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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100305
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,064.00
Summary
Revealing the origin and early evolution of spiralian animal body plans. This project aims to reconstruct the early evolutionary history of the Spiralia, a megadiverse animal group that extends back 540 million years. Their oldest fossils represent some of the earliest known animals and can reveal much about the speed and magnitude of evolution during the Cambrian Explosion, when most animal groups rapidly appeared. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the origin and radiation of so ....Revealing the origin and early evolution of spiralian animal body plans. This project aims to reconstruct the early evolutionary history of the Spiralia, a megadiverse animal group that extends back 540 million years. Their oldest fossils represent some of the earliest known animals and can reveal much about the speed and magnitude of evolution during the Cambrian Explosion, when most animal groups rapidly appeared. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the origin and radiation of some of the first animal body plans to better understand the early history of complex life. Anticipated outcomes and benefits include a new macroevolutionary framework for spiralians, novel approaches to studying invertebrate fossils, and highlighting the scientific importance of Australia’s natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101222
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,132.00
Summary
Australia's key role in the evolution of songbirds. This project aims to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of songbirds, which originated in Australia and now make up over half of the world's birds. The project will combine fossil, morphological, and genomic data to describe early songbird diversity in Australia, reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, estimate the timescale of their diversification, and resolve the timing and nature of key evolutionary c ....Australia's key role in the evolution of songbirds. This project aims to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of songbirds, which originated in Australia and now make up over half of the world's birds. The project will combine fossil, morphological, and genomic data to describe early songbird diversity in Australia, reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of fossil species, estimate the timescale of their diversification, and resolve the timing and nature of key evolutionary changes in songbirds. The project is expected to produce critical new fossil evidence and to strengthen international and multidisciplinary collaborations. Expected outcomes include significant advances in our understanding of a major component of the Australian and global fauna.Read moreRead less
Understanding the evolutionary tempo and significance of the first animals through exceptional fossil preservation. This project will shed new light on the origins and early evolutionary history of the first complex marine animals that appeared over half a billion years ago. Extraordinarily preserved fossils, including soft tissues, from South Australia will highlight the rapid anatomical innovation that occurred during this crucial phase in the history of life.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101052
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,959.00
Summary
All you can eat: evolution of feeding in the largest animals on Earth. This project aims to establish how Baleen whales, the largest animals on Earth and major ecosystem engineers, evolved their signature filter-feeding strategy. Unlike other mammals, whales are toothless, and instead use a keratinous, comb-like sieve to filter vast amounts of small prey from seawater. Various approaches, including biomechanics, three-dimensional imaging, geochemistry and quantitative palaeobiology will unravel ....All you can eat: evolution of feeding in the largest animals on Earth. This project aims to establish how Baleen whales, the largest animals on Earth and major ecosystem engineers, evolved their signature filter-feeding strategy. Unlike other mammals, whales are toothless, and instead use a keratinous, comb-like sieve to filter vast amounts of small prey from seawater. Various approaches, including biomechanics, three-dimensional imaging, geochemistry and quantitative palaeobiology will unravel how and when filter feeding emerged, how it diversified over time, and whether its evolution correlated with past environmental change. The project is expected to reveal clues on how whales became one of the greatest ecological actors in the sea, and will benefit conservation by providing a glimpse into their future.Read moreRead less
Dark canaries: new multidisciplinary understanding about the origins, radiation and response to environmental change of southern hemisphere bats. This project will overhaul global understanding of the origins of bats, their flight patterns and the role of echolocation in resource partitioning in an environmentally changing Australia. It will also provide information vital for conservation and novel biomimetic understanding of the modulation of ultrasound for medical and engineering purposes.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101133
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Evolution, breeding biology and extinction of giant fowl in Australia and the Southwest Pacific. New investigation of the extinct giant flightless Australian mihirungs and similar giant fowl of Oceania by analysis of fossils will reveal their relationships and resolve the evolutionary history of fowl globally. This project will provide insight into breeding strategies of these fossil species and the causes and impacts of their extinction.
New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late ....New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late Miocene in age. This project will reveal how Australia’s wildlife responded to one of the world’s biggest climate changes and help better anticipate what will be required to ensure its survival into the future. Benefits include enhanced understanding about long-term biota/climate interactions and significant additions to Australia’s unique, internationally significant palaeontological artefacts.Read moreRead less
Determining the relative roles of dispersal and vicariance in the assembly of the New Zealand fauna. New fossils from New Zealand's St Bathans Fauna (19-16 million years) will revolutionise our understanding of the shared biodiversity and evolutionary history of New Zealand and Australia through the first views of the origin and evolution of major Gondwanan groups including frogs, crocodiles, birds and bats on the now mostly-drowned continent Zealandia.
Dawn of the age of mammals in Australia: foundations for an island biota. This project aims to fill a profound gap in knowledge about the origins of the modern fauna on the island continent Australia. It will augment Australia’s national natural heritage, enhance international research collaboration, and provide critical baseline data for complementary research in biology, geology, geography and climatology. End users of this project include primary, secondary, tertiary and public education sect ....Dawn of the age of mammals in Australia: foundations for an island biota. This project aims to fill a profound gap in knowledge about the origins of the modern fauna on the island continent Australia. It will augment Australia’s national natural heritage, enhance international research collaboration, and provide critical baseline data for complementary research in biology, geology, geography and climatology. End users of this project include primary, secondary, tertiary and public education sectors and environment and heritage protection agencies.Read moreRead less
New Stratigraphy and Geostatistics for Gas and Water Resources . Management of gas and water resources is of significant importance to the Australian economy and society. Industry and government use digital modelling to assist in resources management. The first step in modelling is to correlate geological data and then use geostatistics to estimate properties in areas without data. This project aims to produce a new geological framework for the Surat Basin underpinned by new zircon ages and ages ....New Stratigraphy and Geostatistics for Gas and Water Resources . Management of gas and water resources is of significant importance to the Australian economy and society. Industry and government use digital modelling to assist in resources management. The first step in modelling is to correlate geological data and then use geostatistics to estimate properties in areas without data. This project aims to produce a new geological framework for the Surat Basin underpinned by new zircon ages and ages of fossils in sediments and a new geostatistical methodology to better represent flow properties in coal seams and aquifers. This is expected result in a more accurate modelling methodology that can be used by industry and government for modelling resources, including in other basins in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less