Signal manipulation in orb-web spiders. A number of diverse orb-web spiders adorn their webs with conspicuous silk bands called decorations or stabilimenta. Their function remains controversial, but they may act as a visual signal to either attract prey, deter predators or prevent web damage by large non-prey animals. We will test these hypotheses on several Australian orb-web species using field and laboratory experiments. Furthermore, we will investigate the effect of web decorations on specie ....Signal manipulation in orb-web spiders. A number of diverse orb-web spiders adorn their webs with conspicuous silk bands called decorations or stabilimenta. Their function remains controversial, but they may act as a visual signal to either attract prey, deter predators or prevent web damage by large non-prey animals. We will test these hypotheses on several Australian orb-web species using field and laboratory experiments. Furthermore, we will investigate the effect of web decorations on species radiation and hence diversity using molecular techniques to establish phylogenies. This will, at least in part, help resolve this century old debate surrounding web decorations.Read moreRead less
Were the Tertiary radiations of the Australian flora synchronous? A molecular phylogenetic approach. The fossil record shows that in a short period from about 20 Mya, the ancestral Gondwanan rainforest gave way to the unique Australian ?sclerophyll? flora dominated by eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas. This coincided with a drying climate and the advent of fire. It is hypothesized that ?explosive? evolutionary radiations rapidly increased the number of sclerophyll species, rather than a mere r ....Were the Tertiary radiations of the Australian flora synchronous? A molecular phylogenetic approach. The fossil record shows that in a short period from about 20 Mya, the ancestral Gondwanan rainforest gave way to the unique Australian ?sclerophyll? flora dominated by eucalypts, acacias and casuarinas. This coincided with a drying climate and the advent of fire. It is hypothesized that ?explosive? evolutionary radiations rapidly increased the number of sclerophyll species, rather than a mere range expansion of pre-existing species. In a novel approach, molecular phylogenies of several distantly related plant groups will be used to test whether explosive evolutionary radiations took place simultaneously and to identify the environmental triggers.Read moreRead less
Implications of morphological and molecular measures of diversity in papionine primates for interpretation of hominid phylogeny. Landmark morphometrics, superquadric modeling based on 3-D surface point mapping and conventional osteometric measurements, will be used to gauge morphological differences among macaques and baboons that are known to exchange genes across taxonomic boundaries. Morphological findings will be compared with genetic data (mitochondrial and some nuclear gene measures) on th ....Implications of morphological and molecular measures of diversity in papionine primates for interpretation of hominid phylogeny. Landmark morphometrics, superquadric modeling based on 3-D surface point mapping and conventional osteometric measurements, will be used to gauge morphological differences among macaques and baboons that are known to exchange genes across taxonomic boundaries. Morphological findings will be compared with genetic data (mitochondrial and some nuclear gene measures) on the same populations, to test for congruity between genetic and morphological divergence. The same techniques for measuring morphological divergence will be used on early hominid specimens (Miocene through Plio/Pleistocene). Comparisons between extents of morphological dispersion among hominids and monkeys will be used to test taxonomic and phylogenetic hypotheses about human evolution.Read moreRead less
Australia's exceptional Palaeozoic fossil fishes, and a Gondwana origin for land vertebrates. The 370 million-year-old Gogo deposit in WA has produced the World's best-preserved fossil fishes of Devonian age. New discoveries of related forms in eastern and central Australia document the deep history of Australia's unique vertebrate fauna, and provide new evidence on the evolution of the first jaws and limbs in vertebrates. They indicate that the first land animals may have evolved on the Austral ....Australia's exceptional Palaeozoic fossil fishes, and a Gondwana origin for land vertebrates. The 370 million-year-old Gogo deposit in WA has produced the World's best-preserved fossil fishes of Devonian age. New discoveries of related forms in eastern and central Australia document the deep history of Australia's unique vertebrate fauna, and provide new evidence on the evolution of the first jaws and limbs in vertebrates. They indicate that the first land animals may have evolved on the Australian landmass. These remarkably preserved, information-rich skulls and braincases of some of the oldest known vertebrate fossils provide unique data on early evolution of the head and brain; they are held in national collections as a significant contribution to both National and World Heritage.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the evolutionary history of Australasian marsupials: combining molecular phylogenetics and ecological inference. Marsupials are symbolic of the uniqueness of Australia's biological systems and there is widespread public interest in their natural history. Yet we know little of the evolutionary mechanisms that have shaped their biodiversity. This is a critical problem when considered in the context of Australian marsupials having suffered the highest extinction rate of any continental m ....Uncovering the evolutionary history of Australasian marsupials: combining molecular phylogenetics and ecological inference. Marsupials are symbolic of the uniqueness of Australia's biological systems and there is widespread public interest in their natural history. Yet we know little of the evolutionary mechanisms that have shaped their biodiversity. This is a critical problem when considered in the context of Australian marsupials having suffered the highest extinction rate of any continental mammal fauna over the past 200 years. This project will make a major contribution to understanding the origins, timescale and ecological nature of Australasian marsupial evolution. In doing so, it will inform conservation strategy, promote Australasian marsupials as a model system for studying faunal coevolution and develop widely applicable bioinformatic tools.Read moreRead less
Molecular Phylogenetics of Australian Myobatrachid Frogs and the Evolution of Reproductive Strategies. The Family Myobatrachidae (22 genera, 120+ species) is wholly endemic to the Australo-Papuan region, represents 57% of the Australian frog fauna and displays more diversity in reproductive strategies than any other group of frogs. We will recover a robust molecular phylogeny for all species in this family and use it to exploit existing ecological and behavioural data sets to provide powerful te ....Molecular Phylogenetics of Australian Myobatrachid Frogs and the Evolution of Reproductive Strategies. The Family Myobatrachidae (22 genera, 120+ species) is wholly endemic to the Australo-Papuan region, represents 57% of the Australian frog fauna and displays more diversity in reproductive strategies than any other group of frogs. We will recover a robust molecular phylogeny for all species in this family and use it to exploit existing ecological and behavioural data sets to provide powerful tests of alternative hypotheses concerning the evolution of diverse reproductive strategies. This multi-disciplinary research project will provide detailed phylogenetic information for one of the most diverse vertebrate radiations in Australia and address important questions in historical ecology.Read moreRead less
A molecular phylogenetic study of the evolution of ecological specialisation in Amphibolurinae agamid lizards. This project will use a comparative approach that combines ecological, morphological and molecular data to investigate evolutionary patterns of ecological specialisation in Australian agamid lizards. Understanding the evolutionary pattern of ecological specialisation, or the directional course of evolution, is an unresolved question in evolutionary biology. Quantitative investigations o ....A molecular phylogenetic study of the evolution of ecological specialisation in Amphibolurinae agamid lizards. This project will use a comparative approach that combines ecological, morphological and molecular data to investigate evolutionary patterns of ecological specialisation in Australian agamid lizards. Understanding the evolutionary pattern of ecological specialisation, or the directional course of evolution, is an unresolved question in evolutionary biology. Quantitative investigations of ecological specialisation are rare because research has been limited by molecular and analytical techniques. Recent advances in population genetics and bio-statistics will allow me to test hypotheses concerning the directionality of evolution. This study will provide a foundation for future research in evolutionary biology and greatly expand our knowledge of agamid biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Phylogeography and host specificity of stemborer parasitoids: essential components for the pre-emptive biocontrol of sugarcane pests in Australia. Stemboring insects cause huge economic losses to the sugar industry world-wide but fortunately these pests are largely absent from Australia, in part because quarantine measures have prevented their introduction. However, given their proximity, incursion of foreign stemborers from Asia pose a serious threat to Australian sugarcane. To prepare effectiv ....Phylogeography and host specificity of stemborer parasitoids: essential components for the pre-emptive biocontrol of sugarcane pests in Australia. Stemboring insects cause huge economic losses to the sugar industry world-wide but fortunately these pests are largely absent from Australia, in part because quarantine measures have prevented their introduction. However, given their proximity, incursion of foreign stemborers from Asia pose a serious threat to Australian sugarcane. To prepare effective pest management plans that can be adopted promptly in a worst-case scenario, this study will 1) develop molecular diagnostic tools to select wasp biocontrol agents that are suitable for the control of specific foreign stemborer pests, and 2) evaluate whether any Australian native wasps have the ability to kill foreign stemborers. Read moreRead less
Evolution of microgastroid parasitic wasps and their symbiotic viruses - a major group of biological control agents. Microgastroid wasps represent a huge assemblage of species that are parasitic in lepidopteran (moth) larvae and are a major group of biological control agents of agricultural pests. They also possess a unique association with a group of symbiotic viruses that when introduced into a host, block its immune response. This project will elucidate the evolutionary relationships among ....Evolution of microgastroid parasitic wasps and their symbiotic viruses - a major group of biological control agents. Microgastroid wasps represent a huge assemblage of species that are parasitic in lepidopteran (moth) larvae and are a major group of biological control agents of agricultural pests. They also possess a unique association with a group of symbiotic viruses that when introduced into a host, block its immune response. This project will elucidate the evolutionary relationships among wasps and viruses employing morphology, sequence data and information on mitochondrial genome organisation as a basis for investigating the level of cophylogeny between these partner organisms, and to provide a framework for studies on wasp-host interactions at a molecular level.Read moreRead less
The evolution of diverse interactions between Wolbachia bacteria and their invertebrate hosts: insights from a novel lineage infecting termite societies. Wolbachia intracellular bacteria are widespread in invertebrates, having evolved a remarkable range of host-interactions, from parasitic to mutualistic. I have discovered phylogenetically novel Wolbachia that infect the structural pests termites, and will investigate their host-effects and transmission dynamics. This will determine the generali ....The evolution of diverse interactions between Wolbachia bacteria and their invertebrate hosts: insights from a novel lineage infecting termite societies. Wolbachia intracellular bacteria are widespread in invertebrates, having evolved a remarkable range of host-interactions, from parasitic to mutualistic. I have discovered phylogenetically novel Wolbachia that infect the structural pests termites, and will investigate their host-effects and transmission dynamics. This will determine the generality of phenomena known from other Wolbachia, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility and horizontal transfer. The complexity of termite societies make them interesting candidates for studying how Wolbachia spread, and the results will be potentially valuable for future termite control strategies. The first comparative phylogenetic examination of diverse Wolbachia will be performed, providing new perspectives on their evolutionary history.Read moreRead less