The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
The nature and consequences of environmentally-generated phenotypic variation in natural populations. The ambient environment can generate both heritable and non-heritable variation in individual traits, but the role of such variation in evolution is poorly understood. This project will use a powerful model organism, the Australian neriid flies, to elucidate the evolutionary implications of environmentally-generated variation.
The diversity and assembly of optics in nature. Optics, such as the design of new coloured reflectors, is a research strength for Australia. A reason for this is the potential for application - optical devices can be found far and wide in our everyday lives, from security devices on banknotes (holograms), to computer monitors (LCDs). An interesting parallel exists in nature - animals possess similar optical devices to those we use. So it makes sense to examine the animals' devices in a search fo ....The diversity and assembly of optics in nature. Optics, such as the design of new coloured reflectors, is a research strength for Australia. A reason for this is the potential for application - optical devices can be found far and wide in our everyday lives, from security devices on banknotes (holograms), to computer monitors (LCDs). An interesting parallel exists in nature - animals possess similar optical devices to those we use. So it makes sense to examine the animals' devices in a search for new reflectors, and that's an aim of this project. And since reflectors are often difficult to make, why not let animals make reflectors for us? That is a further aim of this project. Soon we may have genetically-altered butterfly scales embedded in our credit cards that cannot be counterfeited.Read moreRead less
Signal manipulation in orb-web spiders. A number of diverse orb-web spiders adorn their webs with conspicuous silk bands called decorations or stabilimenta. Their function remains controversial, but they may act as a visual signal to either attract prey, deter predators or prevent web damage by large non-prey animals. We will test these hypotheses on several Australian orb-web species using field and laboratory experiments. Furthermore, we will investigate the effect of web decorations on specie ....Signal manipulation in orb-web spiders. A number of diverse orb-web spiders adorn their webs with conspicuous silk bands called decorations or stabilimenta. Their function remains controversial, but they may act as a visual signal to either attract prey, deter predators or prevent web damage by large non-prey animals. We will test these hypotheses on several Australian orb-web species using field and laboratory experiments. Furthermore, we will investigate the effect of web decorations on species radiation and hence diversity using molecular techniques to establish phylogenies. This will, at least in part, help resolve this century old debate surrounding web decorations.Read moreRead less
Evolution of maternal provisioning in echinoderms: characterisation of egg nutrients and their roles in development. In the complex life histories of marine invertebrates modification of maternal provisioning lies at the nexus between the evolution of development and speciation in the sea. This project investigates the relationship between egg nutritive profile and developmental mode in echinoderms. It uses the Patiriella sea stars, a powerful model to examine evolution of egg constituents in a ....Evolution of maternal provisioning in echinoderms: characterisation of egg nutrients and their roles in development. In the complex life histories of marine invertebrates modification of maternal provisioning lies at the nexus between the evolution of development and speciation in the sea. This project investigates the relationship between egg nutritive profile and developmental mode in echinoderms. It uses the Patiriella sea stars, a powerful model to examine evolution of egg constituents in ancestral-type developers with small eggs and derived developers exhibiting multiple parallel evolution of large eggs. This project provides insights into evolutionary fine-tuning of oogenesis and its influence on larval type and location of development, features that strongly influence the biogeography of marine invertebrate populations.Read moreRead less
Diversity and Defence: Characterisation of Extremely Variable Defensive Proteins from Sea Urchins. Antibiotic resistance is a global problem. In this project, we will study a new class of potential antibiotics - purpuratins - from sea urchins. Purpuratins are unique when compared to other antimicrobials because of their extreme structural diversity. By investigating that diversity, we will shed new light on biological methods for targeted drug design. This information will be critical to the de ....Diversity and Defence: Characterisation of Extremely Variable Defensive Proteins from Sea Urchins. Antibiotic resistance is a global problem. In this project, we will study a new class of potential antibiotics - purpuratins - from sea urchins. Purpuratins are unique when compared to other antimicrobials because of their extreme structural diversity. By investigating that diversity, we will shed new light on biological methods for targeted drug design. This information will be critical to the development of tailor-made antibiotics that are fine-tuned to kill particular micro-organisms. Our work represents a collaboration between researchers in Australia and the United States. It contributes directly to international scientific co-operation whilst providing high level training for young Australian researchers and students. Read moreRead less
Deceptive signals in spiders. Animal communication involves a diversity of signals including visual displays, sounds and odours. Understanding the function of signals is difficult because humans cannot detect some signals such as UV light. This project investigates the functions of visual signals in two spider systems: the decorations in orb-webs and the colouration of crab spiders. We analyse whether these signals are cryptic or conspicuous. Do they attract prey or hide the spiders from predato ....Deceptive signals in spiders. Animal communication involves a diversity of signals including visual displays, sounds and odours. Understanding the function of signals is difficult because humans cannot detect some signals such as UV light. This project investigates the functions of visual signals in two spider systems: the decorations in orb-webs and the colouration of crab spiders. We analyse whether these signals are cryptic or conspicuous. Do they attract prey or hide the spiders from predators? Our project will make a significant contribution to understanding the evolution of these signals, and will, at least in part, help resolve century old debates surrounding their function.Read moreRead less
Development and calcification in benthic marine invertebrates (Mollusca and Echinodermata) in an acidified and warm ocean. As an island continent Australia generates considerable wealth from its oceans with marine invertebrate resources playing a key role. These resources are at risk due to the impact of climate change, ocean acidification and warming, on availability of carbonate minerals for shell production. Of major concern is potential recruitment failure if planktonic larvae cannot produc ....Development and calcification in benthic marine invertebrates (Mollusca and Echinodermata) in an acidified and warm ocean. As an island continent Australia generates considerable wealth from its oceans with marine invertebrate resources playing a key role. These resources are at risk due to the impact of climate change, ocean acidification and warming, on availability of carbonate minerals for shell production. Of major concern is potential recruitment failure if planktonic larvae cannot produce their skeleton and if benthic stages cannot grow due to impaired skeleton formation. This project addresses uncertainties in knowledge of the response of ecologically and commercially important marine biota to climate change, knowledge crucial to inform risk assessment of future changes to our marine resources.Read moreRead less
More than mud: how will disruption of soft-sediments threaten coastal biodiversity? Habitat destruction and increased nutrient input are combining with climate change to threaten the biodiversity and fisheries productivity of soft sediment habitats that dominate Australia's sixteen million square kilometre exclusive economic zone. This project will develop the tools necessary for the sustainable management of our coastal biodiversity under multiple scenarios of change. Because many of the result ....More than mud: how will disruption of soft-sediments threaten coastal biodiversity? Habitat destruction and increased nutrient input are combining with climate change to threaten the biodiversity and fisheries productivity of soft sediment habitats that dominate Australia's sixteen million square kilometre exclusive economic zone. This project will develop the tools necessary for the sustainable management of our coastal biodiversity under multiple scenarios of change. Because many of the results will be broadly applicable to coastal systems worldwide, this project will generate high-impact publications that will increase the research profile of Australia. It will train postgraduate students in strategies to help ensure the sustainable use of our biodiversity and will generate collaborations with leading international scientists.Read moreRead less
Identifying novel insecticides and their targets: probing Australian arachnid venoms. Insect pests destroy an estimated 2-3 billion dollars of crops in Australia. Insect pests also are responsible for the transmission of many new and re-emerging human, animal and plant diseases threatening health, wellbeing and prosperity. Current insecticides are severely limited by toxicity and/or insect resistance, and some are undergoing use cancellation overseas. Thus there is an urgent need to develop safe ....Identifying novel insecticides and their targets: probing Australian arachnid venoms. Insect pests destroy an estimated 2-3 billion dollars of crops in Australia. Insect pests also are responsible for the transmission of many new and re-emerging human, animal and plant diseases threatening health, wellbeing and prosperity. Current insecticides are severely limited by toxicity and/or insect resistance, and some are undergoing use cancellation overseas. Thus there is an urgent need to develop safer and more specific insecticides that are effective against disease vectors and agricultural pest insects, as well as to identify new insecticide targets. This research has a multi-million dollar potential benefit to agricultural, health and pest control sectorsRead moreRead less
On the move: the study of self-organised movement of animal groups with and without leadership. This project will uncover the common principles that control the movement of large groups of organisms. We will focus on swarming honey bees, hopping bands of billions of locusts and millions of crickets marching in unison. The outcomes of our research will be broadly applicable to other collective phenomena, even to traffic and crowd control in humans.