Understanding social cancers: Intra-specific parasitism by honeybee workers. Our project will study the conditions under which normally altruistic honeybee workers parasitise other colonies. Thus we will explore a fundamental question: how is the expression of selfish behaviour normally controlled? Outcomes of this project will be important to our understanding of insect societies but will also have application for those studying the development of tumours in multicellular organisms, the develop ....Understanding social cancers: Intra-specific parasitism by honeybee workers. Our project will study the conditions under which normally altruistic honeybee workers parasitise other colonies. Thus we will explore a fundamental question: how is the expression of selfish behaviour normally controlled? Outcomes of this project will be important to our understanding of insect societies but will also have application for those studying the development of tumours in multicellular organisms, the development of metazoan bodies, and social cohesion in human and non-human societies. Our project will also help protect Australia's honey industry from the devastating social parasites that have ruined the industry in South Africa.Read moreRead less
Host provisioning by Wolbachia: re-examining the invasion potential of a common invertebrate endosymbiont. Wolbachia are often described as reproductive parasites that manipulate their host for their own gain. This study will determine for the first time how Wolbachia can help its insect host during periods of nutritional stress. As Wolbachia are able to infect host populations it will be used in the near future to control insects that transmit disease or are commercial pests. Understanding how ....Host provisioning by Wolbachia: re-examining the invasion potential of a common invertebrate endosymbiont. Wolbachia are often described as reproductive parasites that manipulate their host for their own gain. This study will determine for the first time how Wolbachia can help its insect host during periods of nutritional stress. As Wolbachia are able to infect host populations it will be used in the near future to control insects that transmit disease or are commercial pests. Understanding how Wolbachia interacts with its host, as a parasite or beneficial, will improve its application in the field. Knowing how benefits are provided to the host will improve human health in the future. As Wolbachia are needed for filarial nematode development, disrupting the beneficial mechanisms identified in this study will improve filariasis control programsRead moreRead less
Cell-free immune reactions and suppression. Insects pests and insect vectors of diseases are managed by toxic substances, but insects have a cunning ability to persist. How pesticide-tolerant insect pests recognise and inactivate chemical and biological toxins is poorly understood. While vertebrates with a closed circulatory system use coagulation reactions mainly for wound-healing, invertebrates employ cell-free aggregation reactions for the sequestration and inactivation of potentially damagin ....Cell-free immune reactions and suppression. Insects pests and insect vectors of diseases are managed by toxic substances, but insects have a cunning ability to persist. How pesticide-tolerant insect pests recognise and inactivate chemical and biological toxins is poorly understood. While vertebrates with a closed circulatory system use coagulation reactions mainly for wound-healing, invertebrates employ cell-free aggregation reactions for the sequestration and inactivation of potentially damaging objects and substances. We use insect plasma to dissect recognition and inactivation of damaging objects and substances with the aim to understand tolerance and its inhibition to design novel strategies in delaying tolerance to pesticides in insect pests.Read moreRead less
Efficient strategies for visually guided flight: from insects to drones. Flying in real environments, that are densely cluttered with obstacles, is a major challenge limiting the proliferation of aerial robotic technology yet flying insects such as honeybees accomplish this task with ease. This project will seek to uncover the salient vision-based flight-control strategies implemented by insects to deal with clutter. These will be used to develop sensory and information processing frameworks for ....Efficient strategies for visually guided flight: from insects to drones. Flying in real environments, that are densely cluttered with obstacles, is a major challenge limiting the proliferation of aerial robotic technology yet flying insects such as honeybees accomplish this task with ease. This project will seek to uncover the salient vision-based flight-control strategies implemented by insects to deal with clutter. These will be used to develop sensory and information processing frameworks for implementation in miniature robotic systems which will allow them to navigate autonomously in complex environments even when GPS positioning is denied. Such capabilities will expand the operational domain and potential applications for small autonomous vehicles while improving our knowledge of insect locomotion.Read moreRead less
Viral and host RNA methylation in mosquitoes. Mosquitoes transmit a variety of viruses to humans and animals through blood feeding. This project aims to investigate one of the most common modifications of RNA molecules, known as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), in an important mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, and its alterations upon infection with pathogenic as well as mosquito-specific viruses. In addition, m6A modification of viral genomic RNA and its importance in virus replication will be investiga ....Viral and host RNA methylation in mosquitoes. Mosquitoes transmit a variety of viruses to humans and animals through blood feeding. This project aims to investigate one of the most common modifications of RNA molecules, known as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), in an important mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, and its alterations upon infection with pathogenic as well as mosquito-specific viruses. In addition, m6A modification of viral genomic RNA and its importance in virus replication will be investigated. Expected outcomes of this project include fundamental understanding of RNA methylation in mosquitoes and their role in mosquito biology and virus replication.Read moreRead less
Origin of animal sensory and nervous systems: a case study in cell type evolution. The origin of the nerve cell and the nervous system allowed the first animals to interact with their biotic and abiotic environment in rapid and complex ways. These capabilities are the primary agents for success in the animal kingdom, underpinning the ability to capture food, avoid predation, and find a mate. These same nerve cells have bestowed on the human brain cognitive abilities that have driven our biologic ....Origin of animal sensory and nervous systems: a case study in cell type evolution. The origin of the nerve cell and the nervous system allowed the first animals to interact with their biotic and abiotic environment in rapid and complex ways. These capabilities are the primary agents for success in the animal kingdom, underpinning the ability to capture food, avoid predation, and find a mate. These same nerve cells have bestowed on the human brain cognitive abilities that have driven our biological and cultural evolution. Despite the phenomenal importance of the nerve cell, we know almost nothing about its origin and early evolution. This basic research project seeks to make a major contribution towards addressing this gap in knowledge.Read moreRead less
Understanding mosquito smell system: a new frontier in mosquito control. This project aims to identify and functionally investigate mosquito smell receptors, which are critical in detecting volatile compounds and locating their hosts from a considerable distance away. Mosquitoes display preferences for certain hosts over others, primarily determined by volatile chemicals produced by hosts. This study builds on recently discovered, novel, host-derived volatile compounds, which can elicit robust r ....Understanding mosquito smell system: a new frontier in mosquito control. This project aims to identify and functionally investigate mosquito smell receptors, which are critical in detecting volatile compounds and locating their hosts from a considerable distance away. Mosquitoes display preferences for certain hosts over others, primarily determined by volatile chemicals produced by hosts. This study builds on recently discovered, novel, host-derived volatile compounds, which can elicit robust responses and attractiveness from mosquitoes. Expected outcomes of the project are enhanced understanding of mosquito smell system and behaviours. This could provide significant benefits to how we can fight mosquitoes and mosquito-transmitted diseases in a more efficient and environmentally responsible way.Read moreRead less
A novel approach in understanding regulation of development in mosquitoes. This project aims to explore the role of microRNAs in regulation of the synthesis of a key hormone, juvenile hormone, involved in mosquito development and reproductive maturation. The development of novel approaches in mosquito control or inhibition of transmission are urgently required to combat against mosquito-borne pathogens. One such approach is to interrupt the reproduction or reduce the fitness of mosquitoes. This ....A novel approach in understanding regulation of development in mosquitoes. This project aims to explore the role of microRNAs in regulation of the synthesis of a key hormone, juvenile hormone, involved in mosquito development and reproductive maturation. The development of novel approaches in mosquito control or inhibition of transmission are urgently required to combat against mosquito-borne pathogens. One such approach is to interrupt the reproduction or reduce the fitness of mosquitoes. This project will increase our understanding of the regulation of mosquito reproduction and development, but also lead to the discovery of potential target molecules to interfere with mosquito reproduction/development.Read moreRead less
Cross-kingdom communications via small non-coding RNAs. This project aims to determine the role of small non-coding RNAs in mosquito-Wolbachia interactions, including Wolbachia microRNAs, concentrating on exchanged microRNAs between the two organisms and explore microRNAs effect on Wolbachia maintenance and its anti-viral property. Small non-coding RNAs play significant roles in various biological processes, including host-microorganism interactions. Recent evidence suggests that small RNAs can ....Cross-kingdom communications via small non-coding RNAs. This project aims to determine the role of small non-coding RNAs in mosquito-Wolbachia interactions, including Wolbachia microRNAs, concentrating on exchanged microRNAs between the two organisms and explore microRNAs effect on Wolbachia maintenance and its anti-viral property. Small non-coding RNAs play significant roles in various biological processes, including host-microorganism interactions. Recent evidence suggests that small RNAs can be exchanged between microorganisms and their hosts and regulate gene expression in the other organism. The endosymbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia, has attracted worldwide attention due to inhibiting replication of various vector-borne pathogens in mosquito vectors.Read moreRead less
Mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial pest management - physicochemical definition of oviposition sites for development of cost-efficient artificial substrates. The mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial purposes demands the development of cost-effective techniques for breeding and distributing them to growers. Many predatory beneficial insects lay their eggs in sites that prevent effective mass culturing. To circumvent this difficulty, it should be possible to defin ....Mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial pest management - physicochemical definition of oviposition sites for development of cost-efficient artificial substrates. The mass-production of beneficial insects for commercial purposes demands the development of cost-effective techniques for breeding and distributing them to growers. Many predatory beneficial insects lay their eggs in sites that prevent effective mass culturing. To circumvent this difficulty, it should be possible to define such oviposition sites in chemical and physical terms, and then use the information to develop artificial substrates that are convenient for mass rearing the insects and for disseminating them to growers. We will use the mealybug predator Cryptolaemus montrouszieri to test the feasibility of this approach and to assess its application to other beneficial species.Read moreRead less