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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100218
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,172.00
Summary
Can species interactions drive diversification? Species interactions may drive the evolution of species diversity but we currently lack the empirical evidence to demonstrate conclusively how this occurs. Using a group of closely-related species native to Australia's rainforest, this study will test how species interactions drive the evolution of mating traits and the formation of new species.
Quantifying the costs and benefits of cooperative behaviour in birds: An experimental test of the group augmentation hypothesis. Cooperation is seen as a hallmark of human evolution, but is common throughout the animal kingdom. Indeed, our greatest appreciation of the factors associated with family living and cooperation comes from animal research. My project uses novel approaches to address questions about the role of kinship and energetic costs of cooperation in the evolution of cooperation an ....Quantifying the costs and benefits of cooperative behaviour in birds: An experimental test of the group augmentation hypothesis. Cooperation is seen as a hallmark of human evolution, but is common throughout the animal kingdom. Indeed, our greatest appreciation of the factors associated with family living and cooperation comes from animal research. My project uses novel approaches to address questions about the role of kinship and energetic costs of cooperation in the evolution of cooperation and family living. My study species is a highly charismatic, desert-living cooperative Australian bird, the chestnut-crowned babbler. This study will add significantly to our understanding of the evolution of social behaviour and the extended family. The results will be of international significance and make an impact in scientific journals and through the mediaRead moreRead less
Can Sexual Selection Generate Reproductive Isolation? Sexual selection has long been thought to be central to the process of speciation and numerous models have been proposed to explain its contribution. However, the ability of sexual selection to generate reproductive isolation has never been evaluated experimentally and there is limited direct evidence for its role in speciation in nature. Using Drosophila serrata, I intend to conduct a large scale experimental test of the role of sexual selec ....Can Sexual Selection Generate Reproductive Isolation? Sexual selection has long been thought to be central to the process of speciation and numerous models have been proposed to explain its contribution. However, the ability of sexual selection to generate reproductive isolation has never been evaluated experimentally and there is limited direct evidence for its role in speciation in nature. Using Drosophila serrata, I intend to conduct a large scale experimental test of the role of sexual selection in the origin of new species. I will manipulate mate choice by placing male pheromones under artificial selection and then tracking the evolution of reproductive isolation in the presence and absence of sexual selection.Read moreRead less
Evolution of cooperative breeding in birds. The incidence of cooperative breeding in birds varies from 0 to 100% between families of birds, and from <1 to >25% among birds from different regions. However, there has been no theory that successfully predicts these differences. Recent comparative analysis shows the differences result largely from the early evolution of obligate cooperative breeding in some groups, and their subsequent slow rates of speciation. I will use model systems to investiga ....Evolution of cooperative breeding in birds. The incidence of cooperative breeding in birds varies from 0 to 100% between families of birds, and from <1 to >25% among birds from different regions. However, there has been no theory that successfully predicts these differences. Recent comparative analysis shows the differences result largely from the early evolution of obligate cooperative breeding in some groups, and their subsequent slow rates of speciation. I will use model systems to investigate how birds can become committed to cooperative breeding despite the inevitable conflicts, and how one group of birds have been freed from the general rules governing the evolution of sociality.Read moreRead less
A framework linking tree species coexistence, zonation and patterns of species richness in forests. Our curiosity-driven proposal capitalizes on a superb opportunity afforded by the occurrence of forest vegetation across a wide range of climates and soils in eastern Australia, an ideal setting for testing ideas about how environment shapes plant evolution as well as forest structure and dynamics. This research will contribute to international interchange of ideas by promoting interaction with co ....A framework linking tree species coexistence, zonation and patterns of species richness in forests. Our curiosity-driven proposal capitalizes on a superb opportunity afforded by the occurrence of forest vegetation across a wide range of climates and soils in eastern Australia, an ideal setting for testing ideas about how environment shapes plant evolution as well as forest structure and dynamics. This research will contribute to international interchange of ideas by promoting interaction with collaborators in New Zealand, and will generate a series of publications in high-impact international journals. We will help Australians better understand the forces that shape patterns of woody vegetation across local landscapes, and our carbon-balance framework may shed light on the causes of rarity of some tree species with conservation problems.Read moreRead less
Why do females mate with multiple partners? Tests of key hypotheses in the wild. Female animals commonly mate with several males at each reproductive cycle, but we do not know why. Six plausible, testable hypotheses have been proposed to explain how females could benefit directly, or by obtaining advantageous genes for their offspring. The few empirical investigations so far carried out have been in captivity and have not considered all alternative explanations. I propose to experimentally test ....Why do females mate with multiple partners? Tests of key hypotheses in the wild. Female animals commonly mate with several males at each reproductive cycle, but we do not know why. Six plausible, testable hypotheses have been proposed to explain how females could benefit directly, or by obtaining advantageous genes for their offspring. The few empirical investigations so far carried out have been in captivity and have not considered all alternative explanations. I propose to experimentally test the key hypotheses in the wild, using a small mammal uniquely-suited to this purpose because of its unusual, but well-known reproductive strategy. The results will improve our understanding of the role of female behaviour in evolutionary processes.Read moreRead less
Sperm competition, sexual conflict, and gamete evolution in mice. The innovative experiments of this project will yield results that are at the forefront of research in evolutionary biology. This project will generate publications in high profile journals, and will foster collaborations between Australian and European researchers, creating a significant international impact and promoting excellence in Australian research. Since European settlement of Australia, sixty percent of the native rodent ....Sperm competition, sexual conflict, and gamete evolution in mice. The innovative experiments of this project will yield results that are at the forefront of research in evolutionary biology. This project will generate publications in high profile journals, and will foster collaborations between Australian and European researchers, creating a significant international impact and promoting excellence in Australian research. Since European settlement of Australia, sixty percent of the native rodent species have become extinct or are threatened with extinction. As there is a significant lack of research on the mating systems of Australian rodents, our investigations on a native mouse will generate information that will be extremely valuable to the national conservation efforts of threatened rodent species.Read moreRead less
The influence of breeding synchrony on avian reproductive strategies. Australia has a strong international reputation for research on avian evolutionary biology, in part, because of our diverse and unique avifauna. This research will resolve one of the more contentious issues in this field concerning the influence of breeding synchrony on a range of reproductive behaviours. Our experimental approach incorporates a series of new and innovative techniques and will help maintain Australia's leading ....The influence of breeding synchrony on avian reproductive strategies. Australia has a strong international reputation for research on avian evolutionary biology, in part, because of our diverse and unique avifauna. This research will resolve one of the more contentious issues in this field concerning the influence of breeding synchrony on a range of reproductive behaviours. Our experimental approach incorporates a series of new and innovative techniques and will help maintain Australia's leading role in this area. The project will provide intensive training for students and also promote awareness about Australia's bird life to a wide audience, including rural communities who have a critical role in the long-term preservation of many species.Read moreRead less
Sexual conflict in the mitochondrion. Australia boasts an international reputation for scientific excellence, and this holds true for the field of evolutionary biology. This groundbreaking project will resolve an outstanding evolutionary conundrum, and integrate two major sets of theory to have witnessed recent paradigm shifts - sexual selection and mitochondrial evolutionary theory. By doing so, the project will push the field in new directions, promoting cutting-edge Australian science abroad. ....Sexual conflict in the mitochondrion. Australia boasts an international reputation for scientific excellence, and this holds true for the field of evolutionary biology. This groundbreaking project will resolve an outstanding evolutionary conundrum, and integrate two major sets of theory to have witnessed recent paradigm shifts - sexual selection and mitochondrial evolutionary theory. By doing so, the project will push the field in new directions, promoting cutting-edge Australian science abroad. This project promises educational benefits, by training postgraduate and honours students that are highly competitive in the international academic market. Finally, the project may yield novel insights into the genetics of male infertility, which affects five percent of Australian men.Read moreRead less
The evolution of sequential polyandry: An experimental approach. The notion that polyandry has evolved as an adaptive female strategy remains highly controversial because empirical work lags far behind theoretical advances. This study will empirically test current hypotheses for the evolution of polyandry using the Australian frog Pseudophryne bibroni as a model species. Aspects of the reproductive biology of this species make it ideal for critically testing diverse hypotheses that can not be ea ....The evolution of sequential polyandry: An experimental approach. The notion that polyandry has evolved as an adaptive female strategy remains highly controversial because empirical work lags far behind theoretical advances. This study will empirically test current hypotheses for the evolution of polyandry using the Australian frog Pseudophryne bibroni as a model species. Aspects of the reproductive biology of this species make it ideal for critically testing diverse hypotheses that can not be easily tested in groups with internal fertilisation or with simultaneous polyandry. Understanding why females mate with multiple males will have extreme implications for sexual selection and mating system theory.Read moreRead less