The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will ....The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will identify environmental stressors that activate viral disease in Penaeus monodon. Outcomes will be incorporated into on-farm managerial regimes to minimize risk of crop loss to disease. Development of biomarkers as indicators of stress related risks may be commercialized.Read moreRead less
Optimising barramundi production through early prediction of thermal tolerance and growth. Aquaculture is Australia's fastest growing primary industry and is increasingly becoming an important employer in regional Australia. Consequently, positive growth in this sector linked to productivity gains through R&D will result in improved socioeconomic prosperity of regional communities. This project will allow barramundi farmers to identify highly productive families early on in the culture process, ....Optimising barramundi production through early prediction of thermal tolerance and growth. Aquaculture is Australia's fastest growing primary industry and is increasingly becoming an important employer in regional Australia. Consequently, positive growth in this sector linked to productivity gains through R&D will result in improved socioeconomic prosperity of regional communities. This project will allow barramundi farmers to identify highly productive families early on in the culture process, thereby improving their efficiency of farming and increasing their international competitiveness in the rapidly expanding global market. The project will also establish Australia at the forefront of biotechnological research and its applications to aquaculture.Read moreRead less
The role of neurohormones in the regulation of appetite and successful sea water transfer in farmed Atlantic salmon. Cultured Atlantic salmon spend the first part of their life in freshwater and then following a physiological adaption phase called smoltification, the fish (now termed smolts) are transferred to sea cages for growout. A proportion of smolts fail to thrive after transfer, show slow or no growth and usually die some months later. This project will investigate the role that the neuro ....The role of neurohormones in the regulation of appetite and successful sea water transfer in farmed Atlantic salmon. Cultured Atlantic salmon spend the first part of their life in freshwater and then following a physiological adaption phase called smoltification, the fish (now termed smolts) are transferred to sea cages for growout. A proportion of smolts fail to thrive after transfer, show slow or no growth and usually die some months later. This project will investigate the role that the neurohomones that control both appetite and physiological stress in fish have in stimulating the resumption of feeding after sea water transfer.The basic knowledge generated will be used directly in development of strategies for minimising smolt failure in Atlantic salmon aquaculture.Read moreRead less
Aquaculture of the tropical abalone: identifying and selecting for factors promoting high settlement, survival and growth. There is a growing demand worldwide for the 'cocktail'-sized tropical abalone Haliotis asinina. We have developed a full set of hatchery and grow-out procedures that Queensland Sea Scallops Pty Ltd will test on a commercial scale. At QSS, we will propagate and growout Haliotis asinina to determine the factors controlling settlement, survival, growth and health. We will do ....Aquaculture of the tropical abalone: identifying and selecting for factors promoting high settlement, survival and growth. There is a growing demand worldwide for the 'cocktail'-sized tropical abalone Haliotis asinina. We have developed a full set of hatchery and grow-out procedures that Queensland Sea Scallops Pty Ltd will test on a commercial scale. At QSS, we will propagate and growout Haliotis asinina to determine the factors controlling settlement, survival, growth and health. We will do this by combining breeding experiments with microarray gene profiling and other advanced gene expression studies. This knowledge will enhance the development of this new aquaculture industry in tropical Australia and our understanding of abalone aquaculture in general.Read moreRead less
Bayesian methodology for analysis of genome data with focus on the livestock industry. The aim is to develop statistical methods for the design and analysis of genome data with focus on the special needs of the livestock industry. This will significantly contribute to profitability, quality, genetic improvement and genetic knowledge in a key national industry, improve Australia's international and national profile in the key research area of bioinformatics, and encourage optimisation of current ....Bayesian methodology for analysis of genome data with focus on the livestock industry. The aim is to develop statistical methods for the design and analysis of genome data with focus on the special needs of the livestock industry. This will significantly contribute to profitability, quality, genetic improvement and genetic knowledge in a key national industry, improve Australia's international and national profile in the key research area of bioinformatics, and encourage optimisation of current information. Outcomes include a toolkit of applicable statistical methods, statistically valid algorithms, marketable methods for gene discovery, technology transfer, training and publications.Read moreRead less
Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response. Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics is an emerging field that integrates gene profiling technologies with experimental and field approaches of ecology and evolution. I take this approach to address a key problem in marine invertebrate biology: how do larvae respond to their environment and how does variation in this response influence the distribu ....Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response. Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics is an emerging field that integrates gene profiling technologies with experimental and field approaches of ecology and evolution. I take this approach to address a key problem in marine invertebrate biology: how do larvae respond to their environment and how does variation in this response influence the distribution and evolution of a species? I will use a marine gastropod (abalone) model, for which there exists substantial development and population genetic data, and established aquaculture methodologies. Outcomes of this study will enhance knowledge of the stock structure of this and other commercial fisheries, as well as aquaculture efficiency.Read moreRead less
The making of a sea shell: function and evolution of genes encoding calcareous architectures of phenomenal strength, purity and beauty. The mollusc shell is composed of microscopic layers of tabular calcium carbonate crystals and thin sheets of proteins with precise nanoscale architectures. This configuration produces a high-performance composite material that exceeds the present capabilities of human engineering. This integrated study will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fab ....The making of a sea shell: function and evolution of genes encoding calcareous architectures of phenomenal strength, purity and beauty. The mollusc shell is composed of microscopic layers of tabular calcium carbonate crystals and thin sheets of proteins with precise nanoscale architectures. This configuration produces a high-performance composite material that exceeds the present capabilities of human engineering. This integrated study will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fabrication of these architectures. This knowledge will contribute significantly to the development of materials for advanced electronics and energy transducers, human bone therapeutics and marine?based products such as pearls and cements, through the identification of genes underlying biofabrication networks and the development of in vitro bioproduction systems. Read moreRead less