Behavioural variation and the success of invasive animals. This project aims to test how behavioural variation affects invasion success. Invasive species can cause economic and ecological damage. Focused preventive measures are difficult unless we know what makes invasions succeed. The role of behaviour is not yet clear – especially inter-individual behavioural variation within species. Using a known invasive reptile model, this project will determine which relevant behaviours are heritable, and ....Behavioural variation and the success of invasive animals. This project aims to test how behavioural variation affects invasion success. Invasive species can cause economic and ecological damage. Focused preventive measures are difficult unless we know what makes invasions succeed. The role of behaviour is not yet clear – especially inter-individual behavioural variation within species. Using a known invasive reptile model, this project will determine which relevant behaviours are heritable, and therefore subject to evolutionary selection during introduction, establishment, and spread into new locations. Understanding why some invasive species repeatedly succeed while others fail could improve efforts to limit or prevent the harmful effects of invasion.Read moreRead less
Asexual reproduction in honey bee invaders. This project aims to determine whether thelytokous parthenogenesis (the ability of queens and workers to clone themselves) is a critical factor in the successful establishment of invasive social insects in Australia and elsewhere. When an exotic social insect species arrives in Australia the population will usually expire due to a lack of conspecifics for mating, and severe inbreeding. Nonetheless, a few ant, bee and wasp species have managed to estab ....Asexual reproduction in honey bee invaders. This project aims to determine whether thelytokous parthenogenesis (the ability of queens and workers to clone themselves) is a critical factor in the successful establishment of invasive social insects in Australia and elsewhere. When an exotic social insect species arrives in Australia the population will usually expire due to a lack of conspecifics for mating, and severe inbreeding. Nonetheless, a few ant, bee and wasp species have managed to establish here and are among our worst invasive animals. The project plans to show how the Asian hive bee became established in Queensland and to assess the risks it poses to industry and the environment. This research should help the nation to respond more effectively to the next social insect invader.Read moreRead less