Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the rel ....Adaptation to life in the dark: genomic analyses of blind beetles. This project aims to utilise a unique Australian model system based on multiple, independently-evolved subterranean water beetles to explore the adaptive and regressive changes in the genome that occur when surface species colonise subterranean habitats. This project focuses on the evolution of Heat Shock protein (Hsp) genes that play critical roles in adaptation to environmental stress and the process of de-canalisation, the release of cryptic genetic variation that can allow novel morphologies to evolve in new environments. The project expects to provide further understanding of how species may potentially adapt to environmental stresses in the future, including climate change.Read moreRead less
Is regressive evolution associated with loss of gene function in subterranean animals? This project aims to investigate a fundamental biological process: the evolutionary basis for how non-functional characters, such as eyes in subterranean animals, are lost. It will use a unique model system based on eyeless water beetles, and utilise novel new genomic tools to test whether loss of characters results from gene inactivation.
Conservation genetics of humpback whales off Western Australia: Implications for the management of the Antarctic Group IV population. We will define the geographic structuring and gene flow of humpback whales comprising Antarctic Area Group IV, and which migrate off the coast of Western Australian. With this information we will develop guidelines for commonwealth, state, industry, and non-government organisations, for conserving and managing discrete (genetic) populations of humpback whales off ....Conservation genetics of humpback whales off Western Australia: Implications for the management of the Antarctic Group IV population. We will define the geographic structuring and gene flow of humpback whales comprising Antarctic Area Group IV, and which migrate off the coast of Western Australian. With this information we will develop guidelines for commonwealth, state, industry, and non-government organisations, for conserving and managing discrete (genetic) populations of humpback whales off Western Australia. We can then manage these cetaceans at the appropriate geographic scale, and assign conservation priority in relation to population genetic structure gained from this study.Read moreRead less