A Universal Power Law for Growth and Diversity of Dinosaur and Bird Beaks. Universal rules that govern how animals grow have tremendous power to explain the highly complex processes of growth and development. The project investigators have recently discovered a new rule of growth that controls how teeth, horns, claws and beaks are generated in animals. This project aims to use this new rule to examine the evolution and diversity of beaks in birds and dinosaurs. By combining 3D modelling, biomech ....A Universal Power Law for Growth and Diversity of Dinosaur and Bird Beaks. Universal rules that govern how animals grow have tremendous power to explain the highly complex processes of growth and development. The project investigators have recently discovered a new rule of growth that controls how teeth, horns, claws and beaks are generated in animals. This project aims to use this new rule to examine the evolution and diversity of beaks in birds and dinosaurs. By combining 3D modelling, biomechanics and genetic analysis of bird beak development with the study of dinosaur fossils, this project expects to reveal the underlying processes controlling the growth and evolution of beaks. The anticipated goal of this project is to show the power of new theoretical models to explain the diversity of life.Read moreRead less
Fins to Limbs: Investigating the Evolution of complex Limb Musculature. This application aims to investigates the basis of the fin-to-limb transition, an event that set the stage for the entire tetrapod radiation. This project expects to generate new knowledge concerning the natural history of vertebrates using a multidisciplinary approach that combines paleontology and embryology of unique Australian fauna. While the skeletal changes associated with the move from water to land have been investi ....Fins to Limbs: Investigating the Evolution of complex Limb Musculature. This application aims to investigates the basis of the fin-to-limb transition, an event that set the stage for the entire tetrapod radiation. This project expects to generate new knowledge concerning the natural history of vertebrates using a multidisciplinary approach that combines paleontology and embryology of unique Australian fauna. While the skeletal changes associated with the move from water to land have been investigated, little is known about the origin of tetrapod limb muscles. This proposal has as an expected outcome, a determination of how limb muscles arose during evolution. This knowledge should provide significant benefits by transforming our understanding of the origins of the tetrapod body plan and our own natural history.Read moreRead less
Defining the Molecular Targets of Evolution. With significant advances in next-generation sequencing technologies we now have the genomes of hundreds vertebrate species, but understanding how the differences and similarities within these genomes control species diversity is largely unknown. The similarity in skull shape between the thylacine and dogs coupled with their deep ancestry, having last shared a common ancestor over 160 million years ago, provides an unprecedented opportunity to examine ....Defining the Molecular Targets of Evolution. With significant advances in next-generation sequencing technologies we now have the genomes of hundreds vertebrate species, but understanding how the differences and similarities within these genomes control species diversity is largely unknown. The similarity in skull shape between the thylacine and dogs coupled with their deep ancestry, having last shared a common ancestor over 160 million years ago, provides an unprecedented opportunity to examine how evolution works at the DNA level. This proposal will determine if animals that develop identical skull shapes, also show identical changes in their DNA. The findings will define new developmental genes and explain how selection, adaptation and evolution works at the DNA level. Read moreRead less
Function and evolution of insect odorant receptors. This project aims to shed light on how insect odorant receptors function by using comparative genomic studies between the genetic model insect Drosophila melanogaster and a pest species, the Australian sheep blowfly. This project expects to generate knowledge of how specific chemicals activate specific receptors in order to excite sensory neurons and drive behaviour, which is not well understood. Expected outcomes include increased understandin ....Function and evolution of insect odorant receptors. This project aims to shed light on how insect odorant receptors function by using comparative genomic studies between the genetic model insect Drosophila melanogaster and a pest species, the Australian sheep blowfly. This project expects to generate knowledge of how specific chemicals activate specific receptors in order to excite sensory neurons and drive behaviour, which is not well understood. Expected outcomes include increased understanding of olfaction in insects, increased national and international collaboration, and outstanding graduate student training. This research will be of significant future benefit in deriving methods to modify the behaviour of insects of agricultural or medical importance, for example the sheep blowfly. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100501
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$423,232.00
Summary
Serpent sensory innovation in the evolutionary transition from land to sea. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying sensory adaptation, which underpins the behavioural capacity of animals to adapt to environmental change. This research will harness innovative phenotypic imaging and genomic sequencing, to study the coordinated changes among sensory systems in a range of ecologically diverse snakes. Expected outcomes include a large database of 3D digital anatomical models from ....Serpent sensory innovation in the evolutionary transition from land to sea. This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying sensory adaptation, which underpins the behavioural capacity of animals to adapt to environmental change. This research will harness innovative phenotypic imaging and genomic sequencing, to study the coordinated changes among sensory systems in a range of ecologically diverse snakes. Expected outcomes include a large database of 3D digital anatomical models from Australian and international museum collections, and new knowledge on the genetic processes influencing sensory receptor evolution in vertebrates. The should provide significant benefits for conservation by using sensory adaptability as a framework for estimating potential extinction risk for vulnerable species.Read moreRead less
Characterising a new regulator of the Hedgehog pathway . The Hedgehog pathway is crucial for embryonic development, and disruption causes multi-organ morphogenesis defects. The CI team has uncovered a new gene required for Hedgehog signalling in mouse, zebrafish, and Drosophila. Preliminary data hints at mechanism for this novel gene and shows it may in fact be a member of a new superfamily. The project will examine gene function and identify interacting protein partners, using the zebrafish, Dr ....Characterising a new regulator of the Hedgehog pathway . The Hedgehog pathway is crucial for embryonic development, and disruption causes multi-organ morphogenesis defects. The CI team has uncovered a new gene required for Hedgehog signalling in mouse, zebrafish, and Drosophila. Preliminary data hints at mechanism for this novel gene and shows it may in fact be a member of a new superfamily. The project will examine gene function and identify interacting protein partners, using the zebrafish, Drosophila, and cell-based models. Findings will provide basic knowledge about this mysterious gene and uncover how it modulates an essential pathway in embryonic development. This research is expected to impact knowledge generation, health, and well-being.Read moreRead less
Inflammation as an early form of maternal-fetal signalling in pregnancy. The project aims to understand the role of inflammatory signalling in marsupial pregnancy. This project is expected to explain why inflammation, a processes normally confined to injury and infection, is a part of reproduction in live-bearing mammals. Outcomes of this project include robust measures of the capacity for, impact of, and evolution of, inflammatory signalling in marsupial pregnancy. The project will provide new ....Inflammation as an early form of maternal-fetal signalling in pregnancy. The project aims to understand the role of inflammatory signalling in marsupial pregnancy. This project is expected to explain why inflammation, a processes normally confined to injury and infection, is a part of reproduction in live-bearing mammals. Outcomes of this project include robust measures of the capacity for, impact of, and evolution of, inflammatory signalling in marsupial pregnancy. The project will provide new knowledge about the unique biology of Australia's marsupial fauna.This project will provide significant benefits, including enhanced capacity for reproduction research in Australia, new international collaborations between Melbourne and Yale, and a new explanation for the puzzling role of inflammation in pregnancy.Read moreRead less
How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understandi ....How does timing affect mammalian brain development and evolution? This project aims to generate fundamental knowledge on the origin of diversity in mammalian brain circuits by studying development of marsupials and rodents. The expected outcome is to elucidate how differences in the timing, rate and sequence of development of gene expression, cell differentiation and circuit formation can relate to the origin of key evolutionary innovations in the mammalian brain. The significance of understanding the dynamics of developmental systems that shape complex brain traits includes establishing new developmental paradigms in evolutionary theory, generating new tools to investigate and manipulate brain gene expression in vivo, and the potential discovery of the causes of neurodevelopmental dysfunction.Read moreRead less
Developing the dunnart as a marsupial model for conservation research. The Australian bushfire crisis of 2020 has taken an enormous toll on our unique wildlife. With no halt in sight to rising global temperatures, more extreme weather events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity. We simply must act now to preserve our unique native mammals in Australia and safeguard against species loss and irreversible declines in genetic diversity. This project will develop methods for the genera ....Developing the dunnart as a marsupial model for conservation research. The Australian bushfire crisis of 2020 has taken an enormous toll on our unique wildlife. With no halt in sight to rising global temperatures, more extreme weather events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity. We simply must act now to preserve our unique native mammals in Australia and safeguard against species loss and irreversible declines in genetic diversity. This project will develop methods for the generation and preservation of stem cells from a range of our most endangered and vulnerable marsupial species. These cells not only allow us to ‘bank’ species and genetic diversity but also provide a route to enabling genetic manipulation, opening up a completely new niche for conservation biology in marsupials.Read moreRead less
The developmental and evolutionary origins of vertebrate fins and limbs. This project aims to investigate the origin of paired appendages, a major event in early vertebrate history that changed ecological opportunity and fuelled the radiation of jawed vertebrates. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the mechanism that drove this innovation, which despite over a century of debate, remains one
of the great unknowns of comparative vertebrate evolution. Expected outcomes of this projec ....The developmental and evolutionary origins of vertebrate fins and limbs. This project aims to investigate the origin of paired appendages, a major event in early vertebrate history that changed ecological opportunity and fuelled the radiation of jawed vertebrates. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the mechanism that drove this innovation, which despite over a century of debate, remains one
of the great unknowns of comparative vertebrate evolution. Expected outcomes of this project include uncovering the anatomical changes underpinning the origin of the vertebrate appendicular system. This should provide significant benefits as it will inform our own natural history and provide a paradigm for studying gene network
conservation, phylogenetic modifications, and the acquisition of novel structures.Read moreRead less