Ecological and genetic connectivity in seagrasses: the role of sexual reproduction, dispersal and recruitment on meadow restoration. This project's goal is to study the role of dispersal in contemporary demographics and genetics of an Australian seagrass genus Posidonia. The expected outcome of this project is to understand the importance of long-distance dispersal of seeds in determining resilience of seagrasses to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances.
Connectivity and movements of large pelagic species of ecotourism value. The project aims to answer key questions about the biology, ecology and sustainability of the world’s manta ray species to provide the information and tools for management and conservation of these charismatic and valuable species. In particular, the project aims to determine the likely impact of climate variability and fisheries that operate to Australia’s north on manta-based ecotourism in the Indo-Pacific region, as clim ....Connectivity and movements of large pelagic species of ecotourism value. The project aims to answer key questions about the biology, ecology and sustainability of the world’s manta ray species to provide the information and tools for management and conservation of these charismatic and valuable species. In particular, the project aims to determine the likely impact of climate variability and fisheries that operate to Australia’s north on manta-based ecotourism in the Indo-Pacific region, as climate change and active low-value fisheries may both jeopardise a high-value ecotourism industry. The project seeks to explore geographic distributions, local and large-scale movements, population sizes, structure, and inter-connectivity in the region to assess the effect of climate and fisheries on manta ray populations.Read moreRead less
Overcoming critical recruitment bottlenecks limiting seedling establishment in degraded seagrass ecosystems: a systems approach to restoration. This project will apply a demographic approach, adopted from terrestrial models of seed-based restoration, to identify those early life-stage transitions most limiting to seedling establishment in seagrass restoration.
Sex, Sperm and Society. Insights into the evolutionary potential of sexual conflict in insects: a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Social insects are biologically and economically important species. Honeybees or stingless bees are used for crop pollination and honey production and invasive ants or termites are severe pest species causing economic damage. Part of the biological success of social insects is based on the capability to produce colonies with many workers although colonie ....Sex, Sperm and Society. Insights into the evolutionary potential of sexual conflict in insects: a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. Social insects are biologically and economically important species. Honeybees or stingless bees are used for crop pollination and honey production and invasive ants or termites are severe pest species causing economic damage. Part of the biological success of social insects is based on the capability to produce colonies with many workers although colonies typically contain only one or very few reproductives. Consequently, colony success is bound to queen fertility and studying social insect reproduction can therefore optimize breeding regimes of species of interest or offer new possibilities to control pest species. Detailed information on sperm form and function will provide pioneering insights into the complexity of sexual reproduction.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of plant species co-existence in species-rich ecosystems: testing hypotheses using spatially-explicit field data and computer models. A generally accepted explanation for the co-existence of species in high diversity communities is one of the outstanding unresolved issues in ecology. Current hypotheses fail to satisfy in their generality; spatial implications are inadequately explored empirically, and the hypotheses are not testable within a common framework. Advances in spatial analy ....Mechanisms of plant species co-existence in species-rich ecosystems: testing hypotheses using spatially-explicit field data and computer models. A generally accepted explanation for the co-existence of species in high diversity communities is one of the outstanding unresolved issues in ecology. Current hypotheses fail to satisfy in their generality; spatial implications are inadequately explored empirically, and the hypotheses are not testable within a common framework. Advances in spatial analysis and complex system modelling now make the search for a general explanation feasible. This project will parameterise and test the different co-existence hypotheses using spatial statistics, empirical/experimental studies of dispersal, recruitment, competition and herbivory, and spatially-explicit computer simulation models of community assemblage in species-rich Australian shrubland communities.Read moreRead less
Evolution of anisogamy and the sexes. This project aims to study the evolution of anisogamy, which defines males and females by the size of their gametes – females’ large eggs and males’ small sperm. Most multicellular organisms have different sized gametes, and this size difference has affected the evolution of life on the planet. Theoretical arguments about why two sexes are ubiquitous have not been tested empirically, mainly because of technical difficulties in experimentally generating diffe ....Evolution of anisogamy and the sexes. This project aims to study the evolution of anisogamy, which defines males and females by the size of their gametes – females’ large eggs and males’ small sperm. Most multicellular organisms have different sized gametes, and this size difference has affected the evolution of life on the planet. Theoretical arguments about why two sexes are ubiquitous have not been tested empirically, mainly because of technical difficulties in experimentally generating different sized gametes. This project will use algae and cell sorting technology to test this. The expected outcome is a greater understanding of how and why the sexes evolved, as well as developing biofuel production methods by paving the way for improvements in algal productivity.Read moreRead less
Assessing the benefits of closed fishing areas for spawning aggregations and egg production for coral trout. Coral trout is a valuable finfish species that inhabits coral reef systems in Australia. Like most other finfish species, coral trout is managed mainly through catch and size limits. However, closed fishing areas also provide a degree of protection from exploitation. Worldwide, closed fishing areas have been shown to provide larger and more fish within their boundaries. At present, there ....Assessing the benefits of closed fishing areas for spawning aggregations and egg production for coral trout. Coral trout is a valuable finfish species that inhabits coral reef systems in Australia. Like most other finfish species, coral trout is managed mainly through catch and size limits. However, closed fishing areas also provide a degree of protection from exploitation. Worldwide, closed fishing areas have been shown to provide larger and more fish within their boundaries. At present, there are limited empirical data to show that they provide benefits to fish stocks. This project aims to examine whether closed fishing areas provide a benefit to coral trout at the Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia.Read moreRead less
Origin and evolution of plant functional traits in relation to fire. This project addresses the fundamental question as to what extent the Australian flora is adapted to fire by tracing the evolutionary history of the iconic family Proteaceae over the last 100 million years. The answer to this question has significant implications for informing Australia’s fire management and nature conservation policies.
What drives novel community formation? Mechanisms of resilience against invasion and native species persistence under land use change. Environmental change is driving the creation of novel communities, stable mixes of native and exotic species. These communities are inevitable outcomes of human-induced environmental changes, yet why and how they form is still poorly understood. As these communities maintain high levels of native biodiversity, they are of great conservation value. Using Western A ....What drives novel community formation? Mechanisms of resilience against invasion and native species persistence under land use change. Environmental change is driving the creation of novel communities, stable mixes of native and exotic species. These communities are inevitable outcomes of human-induced environmental changes, yet why and how they form is still poorly understood. As these communities maintain high levels of native biodiversity, they are of great conservation value. Using Western Australia wildflower communities, This project aims to provide the first experimental tests of which environmental and biotic factors drive novel community formation, native species persistence and resilience to invasion. This will be important for developing realistic conservation plans in many ecosystems globally, and more specifically in Western Australia's biodiversity hotspot.Read moreRead less
Group dynamics, Allee effects and population regulation in cooperative breeders. Understanding population dynamics is crucial for effective conservation biology. In many cases breeding is limited by high density, but in social species the opposite is true, exposing small groups to high extinction risk. However, analyses of population dynamics in social species is rare, limiting our ability to effectively conserve such species.