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Sex and the generation gap: seasonal changes in sex allocation. Answering the question 'When is it better to produce more sons than daughters?' has shed important insights into fundamental questions in biology and led to theory that can be applied to problems in agriculture, fisheries and conservation. The project will extend the current theory to increase its applicability, and test it using an introduced pest fish.
Vocal mimicry in songbirds. Many of the world’s largest clade of birds - the songbirds - incorporate vocal mimicry in their songs, but while scientific interest in vocal mimicry dates from Aristotle, limited progress has been made. With our unique research program we aim to provide an empirically based, theoretically informed understanding of avian vocal mimicry. In an important advance, we will examine both sexes to test long-held male-centric assumptions about evolutionary origins and maintena ....Vocal mimicry in songbirds. Many of the world’s largest clade of birds - the songbirds - incorporate vocal mimicry in their songs, but while scientific interest in vocal mimicry dates from Aristotle, limited progress has been made. With our unique research program we aim to provide an empirically based, theoretically informed understanding of avian vocal mimicry. In an important advance, we will examine both sexes to test long-held male-centric assumptions about evolutionary origins and maintenance of this trait. Crucially, we focus on lineages found only in Australia and PNG, where songbirds originated, to develop a robust scientific understanding of vocal mimicry across the entire songbird clade, and so provide an important new perspective on why and how song began.Read moreRead less
Ecology and phylogeography of bird migration between Australia and New Guinea: paradise kingfishers as a model species. This project examines the evolutionary causes and ecological consequences of intra-tropical bird migration between north Australia and New Guinea, one of the major migration systems of the southern hemisphere. I will use the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher as a model species, exploiting two features of its biology (an aerodynamically costly tail and a breeding distribution wi ....Ecology and phylogeography of bird migration between Australia and New Guinea: paradise kingfishers as a model species. This project examines the evolutionary causes and ecological consequences of intra-tropical bird migration between north Australia and New Guinea, one of the major migration systems of the southern hemisphere. I will use the buff-breasted paradise kingfisher as a model species, exploiting two features of its biology (an aerodynamically costly tail and a breeding distribution with a large latitudinal range) to shed light on the costs, benefits, and ecological correlates of intra-tropical migration. Molecular markers will be used to identify non-breeding distributions, migratory patterns, and the biogeographic histories of the different breeding populations within Australia.Read moreRead less
Can inbreeding avoidance cause the evolution of sex-biased dispersal? This project aims to combine unique long-term data with a novel Citizen Science approach to seek to provide the first complete test of the hypothesis that inbreeding avoidance can cause one of the best known patterns in mammal and bird societies - sex differences in when and how far juveniles disperse. Dispersal is a critically important ecological and evolutionary process, as it influences the fate of populations, and also de ....Can inbreeding avoidance cause the evolution of sex-biased dispersal? This project aims to combine unique long-term data with a novel Citizen Science approach to seek to provide the first complete test of the hypothesis that inbreeding avoidance can cause one of the best known patterns in mammal and bird societies - sex differences in when and how far juveniles disperse. Dispersal is a critically important ecological and evolutionary process, as it influences the fate of populations, and also determines the individuals with which a disperser will spend the remainder of its life. It therefore shapes the likelihood that kin will interact to cooperate or compete, and determines the pool of individuals with which the disperser can mate.Read moreRead less
Biogeography of avian mating systems: polyandry, reverse-plumage dimorphism, and sexual selection in Cape York and New Guinea eclectus parrots. Current sexual selection theory explains how one sex can be strongly sexually selected through competition or mate choice, or how sexual selection can push both sexes in the same direction through mutual mate choice. However, the strong and independent sexual selection in both sexes of eclectus parrot is unique amongst birds, and poses a major challenge ....Biogeography of avian mating systems: polyandry, reverse-plumage dimorphism, and sexual selection in Cape York and New Guinea eclectus parrots. Current sexual selection theory explains how one sex can be strongly sexually selected through competition or mate choice, or how sexual selection can push both sexes in the same direction through mutual mate choice. However, the strong and independent sexual selection in both sexes of eclectus parrot is unique amongst birds, and poses a major challenge to existing theory. Here I propose novel field experiments and biogeographical comparisons of populations in Cape York and New Guinea that, when combined with molecular techniques and spectro-radiometry, will identify the elements of competition and mate choice responsible for their extraordinary reverse plumage dimorphism.Read moreRead less
Interspecific communication and the evolution of alarm calls in birds. There are probably more papers on vocal communication in some individual European and American species of birds than there are on all Australian species combined. Our work will contribute to redressing this imbalance by carrying out detailed studies on acoustic communication in a major group of Australian songbirds (scrubwrens, fairy-wrens, honeyeaters and allies), while at the same time addressing an unsolved general problem ....Interspecific communication and the evolution of alarm calls in birds. There are probably more papers on vocal communication in some individual European and American species of birds than there are on all Australian species combined. Our work will contribute to redressing this imbalance by carrying out detailed studies on acoustic communication in a major group of Australian songbirds (scrubwrens, fairy-wrens, honeyeaters and allies), while at the same time addressing an unsolved general problem in call design first identified 50 years ago in European songbirds. Specifically, we will test whether different prey species have repeatedly evolved 'hawk' alarm calls of similar structure, and whether such evolution could be due to benefits of having similar calls when communicating with other prey species. Read moreRead less
Communication and predation in scrubwrens: alarm calls and eavesdropping. Animal behaviour, including acoustic communication, is shaped by the risk of being killed by predators. Many animals give alarm calls, potentially warning others of danger, and all face the risk that calls intended for conspecifics might be overheard by predators. We will use observations and playback experiments on birds to test what information is conveyed in alarm calls, and measure the risk of predators eavesdropping o ....Communication and predation in scrubwrens: alarm calls and eavesdropping. Animal behaviour, including acoustic communication, is shaped by the risk of being killed by predators. Many animals give alarm calls, potentially warning others of danger, and all face the risk that calls intended for conspecifics might be overheard by predators. We will use observations and playback experiments on birds to test what information is conveyed in alarm calls, and measure the risk of predators eavesdropping on the calls of young birds. Such work has never before been carried out on wild birds, and will contribute to the understanding of non-human communication about the environment and the design of signals.Read moreRead less
What is the genetic relationship between attractiveness, fighting ability and fertilization success in field crickets? The persistence of extravagant male sexual features like horns and bright colours remains a puzzle. There are many theoretical explanations but empirical tests are still rare. This study, which uses selective breeding, will provide insight into the genetic basis of male sexual attractiveness and dominance. Although focused on an endemic field cricket the potential results have w ....What is the genetic relationship between attractiveness, fighting ability and fertilization success in field crickets? The persistence of extravagant male sexual features like horns and bright colours remains a puzzle. There are many theoretical explanations but empirical tests are still rare. This study, which uses selective breeding, will provide insight into the genetic basis of male sexual attractiveness and dominance. Although focused on an endemic field cricket the potential results have wider implications. They may be applicable to many animals of importance to the community, including livestock, domesticated animals, pests and native wildlife. All these animals are subject to selection pressure created by humans. This study will help us understand how selection on one trait (e.g. weight) may influence the evolution of another (e.g. lifespan).Read moreRead less
Transformation of vegetation by big herbivores, from the Pleistocene to now. The project aims to provide a coherent understanding of the effects of extinct and extant large herbivores on ecosystems over space and time. The structure and distribution of vegetation types is determined not only by climate and soils, but also by the impacts of herbivores and fire as consumers of plant biomass. Recent research has shown how fire shapes the large-scale distribution of vegetation types, but we do not h ....Transformation of vegetation by big herbivores, from the Pleistocene to now. The project aims to provide a coherent understanding of the effects of extinct and extant large herbivores on ecosystems over space and time. The structure and distribution of vegetation types is determined not only by climate and soils, but also by the impacts of herbivores and fire as consumers of plant biomass. Recent research has shown how fire shapes the large-scale distribution of vegetation types, but we do not have an equivalent understanding of the effects of large ground-dwelling herbivores. The project plans to test the effects of such animals on vegetation structure in the Pleistocene, when mega-herbivores were common, and today, and thus to compare the impacts of fire and herbivores on the distribution of vegetation types.Read moreRead less
The evolution of egg retention and sex allocation: a phylogenetic contrasts study using facultatively ovoviviparous thrips. Australian idolothripine thrips provide an unparalleled opportunity for investigating the evolution of reproduction. They constitute the only group to contain many species in which the females choose among live birth, egg laying or both. They also choose the sex of each offspring. We will use phylogenetics and experimentation to understand the evolutionary pressures that le ....The evolution of egg retention and sex allocation: a phylogenetic contrasts study using facultatively ovoviviparous thrips. Australian idolothripine thrips provide an unparalleled opportunity for investigating the evolution of reproduction. They constitute the only group to contain many species in which the females choose among live birth, egg laying or both. They also choose the sex of each offspring. We will use phylogenetics and experimentation to understand the evolutionary pressures that led to and maintain live birth and the allocation of sex. This will produce new insights into fundamental questions about the evolution of animal reproduction. Our collaborative approach will make Australian thrips and research an international cornerstone in the biology of reproductive evolution.Read moreRead less