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
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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561251
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,887.00
Summary
Facility for Analyses of Evolutionary Immunology. Our understanding of how selection in natural populations shape (favour and disfavour) immunity, and how this process contribute to organismal (including human) fitness, is rudimentary. In order to study such processes our collective experience strongly suggests and increasing need for geographic amalgamation of necessary and complementary molecular and biomedical techniques. We therefore request funding to establish a collaborative research labo ....Facility for Analyses of Evolutionary Immunology. Our understanding of how selection in natural populations shape (favour and disfavour) immunity, and how this process contribute to organismal (including human) fitness, is rudimentary. In order to study such processes our collective experience strongly suggests and increasing need for geographic amalgamation of necessary and complementary molecular and biomedical techniques. We therefore request funding to establish a collaborative research laboratory in a novel research field - Evolutionary Immuno-Ecology- in which all vital aspects, from a mechanistic to an evolutionary level, can be studied at one research centre.Read moreRead less
Sympatric speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. Speciation has generated the diversity of life, yet the mechanisms of speciation remain poorly understood. Chiloglottis orchids are pollinated by highly specific sexually attracted male pollinators-an intriguing and predominantly Australian pollination mechanism. New evidence indicates these orchids offer novel opportunities to illuminate the evolutionary processes of speciation. This project will integrate new and powerful molecul ....Sympatric speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. Speciation has generated the diversity of life, yet the mechanisms of speciation remain poorly understood. Chiloglottis orchids are pollinated by highly specific sexually attracted male pollinators-an intriguing and predominantly Australian pollination mechanism. New evidence indicates these orchids offer novel opportunities to illuminate the evolutionary processes of speciation. This project will integrate new and powerful molecular laboratory procedures with field studies to investigate the mechanisms of speciation within the genus. These orchids may provide rare examples of sympatric speciation-the evolution of species in the absence of geographic isolation. This is currently a speciation mechanism of current and intense research interest worldwide.Read moreRead less
The chemical, biochemical, genetic and ecological basis of pollinator-driven speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. The Australian biota offers unique opportunities for illuminating ecological and evolutionary processes of worldwide importance. Focussing on Australian sexually deceptive orchids, this study offers a model system for studies of plant speciation that has already captured the interest of the public, educators and scientists around the world. The project will produce mu ....The chemical, biochemical, genetic and ecological basis of pollinator-driven speciation in Australian sexually deceptive orchids. The Australian biota offers unique opportunities for illuminating ecological and evolutionary processes of worldwide importance. Focussing on Australian sexually deceptive orchids, this study offers a model system for studies of plant speciation that has already captured the interest of the public, educators and scientists around the world. The project will produce multiple graduate students with high quality, cross-disciplinary training. Expertise and tools developed will contribute directly to the conservation of endangered Australian orchids. Thus the knowledge obtained from this research will have immediate practical benefits for the sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Food and sex: ecological and sexual roles of a functional ornament, the red bill of the sooty oystercatcher. Little is understood about the significance of ornaments in species where both sexes are equally ornamented. Using sooty oystercatchers as a model, in a novel integrative approach I will investigate the role of their bright red bill as a signal of mate qualities, as well as the consequences of sex differences in bill and diet. Although sexual diet specialisation is common, few studies hav ....Food and sex: ecological and sexual roles of a functional ornament, the red bill of the sooty oystercatcher. Little is understood about the significance of ornaments in species where both sexes are equally ornamented. Using sooty oystercatchers as a model, in a novel integrative approach I will investigate the role of their bright red bill as a signal of mate qualities, as well as the consequences of sex differences in bill and diet. Although sexual diet specialisation is common, few studies have examined its function. Sooty oystercatchers are one of only seven waders to breed in Australia and one of our most visible coastal birds. Since their life history is largely unknown, aside from the academic benefits, this project will also yield valuable information on breeding and foraging requirements of this locally common but declining species.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989589
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$550,000.00
Summary
A massively parallel genome analysis facility for the ACT region. Maintaining a healthy environment, supporting a sustainable agriculture industry and providing excellent healthcare are three key requirements for the future of Australia and Australians. Modern biological research has a major role to play in all three areas. The success and application of this research requires a serious investment in the new technologies that enable a systems-wide high throughput approach to biological questions ....A massively parallel genome analysis facility for the ACT region. Maintaining a healthy environment, supporting a sustainable agriculture industry and providing excellent healthcare are three key requirements for the future of Australia and Australians. Modern biological research has a major role to play in all three areas. The success and application of this research requires a serious investment in the new technologies that enable a systems-wide high throughput approach to biological questions. Co-investing in a massively parallel genome analysis facility to underpin cutting edge environmental, agricultural and biomedical research in the ACT region, will facilitate progress in areas of the utmost importance to the community and future of the nation.Read moreRead less
Escalation of a coevolutionary arms race between cuckoos and their hosts: cognitive causes and evolutionary consequences. Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other species, provoking an evolutionary arms race in which hosts evolve defences against parasitism and cuckoos evolve ever more cunning tricks to gain reproductive success. In principle, the degree of specialization required to defeat host defences could cause cuckoo speciation. Our previous research has revealed that the arms race bet ....Escalation of a coevolutionary arms race between cuckoos and their hosts: cognitive causes and evolutionary consequences. Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other species, provoking an evolutionary arms race in which hosts evolve defences against parasitism and cuckoos evolve ever more cunning tricks to gain reproductive success. In principle, the degree of specialization required to defeat host defences could cause cuckoo speciation. Our previous research has revealed that the arms race between the Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo and its superb fairy-wren host has reached a uniquely advanced stage, hitherto undescribed, and previously thought imposssible to attain. We aim to investigate the mechanisms underlying this specialization and investigate whether it is driving speciation of the Chrysococcyx cuckoos.Read moreRead less
Evolution and mechanisms of interactions in biofilm communities. This project aims to study the long-term experimental evolution of a mixed species bacterial biofilm community. This project expects to gain understanding of the genetic and physiological basis of community evolution. Expected outcomes of this project will be an understanding of how synthetic communities evolve. This will significantly benefit the use of synthetic communities relevant to fields such as antibiotic design, biotechnol ....Evolution and mechanisms of interactions in biofilm communities. This project aims to study the long-term experimental evolution of a mixed species bacterial biofilm community. This project expects to gain understanding of the genetic and physiological basis of community evolution. Expected outcomes of this project will be an understanding of how synthetic communities evolve. This will significantly benefit the use of synthetic communities relevant to fields such as antibiotic design, biotechnology, bioremediation, and synthetic biology where evolution can be inhibited or exploited, respectively.Read moreRead less
Exploring evolvability: its causes, consequences and practical applications in a changing environment. Are some species better able to adapt to a changing world? This question has been the focus of theoretical debate, but, as the scale of current environmental change becomes apparent, it has increasing practical importance, because it concerns the ability of biological communities to respond to climate change and the potential for agriculture to adapt a changing landscape. This project is the fi ....Exploring evolvability: its causes, consequences and practical applications in a changing environment. Are some species better able to adapt to a changing world? This question has been the focus of theoretical debate, but, as the scale of current environmental change becomes apparent, it has increasing practical importance, because it concerns the ability of biological communities to respond to climate change and the potential for agriculture to adapt a changing landscape. This project is the first of its kind, because it translates theoretical concepts into practical information needed for the development of salt-tolerant crops, new strategies for avoiding the growing problem of resistance in parasites, and new ways of detecting biological communities at risk of extinction and invasion. Read moreRead less