Mechanisms of colour production and the evolution of animal signals. This project aims to reveal how diverse colours are produced in reptiles and the information these colours convey about individual health, condition and performance. The project evaluates how stress affects both pigment deposition and the nano-structure of cells and tissues, which together produce colour. By comparing similar colours generated by two entirely different classes of pigment (carotenoids and pteridines), this proje ....Mechanisms of colour production and the evolution of animal signals. This project aims to reveal how diverse colours are produced in reptiles and the information these colours convey about individual health, condition and performance. The project evaluates how stress affects both pigment deposition and the nano-structure of cells and tissues, which together produce colour. By comparing similar colours generated by two entirely different classes of pigment (carotenoids and pteridines), this project will provide new insights into the evolution of animal coloration, and will significantly enhance our understanding of pteridines, one of the most prevalent but least understood classes of pigment in vertebrates.Read moreRead less
Critical flux paths influencing ecological processes in an urban estuary. This study will focus on the roles of benthic algae, denitrification and consumers on nutrient fluxes and planktonic production in the Swan River estuary, Western Australia. A 5-year research program of measurements and numerical modelling has identified these processes as poorly quantified, critical to the estuary trophic status, and essential data in order to accurately predict potential impacts of remediation strategie ....Critical flux paths influencing ecological processes in an urban estuary. This study will focus on the roles of benthic algae, denitrification and consumers on nutrient fluxes and planktonic production in the Swan River estuary, Western Australia. A 5-year research program of measurements and numerical modelling has identified these processes as poorly quantified, critical to the estuary trophic status, and essential data in order to accurately predict potential impacts of remediation strategies. We will validate the impacts of denitrification through in situ measurements, review data on higher order consumers, and use this information in a numerical model to understand the interactions of biogeochemical fluxes, plant, animal and microbial communities, and transport processes in the estuary.Read moreRead less
Setting rehabilitation targets for regulated floodplain wetlands: linking system structure and function. Limited understanding of ecosystem processes in floodplain wetlands impedes adaptive management strategies for combating the decline in aquatic productivity and biodiversity. This project addresses three knowledge gaps critical for effective floodplain wetland management: 1) hierarchical spatial and temporal patterns of structural diversity; 2) correspondence between patterns of structural d ....Setting rehabilitation targets for regulated floodplain wetlands: linking system structure and function. Limited understanding of ecosystem processes in floodplain wetlands impedes adaptive management strategies for combating the decline in aquatic productivity and biodiversity. This project addresses three knowledge gaps critical for effective floodplain wetland management: 1) hierarchical spatial and temporal patterns of structural diversity; 2) correspondence between patterns of structural diversity, rates of system production, and food web structure, and 3) conceptual models of relationships between hydrologic regime and wetland structure and function. The project will improve understanding of the impacts of regulation on floodplain wetlands, contribute to adaptive management, and set rehabilitation targets for delivery of environmental flows for ecosystem sustainability.Read moreRead less
Testing our knowledge on the dawn of animal life: evidence from the fossil record against modern ecological and morphological analogues. The Cambrian 'Explosion', half a billion years ago, is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the Earth, when most major animal groups first appear in the rock record, and for which South Australia has recently become a significant source of spectacular fossils. However, important questions remain regarding their Ediacaran roots, the spe ....Testing our knowledge on the dawn of animal life: evidence from the fossil record against modern ecological and morphological analogues. The Cambrian 'Explosion', half a billion years ago, is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of the Earth, when most major animal groups first appear in the rock record, and for which South Australia has recently become a significant source of spectacular fossils. However, important questions remain regarding their Ediacaran roots, the speed of evolution at the time, and the environments in which the radiation took place. Studying the fossil evidence in the light of present-day ecological frameworks, and in comparison with modern behavioural and morphological analogues, as well as living relatives, can help us better assess our understanding of this first radiation of animals.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the paradox of imperfect mimicry. This project aims to resolve why some mimics resemble their models closely, whereas others are only superficially similar. The existence of imperfect mimics makes understanding the biology of mimicry difficult. This project addresses the difficulty by evaluating competing hypotheses. It will combine morphometrics, colourmetrics and phylogenomics with predator behaviour across several independent lineages of mimetic arthropods. Predicted outcomes includ ....Unlocking the paradox of imperfect mimicry. This project aims to resolve why some mimics resemble their models closely, whereas others are only superficially similar. The existence of imperfect mimics makes understanding the biology of mimicry difficult. This project addresses the difficulty by evaluating competing hypotheses. It will combine morphometrics, colourmetrics and phylogenomics with predator behaviour across several independent lineages of mimetic arthropods. Predicted outcomes include advancing the understanding of mimicry by distinguishing between competing hypotheses. The project will generate open access genomic, morphological and behavioural databases for the scientific and public communities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101486
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Animal groups as mobile sensor networks. This project aims to provide biologically inspired solutions to the problems faced by mobile sensor networks. Mobile sensor networks provide a powerful new tool in environmental monitoring and surveillance, however, designing them to be energy efficient while not sacrificing information detection remains a challenge. By immersing animal groups into dynamically changing virtual environments this project will design new efficient mobile sensor networks. The ....Animal groups as mobile sensor networks. This project aims to provide biologically inspired solutions to the problems faced by mobile sensor networks. Mobile sensor networks provide a powerful new tool in environmental monitoring and surveillance, however, designing them to be energy efficient while not sacrificing information detection remains a challenge. By immersing animal groups into dynamically changing virtual environments this project will design new efficient mobile sensor networks. The project is expected to provide solutions to mobile sensor network limitations, benefitting areas including robotics, environmental monitoring and defence.Read moreRead less
Predicting invertebrate life cycles under variable climates. This project seeks to characterise and predict the responses of invertebrates to climate variability and climate change. Alterations to the developmental trajectory are a major way that organisms adapt their life cycles to climatic variability. Many invertebrates avoid extremes of heat, cold and dry by entering a quiescent or diapause state, often at the egg stage. This project plans to apply novel high-throughput methods for character ....Predicting invertebrate life cycles under variable climates. This project seeks to characterise and predict the responses of invertebrates to climate variability and climate change. Alterations to the developmental trajectory are a major way that organisms adapt their life cycles to climatic variability. Many invertebrates avoid extremes of heat, cold and dry by entering a quiescent or diapause state, often at the egg stage. This project plans to apply novel high-throughput methods for characterising developmental patterns in the eggs of invertebrates in conjunction with microclimate models and modern phylogenetic methods to understand and predict responses to climatic variability. The methods are expected to be transferable to other invertebrates and may lead to breakthroughs in pest management and conservation.Read moreRead less
From individuals to mass organisation: aggregation, synchronisation and collective movement in locusts. By combining field biology, robotics and mathematics, this project will determine how animals flock or swarm and, in particular, how locust nymphs control their collective movement over their lifetime. The mathematical models derived during the project will be directly applied to controlling outbreaks of locusts in Australia, South and North Africa.
Factors controlling marine food webs: consumer vs. nutrient limitation of mobile invertebrates and algae. An understanding of the strength of interactions in marine food webs is crucial to predicting change in coastal habitats due to human activities. The outcomes of this research will indicate the relative importance of changes in nutrient inputs from terrestrial runoff (eutrophication) and predation pressures (via overfishing) - both of which may strongly affect the structure of marine habitat ....Factors controlling marine food webs: consumer vs. nutrient limitation of mobile invertebrates and algae. An understanding of the strength of interactions in marine food webs is crucial to predicting change in coastal habitats due to human activities. The outcomes of this research will indicate the relative importance of changes in nutrient inputs from terrestrial runoff (eutrophication) and predation pressures (via overfishing) - both of which may strongly affect the structure of marine habitats - on an extremely abundant and diverse component of coastal marine habitats.Read moreRead less
Boxing clever: artificial nest boxes as a conservation and research tool. Saving endangered species increasingly requires proactive management. This project presents an innovative and practical solution to save an iconic Australian species, while also providing the scientific foundation for the development of a novel Australian-based commercial product that will be used to protect and restore Australian biodiversity.