Humane Chemical Methods for Population Management of Highly Valued Large Mammals. In many countries valued wild and feral animals are nonetheless too numerous. Their population numbers must be controlled through fertility. Examples are koalas in Australia, deer and seals in North America, cattle in India and dogs in Thailand. We aim to develop benign implants for castration based upon the gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH). These implants are easily administered. The outcomes will be to ....Humane Chemical Methods for Population Management of Highly Valued Large Mammals. In many countries valued wild and feral animals are nonetheless too numerous. Their population numbers must be controlled through fertility. Examples are koalas in Australia, deer and seals in North America, cattle in India and dogs in Thailand. We aim to develop benign implants for castration based upon the gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH). These implants are easily administered. The outcomes will be to protect Australia's ?green? image , worldwide market opportunities for the Australian companies involved in this application and valuable intellectual property for Macquarie. The methodology will in time allow us to apply it to the treatment of cancer.Read moreRead less
Genomic Basis of Resistance to Poisoning by Sodium Fluoroacetate (Compound 1080) in Australian Wildlife. In Australia agricultural conservation activities worth billions of dollars are protected by using sodium fluoroacetate (1080) against pest animals. Target species are Australian rabbits and foxes and New Zealand brushtail possums. Prolonged use of biocontrol agents causes genetic resistance. This occurs naturally in Western Australia in native animals living in areas with high levels of 1080 ....Genomic Basis of Resistance to Poisoning by Sodium Fluoroacetate (Compound 1080) in Australian Wildlife. In Australia agricultural conservation activities worth billions of dollars are protected by using sodium fluoroacetate (1080) against pest animals. Target species are Australian rabbits and foxes and New Zealand brushtail possums. Prolonged use of biocontrol agents causes genetic resistance. This occurs naturally in Western Australia in native animals living in areas with high levels of 1080 in native plants. As part of the Kangaroo Genome project our aim is to discover the genomic basis of this resistance. The outcomes will be improved ability to manage pest animal populations and understanding of the evolution of plant-animal interactions.Read moreRead less
Regressive evolution of eyes in subterranean water beetles of arid-zone Australia: A comparative phylogenetic approach. Reduction or total loss of non-functional characters are common evolutionary phenomena, but little is known of the genetic basis of this regressive evolution. This project will use a phylogenetic framework to investigate the forces responsible for evolution of eyelessness in subterranean water beetles, by studying molecular genetic variation in three key eye developmental genes ....Regressive evolution of eyes in subterranean water beetles of arid-zone Australia: A comparative phylogenetic approach. Reduction or total loss of non-functional characters are common evolutionary phenomena, but little is known of the genetic basis of this regressive evolution. This project will use a phylogenetic framework to investigate the forces responsible for evolution of eyelessness in subterranean water beetles, by studying molecular genetic variation in three key eye developmental genes. The water beetles are explicitly suitable to address the questions due to their numerous independently evolved eyeless species and relatively old age of divergence from surface relatives. The research will provide a major new perspective on regressive evolution and the relationship between gene structure and function.Read moreRead less
Developing new methods to retrieve and analyse preserved genetic information. This project will position Australia at the leading edge of research into preserved DNA, and will use innovative molecular biology approaches to develop a range of new forensic, archaeological and medical applications. It will build Australian knowledge and scientific capacity by developing core expertise and training personnel in areas important for biosecurity, customs and quarantine, forensics/counter-terrorism, and ....Developing new methods to retrieve and analyse preserved genetic information. This project will position Australia at the leading edge of research into preserved DNA, and will use innovative molecular biology approaches to develop a range of new forensic, archaeological and medical applications. It will build Australian knowledge and scientific capacity by developing core expertise and training personnel in areas important for biosecurity, customs and quarantine, forensics/counter-terrorism, and studies of climate change. It will also create and foster research innovation in molecular biology with spin-offs for evolution, archaeology, medical and conservation biology research, and will also encourage involvement with the rapidly expanding field of genomics and bioinformatics.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0452392
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$155,645.00
Summary
Australian Robotic Biobank Facility. The Australian Robotic Biobank Facility is envisaged as the national DNA extraction centre for generating archival-quality DNA. It will integrate with the existing Australian Plant DNA Bank to accelerate scientific discovery in biodiversity conservation and plant genetic improvement. The facility will augment Southern Cross University's extensive research collaborations with other Australian universities, institutions and agencies. It will provide the funda ....Australian Robotic Biobank Facility. The Australian Robotic Biobank Facility is envisaged as the national DNA extraction centre for generating archival-quality DNA. It will integrate with the existing Australian Plant DNA Bank to accelerate scientific discovery in biodiversity conservation and plant genetic improvement. The facility will augment Southern Cross University's extensive research collaborations with other Australian universities, institutions and agencies. It will provide the fundamental infrastructure to support research aimed at sustainable utilization and conservation management of Australia's genetic resources. The unique capacity to provide high quality archived DNA will be made possible by the precision instrumentation platform of the Australian Robotic Biobank Facility.Read moreRead less
Conservation genetics of humpback whales off Western Australia: Implications for the management of the Antarctic Group IV population. We will define the geographic structuring and gene flow of humpback whales comprising Antarctic Area Group IV, and which migrate off the coast of Western Australian. With this information we will develop guidelines for commonwealth, state, industry, and non-government organisations, for conserving and managing discrete (genetic) populations of humpback whales off ....Conservation genetics of humpback whales off Western Australia: Implications for the management of the Antarctic Group IV population. We will define the geographic structuring and gene flow of humpback whales comprising Antarctic Area Group IV, and which migrate off the coast of Western Australian. With this information we will develop guidelines for commonwealth, state, industry, and non-government organisations, for conserving and managing discrete (genetic) populations of humpback whales off Western Australia. We can then manage these cetaceans at the appropriate geographic scale, and assign conservation priority in relation to population genetic structure gained from this study.Read moreRead less