Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100015
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Purchase of an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph - triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The diverse research supported by the proposed instrument group addresses several national research priorities. It will lead to a better fundamental understanding of the hormonal control of plant growth, improved catalysts for organic synthesis including pharmaceuticals and improved food safety. In forestry it will help to increase forest productivity through mitigating losses from insect and mamm ....Purchase of an ultra-performance liquid chromatograph - triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The diverse research supported by the proposed instrument group addresses several national research priorities. It will lead to a better fundamental understanding of the hormonal control of plant growth, improved catalysts for organic synthesis including pharmaceuticals and improved food safety. In forestry it will help to increase forest productivity through mitigating losses from insect and mammalian pests and enhancing wood quality. In pharmaceutics, improved treatments for asthma are expected. This facility will provide the infrastructure essential for many researchers to maintain internationally competitive profiles in their areas and continue to offer postgraduate training and postdoctoral opportunities.Read moreRead less
Clocks in crops: exploring the role of circadian rhythms in crop adaptation. The project aims to analyse how the circadian clock provides adaptive advantages in legumes and cereals, two major crop groups of global importance. The project expects to produce new fundamental knowledge about how the clock in these crops coordinates their development, physiology, and metabolism in response to environmental cues. The anticipated outcome is a better understanding of key similarities and differences in ....Clocks in crops: exploring the role of circadian rhythms in crop adaptation. The project aims to analyse how the circadian clock provides adaptive advantages in legumes and cereals, two major crop groups of global importance. The project expects to produce new fundamental knowledge about how the clock in these crops coordinates their development, physiology, and metabolism in response to environmental cues. The anticipated outcome is a better understanding of key similarities and differences in clock functions in different species. Another is knowledge of how the ancient clock gene variants still in use today may limit the current or future performance of those crops. This will provide significant benefits, such as to improve productivity of crop plants in diverse and changing environments.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture. The ARC CoE for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture will discover the adaptive strategies underpinning productivity and resilience in diverse plants and deepen knowledge of the genetic and physiological networks driving key traits. Using novel quantitative and computational approaches, the Centre will link gene networks with traits across biological levels, giving breeders an unparalleled predictive capacity. The Centre wi ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture. The ARC CoE for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture will discover the adaptive strategies underpinning productivity and resilience in diverse plants and deepen knowledge of the genetic and physiological networks driving key traits. Using novel quantitative and computational approaches, the Centre will link gene networks with traits across biological levels, giving breeders an unparalleled predictive capacity. The Centre will accelerate technologies to transfer successful networks into crops and build legal frameworks to secure this knowledge. With a uniquely multidisciplinary team, the Centre will deliver new strategies to address the problems of food security and climate change, establishing Australia as a global leader in these areas.Read moreRead less
New genetic mechanisms linking flowering, growth habit and yield in legumes. This project aims to investigate the genetic control of flowering and flowering-related traits in legumes, an important group of crop plants. The regulation of flowering by environmental factors has a major influence on plant yield and is important for adaptation in natural and agricultural settings. However, it is poorly understood at the molecular level. This project aims to use induced genetic variation and transcrip ....New genetic mechanisms linking flowering, growth habit and yield in legumes. This project aims to investigate the genetic control of flowering and flowering-related traits in legumes, an important group of crop plants. The regulation of flowering by environmental factors has a major influence on plant yield and is important for adaptation in natural and agricultural settings. However, it is poorly understood at the molecular level. This project aims to use induced genetic variation and transcriptome analysis to define new genes and genetic mechanisms through which flowering is regulated by day length and temperature, and to explore the molecular links between flowering and other developmental processes including seed development. This should extend our understanding of how plant architecture, reproduction and yield are regulated by the environment, and address several agronomic issues.Read moreRead less
How plants open up: revealing the evolution of stomatal opening mechanisms. This project aims to identify novel and conserved mechanisms that drive the opening of stomata – plant pores that enable CO2 acquisition for photosynthesis. Stomatal movements strongly affect plant productivity and water use efficiency and have profoundly influenced the earth’s climate and terrestrial ecology. This project will address critical gaps in our understanding of how plants open stomata in response to their env ....How plants open up: revealing the evolution of stomatal opening mechanisms. This project aims to identify novel and conserved mechanisms that drive the opening of stomata – plant pores that enable CO2 acquisition for photosynthesis. Stomatal movements strongly affect plant productivity and water use efficiency and have profoundly influenced the earth’s climate and terrestrial ecology. This project will address critical gaps in our understanding of how plants open stomata in response to their environment and the evolutionary history of the genes controlling this fundamental process. A major expected outcome is knowledge of the diversity of stomatal opening pathways, which should ultimately lead to improved predictions of plant responses to environmental change and assist future targeted modification of plant growth.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101133
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,067.00
Summary
The quick and the dead: identifying mechanisms for plant drought survival. This project aims to identify genes that control plant responses to low air humidity, which enhance drought survival by restricting water loss. Most plant water loss occurs through pores called stomata. This project expects to identify the genes that close stomata within minutes of decreased humidity by determining the molecular changes that occur over this timeframe and testing candidate genes for a critical role. Divers ....The quick and the dead: identifying mechanisms for plant drought survival. This project aims to identify genes that control plant responses to low air humidity, which enhance drought survival by restricting water loss. Most plant water loss occurs through pores called stomata. This project expects to identify the genes that close stomata within minutes of decreased humidity by determining the molecular changes that occur over this timeframe and testing candidate genes for a critical role. Diverse land plant models will be examined to ensure broad applicability of results. A major expected outcome is new knowledge of genes that minimise plant water loss, which would ultimately benefit plant-based industries through new targets for breeding improved, drought-adapted varieties for food security in a drying climate.Read moreRead less
Hybridisation and gene flow in Eucalyptus. We propose to use a molecular approach to study hybridisation in eucalypts. We will study the genetic barriers to gene flow and provide base-line data to assess the potential threat of genetic pollution from exotic plantations to our native forest gene pools. We will concentrate our studies on species of subgenus Symphyomyrtus which includes all the major plantation species. This will allow us to extend our long-running studies of hybridisation towar ....Hybridisation and gene flow in Eucalyptus. We propose to use a molecular approach to study hybridisation in eucalypts. We will study the genetic barriers to gene flow and provide base-line data to assess the potential threat of genetic pollution from exotic plantations to our native forest gene pools. We will concentrate our studies on species of subgenus Symphyomyrtus which includes all the major plantation species. This will allow us to extend our long-running studies of hybridisation towards understanding the dynamics and consequences of genetic invasion and help develop guidelines to minimise the risk of genetic pollution.Read moreRead less
Genetics, genomics and evolution of flowering time control in legumes. Flowering in plants is strongly regulated by environmental factors, with important consequences for their natural distribution and use in agriculture. This project will characterise genes, genetic diversity and molecular mechanisms that control flowering in legumes, contributing to fundamental biology, crop improvement and research training.
Seaweed forests of the future: responses to ocean acidification and warming. The aim is to discover if rising levels of oceanic carbon dioxide will offset negative effects of ocean warming on seaweeds, using targeted physiological experiments together with novel molecular diagnostics. Seaweeds create habitats and food for shellfish and fish, and play a crucial role in long term ‘blue carbon’ storage. They are predicted to benefit from future carbon dioxide enrichment, but to test this forecast r ....Seaweed forests of the future: responses to ocean acidification and warming. The aim is to discover if rising levels of oceanic carbon dioxide will offset negative effects of ocean warming on seaweeds, using targeted physiological experiments together with novel molecular diagnostics. Seaweeds create habitats and food for shellfish and fish, and play a crucial role in long term ‘blue carbon’ storage. They are predicted to benefit from future carbon dioxide enrichment, but to test this forecast requires a detailed understanding of the mechanisms used by seaweeds to acquire dissolved inorganic carbon. The expected outcome is robust predictions of how the primary productivity of coastal waters will respond to future high carbon dioxide conditions, enabling human adaptation to environmental change.
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Understanding the biological functions of the karrikin-responsive signaling system of plants in growth, development and responses to the environment. A new signalling system in plants, related to that of strigolactone hormones but evolutionarily more ancient and functionally distinct, has been discovered. It is defined by the Karrkin-Insensitive-2 (KAI2) protein discovered by its ability to confer responsiveness to karrikins from bushfires. The KAI2 system influences seed germination, and develo ....Understanding the biological functions of the karrikin-responsive signaling system of plants in growth, development and responses to the environment. A new signalling system in plants, related to that of strigolactone hormones but evolutionarily more ancient and functionally distinct, has been discovered. It is defined by the Karrkin-Insensitive-2 (KAI2) protein discovered by its ability to confer responsiveness to karrikins from bushfires. The KAI2 system influences seed germination, and development of seedlings, leaves and potentially roots. This project will use KAI2 mutants and transgenic plants to define the biological functions of KAI2 signalling, and its interactions with other signalling systems. New genes central to KAI2 signalling and responses will be identified for functional analysis. The research will reveal the significance of this new signalling system in plant biology. Read moreRead less