Cell-free immune reactions and suppression. Insects pests and insect vectors of diseases are managed by toxic substances, but insects have a cunning ability to persist. How pesticide-tolerant insect pests recognise and inactivate chemical and biological toxins is poorly understood. While vertebrates with a closed circulatory system use coagulation reactions mainly for wound-healing, invertebrates employ cell-free aggregation reactions for the sequestration and inactivation of potentially damagin ....Cell-free immune reactions and suppression. Insects pests and insect vectors of diseases are managed by toxic substances, but insects have a cunning ability to persist. How pesticide-tolerant insect pests recognise and inactivate chemical and biological toxins is poorly understood. While vertebrates with a closed circulatory system use coagulation reactions mainly for wound-healing, invertebrates employ cell-free aggregation reactions for the sequestration and inactivation of potentially damaging objects and substances. We use insect plasma to dissect recognition and inactivation of damaging objects and substances with the aim to understand tolerance and its inhibition to design novel strategies in delaying tolerance to pesticides in insect pests.Read moreRead less
Redesigning Landcare policy to better coordinate across landholders. This project aims to study how landscape-sensitive economic incentives and social norms can be leveraged to enhance the short- and long-term effectiveness of conservation programs. It will yield new knowledge for innovative designs in conservation contracting that is urgently needed to address worsening environmental threats in Australia and worldwide. In collaboration with Nobel laureate Vernon Smith’s team, new methods and pr ....Redesigning Landcare policy to better coordinate across landholders. This project aims to study how landscape-sensitive economic incentives and social norms can be leveraged to enhance the short- and long-term effectiveness of conservation programs. It will yield new knowledge for innovative designs in conservation contracting that is urgently needed to address worsening environmental threats in Australia and worldwide. In collaboration with Nobel laureate Vernon Smith’s team, new methods and protocols will improve our ability to generate better data and better understand how social and incentive mechanisms can constructively interact to facilitate collaborative environmental action. Results will help make the achievement of environmental targets and the use of public funds more cost-effective. Read moreRead less