Integrating pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. This project combines life-history theory, behaviour, physiology and quantitative genetics to gain a broader understanding of the mechanisms linking pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. The work will boost Australia’s profile in evolutionary ecology and build new collaborative links with researchers overseas.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100097
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
The costs of pheromone production. This project seeks to answer fundamental questions in sexual selection theory. Chemical communication plays a fundamental role in mate choice in most taxa, yet it is critically under-researched. Traditionally, the costs of pheromone production have been assumed to be low. How these ‘low-cost’ signals remain ‘honest’ remains a central question in evolutionary biology. This project intends to quantify the costs of pheromone production in two insect model systems ....The costs of pheromone production. This project seeks to answer fundamental questions in sexual selection theory. Chemical communication plays a fundamental role in mate choice in most taxa, yet it is critically under-researched. Traditionally, the costs of pheromone production have been assumed to be low. How these ‘low-cost’ signals remain ‘honest’ remains a central question in evolutionary biology. This project intends to quantify the costs of pheromone production in two insect model systems with different modes of chemical communication, and to reveal the underlying physiological mechanisms that ensure signal honesty. This project expects to advance knowledge in the fields of chemical communication and insect immunology which may provide information useful to pest management.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100476
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,000.00
Summary
Under female control: egg defence, adaptive sex allocation, and sperm selection. Sexual conflict is prevalent at the gametic level, and females may respond to sperm competition via fertilisation barriers that mediate sperm entry. Surprisingly, the extent of female control over fertilisation is unknown, and the specific mechanisms that females utilise to manipulate fertilisation events are poorly understood. This project will combine innovative investigations that utilise whole organisms and in v ....Under female control: egg defence, adaptive sex allocation, and sperm selection. Sexual conflict is prevalent at the gametic level, and females may respond to sperm competition via fertilisation barriers that mediate sperm entry. Surprisingly, the extent of female control over fertilisation is unknown, and the specific mechanisms that females utilise to manipulate fertilisation events are poorly understood. This project will combine innovative investigations that utilise whole organisms and in vitro fertilisation technology to study their gametes in isolation. The project offers pioneering work on gametic interactions that have not previously been characterised. It will extend knowledge on the mechanisms that underpin successful mammalian fertilisation and provide critical insight into the etiology of infertility.Read moreRead less
Evolution of anisogamy and the sexes. This project aims to study the evolution of anisogamy, which defines males and females by the size of their gametes – females’ large eggs and males’ small sperm. Most multicellular organisms have different sized gametes, and this size difference has affected the evolution of life on the planet. Theoretical arguments about why two sexes are ubiquitous have not been tested empirically, mainly because of technical difficulties in experimentally generating diffe ....Evolution of anisogamy and the sexes. This project aims to study the evolution of anisogamy, which defines males and females by the size of their gametes – females’ large eggs and males’ small sperm. Most multicellular organisms have different sized gametes, and this size difference has affected the evolution of life on the planet. Theoretical arguments about why two sexes are ubiquitous have not been tested empirically, mainly because of technical difficulties in experimentally generating different sized gametes. This project will use algae and cell sorting technology to test this. The expected outcome is a greater understanding of how and why the sexes evolved, as well as developing biofuel production methods by paving the way for improvements in algal productivity.Read moreRead less
Ecological and genetic connectivity in seagrasses: the role of sexual reproduction, dispersal and recruitment on meadow restoration. This project's goal is to study the role of dispersal in contemporary demographics and genetics of an Australian seagrass genus Posidonia. The expected outcome of this project is to understand the importance of long-distance dispersal of seeds in determining resilience of seagrasses to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
Chemical signalling in the sea. This project aims to understand how eggs attract and select sperm, and how the environment influences these interactions. Differential sperm chemotaxis, a form of mate choice involving chemical signalling between eggs and sperm, has only been described in mussels, but may be a widespread form of gamete-level sexual selection. The project will study the biochemical and molecular basis of differential sperm chemotaxis in mussels, and the stability of gamete-level in ....Chemical signalling in the sea. This project aims to understand how eggs attract and select sperm, and how the environment influences these interactions. Differential sperm chemotaxis, a form of mate choice involving chemical signalling between eggs and sperm, has only been described in mussels, but may be a widespread form of gamete-level sexual selection. The project will study the biochemical and molecular basis of differential sperm chemotaxis in mussels, and the stability of gamete-level interactions under different environmental conditions. Improved fundamental knowledge of reproduction in a commercially important marine species may yield future commercial benefits for Australia’s marine food production sectorRead moreRead less
Connectivity and movements of large pelagic species of ecotourism value. The project aims to answer key questions about the biology, ecology and sustainability of the world’s manta ray species to provide the information and tools for management and conservation of these charismatic and valuable species. In particular, the project aims to determine the likely impact of climate variability and fisheries that operate to Australia’s north on manta-based ecotourism in the Indo-Pacific region, as clim ....Connectivity and movements of large pelagic species of ecotourism value. The project aims to answer key questions about the biology, ecology and sustainability of the world’s manta ray species to provide the information and tools for management and conservation of these charismatic and valuable species. In particular, the project aims to determine the likely impact of climate variability and fisheries that operate to Australia’s north on manta-based ecotourism in the Indo-Pacific region, as climate change and active low-value fisheries may both jeopardise a high-value ecotourism industry. The project seeks to explore geographic distributions, local and large-scale movements, population sizes, structure, and inter-connectivity in the region to assess the effect of climate and fisheries on manta ray populations.Read moreRead less
Origin and evolution of plant functional traits in relation to fire. This project addresses the fundamental question as to what extent the Australian flora is adapted to fire by tracing the evolutionary history of the iconic family Proteaceae over the last 100 million years. The answer to this question has significant implications for informing Australia’s fire management and nature conservation policies.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101521
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,699.00
Summary
The development, ecology and evolution of alternative phenotypes. Diseases, crops, livestock, and even some natural resources evolve, therefore comprehending evolutionary processes and their implications for humans is paramount. A paradigm shift in evolutionary theory was the realisation that genes are not the whole story, and that plasticity to the environment is vital for evolution. This highlights the importance of environmentally sensitive traits, such as conditional alternative phenotypes, ....The development, ecology and evolution of alternative phenotypes. Diseases, crops, livestock, and even some natural resources evolve, therefore comprehending evolutionary processes and their implications for humans is paramount. A paradigm shift in evolutionary theory was the realisation that genes are not the whole story, and that plasticity to the environment is vital for evolution. This highlights the importance of environmentally sensitive traits, such as conditional alternative phenotypes, where a genome can produce completely different morphologies in different environments. This project aims to investigate the development, evolutionary potential, and ecology of alternative phenotypes, contributing to our ability to understand and manage the most important of biological processes, evolution.Read moreRead less
Group dynamics, Allee effects and population regulation in cooperative breeders. Understanding population dynamics is crucial for effective conservation biology. In many cases breeding is limited by high density, but in social species the opposite is true, exposing small groups to high extinction risk. However, analyses of population dynamics in social species is rare, limiting our ability to effectively conserve such species.