Diet influences the selective advantage of mitochondrial DNA mutations. This project aims to examine critical mechanisms that affect mitochondrial DNA variation within species. It aims to test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes have the potential to be under nutritionally induced balancing selection as a consequence of cellular signalling and/or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by mitochondria. Diet can vary both seasonally and geographically and is a key environmental param ....Diet influences the selective advantage of mitochondrial DNA mutations. This project aims to examine critical mechanisms that affect mitochondrial DNA variation within species. It aims to test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes have the potential to be under nutritionally induced balancing selection as a consequence of cellular signalling and/or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by mitochondria. Diet can vary both seasonally and geographically and is a key environmental parameter that influences the ability of a species to colonise new habitats. The project plans to characterise the functional links between specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, mitochondrial functions and organismal traits. The expected outcome is a more precise grasp of the processes influencing genetic variation within and among species, which would inform current issues in ecology and genetics.Read moreRead less
Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the rel ....Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the release of cryptic genetic variation that can allow novel morphologies to evolve in new environments. The project expects to provide further understanding of how species may potentially adapt to environmental stresses in the future, including climate change.Read moreRead less
Is regressive evolution associated with loss of gene function in subterranean animals? This project aims to investigate a fundamental biological process: the evolutionary basis for how non-functional characters, such as eyes in subterranean animals, are lost. It will use a unique model system based on eyeless water beetles, and utilise novel new genomic tools to test whether loss of characters results from gene inactivation.
Refining the timescale of human evolution and dispersal using ancient DNA. Understanding the timescale of human evolution and migration is a key goal of genetic analysis. It provides the foundation for studying our evolutionary and demographic history, our relationships to other hominids and our impact on the natural world. This project aims to use ancient DNA data to improve estimates of our evolutionary timescale.
Using phylogenomics to record the impacts of climate change, extinction and population fragmentation. This project will use ancient DNA from permafrost-preserved Steppe bison bones and bovid exome capture systems to build a detailed record of the genomic impacts of rapid climate and environmental change at the end of the Pleistocene (30 to 11 kyr). The project will analyse how ancestral genetic diversity is distributed amongst surviving bison populations, and the role of nuclear loci under selec ....Using phylogenomics to record the impacts of climate change, extinction and population fragmentation. This project will use ancient DNA from permafrost-preserved Steppe bison bones and bovid exome capture systems to build a detailed record of the genomic impacts of rapid climate and environmental change at the end of the Pleistocene (30 to 11 kyr). The project will analyse how ancestral genetic diversity is distributed amongst surviving bison populations, and the role of nuclear loci under selection and drift. It will create a novel temporal dataset of genomic adaptation and evolution, and will generate critical data for studies of evolutionary processes such as extinctions, speciation and conservation biology and management.Read moreRead less
An integrated molecular approach to human evolution. This project aims to use the power of High Throughput Sequencing to investigate a range of genetic mechanisms that facilitate rapid human adaptation to diverse environments. This project expects to create the first ultra-high-quality Aboriginal Australian reference genome using Single Molecule, Real-Time Sequencing, which will expand the known range of human genomic and non-genomic variation. The results should offer the first detailed, long- ....An integrated molecular approach to human evolution. This project aims to use the power of High Throughput Sequencing to investigate a range of genetic mechanisms that facilitate rapid human adaptation to diverse environments. This project expects to create the first ultra-high-quality Aboriginal Australian reference genome using Single Molecule, Real-Time Sequencing, which will expand the known range of human genomic and non-genomic variation. The results should offer the first detailed, long-term reconstruction of the evolutionary history of human adaptability to specific environmental and cultural stressors. Importantly, the translation of the results to biomedical research will shed new light on the origins of modern diseases.Read moreRead less
Genomics for persistence of Australian freshwater fish. Biodiversity faces an unpredictable cocktail of impacts and global environmental change, against which the best insurance is genetic diversity. We will develop genomic measures of ecological-genetic functions and evolutionary potential for managing Australian freshwater fish.
A powerful new genetic view of the recent evolutionary history of humans and their diseases. Bacteria on teeth cause dental disease, but have also recently been associated with broader health issues, including diabetes, stroke and heart issues. In this project ancient DNA will be used to reveal changes in these bacteria as humans moved from a hunter-gatherer to farming lifestyle, providing valuable background information for modern dental/medical practice.
The genomics of adaptation to environmental change in an ecologically important non-model aquatic organism. Understanding whether natural populations will be able to adapt to rapid environmental change is a major research priority in the twenty-first-century. This project will answer fundamental questions about adaptation and will contribute towards the sustainable management of both aquatic biodiversity and water resources in Australia.
Using genetics to recover Australia's lost history. This project aims to use historic hair samples collected by anthropological expeditions in the early 20th Century to generate the first genetic map of Aboriginal Australia – in order to reconstruct Australia’s pre-European genetic and cultural past. The map and the detailed contextual and genealogical information from museum archives will assist Aboriginal communities and individuals to reconstruct their personal and family history and trace an ....Using genetics to recover Australia's lost history. This project aims to use historic hair samples collected by anthropological expeditions in the early 20th Century to generate the first genetic map of Aboriginal Australia – in order to reconstruct Australia’s pre-European genetic and cultural past. The map and the detailed contextual and genealogical information from museum archives will assist Aboriginal communities and individuals to reconstruct their personal and family history and trace ancestry and augment oral or written records. The combination of cutting-edge science, detailed archival research, and a comprehensive family outreach and reporting program will be a step change in assisting Australia’s reconciliation process, the Stolen Generation, and repatriation of Indigenous remains.Read moreRead less