Banks, endogenous network formations and financial crisis. This project aims to understand how endogenous network formations affect financial crisis and how such situations can be made into a coherent microeconomic model of financial network formations using modern tools in economics. The project intends to study the properties of financial systems in the presence of possible financial crisis, conduct applied economic policy analysis and provide policy implications for lifting productivity and e ....Banks, endogenous network formations and financial crisis. This project aims to understand how endogenous network formations affect financial crisis and how such situations can be made into a coherent microeconomic model of financial network formations using modern tools in economics. The project intends to study the properties of financial systems in the presence of possible financial crisis, conduct applied economic policy analysis and provide policy implications for lifting productivity and economic growth. The projects expected outcomes would contribute to the theoretical understanding of financial crisis and consequences in financial markets as well as the economy and public policy. In the longer term, the project should benefit the health of the financial system.Read moreRead less
Why do only some exotics become invasive? Combining ecological and genomic approaches to address alternative hypotheses in a recent Australian weed. This project will specifically test alternative hypotheses about how weeds become invasive. As invasive weeds affect both agricultural and native ecosystems equally, research on understanding the mechanisms of weed invasion is critical. Outcomes will benefit Australia by allowing better prioritisation of management against exotic plants already i ....Why do only some exotics become invasive? Combining ecological and genomic approaches to address alternative hypotheses in a recent Australian weed. This project will specifically test alternative hypotheses about how weeds become invasive. As invasive weeds affect both agricultural and native ecosystems equally, research on understanding the mechanisms of weed invasion is critical. Outcomes will benefit Australia by allowing better prioritisation of management against exotic plants already in the country by providing predictive tools to estimate likelihood of spread. For formal Pest Risk Analysis by regulators (eg Biosecurity Australia), our project will provide genomic tools by which the potential weediness of a regulated plant can be assessed through genetic screening, and forms part of an international effort to identify 'weedy genes'. Read moreRead less
Designing for uncertainty in conservation auctions. Economic theory and case study evidence show that tenders or auctions are more efficient than grant mechanisms for encouraging landholders to produce environmental outcomes on private land. These studies have ignored the effects of uncertainty of both bidders and administrators about factors such as landholder participation and the level of environmental benefits that will be delivered. This project will test whether distributing environmental ....Designing for uncertainty in conservation auctions. Economic theory and case study evidence show that tenders or auctions are more efficient than grant mechanisms for encouraging landholders to produce environmental outcomes on private land. These studies have ignored the effects of uncertainty of both bidders and administrators about factors such as landholder participation and the level of environmental benefits that will be delivered. This project will test whether distributing environmental funds via tenders is still efficient when uncertainty about various important factors is considered. Results from this research are expected to inform the cost effective design of systems to pay landholders for the provision of environmental benefits even when there is high uncertainty.Read moreRead less
A Genomic Dissection of Natural Adaptation in Mate Recognition. Adaptation is a fundamental area of evolutionary biology but we know surprisingly little about its underlying genetic basis. As a process, adaptation poses several challenges for Australian society including bacterial evolution of resistance to antibiotics, HIV resistance to antiviral medications and the evolution of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests. This study will use a model system and genomic tools to test theoretical ....A Genomic Dissection of Natural Adaptation in Mate Recognition. Adaptation is a fundamental area of evolutionary biology but we know surprisingly little about its underlying genetic basis. As a process, adaptation poses several challenges for Australian society including bacterial evolution of resistance to antibiotics, HIV resistance to antiviral medications and the evolution of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests. This study will use a model system and genomic tools to test theoretical models of the genetic basis of adaptation. This integrative approach will enhance Australia's research profile in genomics and evolutionary biology. The project will provide emerging scientists with skills in areas including genomics, molecular biology, evolutionary biology and agricultural genetics.Read moreRead less
Maximising knowledge from dense SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) data using multi-locus analysis. The genomics revolution has made it possible to measure thousands of DNA variants in individuals. This information can be used in many ways, including to find genes that cause variation between individuals in a population and to estimate the size of the population in the past. Our study will lead an analysis method that will extract more information out of such data. This will improve the effi ....Maximising knowledge from dense SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) data using multi-locus analysis. The genomics revolution has made it possible to measure thousands of DNA variants in individuals. This information can be used in many ways, including to find genes that cause variation between individuals in a population and to estimate the size of the population in the past. Our study will lead an analysis method that will extract more information out of such data. This will improve the efficiency of gene mapping methods, including applications in humans for traits related to productive ageing and a healthy start to life, will allow the estimation of genetic relatedness and genetic variation in natural populations, and will lead to more efficient selection programs in agricultural populations.Read moreRead less
Economic efficiency and the provision of incentives for information acquisition and disclosure: a mechanism design approach. By uncovering what determines information acquisition, highlighting what allows experts and insiders to manipulate market outcomes, and studying the efficiency gains obtainable with the use of a variety of incentives schemes, this research will provide valuable insights for public policy concerning information diffusion and market transparency.
Life history constraints on sexual selection: an investigation using territoriality in butterflies. Contemporary studies into the evolution of male contest behaviour largely ignore the influence of life history. However, contest behaviour should be influenced by life history because the costs of fighting (injury or death) are extracted in a life history currency. Here I aim to measure reproductive value in a territorial butterfly, and to isolate the effects of this parameter, physiological condi ....Life history constraints on sexual selection: an investigation using territoriality in butterflies. Contemporary studies into the evolution of male contest behaviour largely ignore the influence of life history. However, contest behaviour should be influenced by life history because the costs of fighting (injury or death) are extracted in a life history currency. Here I aim to measure reproductive value in a territorial butterfly, and to isolate the effects of this parameter, physiological condition and fighting experience upon male aggression. I propose an innovative experimental approach to unraveling the effects of these covarying life history influences which promises exciting and highly original insights into the evolution of contest behaviour.Read moreRead less
The role of plant chemical defences in the population ecology of mammal herbivores. Plants defend themselves against herbivores by producing toxic compounds in their leaves. Many studies show that such compounds influence diet selection by mammal herbivores, but we understand much less about their effects on populations of such species. This project will investigate how concentrations of leaf toxins in eucalypts affect reproductive success, distribution and abundance of the marsupials that feed ....The role of plant chemical defences in the population ecology of mammal herbivores. Plants defend themselves against herbivores by producing toxic compounds in their leaves. Many studies show that such compounds influence diet selection by mammal herbivores, but we understand much less about their effects on populations of such species. This project will investigate how concentrations of leaf toxins in eucalypts affect reproductive success, distribution and abundance of the marsupials that feed on them. The knowledge gained by this study will be important in modelling populations of these marsupial species and predicting their responses to environmental change.Read moreRead less
The evolution of recombination cold spots during speciation. In the absence of geographic barriers, sexual reproduction between diverging populations is the greatest obstacle to the formation of new species. As diverging populations accumulate differences by the action of natural selection, genetic recombination resulting from sexual reproduction eliminates them. As a consequence, cases of speciation with gene flow such as sympatric or parapatric speciation have been considered improbable. This ....The evolution of recombination cold spots during speciation. In the absence of geographic barriers, sexual reproduction between diverging populations is the greatest obstacle to the formation of new species. As diverging populations accumulate differences by the action of natural selection, genetic recombination resulting from sexual reproduction eliminates them. As a consequence, cases of speciation with gene flow such as sympatric or parapatric speciation have been considered improbable. This project will investigate novel hypotheses for the formation of new species in the face of gene flow, and will evaluate empirically their predictions using the groundsel Senecio lautus. Results derived from this investigation will provide novel insights into the old riddle of speciation with gene flow.Read moreRead less
The genetics of replicated evolution. Using an Australian daisy, the project will study how natural selection creates repeated patterns of evolution at the gene and morphology levels. The project will provide students with training at the interface of genomics, ecology, and evolution.