Comparative Paleogenomics of the Arctic Tundra Ecosystem: the genetic response of plants and animals to climate change. This project will use DNA from deep-frozen seeds and bones 100,000 years old to record how species respond to climate change - by adapting and surviving or by shifting ranges and moving. Very large numbers of genes will be examined to identify changes across the genomes of four plant and two animal species, and contrast the responses to major climatic shifts.
Adapting to a changing world: mothers as drivers of evolutionary change. This project will improve our understanding of how organisms will adapt to the unprecedented speed and magnitude of human-induced environmental change. By identifying how mothers modify their offspring to better match the prevailing environment, it will address the role of mothers in directing and accelerating adaptation in our changing world.
Identifying the genes and population histories that drive rapid adaptive change and speciation. This project will uncover the genetic variation and demographic histories that allow rapid adaptation and speciation in natural populations. It will leverage the powerful framework provided by Indo-Australian sea snakes, and new gene sequencing technologies, to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of genes, populations and species. Using this data, it will address inter-related key questions that ar ....Identifying the genes and population histories that drive rapid adaptive change and speciation. This project will uncover the genetic variation and demographic histories that allow rapid adaptation and speciation in natural populations. It will leverage the powerful framework provided by Indo-Australian sea snakes, and new gene sequencing technologies, to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of genes, populations and species. Using this data, it will address inter-related key questions that are critical to effective biodiversity conservation but have rarely been evaluated in the same taxon. It will address what genetic changes are involved in adaptive shifts and speciation, whether these originate de novo or from pre-existing variation and how gene flow and changes in population size promote or constrain adaptation and speciation.Read moreRead less
Capturing Proteus: 65 million years of ecosystem change revealed through evolution of Proteaceae in Australasia. By assessing past changes in the iconic Australian plant family Proteaceae, this research will show how the Australasian vegetation has responded to 65 million years of profound landscape and climate changes. This knowledge from the past will give important insights into how ecosystems can be expected to change under future climate scenarios.
Evolution and biogeography of Australian idiopid trapdoor spiders: implications for conservation biology and environmental assessment. Trapdoor spiders (family Idiopidae) are poorly studied and there are many new species with restricted distributions in the western and arid parts of the continent. This project will use DNA techniques to study their evolution and provide genetic criteria for their identification, environmental assessment and determining conservation priorities.
Evolution, adaptation and resilience of Australian freshwater fishes. This project will integrate comparative ecological genomics (in the wild and in the lab), phenotypic data and spatially-explicit modelling approaches to assess adaptation and vulnerability of aquatic biodiversity to environmental change. It focuses on a family of Australian freshwater fishes that evolved in response to hydrological disturbance and shows contemporary patterns of biodiversity shaped by hydroclimatic variation an ....Evolution, adaptation and resilience of Australian freshwater fishes. This project will integrate comparative ecological genomics (in the wild and in the lab), phenotypic data and spatially-explicit modelling approaches to assess adaptation and vulnerability of aquatic biodiversity to environmental change. It focuses on a family of Australian freshwater fishes that evolved in response to hydrological disturbance and shows contemporary patterns of biodiversity shaped by hydroclimatic variation and anthropogenic pressures. The project expects to disclose a positive correlation between family-wide adaptive capacity and variance in ecological disturbance. This work will address fundamental and novel questions about factors shaping adaptation and resilience along naturally and anthropogenically disturbed ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Developing best-practice approaches for restoring forest ecosystems that are resilient to climate change. Existing restoration practices for forests tend to rely on ad hoc rules of thumb that lack a firm scientific basis and risk failure due to climate change. The project will model biodiversity, genetic and growth performance data to develop best-practice restoration guidelines for forest ecosystems to enable them to become resilient to climate change and maximise biodiversity and carbon captur ....Developing best-practice approaches for restoring forest ecosystems that are resilient to climate change. Existing restoration practices for forests tend to rely on ad hoc rules of thumb that lack a firm scientific basis and risk failure due to climate change. The project will model biodiversity, genetic and growth performance data to develop best-practice restoration guidelines for forest ecosystems to enable them to become resilient to climate change and maximise biodiversity and carbon capture outcomes.Read moreRead less
Biodiversity and population genetics of groundwater calcrete ecosystems of central Western Australia. This project will lead to documentation of a unique subterranean ecosystem of world acclaim, representing a significant component of the biodiversity of the Australian arid zone. It will further contribute to sustainable management of groundwater ecosystems and provide information that can be used to predict and monitor how future water use and climate change may impact on these ecosystems. Resu ....Biodiversity and population genetics of groundwater calcrete ecosystems of central Western Australia. This project will lead to documentation of a unique subterranean ecosystem of world acclaim, representing a significant component of the biodiversity of the Australian arid zone. It will further contribute to sustainable management of groundwater ecosystems and provide information that can be used to predict and monitor how future water use and climate change may impact on these ecosystems. Results generated will provide the knowledge base required to improve the efficiency and scientific rigour of the environmental review process for major resource projects, leading to economic benefits to the mining and environmental consultancy industries, and to Australia in general.Read moreRead less