To be cooperative or selfish: individual decisions in a model society. Understanding the basis of cooperative behaviour is a major challenge to biological and social science. Our ability to deal with problems such as global warming and the rapid loss of biodiversity, will depend upon an unprecedented level of cooperation between individuals and countries. Our work will use an animal model that shares a number of key characteristics with the societies of our early human ancestors to explore, thro ....To be cooperative or selfish: individual decisions in a model society. Understanding the basis of cooperative behaviour is a major challenge to biological and social science. Our ability to deal with problems such as global warming and the rapid loss of biodiversity, will depend upon an unprecedented level of cooperation between individuals and countries. Our work will use an animal model that shares a number of key characteristics with the societies of our early human ancestors to explore, through experiments and detailed molecular analysis, the basis of cooperative interactions between individuals. This work will uncover the key principles that drive the evolution of cooperation in society and will help us to understand the basis of one the most important components of human nature.Read moreRead less
Solving Darwin's dilemma: Molecular analysis of worker sterility in social insects. One of Darwin's greatest puzzles was how natural selection resulted in worker sterility in social insects. We now know from mathematical modelling that a gene that causes sterility in workers can be at a selective advantage if it increases the reproductive success of queens. This project will take the only known gene that causes sterility, 'Anarchy' from honey bees, and determine how this gene evolved. We will de ....Solving Darwin's dilemma: Molecular analysis of worker sterility in social insects. One of Darwin's greatest puzzles was how natural selection resulted in worker sterility in social insects. We now know from mathematical modelling that a gene that causes sterility in workers can be at a selective advantage if it increases the reproductive success of queens. This project will take the only known gene that causes sterility, 'Anarchy' from honey bees, and determine how this gene evolved. We will determine if Anarchy is the same gene that causes sterility in all social insects, or only in honey bees. The project will be at the forefront of international research by providing a molecular perspective to Darwin's greatest dilemma.
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Putting sexual selection in a life-history context: What is meant by genetic quality? Theories of sexual signalling have been developed largely without reference to life-history theory and quantitative genetics. We will test recent theory that shows the costs of signals are best measured in units of future survival and reproduction. In a series of field and laboratory experiments on the cricket Teleogryllus commodus, we will test the idea that the "male genetic quality" referred to by good-genes ....Putting sexual selection in a life-history context: What is meant by genetic quality? Theories of sexual signalling have been developed largely without reference to life-history theory and quantitative genetics. We will test recent theory that shows the costs of signals are best measured in units of future survival and reproduction. In a series of field and laboratory experiments on the cricket Teleogryllus commodus, we will test the idea that the "male genetic quality" referred to by good-genes models of sexual selection is quality in the general ability to acquire resources, rather than in how resources are allocated among fitness components.Read moreRead less
Sociogenomics of honeybees. From genes to society. This project will show how complex social behaviour of honeybees like dance communication and thermoregulation is genetically controlled. The complete sequence of the honeybee genome will be published in 2003, and a gene chip based on it will be created shortly afterwards. These new technologies will make our project technically feasible. By backcrossing, workers with different genetic tendencies to do a task can be generated within an otherwi ....Sociogenomics of honeybees. From genes to society. This project will show how complex social behaviour of honeybees like dance communication and thermoregulation is genetically controlled. The complete sequence of the honeybee genome will be published in 2003, and a gene chip based on it will be created shortly afterwards. These new technologies will make our project technically feasible. By backcrossing, workers with different genetic tendencies to do a task can be generated within an otherwise uniform background. Age-matched workers that perform a behaviour like thermoregulation can be compared to sisters that do not, and the genes that are switched on in the two groups compared.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561251
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,887.00
Summary
Facility for Analyses of Evolutionary Immunology. Our understanding of how selection in natural populations shape (favour and disfavour) immunity, and how this process contribute to organismal (including human) fitness, is rudimentary. In order to study such processes our collective experience strongly suggests and increasing need for geographic amalgamation of necessary and complementary molecular and biomedical techniques. We therefore request funding to establish a collaborative research labo ....Facility for Analyses of Evolutionary Immunology. Our understanding of how selection in natural populations shape (favour and disfavour) immunity, and how this process contribute to organismal (including human) fitness, is rudimentary. In order to study such processes our collective experience strongly suggests and increasing need for geographic amalgamation of necessary and complementary molecular and biomedical techniques. We therefore request funding to establish a collaborative research laboratory in a novel research field - Evolutionary Immuno-Ecology- in which all vital aspects, from a mechanistic to an evolutionary level, can be studied at one research centre.Read moreRead less
Nanotechnology in nature: the evolutionary significance of iridescent ultraviolet colouration in butterflies. Nanostructural colour is a novel and interesting biological phenomenon that has potential application in textile and paint industries. This research has the potential to uncover knowledge relevant to future genetic manipulation and/or artificial synthesis of this trait for industry. Fundamental benefits will include a contribution to our understanding of evolution and biological diversit ....Nanotechnology in nature: the evolutionary significance of iridescent ultraviolet colouration in butterflies. Nanostructural colour is a novel and interesting biological phenomenon that has potential application in textile and paint industries. This research has the potential to uncover knowledge relevant to future genetic manipulation and/or artificial synthesis of this trait for industry. Fundamental benefits will include a contribution to our understanding of evolution and biological diversity, enhancement of Australia's research profile, and the cultivation of new scientific expertise. This proposal also promises to benefit the Australian scientific community through the establishment of collaborative links with universities in the USA and UK, and to increase mainstream awareness of Australia's stunning natural resources.Read moreRead less
Discovery and characterization of new classes of small regulatory RNAs in mammals. The project will reaffirm and enhance Australian leadership in the most rapidly developing area of molecular biological and genetic research, by the application of ultra high-throughput sequencing technologies to discovery of regulatory RNAs, thereby to identify the characteristics of important regulatory pathways that underpin mammalian development, brain function and species diversity. The results of this resear ....Discovery and characterization of new classes of small regulatory RNAs in mammals. The project will reaffirm and enhance Australian leadership in the most rapidly developing area of molecular biological and genetic research, by the application of ultra high-throughput sequencing technologies to discovery of regulatory RNAs, thereby to identify the characteristics of important regulatory pathways that underpin mammalian development, brain function and species diversity. The results of this research will have wide implications and applications in biotechnology, genetic engineering, animal breeding, medical science and advanced informatics.Read moreRead less
The major histocompatibility complex and scent-mediated mate choice in a Procellariiform, Gould's petrel. In Australia, there are 25 species of Procellariiformes listed as threatened or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Formulating comprehensive conservation plans for endangered species requires a good understanding of the species' breeding biology yet virtually nothing is known about the mechanisms involved in mate choice in the procellariiforms ....The major histocompatibility complex and scent-mediated mate choice in a Procellariiform, Gould's petrel. In Australia, there are 25 species of Procellariiformes listed as threatened or endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Formulating comprehensive conservation plans for endangered species requires a good understanding of the species' breeding biology yet virtually nothing is known about the mechanisms involved in mate choice in the procellariiforms. A better understanding of the traits these long-lived birds use when choosing their lifelong breeding partner could greatly benefit conservation strategies designed to protect them. This could be particularly beneficial where translocation is an option because birds being translocated could be assessed for compatibility prior to translocation.Read moreRead less
Identification of genetic polymorphisms of synaptically expressed genes that contribute to variation in normal brain function. This project focuses on understanding brain functions. Brain and mind disorders are by far the largest contributors to the burden of disability, far exceeding any other disorder. This research will contribute to knowledge through addressing the national research priority promoting and maintaining good health. The research outcomes will form the scientific knowledge base ....Identification of genetic polymorphisms of synaptically expressed genes that contribute to variation in normal brain function. This project focuses on understanding brain functions. Brain and mind disorders are by far the largest contributors to the burden of disability, far exceeding any other disorder. This research will contribute to knowledge through addressing the national research priority promoting and maintaining good health. The research outcomes will form the scientific knowledge base essential for the translation of the project into public benefit through their application in development of new testing paradigms for a range of brain and mind disorders. Read moreRead less
The roles of relatedness and reproductive success in complex social systems of dolphins. Theories of the role of genetic relatedness and reproductive success in mammalian social behaviour have mostly been restricted to primates and carnivores. Coexisting alternative strategies within one population of bottlenose dolphins (Shark Bay WA) offer unprecedented opportunities for such investigations. The male alliances? complexity is unparalleled outside humans, and may require new theory. Some femal ....The roles of relatedness and reproductive success in complex social systems of dolphins. Theories of the role of genetic relatedness and reproductive success in mammalian social behaviour have mostly been restricted to primates and carnivores. Coexisting alternative strategies within one population of bottlenose dolphins (Shark Bay WA) offer unprecedented opportunities for such investigations. The male alliances? complexity is unparalleled outside humans, and may require new theory. Some female lineages show tool-use - rare outside humans, and virtually unknown in marine species. Our behavioural and genetic database has exceptional size, detail and duration for marine mammals, and is most valuable if continued while known individuals' offspring reach a stage where they can be sampled.Read moreRead less