Evaporative water loss and relative water economy in marsupials. Marsupials are an iconic element of the Australian fauna, so the robust physiological database we will establish has intrinsic educational and scientific value to Australians. We will provide important methodological and analytical advances at the cutting edge of physiological research. This project will sustain our leading role as marsupial physiologists in the international scientific community, contribute to the high-quality tra ....Evaporative water loss and relative water economy in marsupials. Marsupials are an iconic element of the Australian fauna, so the robust physiological database we will establish has intrinsic educational and scientific value to Australians. We will provide important methodological and analytical advances at the cutting edge of physiological research. This project will sustain our leading role as marsupial physiologists in the international scientific community, contribute to the high-quality training of research students, foster national and international collaboration, and generally enhance the scientific profile of Australia. Knowledge of a species' biology and its interactions with the environment are essential for conservation in the face of landscape modification and climate change.Read moreRead less
Genetic mechanisms of metabolic control and thermal sensing during thermoregulation. This research will significantly advance understanding of how animals can respond to climate change, and the results will benefit wildlife management processes. The proposed research will lead to collaboration with Prof. Ken Storey an ISI highly cited author and expert in microarray analysis. The cDNA microarray for Crocodylus porosus which I will construct in the proposed research will be a valuable resource ....Genetic mechanisms of metabolic control and thermal sensing during thermoregulation. This research will significantly advance understanding of how animals can respond to climate change, and the results will benefit wildlife management processes. The proposed research will lead to collaboration with Prof. Ken Storey an ISI highly cited author and expert in microarray analysis. The cDNA microarray for Crocodylus porosus which I will construct in the proposed research will be a valuable resource for Australia by increasing collaborations, and it will help find the cause of problems prevalent in the crocodile industry such as runt animals that significantly decrease production efficiency.Read moreRead less
Physiological Thermoregulation and Cardiovascular Function in Reptiles. This project will be important in advancing the concept of physiological thermoregulation in reptiles from a descriptive to a mechanistic basis, thereby providing a better conceptual framework within which the evolutionary processes and selection pressures acting on modern animals and their ancestors can be evaluated.
Benefits of conducting this research will include:
maintaining the high international profile of Aust ....Physiological Thermoregulation and Cardiovascular Function in Reptiles. This project will be important in advancing the concept of physiological thermoregulation in reptiles from a descriptive to a mechanistic basis, thereby providing a better conceptual framework within which the evolutionary processes and selection pressures acting on modern animals and their ancestors can be evaluated.
Benefits of conducting this research will include:
maintaining the high international profile of Australian comparative physiology;
the training of post-graduate students, both Honours and Ph.D.s;
stimulating collaboration between two of Australia's research intensive universities (Sydney and Queensland);
and show-casing Australia's impressive reptilian fauna.
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Environmental Control of Developmental Plasticity of Vertebrate Cardio-Pulmonary Systems. Our research will generate the first comprehensive picture of how environmental conditions are transduced to control the development of the vertebrate respiratory and cardiovascular systems over the perinatal period. The research will demonstrate how physiological systems are modified and hence evolve. Moreover, understanding the developmental pathology in embryos induced by changing environmental condition ....Environmental Control of Developmental Plasticity of Vertebrate Cardio-Pulmonary Systems. Our research will generate the first comprehensive picture of how environmental conditions are transduced to control the development of the vertebrate respiratory and cardiovascular systems over the perinatal period. The research will demonstrate how physiological systems are modified and hence evolve. Moreover, understanding the developmental pathology in embryos induced by changing environmental conditions (especially exposure to steroid-like pollutants) is crucial to support breeding programs of endangered species and may improve veterinary and medicinal treatment of premature animals and humans. This multi-disciplinary, international collaboration provides an international training ground and two-way exchange of students and postdocs.Read moreRead less
Coping With Pressure: Respiratory Biology of Marine Mammals. Many marine mammals undergo severe, protracted lung collapse during deep dives. They also exhibit prolonged periods of apnea during sleep. In humans, lung collapse and sleep apnea both represent severe respiratory dysfunction. Pulmonary surfactant, a complex mixture that lines the lung, stabilises the lungs in terrestrial mammals, preventing lung collapse. Here, we propose a comprehensive examination of respiratory function in marine m ....Coping With Pressure: Respiratory Biology of Marine Mammals. Many marine mammals undergo severe, protracted lung collapse during deep dives. They also exhibit prolonged periods of apnea during sleep. In humans, lung collapse and sleep apnea both represent severe respiratory dysfunction. Pulmonary surfactant, a complex mixture that lines the lung, stabilises the lungs in terrestrial mammals, preventing lung collapse. Here, we propose a comprehensive examination of respiratory function in marine mammals. This study will significantly advance our knowledge of the diving physiology of Australian marine mammals. A detailed examination of the respiratory and surfactant systems of marine mammals may also reveal adaptations that enable these animals to endure sleep apnea and lung collapse.Read moreRead less
SKELETAL MUSCLE: REVERSIBLE TEMEPERATURE-INDUCED UNCOUPLING OF CONTRACTION FROM THE ACTIVATOR Ca2+ AND TUBULAR SYSTEM ROLES IN MUSCLE FUNCTION REGULATION. Skeletal muscles represent the largest organ in the body of vertebrates and are responsible for major functions including maintaining posture and locomotion. Skeletal muscles are also a major source of heat production. The project focuses on temperature-induced effects on the ability of the skeletal muscle to contract in warm blooded animals, ....SKELETAL MUSCLE: REVERSIBLE TEMEPERATURE-INDUCED UNCOUPLING OF CONTRACTION FROM THE ACTIVATOR Ca2+ AND TUBULAR SYSTEM ROLES IN MUSCLE FUNCTION REGULATION. Skeletal muscles represent the largest organ in the body of vertebrates and are responsible for major functions including maintaining posture and locomotion. Skeletal muscles are also a major source of heat production. The project focuses on temperature-induced effects on the ability of the skeletal muscle to contract in warm blooded animals, including marsupials, and on the complex roles played by a cellular structure unique to the muscle fibre, the tubular system, with respect to regulation of muscle function at physiological temperatures. The project will test hypotheses that will have far-reaching implications for muscle physiology, cell biology and evolutionary biology.Read moreRead less
Responses of reptiles to fluctuating thermal environments: behaviour or biochemistry? I propose a conceptual shift in the way thermal physiology of reptiles is interpreted, questioning the predominant role of behaviour in reptilian thermoregulation. I will test the hypothesis that changes in cellular biochemistry are an important mechanism by which reptiles respond to environmental fluctuations. I will determine the relationship between metabolic enzyme activity and performance functions, and ....Responses of reptiles to fluctuating thermal environments: behaviour or biochemistry? I propose a conceptual shift in the way thermal physiology of reptiles is interpreted, questioning the predominant role of behaviour in reptilian thermoregulation. I will test the hypothesis that changes in cellular biochemistry are an important mechanism by which reptiles respond to environmental fluctuations. I will determine the relationship between metabolic enzyme activity and performance functions, and the results may call for a re-assessment of current concepts such as the notion that reptiles must achieve "preferred" body temperatures to maintain performance.Read moreRead less
The inhibition of muscle disuse atrophy in burrowing frogs. Prolonged muscle disuse, as a consequence of limb immobilisation, extended bed-rest or space travel, can lead to pathological changes resulting in muscle wasting. By examining a unique Australian frog that burrows underground and remains immobile for 9-12 months, and which shows no muscle wasting, we will significantly advance our understanding of the physiological mechanisms that inhibit muscle atrophy.
Benefits of conducting this r ....The inhibition of muscle disuse atrophy in burrowing frogs. Prolonged muscle disuse, as a consequence of limb immobilisation, extended bed-rest or space travel, can lead to pathological changes resulting in muscle wasting. By examining a unique Australian frog that burrows underground and remains immobile for 9-12 months, and which shows no muscle wasting, we will significantly advance our understanding of the physiological mechanisms that inhibit muscle atrophy.
Benefits of conducting this research will include:
- understanding the role of antioxidants and endogenous opioids in reducing muscle wasting
- training of postgraduate students
- stimulating collaboration between The University of Queensland and CSIRO Livestock Industries.Read moreRead less
Calls and constraints: do male frogs signal direct benefits? There is international concern over recent declines and disappearances of many species of amphibians. Australia is a hotspot for declines, but causes of declines remain enigmatic. Approximately one quarter of Australia's 230 amphibian species breed in terrestrial situations, but processes such as salinity, wetland and urban developments and climate change are altering the hydrology of our landscape, and preventing the flood events nece ....Calls and constraints: do male frogs signal direct benefits? There is international concern over recent declines and disappearances of many species of amphibians. Australia is a hotspot for declines, but causes of declines remain enigmatic. Approximately one quarter of Australia's 230 amphibian species breed in terrestrial situations, but processes such as salinity, wetland and urban developments and climate change are altering the hydrology of our landscape, and preventing the flood events necessary for the completion of the lifecycle of many species. This research has important conservation implications because it examines the effects of variable moisture regimes on the physiology and reproductive behaviours of terrestrial breeding frogs.Read moreRead less
Brain temperature regulation in mammals: mechanisms and consequences. Mammals detect increases in body temperature predominantly in the brain. Counterintuitively many mammals selectively cool the brain during heat stress, which appears to defeat the mechanism for inducing cooling responses. We intend to investigate this apparent anomaly which we believe is concerned with optimizing water use in hot conditions. We will further investigate the source of water for evaporative cooling by panting and ....Brain temperature regulation in mammals: mechanisms and consequences. Mammals detect increases in body temperature predominantly in the brain. Counterintuitively many mammals selectively cool the brain during heat stress, which appears to defeat the mechanism for inducing cooling responses. We intend to investigate this apparent anomaly which we believe is concerned with optimizing water use in hot conditions. We will further investigate the source of water for evaporative cooling by panting and discover if there has been convergent evolution in thermoregulatory strategies in the eutherian and marsupial lineages. The data we collect will be used to support a new model for thermoregulation in mammals.
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