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Dispersal and colonisation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The problem of pest or disease organisms for humanity is fundamentally a problem of unwanted colonisation. For example, colonisation of the surfaces of human tissues by bacterial biofilms is responsible for up to 70% of bacterial infections; colonisation of the surfaces of boat hulls by marine organisms costs the marine shipping industry > $5 billion per year. This proposal will generate fundamental information on the ability of both bac ....Dispersal and colonisation in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The problem of pest or disease organisms for humanity is fundamentally a problem of unwanted colonisation. For example, colonisation of the surfaces of human tissues by bacterial biofilms is responsible for up to 70% of bacterial infections; colonisation of the surfaces of boat hulls by marine organisms costs the marine shipping industry > $5 billion per year. This proposal will generate fundamental information on the ability of both bacteria and higher organisms to disperse and colonise surfaces, allowing for the development of novel technologies for the prevention of unwanted colonisation of surfaces. Read moreRead less
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
Do microbes facilitate the invasion of marine plants? Worldwide, management of invasive species is limited by the understandings of processes that allow invasive species to establish and proliferate in a new environment. It is believed that marine microbes play a critical, but untested, role in the establishment of invasive marine macrophytes. This project aims to test the theory by integrating cutting edge microbial ecology with eukaryote ecology, two largely disparate research areas. Invasive ....Do microbes facilitate the invasion of marine plants? Worldwide, management of invasive species is limited by the understandings of processes that allow invasive species to establish and proliferate in a new environment. It is believed that marine microbes play a critical, but untested, role in the establishment of invasive marine macrophytes. This project aims to test the theory by integrating cutting edge microbial ecology with eukaryote ecology, two largely disparate research areas. Invasive species are a serious threat to biodiversity globally and cost more than $4 billion annually. This project aims to create new knowledge essential for safeguarding Australia’s marine ecosystems from invasive pests, and will place Australia at the forefront of invasion ecology.Read moreRead less
What happens to coral reefs without cleaner fish? Marine 'mosquitoes' regularly attack coral reef fish, but are controlled by parasite-eating cleaner fish. Cleaners positively affect reef communities in many ways and this is disproportionate to their tiny size and low density. Their removal for aquarium trades may have staggering effects on reefs. The project will determine how cleaners cause such effects.
Management of coastal lakes to minimise invasion. The European shore crab has the potential to undermine the productivity of Australia's estuaries and devastate our shellfish industries, worth over $50 million p.a. This project will provide estuarine managers with the data urgently needed to prevent spread of this pest species. In doing so, it will help to ensure the future prosperity of our seafood industries and the sustainability of our unique coastal biodiversity. The outcomes of this projec ....Management of coastal lakes to minimise invasion. The European shore crab has the potential to undermine the productivity of Australia's estuaries and devastate our shellfish industries, worth over $50 million p.a. This project will provide estuarine managers with the data urgently needed to prevent spread of this pest species. In doing so, it will help to ensure the future prosperity of our seafood industries and the sustainability of our unique coastal biodiversity. The outcomes of this project will be applicable to the management of many of the > 200 introduced marine species already present within our coastal waters. Importantly, the project will also contribute to research training in new techniques to protect Australia from future pest invasions.Read moreRead less
Ecological impacts of QX Oyster disease and its management strategies. QX disease is responsible for mass mortality of oysters, and, as a result, economic and job losses. QX disease also threatens ecosystem services provided by wild oysters, such as biodiversity enhancement and fish production. This project will provide estuarine managers with information about how proposed QX management solutions will impact wild oyster populations and vital ecosystem services. It will also contribute to traini ....Ecological impacts of QX Oyster disease and its management strategies. QX disease is responsible for mass mortality of oysters, and, as a result, economic and job losses. QX disease also threatens ecosystem services provided by wild oysters, such as biodiversity enhancement and fish production. This project will provide estuarine managers with information about how proposed QX management solutions will impact wild oyster populations and vital ecosystem services. It will also contribute to training of early career researchers in strategies to ensure the sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity. As QX outbreaks appear to be increasing, this research and training is urgently needed to underpin management to ensure long-term sustainability of valuable estuarine resources.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100710
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$422,492.00
Summary
Beyond Hendra: the significance of viral communities in bat virus spillover. This project aims to address the emerging global health threat posed by zoonotic bat-borne viruses, by determining why bats shed multiple viruses in synchronised pulses. The project expects to identify universal drivers of multi-viral shedding pulses, using Hendra virus as a model system for other bat viruses in Australia and globally. Expected outcomes include insights into the interactions between environmental change ....Beyond Hendra: the significance of viral communities in bat virus spillover. This project aims to address the emerging global health threat posed by zoonotic bat-borne viruses, by determining why bats shed multiple viruses in synchronised pulses. The project expects to identify universal drivers of multi-viral shedding pulses, using Hendra virus as a model system for other bat viruses in Australia and globally. Expected outcomes include insights into the interactions between environmental change, bat ecology, viral dynamics and spillover, prediction of when and where bat viral shedding will most likely occur, and development of new ecological interventions to prevent bat virus spillover in Australia and globally. This will provide significant benefits by pre-empting spillover and global pandemics before they occur.Read moreRead less
Making Green Guard® greener: enhancing the efficacy of a biopesticide. The project aims to identify naturally occurring micro-organisms to increase the effectiveness of Green Guard ®, which is a biopesticide used against the Australian plague locust. The project will use next-generation sequencing and other molecular techniques to potentially identify candidate microbes or combinations of microbes that can be added to Green Guard to enhance locust susceptibility. The project also aims to quantif ....Making Green Guard® greener: enhancing the efficacy of a biopesticide. The project aims to identify naturally occurring micro-organisms to increase the effectiveness of Green Guard ®, which is a biopesticide used against the Australian plague locust. The project will use next-generation sequencing and other molecular techniques to potentially identify candidate microbes or combinations of microbes that can be added to Green Guard to enhance locust susceptibility. The project also aims to quantify the interactive impact of temperature and nutrition on immune function, disease resistance and host-plant quality of plague locusts; and to explore the combined effects of temperature, habitat and Green Guard, in combination with candidate microbes or pathogens, on the behaviour and collective movement of locusts. It is anticipated that this will have implications for management and control strategies.Read moreRead less
Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non- ....Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non-government agencies across the entire Kimberley region. It will also result in the evaluation of methods for deployment of taste-aversion at a landscape scale. This should provide significant benefits by conserving vulnerable fauna and building a powerful network within a region of high biodiversity in tropical Australia.Read moreRead less
Dispersal and gene flow in habitat-forming algae. The temperate coast of Australia has a unique and diverse algal flora. Many of these algae play a central role in subtidal ecology by providing habitat to an astonishing diversity of taxa. Despite this, we have no understanding of levels of gene flow within and among populations of habitat forming algae or how such populations persist in nature. By addressing this lack of knowledge, my research will contribute information that is critical for the ....Dispersal and gene flow in habitat-forming algae. The temperate coast of Australia has a unique and diverse algal flora. Many of these algae play a central role in subtidal ecology by providing habitat to an astonishing diversity of taxa. Despite this, we have no understanding of levels of gene flow within and among populations of habitat forming algae or how such populations persist in nature. By addressing this lack of knowledge, my research will contribute information that is critical for the conservation and management of algal habitats. This is particularly pertinent because anthropogentic stressors are beginning to precipitate significant changes in algal forests along Australia's coastline. Read moreRead less