Female multiple mating and the evolutionary origins of complex societies. This project plans to connect micro-evolutionary processes with macro-evolutionary change to provide a unified understanding of why animals live together. Evolutionary transitions to and from complex social behaviour appear linked to female multiple mating (polyandry). However, the causal pathway by which variation in polyandry results in the emergence and diversification of sociality is yet to be established. Using a vert ....Female multiple mating and the evolutionary origins of complex societies. This project plans to connect micro-evolutionary processes with macro-evolutionary change to provide a unified understanding of why animals live together. Evolutionary transitions to and from complex social behaviour appear linked to female multiple mating (polyandry). However, the causal pathway by which variation in polyandry results in the emergence and diversification of sociality is yet to be established. Using a vertebrate system we aim to integrate empirical, theoretical and comparative approaches to show: the ecological causes of individual variation in female polyandry; its effect on social behaviours that promote social complexity at the population level; and how this corresponds to divergence in social complexity across species.Read moreRead less
The impact of severe bushfires on the ecology, demography and genetics of frogs in the Victorian Kinglake region. The February 2009 bushfires in Victoria devastated many communities, and also had a profound impact on wildlife species. This research is aimed at measuring the impact of these fires on frogs in the Kinglake region. It will provide a range of national benefits, including a better understanding of the effects of wildfire on native species and their habitats, information to help plan c ....The impact of severe bushfires on the ecology, demography and genetics of frogs in the Victorian Kinglake region. The February 2009 bushfires in Victoria devastated many communities, and also had a profound impact on wildlife species. This research is aimed at measuring the impact of these fires on frogs in the Kinglake region. It will provide a range of national benefits, including a better understanding of the effects of wildfire on native species and their habitats, information to help plan conservation efforts for frogs, and a vital connection with local landowners; some of whom lost their homes in the fires but were still concerned about the wellbeing of frogs in the area. Australia is a fire-prone country, and this project will help develop responses to the threats posed by the expected increase in the frequency and intensity of fires in southern Australia.Read moreRead less
Making Green Guard® greener: enhancing the efficacy of a biopesticide. The project aims to identify naturally occurring micro-organisms to increase the effectiveness of Green Guard ®, which is a biopesticide used against the Australian plague locust. The project will use next-generation sequencing and other molecular techniques to potentially identify candidate microbes or combinations of microbes that can be added to Green Guard to enhance locust susceptibility. The project also aims to quantif ....Making Green Guard® greener: enhancing the efficacy of a biopesticide. The project aims to identify naturally occurring micro-organisms to increase the effectiveness of Green Guard ®, which is a biopesticide used against the Australian plague locust. The project will use next-generation sequencing and other molecular techniques to potentially identify candidate microbes or combinations of microbes that can be added to Green Guard to enhance locust susceptibility. The project also aims to quantify the interactive impact of temperature and nutrition on immune function, disease resistance and host-plant quality of plague locusts; and to explore the combined effects of temperature, habitat and Green Guard, in combination with candidate microbes or pathogens, on the behaviour and collective movement of locusts. It is anticipated that this will have implications for management and control strategies.Read moreRead less