Sugar transporters in coral symbiosis and origin of parasitism. We aim to identify how symbiotic algae feed sugar to their coral hosts. Corals need this algal sugar to exist, but no one knows how it is transferred, so understanding this crucial mechanism is hugely significant. The first benefit of this research will be a fundamental understanding about how two organisms (algae and coral) cooperate to build habitats like the Great Barrier Reef. We also aim to explore whether coral/algal coopera ....Sugar transporters in coral symbiosis and origin of parasitism. We aim to identify how symbiotic algae feed sugar to their coral hosts. Corals need this algal sugar to exist, but no one knows how it is transferred, so understanding this crucial mechanism is hugely significant. The first benefit of this research will be a fundamental understanding about how two organisms (algae and coral) cooperate to build habitats like the Great Barrier Reef. We also aim to explore whether coral/algal cooperation paved the way for the origin of parasitism. The second key outcome will be to identify the precise molecular mechanism that allowed parasitism to arise. This will benefit us through understanding the origins of important diseases such as human malaria and related infections of livestock and wildlife.
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Symbiotic partnership between algae and animals that powers coral reefs. This project aims to unlock the molecular basis of a partnership between a microscopic plant and an animal that powers coral growth. Most corals depend on microscopic algae living inside their bodies to nourish them. Most corals have to recruit new algae each time they reproduce, but only a particular strain of algae is accepted. This project aims to establish how anemones and corals identify and take in the right alga, how ....Symbiotic partnership between algae and animals that powers coral reefs. This project aims to unlock the molecular basis of a partnership between a microscopic plant and an animal that powers coral growth. Most corals depend on microscopic algae living inside their bodies to nourish them. Most corals have to recruit new algae each time they reproduce, but only a particular strain of algae is accepted. This project aims to establish how anemones and corals identify and take in the right alga, how the alga gives them food, and how the animal hosts regulate growth of their algae to optimise food production but avoid being overrun by algae. Understanding the partnership that drives reef growth and survival may better equip us to protect this threatened resource.Read moreRead less
Coevolution of sundew bugs and sundews. This project aims to conduct a study of insect-plant interactions to determine if insects and plants coevolve or if they diversify by other evolutionary processes. Insect-plant coevolution is a hotly contested field in evolutionary biology. In Australia, a remarkable interaction exists between carnivorous plants and a group of bugs that steal the plant’s prey. This system offers a great opportunity to test competing coevolutionary theories through a combin ....Coevolution of sundew bugs and sundews. This project aims to conduct a study of insect-plant interactions to determine if insects and plants coevolve or if they diversify by other evolutionary processes. Insect-plant coevolution is a hotly contested field in evolutionary biology. In Australia, a remarkable interaction exists between carnivorous plants and a group of bugs that steal the plant’s prey. This system offers a great opportunity to test competing coevolutionary theories through a combination of historical and ecological approaches. The project expects to showcase the evolution and uniqueness of Australia’s native biota.Read moreRead less
Wolbachia endosymbionts: novel strain dynamics in Australian Drosophila. This project aims to understand Wolbachia infections across Australian Drosophila flies. Wolbachia bacteria that live inside the cells of insects and other invertebrates are widely seen as a promising tool for pest and disease control. This project will assess the population distribution, host phenotypic effects, population dynamics and evolutionary context of multiple Wolbachia infections across Australian Drosophila flies ....Wolbachia endosymbionts: novel strain dynamics in Australian Drosophila. This project aims to understand Wolbachia infections across Australian Drosophila flies. Wolbachia bacteria that live inside the cells of insects and other invertebrates are widely seen as a promising tool for pest and disease control. This project will assess the population distribution, host phenotypic effects, population dynamics and evolutionary context of multiple Wolbachia infections across Australian Drosophila flies. The outcome will include new and novel strains for applied projects, new information on the fate of Wolbachia infections, and new insights into the factors that dictate the fate of Wolbachia infections across populations.Read moreRead less
Biosynthesis, folding and modification of conotoxins. Disulfide-rich peptides represent a diverse family of bioactive molecules which have been developed as drugs for the treatment of severe pain. This project seeks to understand their biosynthesis and how their functional diversity is generated. Such information will assist the translation of more of these novel peptides into new drugs.