Dissecting insect gut function to understand insecticide detoxification. Massive quantities of chemical insecticides are used daily to control the insect pests that threaten agriculture, human health and the welfare of domestic pets. Insects readily evolve resistance to these chemicals reducing the effectiveness of pest control, increasing the amount of chemical used and increasing costs to consumers. This project examines the way in which insects adapt to the extreme stress imposed on them by ....Dissecting insect gut function to understand insecticide detoxification. Massive quantities of chemical insecticides are used daily to control the insect pests that threaten agriculture, human health and the welfare of domestic pets. Insects readily evolve resistance to these chemicals reducing the effectiveness of pest control, increasing the amount of chemical used and increasing costs to consumers. This project examines the way in which insects adapt to the extreme stress imposed on them by chemical insecticides. A thorough understanding of this adaptation process is required before insecticide resistance can be effectively managed or prevented. Read moreRead less
Autonomous tracking and predictive modelling of Australian plague locust migratory band movement. We will use advances in robotics, engineering, mathematics and biology to develop a new computer model for the control of one of the world's most damaging pest insects: locusts. Autonomous aerial robotic systems will be used to collect data on Australian plague locusts travelling in devastating migratory bands. These data on band movement and the behaviour of individual locusts within the band will ....Autonomous tracking and predictive modelling of Australian plague locust migratory band movement. We will use advances in robotics, engineering, mathematics and biology to develop a new computer model for the control of one of the world's most damaging pest insects: locusts. Autonomous aerial robotic systems will be used to collect data on Australian plague locusts travelling in devastating migratory bands. These data on band movement and the behaviour of individual locusts within the band will be used to develop a particle physics-inspired predictive model of migratory band movement, which will be used to optimise locust control operations. Economic, environmental and social benefits will arise through reductions in the amount of time, money, manpower and insecticides necessary to combat locust outbreaks.Read moreRead less
Functional and regulatory analysis of n-acetylcholine receptors, key targets of insecticides. Agriculture is one of Australia's mainstay industries and a major user of insecticides. However, current insecticides suffer a number of significant deficiencies, including collateral damage in the environment and insect resistance. One of the major targets for insecticides are a class of neuronal receptors, found in organisms ranging from worms to man. Our work will provide a detailed biological unders ....Functional and regulatory analysis of n-acetylcholine receptors, key targets of insecticides. Agriculture is one of Australia's mainstay industries and a major user of insecticides. However, current insecticides suffer a number of significant deficiencies, including collateral damage in the environment and insect resistance. One of the major targets for insecticides are a class of neuronal receptors, found in organisms ranging from worms to man. Our work will provide a detailed biological understanding of these receptors leading to better ways of developing new insecticides. Similar receptors in humans are the target for nicotine and associated with neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Thus our work will also increase our understanding of important human receptors associated with disease.Read moreRead less
To move or not to move: are insect movement strategies driven by plant-induced defences? Plants change chemically when damaged by insects. By showing how movement and feeding is related to these induced defences we can manipulate plant defences to resist insect attack in a more focused way. Our target insects are major pests against which we use large amounts of insecticide. Our research will decrease insect damage to crops using existing genetic machinery of plants as opposed to inserting 'nove ....To move or not to move: are insect movement strategies driven by plant-induced defences? Plants change chemically when damaged by insects. By showing how movement and feeding is related to these induced defences we can manipulate plant defences to resist insect attack in a more focused way. Our target insects are major pests against which we use large amounts of insecticide. Our research will decrease insect damage to crops using existing genetic machinery of plants as opposed to inserting 'novel' toxin-expressing genes. This project builds on Australia's strong record of achievement in agricultural and natural resource research by increasing understanding of the interplay between plant traits and insects. We will build cross-disciplinary research capacity training a new generation of biologists in an exciting area of science.Read moreRead less
The functional genomics of locust migratory behaviour. Unravelling the molecular genetic basis of locust migratory behaviour will place Australia at the forefront of international biological research and simultaneously contribute to the development of new and safer ways to manage these notorious agricultural pests. We will use genomics and gene expression analyses to identify the suite of genes involved in the behavioural changes that catalyse locust swarm formation and migration. This collabor ....The functional genomics of locust migratory behaviour. Unravelling the molecular genetic basis of locust migratory behaviour will place Australia at the forefront of international biological research and simultaneously contribute to the development of new and safer ways to manage these notorious agricultural pests. We will use genomics and gene expression analyses to identify the suite of genes involved in the behavioural changes that catalyse locust swarm formation and migration. This collaborative study will enhance international relations with China, foster the development of gene-focused locust control strategies, and provide an exemplar study of an important and complex problem faced by Australia and international community.Read moreRead less
Life hanging on a thread; disrupting the structure and function of lepidopteran silking behaviour. The production and use of silk by many invertebrates is vital for their survival. We develop a means of visualising and understanding the role of silking behaviour as a survival mechanism for Helicoverpa larvae (a key world-wide pest) with a view to disrupting silking. This novel project allows us to understand not just where larvae go but what they do along the way. The project outcomes will have ....Life hanging on a thread; disrupting the structure and function of lepidopteran silking behaviour. The production and use of silk by many invertebrates is vital for their survival. We develop a means of visualising and understanding the role of silking behaviour as a survival mechanism for Helicoverpa larvae (a key world-wide pest) with a view to disrupting silking. This novel project allows us to understand not just where larvae go but what they do along the way. The project outcomes will have wide application to the study and control of lepidopteran pests in natural and agricultural ecosystems and is of interest to applied and fundamental projects associated with insect pest control, behaviour and ecology.Read moreRead less
Australian plague locust population genetics and migratory behaviour. The project will allow improved monitoring and forecasting of locusts in Australia and thereby help prevent locust outbreaks. Benefits will arise directly through greater effectiveness in reducing locust damage to crops, and indirectly to Australian rural industry generally through the economic benefits of reduced losses and locust control costs. Environmental and social benefits will also arise from reduced, better targeted u ....Australian plague locust population genetics and migratory behaviour. The project will allow improved monitoring and forecasting of locusts in Australia and thereby help prevent locust outbreaks. Benefits will arise directly through greater effectiveness in reducing locust damage to crops, and indirectly to Australian rural industry generally through the economic benefits of reduced losses and locust control costs. Environmental and social benefits will also arise from reduced, better targeted use of chemical insecticides. This in turn can produce secondary economic benefits, e.g. through enhanced growth and profitability of the organic beef industry within the main locust-outbreak area. Read moreRead less
Forecasting locust outbreaks: evaluation of an Insect Monitoring Radar network. A recently developed technology that allows high-altitude migrations of insects to be detected automatically and at modest cost will be adapted to the specific task of forecasting Australian plague locusts. A network of two 'Insect Monitoring Radars' (IMRs) will be operated in a locust outbreak area, and observation summaries, customised to identify major locust migration events and to estimate their source and desti ....Forecasting locust outbreaks: evaluation of an Insect Monitoring Radar network. A recently developed technology that allows high-altitude migrations of insects to be detected automatically and at modest cost will be adapted to the specific task of forecasting Australian plague locusts. A network of two 'Insect Monitoring Radars' (IMRs) will be operated in a locust outbreak area, and observation summaries, customised to identify major locust migration events and to estimate their source and destination regions, will be presented daily to forecasters at the Australian Plague Locust Commission (APLC). The potential contribution of IMRs to APLC's strategic goal of reducing chemical insecticide usage while maintaining protection of valuable crops will be evaluated.Read moreRead less
Characterising annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) in Australia. Annual rye grass (ARG) defies modern chemical technologies through evolving resistance. Agriculture has prospect of no herbicide options for ARG control in 10 years. Traditional approaches do not provide sustainable answers. A novel study of fundamental factors influencing competitiveness of this species is warranted to achieve more strongly based management options. Benefits are a prototype for improving understanding of other weed s ....Characterising annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) in Australia. Annual rye grass (ARG) defies modern chemical technologies through evolving resistance. Agriculture has prospect of no herbicide options for ARG control in 10 years. Traditional approaches do not provide sustainable answers. A novel study of fundamental factors influencing competitiveness of this species is warranted to achieve more strongly based management options. Benefits are a prototype for improving understanding of other weed species, a stronger basis for determining management of Australia's worst temperate crop weed. Bringing together knowledge of ARG's genetic diversity, the role of endophyte and its allelopathic capabilities provides a powerful basis for unlocking the barriers to the control of this species.Read moreRead less
Putting smells into context: Using in vivo technologies to understand plant-insect odour signalling. How insects find host plants is central to understanding their basic ecology and management. We use a novel cross-disciplinary approach to target a key pest insect's responses to a host-plant, genetically modified to smell different. This insect pest, the cotton bollworm, costs the Australian economy millions in lost revenue every year. Reliance on insecticides to control insect pests is exacerba ....Putting smells into context: Using in vivo technologies to understand plant-insect odour signalling. How insects find host plants is central to understanding their basic ecology and management. We use a novel cross-disciplinary approach to target a key pest insect's responses to a host-plant, genetically modified to smell different. This insect pest, the cotton bollworm, costs the Australian economy millions in lost revenue every year. Reliance on insecticides to control insect pests is exacerbated by increasing insecticidal resistance and is a major economic, environmental and health concern. Our research will open the door to novel control strategies that use the natural odours of plants to reduce their attractiveness to insect pests.Read moreRead less