issues in Translating Epigenetics into Antenatal Care. This project aims to investigate how knowledge about the intergenerational transmission of health and disease is shaping antenatal care in Australia. It expects to generate new knowledge about how the science of epigenetics can be used to address social inequality and is anticipated to have impact across the social sciences, bioethics and public health. Expected outcomes of the project include novel theoretical approaches to the ethics of pregnancy, along with guidance tools to shape the use of epigenetics in antenatal care and social policy to reduce social inequalities. This should provide significant benefits, improving information and support available to vulnerable women as they negotiate maternal health and social services. Read moreRead less
Australia's exceptional Palaeozoic fossil fishes, and a Gondwana origin for land vertebrates. The 370 million-year-old Gogo deposit in WA has produced the World's best-preserved fossil fishes of Devonian age. New discoveries of related forms in eastern and central Australia document the deep history of Australia's unique vertebrate fauna, and provide new evidence on the evolution of the first jaws and limbs in vertebrates. They indicate that the first land animals may have evolved on the Austral ....Australia's exceptional Palaeozoic fossil fishes, and a Gondwana origin for land vertebrates. The 370 million-year-old Gogo deposit in WA has produced the World's best-preserved fossil fishes of Devonian age. New discoveries of related forms in eastern and central Australia document the deep history of Australia's unique vertebrate fauna, and provide new evidence on the evolution of the first jaws and limbs in vertebrates. They indicate that the first land animals may have evolved on the Australian landmass. These remarkably preserved, information-rich skulls and braincases of some of the oldest known vertebrate fossils provide unique data on early evolution of the head and brain; they are held in national collections as a significant contribution to both National and World Heritage.Read moreRead less
Social and environmental selection on female ornaments and armaments. Darwin's theory of sexual selection is remarkably successful in explaining how elaborate signals evolved in male animals, but it is unclear whether similar processes drive the evolution of female signals. This project aims to conduct empirical and comparative tests of hypotheses for female trait elaboration, capitalising on inter- and intra-specific variation in female signal form, social organisation and signalling environmen ....Social and environmental selection on female ornaments and armaments. Darwin's theory of sexual selection is remarkably successful in explaining how elaborate signals evolved in male animals, but it is unclear whether similar processes drive the evolution of female signals. This project aims to conduct empirical and comparative tests of hypotheses for female trait elaboration, capitalising on inter- and intra-specific variation in female signal form, social organisation and signalling environments. The project could generate new insight into the processes that promote and constrain phenotypic diversity in nature.Read moreRead less
Testing Theories of Historical Divergence using South Eastern Australian Reptiles. The processes that serve to create species diversity must also be preserved in order to allow evolution to continue. My study will clarify the number and distribution of water skink species in south eastern Australia, a biologically diverse, yet under studied area of Australia. I will also be looking at processes, such as dispersal, that determine patterns of species distribution over time. These lizards are also ....Testing Theories of Historical Divergence using South Eastern Australian Reptiles. The processes that serve to create species diversity must also be preserved in order to allow evolution to continue. My study will clarify the number and distribution of water skink species in south eastern Australia, a biologically diverse, yet under studied area of Australia. I will also be looking at processes, such as dispersal, that determine patterns of species distribution over time. These lizards are also found on mountain tops and may be affected by global warming. Understanding how climate change has affected these lizards in the past may help us to predict how climate changes will affect them in the future and better enable us to conserve these and other species in the future.Read moreRead less