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.
Microcosm Experiments for Improved Species Distribution Models. This project aims to use a spatially-explicit experimental system based on protists (microscopic organisms) to evaluate the predictive performance of dynamic distribution models, which are a newly-emerging class of species distribution models. Species distribution models are a fundamental part of ecological science, and underpin a range of applications related to managing threatened and invasive species. The project is expected to p ....Microcosm Experiments for Improved Species Distribution Models. This project aims to use a spatially-explicit experimental system based on protists (microscopic organisms) to evaluate the predictive performance of dynamic distribution models, which are a newly-emerging class of species distribution models. Species distribution models are a fundamental part of ecological science, and underpin a range of applications related to managing threatened and invasive species. The project is expected to provide insights into when these models are likely to work better than more traditional correlative models in non-lab environments. The experiments will inform further development of dynamic distribution models, and help determine whether dynamic distribution models can be usefully applied to species management.Read moreRead less
The role of mothers in the evolution of immunity. This project will take a fresh approach to studying disease by addressing the role that mothers play in immune system evolution. This project will make a significant contribution to our nation's research capacity and international scientific reputation, by delivering cutting-edge scientific results that resolve outstanding questions in evolutionary biology.
Endocrine disruption in wildlife: a sexual selection perspective . The Project aims to uncover how environmental pollution by hormone-mimicking chemicals affects wildlife behaviour, reproductive performance, and offspring viability. Through an integrative approach that combines multigenerational laboratory studies with an experimental evolution perspective, the Project expects to yield important insights into the pervasive influence of chemical contaminants on biological systems, and the capacit ....Endocrine disruption in wildlife: a sexual selection perspective . The Project aims to uncover how environmental pollution by hormone-mimicking chemicals affects wildlife behaviour, reproductive performance, and offspring viability. Through an integrative approach that combines multigenerational laboratory studies with an experimental evolution perspective, the Project expects to yield important insights into the pervasive influence of chemical contaminants on biological systems, and the capacity for animals to adapt to environments degraded by human activity. Findings will enable predictions of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of anthropogenic change, and contribute new knowledge relevant to the management of Australia’s biodiversity and the security of its sensitive freshwater resources.Read moreRead less
Gender bender': the impact of endocrine disrupting pollutants on sexual selection. Research into the impacts of pollution on animal reproductive behaviour is crucial if we are to understand species' capacity to adapt to rapidly changing environments, particularly to those that are subject to the impact of human activity. The outcomes of this study will be an important step in learning how to improve the management of biodiversity.
How drugs in the wild affect animal behaviour, ecosystems, and evolution. This Project aims to track – with fish species and across different modes, scales, and levels of complexity from controlled laboratory experimentation to studies in the wild – how drugs in the environment affect wildlife behaviour and survival, and therefore also the ecological communities they inhabit. Contamination of aquatic habitats by pharmaceuticals poses a serious threat to wildlife and to human health. Expected out ....How drugs in the wild affect animal behaviour, ecosystems, and evolution. This Project aims to track – with fish species and across different modes, scales, and levels of complexity from controlled laboratory experimentation to studies in the wild – how drugs in the environment affect wildlife behaviour and survival, and therefore also the ecological communities they inhabit. Contamination of aquatic habitats by pharmaceuticals poses a serious threat to wildlife and to human health. Expected outcomes include new mechanistic understandings and predictive capability for real world application. Findings should add significantly to our knowledge of how wildlife respond to environmental change, and enhance the evidence base for management and security of Australia’s biodiversity and freshwater resources.Read moreRead less
Wildlife responses to endocrine disruptors. This project aims to uncover how a ubiquitous agricultural endocrine disruptor affects development, survival and reproduction in frogs. Widespread pollution by endocrine disrupting chemicals poses a serious threat to wildlife, human health, and the environment. This project will integrate laboratory- and field-based experiments to provide insights into how aquatic contamination by endocrine disruptors can affect vulnerable early life stages and, in tur ....Wildlife responses to endocrine disruptors. This project aims to uncover how a ubiquitous agricultural endocrine disruptor affects development, survival and reproduction in frogs. Widespread pollution by endocrine disrupting chemicals poses a serious threat to wildlife, human health, and the environment. This project will integrate laboratory- and field-based experiments to provide insights into how aquatic contamination by endocrine disruptors can affect vulnerable early life stages and, in turn, adult performance and reproduction. The findings will add significantly to understanding the impact of chemical pollution on wildlife responses to human altered environments.Read moreRead less
Behaviour and evolutionary responses to pharmaceutical pollution. This project aims to uncover how a ubiquitous pharmaceutical pollutant – fluoxetine, known as Prozac – alters the course of reproduction and sexual selection in a freshwater fish. Drugs used in human and veterinary medicine enter the environment and pose a serious threat to wildlife. The project plans to integrate morphological, behavioural, and experimental evolution approaches to yield insights into how fluoxetine affects sexual ....Behaviour and evolutionary responses to pharmaceutical pollution. This project aims to uncover how a ubiquitous pharmaceutical pollutant – fluoxetine, known as Prozac – alters the course of reproduction and sexual selection in a freshwater fish. Drugs used in human and veterinary medicine enter the environment and pose a serious threat to wildlife. The project plans to integrate morphological, behavioural, and experimental evolution approaches to yield insights into how fluoxetine affects sexual traits and behaviours, and how this in turn can affect offspring viability and the evolutionary process. Findings are expected to add to our understanding of how species respond to rapidly changing environments, with consequences for the persistence of populations and the survival of species in the wild.Read moreRead less
Immune defense, disease and damage control in the wild. Immune defences are vital for resistance against infections, but are an overlooked component of disease dynamics in the wild. The project aims to use a model system of long-term studied wild birds to investigate causes of individual variation in innate immunity, the critical first-line-of-defence against new infections. The results may show how immune dynamics are linked to disease, aging, reproduction and longevity and to what extent this ....Immune defense, disease and damage control in the wild. Immune defences are vital for resistance against infections, but are an overlooked component of disease dynamics in the wild. The project aims to use a model system of long-term studied wild birds to investigate causes of individual variation in innate immunity, the critical first-line-of-defence against new infections. The results may show how immune dynamics are linked to disease, aging, reproduction and longevity and to what extent this is environmentally-determined or inherited (its adaptive potential). The outcomes could provide broadly generalizable insights into interactions between the immune system and the environment, and may identify risk factors for vulnerability to novel infectious diseases.Read moreRead less
Brains frozen in time: vertebrate neural adaptations to invading land . The evolution of terrestrial animals from fish was one of the most significant events in our evolution, yet little is known about how the brain evolved during this transition. This project aims to investigate the major novelties acquired in the evolution of the early vertebrate brain in order to determine the functional reasons for such changes, as well as identifying the timing and environmental factors driving such changes ....Brains frozen in time: vertebrate neural adaptations to invading land . The evolution of terrestrial animals from fish was one of the most significant events in our evolution, yet little is known about how the brain evolved during this transition. This project aims to investigate the major novelties acquired in the evolution of the early vertebrate brain in order to determine the functional reasons for such changes, as well as identifying the timing and environmental factors driving such changes. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the anatomy of the vertebrate brain with improved methods for reconstructing fossil brains to better understand our own neurological evolution. Expected outcomes include enhanced institutional collaborations within Australia, and between Australia, Canada and the USA.Read moreRead less