Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and ....Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and the spread of exotic species. Outcomes will include strategies for minimising impacts of invasive mussels and boosting warm-temperature adaptation in aquaculture mussels and restored shellfish reefs. This project will yield fundamental insights into how marine species can quickly adapt to warming seas.Read moreRead less
Tracking origins and spread of Crown-of-Thorns Seastars on the Great Barrier Reef. This proposal aims to uncover the source reefs for Crown-of-Thorns Seastars (CoTS) outbreaks and the main routes of spread through the Great Barrier Reef. Coral eating CoTS pose a significant threat to the Great Barrier Reef. Using population genomics, invasive species genetics, and epidemiology and drawing upon extensive collections of adults and larvae dating from the 1980’s onwards, this project will test promi ....Tracking origins and spread of Crown-of-Thorns Seastars on the Great Barrier Reef. This proposal aims to uncover the source reefs for Crown-of-Thorns Seastars (CoTS) outbreaks and the main routes of spread through the Great Barrier Reef. Coral eating CoTS pose a significant threat to the Great Barrier Reef. Using population genomics, invasive species genetics, and epidemiology and drawing upon extensive collections of adults and larvae dating from the 1980’s onwards, this project will test prominent hypotheses about outbreak origins and subsequent spatial spread of CoTS via larval dispersal. The project expects to clarify the locations and timing of long distance dispersal pathways and to test whether larval detection near reefs can provide an early warning for local outbreaks on these same reefs.Read moreRead less