Pheromone evolution and ecology in insects on intra- and inter-specific scales. The study of pheromones is important because so many insect pests use them as part of their reproductive life cycle, increasing their potential to cause damage to crops and other natural products. My research will improve our understanding of the evolution of pheromones and communication by smell, a subject that has been largely neglected by evolutionary biologists. More specifically, by identifying the ecological fa ....Pheromone evolution and ecology in insects on intra- and inter-specific scales. The study of pheromones is important because so many insect pests use them as part of their reproductive life cycle, increasing their potential to cause damage to crops and other natural products. My research will improve our understanding of the evolution of pheromones and communication by smell, a subject that has been largely neglected by evolutionary biologists. More specifically, by identifying the ecological factors that influence pheromone evolution, the research will help to assess the long-term consequences of the control measures currently used against such pests and, in particular, will have direct applications to the prevention of damage to Australian pine plantations by the invasive five-spined bark beetle, Ips grandicollis. Read moreRead less
Megafauna and mega-extinction: assessing palaeocommunity change using dental complexity and shape analyses. This research will address an important issue of national interest - the causes of the extinction of the Australian megafauna. By furthering research on the causes of this historic event, valuable insights will be gained into possible causes of current extinction events and the future impact of climate change. It will bring to Australia new technologies and methods developed overseas by an ....Megafauna and mega-extinction: assessing palaeocommunity change using dental complexity and shape analyses. This research will address an important issue of national interest - the causes of the extinction of the Australian megafauna. By furthering research on the causes of this historic event, valuable insights will be gained into possible causes of current extinction events and the future impact of climate change. It will bring to Australia new technologies and methods developed overseas by an Australian researcher, and put Australia at the forefront of several areas of research including 3D scanning and analysis. This project will form part of an international collaboration called the MorphoBrowser, an exciting advance in the study of biological diversity. This will help maintain Australia as a pre-eminent country for palaeontology research.Read moreRead less
Avian migrants as vectors of zoonotic diseases in a changing world. There is an urgent need to understand the role of migratory birds in spreading avian influenza and other diseases. This project focuses on the effect of global change on the interactions between avian influenza and threatened waders migrating between the Arctic, Asia and Australia. This project will help us assess and manage the health risks to man and birds alike.
Small vertebrates from the Albian-Cenomanian of Queensland - testing hypotheses of provincialism among Australia's mid-Cretaceous dinosaur faunas. This project will add to our knowledge of Australian dinosaurs and the world they inhabited. Dinosaurs are often the means through which many people, especially children, are introduced to science. This project has the potential to greatly enhance this attraction to science, using the results of research on Australian dinosaurs. It has direct links wi ....Small vertebrates from the Albian-Cenomanian of Queensland - testing hypotheses of provincialism among Australia's mid-Cretaceous dinosaur faunas. This project will add to our knowledge of Australian dinosaurs and the world they inhabited. Dinosaurs are often the means through which many people, especially children, are introduced to science. This project has the potential to greatly enhance this attraction to science, using the results of research on Australian dinosaurs. It has direct links with a number of national and international museum exhibitions, and in western Queensland the results will be incorporated into a newly developed regional interpretive centre in Isisford. The enormous social and economic benefits linked to this initiative will open up numerous opportunities for local businesses, and increase the appreciation for science and exploration in outback areas.Read moreRead less
The evolution of cooperative communication. This interdisciplinary project will provide a broad understanding of communication in a model ecological system involving ants, lycaenid butterflies, and host-plants. The project will reveal the nature of the chemical signals used to communicate, and their role in the origin, maintenance, and loss of mutualistic and parasitic associations.
Understanding the relationship between sociality and cognition. The evolution of cognition is a fundamentally important yet poorly researched area. It has recently become clear that rather than measuring cognitive performance between species, understanding the causes of intraspecific variation in cognitive performance is vital to accurately measure the selective benefits of cognition. Recent groundbreaking research on Australian magpies has revealed individual differences in cognitive performanc ....Understanding the relationship between sociality and cognition. The evolution of cognition is a fundamentally important yet poorly researched area. It has recently become clear that rather than measuring cognitive performance between species, understanding the causes of intraspecific variation in cognitive performance is vital to accurately measure the selective benefits of cognition. Recent groundbreaking research on Australian magpies has revealed individual differences in cognitive performance are influenced by differences in sociality. This proposal will determine the causality of these results by examining the developmental and fitness consequences of individual differences in cognitive performance in relation to social interactions, thus directly addressing the sociality-cognition debate.Read moreRead less
Understanding the crowd - improving accuracy in collective motion theory. This project intends to develop more accurate methods for predicting the motions of large groups. The amazing coordinated movements seen in large groups of animals are governed by simple interactions between individuals, termed rules of motion. In 2011, techniques were developed to estimate individual rules of motion from video tracking data. The project plans to build on these breakthroughs by using advanced tracking, mod ....Understanding the crowd - improving accuracy in collective motion theory. This project intends to develop more accurate methods for predicting the motions of large groups. The amazing coordinated movements seen in large groups of animals are governed by simple interactions between individuals, termed rules of motion. In 2011, techniques were developed to estimate individual rules of motion from video tracking data. The project plans to build on these breakthroughs by using advanced tracking, modelling and analysis to systematically determine the influence that different movement parameters have on rules of motion and how rules of motion are affected by group size. It aims to develop a framework for analysis and modelling built on the visual perception of individuals.Read moreRead less
Sources of genetic and phenotypic variation in sexual selection. This project will contribute towards Australia's reputation as a country where excellent and original research in evolutionary biology is conducted. The project will focus on the evolution of mate choice in the Western Australian rainbowfish, which has never been formally studied. Our research will therefore work towards a better understanding of Australian native fauna. Conceptually, the work encompasses new and innovative experim ....Sources of genetic and phenotypic variation in sexual selection. This project will contribute towards Australia's reputation as a country where excellent and original research in evolutionary biology is conducted. The project will focus on the evolution of mate choice in the Western Australian rainbowfish, which has never been formally studied. Our research will therefore work towards a better understanding of Australian native fauna. Conceptually, the work encompasses new and innovative experimental procedures that will address fundamental questions in sexual selection. The results will ultimately be geared towards publication in the highest ranking journals, thereby promoting Australian science on the international stage. Australian science will further benefit from the training of young scientists.Read moreRead less
Postcopulatory sexual selection and intraspecific variation in sperm competition traits. This project will contribute towards Australia's burgeoning reputation as a country where excellent and original research in behavioural ecology and evolution is conducted. By focusing on the evolution and function of sperm and genitalic traits, the project will address fundamental questions at the core of contemporary evolutionary research, thereby yielding results that will have a significant international ....Postcopulatory sexual selection and intraspecific variation in sperm competition traits. This project will contribute towards Australia's burgeoning reputation as a country where excellent and original research in behavioural ecology and evolution is conducted. By focusing on the evolution and function of sperm and genitalic traits, the project will address fundamental questions at the core of contemporary evolutionary research, thereby yielding results that will have a significant international impact. Australian science will further benefit from the research fellow's established collaborations with international scientists and through the training of young scientists.Read moreRead less
Leadership matters: the emergence of informed leaders and their influence on group movement. This project will discover the effect of leadership and social structure on collective motion in schools of damselfish, swarms of honey bees and human pedestrians using videoed experiments and computer simulations. These findings will be important in preventing crowd stampedes, understanding risky road crossing behaviour and designing 'swarms' of robots.