Sodium homeostasis and the molecular basis for neurotoxin production by bacteria and algae. An understanding of the physiology of saxitoxin-producing microorgansims in response to salt stress is critical for the prevention of toxic blooms and for risk assessment of contaminated water bodies. This is nowhere more relevant than in the depleted and increasingly saline water resources of inland Australia. This project will develop genetic tests to assay for saxitoxin-producers and to monitor toxin p ....Sodium homeostasis and the molecular basis for neurotoxin production by bacteria and algae. An understanding of the physiology of saxitoxin-producing microorgansims in response to salt stress is critical for the prevention of toxic blooms and for risk assessment of contaminated water bodies. This is nowhere more relevant than in the depleted and increasingly saline water resources of inland Australia. This project will develop genetic tests to assay for saxitoxin-producers and to monitor toxin production in response to the environment, representing an easier, more economic and ethical alternative to current tests. The market for this type of predictive test includes environmental, anti-bioterrorism and fishery organisations. These genes will also allow the bioengineering of novel therapeutic drugs based on neuroactive alkaloids.Read moreRead less
Ecohydrological feedbacks between vegetation and soil in natural and engineered landforms in arid Australia. We address 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia'. 1. Water is the binding factor in our project, defining vegetation, geomorphology and hydrology. 2. Rehabilitation is an integral part of the mining business. Our project is instrumental in developing ecological engineering approaches to rehabilitation. 3. Ultimate goal of the project is to develop stable landforms, protecting underly ....Ecohydrological feedbacks between vegetation and soil in natural and engineered landforms in arid Australia. We address 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia'. 1. Water is the binding factor in our project, defining vegetation, geomorphology and hydrology. 2. Rehabilitation is an integral part of the mining business. Our project is instrumental in developing ecological engineering approaches to rehabilitation. 3. Ultimate goal of the project is to develop stable landforms, protecting underlying rock. 4. We investigate locally adapted native plant species for use in arid-zone land rehabilitation, to preserve biodiversity. 5. The area of study is exposed to long droughts and cyclonic rainfall. Understanding the resilience of the landscape will provide pivotal insight into the impact and potential adaptive response to climate variability.Read moreRead less
Mitigation of Impacts on Groundwater Dependent Vegetation Through Adaptive Abstraction Regimes. Apart from loss of habitat, biodiversity, ecological function and aesthetics, tree decline and death is a financial burden to land managers. Lost groundwater production from existing borefield infrastructure due to environmental risk also represents a significant economic loss to industry. By adapting borefield operation strategies to be more sympathetic to environmental demands for groundwater, susta ....Mitigation of Impacts on Groundwater Dependent Vegetation Through Adaptive Abstraction Regimes. Apart from loss of habitat, biodiversity, ecological function and aesthetics, tree decline and death is a financial burden to land managers. Lost groundwater production from existing borefield infrastructure due to environmental risk also represents a significant economic loss to industry. By adapting borefield operation strategies to be more sympathetic to environmental demands for groundwater, sustainable use of the resource can be maximized under otherwise 'high-risk' scenarios. This project will result in environmental benefits such as reduced impacts of borefields and economic benefits such as recovery of lost production from 'high-risk' borefields, increased viability of planned schemes and reduced customer cost of water services.Read moreRead less
MicroRNA control of gene expression and development in plants. Controlling a gene's activity is fundamental in biotechnology, from dissecting a gene's function to introducing desired traits in crop plants. Recently a new class of genes have been identified that are 'master-regulators' able to control the activity of many genes, and through this, they can ultimately control how an organism develops and functions. By understanding how these genes operate and the extent of their influence, not only ....MicroRNA control of gene expression and development in plants. Controlling a gene's activity is fundamental in biotechnology, from dissecting a gene's function to introducing desired traits in crop plants. Recently a new class of genes have been identified that are 'master-regulators' able to control the activity of many genes, and through this, they can ultimately control how an organism develops and functions. By understanding how these genes operate and the extent of their influence, not only will we gain greater insights into the gene regulatory networks required for multicellular life, but how we may develop methods of controlling gene activity that will have tremendous biotechnological applications.Read moreRead less
Controlling the rate of transcription and translation of Rubisco transgenes effectively in higher-plant plastids. Genetic transformation of the circular genome of the plastids provides a containable means for modifying plant growth by manipulating photosynthesis. Although the transformation mechanism is precise, predicting the level of foreign gene expression is difficult because the amounts of messenger RNA and protein produced by foreign genes in plastids varies widely, even when the protein a ....Controlling the rate of transcription and translation of Rubisco transgenes effectively in higher-plant plastids. Genetic transformation of the circular genome of the plastids provides a containable means for modifying plant growth by manipulating photosynthesis. Although the transformation mechanism is precise, predicting the level of foreign gene expression is difficult because the amounts of messenger RNA and protein produced by foreign genes in plastids varies widely, even when the protein assembles without difficulty. This project will devise strategies for controlling this variability that will facilitate attempts to exploit plastid transformation for transplanting better versions of the photosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, into plants to improve their growth efficiency in terms of water, fertiliser and light use.Read moreRead less
Turning water into carbon: a synthesis of plant water-use efficiency from leaf to globe. The efficiency with which plants use water to gain carbon is a fundamental aspect of plant growth that has been frequently measured but is poorly understood. Using our new theory to draw together major datasets, the project will make a dramatic advance in our ability to understand and predict this key aspect of ecosystem function.
Impacts of groundwater extraction on ecophysiology of Australian trees. The aim of this project is to determine the response of trees to the extraction of shallow groundwater. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems rely on a supply of groundwater to maintain ecosystem health, structure and function, and excessive depletion of groundwater resources has a negative impact on these ecosystems. The project intends to combine a field-scale experimental depletion of groundwater resources simultaneously with ....Impacts of groundwater extraction on ecophysiology of Australian trees. The aim of this project is to determine the response of trees to the extraction of shallow groundwater. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems rely on a supply of groundwater to maintain ecosystem health, structure and function, and excessive depletion of groundwater resources has a negative impact on these ecosystems. The project intends to combine a field-scale experimental depletion of groundwater resources simultaneously with alterations in rainfall input and measurements of tree responses. The results of the project are intended to inform industry regulators and the water supply industry on how to improve management of both groundwater and vegetation resources.Read moreRead less
Practical strategies for engineering the CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, whose subunits are encoded in different subcellular compartments. My recent replacement of the plant CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a less efficient bacterial version, with a single type of subunit encoded by a single gene, demonstrated the feasibility of replacing Rubisco. This encourages ongoing attempts to replace plant Rubisco with more efficient versions that would allow the plants to grow with less water, fertiliser or ....Practical strategies for engineering the CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, whose subunits are encoded in different subcellular compartments. My recent replacement of the plant CO2-fixing enzyme, Rubisco, with a less efficient bacterial version, with a single type of subunit encoded by a single gene, demonstrated the feasibility of replacing Rubisco. This encourages ongoing attempts to replace plant Rubisco with more efficient versions that would allow the plants to grow with less water, fertiliser or light. The most efficient Rubiscos are more complex, with two different types of subunits which, in plants, are encoded in different subcellular compartments (nucleus and plastid). This proposal addresses the challenges associated with complementary engineering both genomes to substitute foreign Rubiscos into higher-plant chloroplasts.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354740
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
CaGaWaLo: regulation of carbon gain and water loss by woody vegetation. Trees and shrubs are widely perceived as central to solving problems of national and international significance. Seed funding is sought to facilitate establishment of a research network focused on their ability to sequester carbon and transmit water to the atmosphere. The proposed network is broadly based in plant physiology and ecology and contains a strong cross-section of leading international expertise in relevant sub- ....CaGaWaLo: regulation of carbon gain and water loss by woody vegetation. Trees and shrubs are widely perceived as central to solving problems of national and international significance. Seed funding is sought to facilitate establishment of a research network focused on their ability to sequester carbon and transmit water to the atmosphere. The proposed network is broadly based in plant physiology and ecology and contains a strong cross-section of leading international expertise in relevant sub-disciplines. By leveraging the huge pool of international expertise and focusing on a range of scales (from molecular to biosphere scales), this network will yield new ideas and approaches that will produce outputs and outcomes of national significance.Read moreRead less
Stomatal function in transgenic plants with altered guard cell metabolism. Guard cells on the surface of leaves control the rate of water loss and CO2 uptake by changing stomatal aperture in response to environmental signals such light, CO2, humidity and water status. Guard cells therefore play a major role in determining plant productivity and water use efficiency. This project aims to examine the contribution of guard cell energy and carbon metabolism in mediating stomatal responses to the env ....Stomatal function in transgenic plants with altered guard cell metabolism. Guard cells on the surface of leaves control the rate of water loss and CO2 uptake by changing stomatal aperture in response to environmental signals such light, CO2, humidity and water status. Guard cells therefore play a major role in determining plant productivity and water use efficiency. This project aims to examine the contribution of guard cell energy and carbon metabolism in mediating stomatal responses to the environment in intact plants through the generation and analysis of transgenic plants with altered guard cell function. This will aid in the development of strategies for direct manipulation of stomatal function.Read moreRead less