Community-level selection: Empirical tests in a microbial system. Given the profile of the question of community-level selection as a long-running controversy, the main benefit of the proposed work, which will critically test the idea in an empirical system, will be to increase recognition of Australia's position as a research nation in evolutionary biology. In exploring mechanisms of floc formation, a key component of wastewater treatment, the work will establish important foundations for impro ....Community-level selection: Empirical tests in a microbial system. Given the profile of the question of community-level selection as a long-running controversy, the main benefit of the proposed work, which will critically test the idea in an empirical system, will be to increase recognition of Australia's position as a research nation in evolutionary biology. In exploring mechanisms of floc formation, a key component of wastewater treatment, the work will establish important foundations for improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment. Improvement in performance of only a few percent will bring important economic savings. This is evidenced by recent commitment of >$US 230 billion to improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment in Germany, Italy and Spain over 5 years.Read moreRead less
Understanding evolution of dominant bacteria inhabiting the rodent gut . The gut microbiome is central to animal health and immune function, however we have an incomplete understanding of how this important symbiotic ecosystem evolved. By approaching this knowledge gap from a historical perspective and using real-time observation, this project will address how the gut community evolved with the rodent host and how members of that community respond to new selective pressures. The significance of ....Understanding evolution of dominant bacteria inhabiting the rodent gut . The gut microbiome is central to animal health and immune function, however we have an incomplete understanding of how this important symbiotic ecosystem evolved. By approaching this knowledge gap from a historical perspective and using real-time observation, this project will address how the gut community evolved with the rodent host and how members of that community respond to new selective pressures. The significance of these findings is in their capacity to inform our understanding of the relationship between host and microbe, not only within a key model system, but by extrapolation to other host-microbe systems. Read moreRead less
Diversity of Salinispora actinobacteria producing pharmaceutically relevant natural products from Australian marine sponges. By investigating the distribution of marine microbial resources relevant to drug discovery, we will directly contribute to ARC's Research Priority I - An Environmentally Sustainable Australia Priority Goal and the Priority Goal 'Sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity'. We will determine sources of marine bacteria and their genes useful for discovery of new natural pro ....Diversity of Salinispora actinobacteria producing pharmaceutically relevant natural products from Australian marine sponges. By investigating the distribution of marine microbial resources relevant to drug discovery, we will directly contribute to ARC's Research Priority I - An Environmentally Sustainable Australia Priority Goal and the Priority Goal 'Sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity'. We will determine sources of marine bacteria and their genes useful for discovery of new natural products for treatment of human diseases. We will do this by understanding where new strains of Salinispora bacteria may be isolated and how they are distributed in association with Australian marine sponge fauna, and by determining the distribution and chemical and genetic diversity of novel marine Salinispora bacteria.Read moreRead less
Can Sexual Selection Generate Reproductive Isolation? Sexual selection has long been thought to be central to the process of speciation and numerous models have been proposed to explain its contribution. However, the ability of sexual selection to generate reproductive isolation has never been evaluated experimentally and there is limited direct evidence for its role in speciation in nature. Using Drosophila serrata, I intend to conduct a large scale experimental test of the role of sexual selec ....Can Sexual Selection Generate Reproductive Isolation? Sexual selection has long been thought to be central to the process of speciation and numerous models have been proposed to explain its contribution. However, the ability of sexual selection to generate reproductive isolation has never been evaluated experimentally and there is limited direct evidence for its role in speciation in nature. Using Drosophila serrata, I intend to conduct a large scale experimental test of the role of sexual selection in the origin of new species. I will manipulate mate choice by placing male pheromones under artificial selection and then tracking the evolution of reproductive isolation in the presence and absence of sexual selection.Read moreRead less
Why aren't all species everywhere? The evolution of species' borders in tropical reef fishes. Virtually nothing is known about how geographic range limits evolve in the wild in the absence of barriers to dispersal and habitat discontinuities. This project will investigate the evolution of range limits of fishes on the Great Barrier Reef using combinations of mathematical modelling and field- and laboratory-based analyses of evolutionary patterns and processes. By advancing understanding of the ....Why aren't all species everywhere? The evolution of species' borders in tropical reef fishes. Virtually nothing is known about how geographic range limits evolve in the wild in the absence of barriers to dispersal and habitat discontinuities. This project will investigate the evolution of range limits of fishes on the Great Barrier Reef using combinations of mathematical modelling and field- and laboratory-based analyses of evolutionary patterns and processes. By advancing understanding of the fundamental causes of species' range limits, this research will provide new options for the management and conservation of this very valuable resource, and other complex biological systems, under increasing pressures of exploitation, habitat degradation and climate change.Read moreRead less
Sex in the city: social harmony and conflict resolution in insect societies. Explaining the organization of cooperative societies is a significant challenge to the field of evolutionary biology. Insect societies play a pivotal role in achieving this aim, as colonies of many species persist with apparent harmony despite the presence of numerous queens competing for reproductive dominance. This study evaluates alternative hypotheses for the resolution of reproductive conflict and the maintenance a ....Sex in the city: social harmony and conflict resolution in insect societies. Explaining the organization of cooperative societies is a significant challenge to the field of evolutionary biology. Insect societies play a pivotal role in achieving this aim, as colonies of many species persist with apparent harmony despite the presence of numerous queens competing for reproductive dominance. This study evaluates alternative hypotheses for the resolution of reproductive conflict and the maintenance and evolution of cooperative societies, by examining colonies of the Australian multi-queened social wasp genus Ropalidia. Outcomes include robust tests of prominent hypotheses, explanations for cooperation's diversity and persistence, and the development of powerful molecular and behavioral techniques within Australia.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100218
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,172.00
Summary
Can species interactions drive diversification? Species interactions may drive the evolution of species diversity but we currently lack the empirical evidence to demonstrate conclusively how this occurs. Using a group of closely-related species native to Australia's rainforest, this study will test how species interactions drive the evolution of mating traits and the formation of new species.
Co-divergence or opportunism: the evolution of trematode parasitism in the sea. This proposal is for fundamental research into how a major group of parasites (trematodes) has evolved in interaction with its hosts. The work is mainly the kind of 'basic science' that underpins other science without having intended immediate community benefit. However, the work depends strongly on the important task of developing better knowledge of trematodes in Australian native animals. Some of these parasite ....Co-divergence or opportunism: the evolution of trematode parasitism in the sea. This proposal is for fundamental research into how a major group of parasites (trematodes) has evolved in interaction with its hosts. The work is mainly the kind of 'basic science' that underpins other science without having intended immediate community benefit. However, the work depends strongly on the important task of developing better knowledge of trematodes in Australian native animals. Some of these parasites are pathogens of bivalves (scallops, giant clams and oysters) but almost nothing is known about them here. Another benefit of the study is in the training of several postgraduate students who will be able to contribute to the further study and management of parasites in Australia.Read moreRead less
Macroecology and phylogeny: the effects of evolutionary history on rarity and extinction risk in Australian vertebrates. We will combine ecological and phylogenetic analysis of Australian vertebrates to show how abundance and geographic range in living species has been shaped by the historical processes of speciation, transformations of range and abundance in relation to species age, and selective extinction. Our analysis will throw new light on the processes that have generated species diversit ....Macroecology and phylogeny: the effects of evolutionary history on rarity and extinction risk in Australian vertebrates. We will combine ecological and phylogenetic analysis of Australian vertebrates to show how abundance and geographic range in living species has been shaped by the historical processes of speciation, transformations of range and abundance in relation to species age, and selective extinction. Our analysis will throw new light on the processes that have generated species diversity in Australian vertebrates. We will also gain new understanding of the causes of rarity and vulnerability to extinction among living species, which will result in better identification and management of species at risk of extinction.Read moreRead less
The role of ecological specialisation in insect-plant macroevolutionary processes: a molecular phylogenetic approach across three kingdoms. Flowering plants and phytophagous insects are major components of the world's biodiversity and their evolution has been closely linked. This project will increase our knowledge of insect-endosymbiont-plant interactions and enhance our understanding of the origin, generation and maintenance of much of the world's biodiversity. A broader understanding of how i ....The role of ecological specialisation in insect-plant macroevolutionary processes: a molecular phylogenetic approach across three kingdoms. Flowering plants and phytophagous insects are major components of the world's biodiversity and their evolution has been closely linked. This project will increase our knowledge of insect-endosymbiont-plant interactions and enhance our understanding of the origin, generation and maintenance of much of the world's biodiversity. A broader understanding of how insects, their symbionts and plants have co-evolved should improve our understanding of why and how some insects are able to become pests whereas others do not. Scale insects (the model system in this study) are important pests, both ecologically (Christmas Island interaction between coccids, rainforest plants and crazy ants) and economically (e.g. citrus mealybug).Read moreRead less