Developing DNA tracking methods to identify illegally logged timber products from Africa. Illegal logging causes societal and environmental forest degradation, and is a high priority for international control. This project will produce a range of DNA methods that allow the tracing of the geographic source of origin for timber products from African tropical forests that will allow producers and consumers to better market and choose their products.
Seascape genetics for shark management: an innovation in sustainable fisheries modelling. This project will use novel genetic, chemical and spatial modelling techniques to assess the long-term viability of bronze whaler and dusky shark fisheries in southern Australia. Results will be used to implement sustainable management of the fisheries to ensure persistence of these threatened sharks.
Evolution, disease and extinction - using ancient and modern Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to investigate molecular evolution in the Tasmanian devil. The Tasmanian devil is Australia's largest living marsupial carnivore and one of Tasmania's key tourism icons. Extinction in the wild will have long-term impacts on Tasmanian native ecosystems and economy. This study will provide critical genetic data and tools to monitor and prioritise conservation strategies, including insurance populations and dis ....Evolution, disease and extinction - using ancient and modern Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) to investigate molecular evolution in the Tasmanian devil. The Tasmanian devil is Australia's largest living marsupial carnivore and one of Tasmania's key tourism icons. Extinction in the wild will have long-term impacts on Tasmanian native ecosystems and economy. This study will provide critical genetic data and tools to monitor and prioritise conservation strategies, including insurance populations and disease suppression, aimed at preventing extinction. It will strengthen ongoing conservation programs carried out by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program and will help publicise the plight of the devil both nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Population structure in the giant Australian cuttlefish - implications for management of a unique eco-tourism and fishery resource in regional Australia. A management strategy for the giant Australian cuttlefish in regional South Australia is required urgently because of potential conflict between ecotourism and fishery sectors. At present, development of a management strategy is stymied by lack of information on stock structure and movements. Analyses of variation in gene frequencies, morphom ....Population structure in the giant Australian cuttlefish - implications for management of a unique eco-tourism and fishery resource in regional Australia. A management strategy for the giant Australian cuttlefish in regional South Australia is required urgently because of potential conflict between ecotourism and fishery sectors. At present, development of a management strategy is stymied by lack of information on stock structure and movements. Analyses of variation in gene frequencies, morphometric and chemical trace element profiles in calcified structures among locations and years will enable the geographic extent of populations or stocks to be determined, including whether natal homing occurs. Such information is critical to sustainable management of the species and design of a marine protected area in the upper Spencer Gulf.Read moreRead less
Genetic analysis of two distinct reproductive strategies in sexual and thelytokous field populations of an endoparastic wasp. Asexual (thelytokous) females of an insect parasitoid, Venturia canescens, which develop inside another insect, exhibit evolutionarily stable mixtures of life-history strategies, allowing two genetically distinct wasp lines to coexist sympatrically on the same host resources. The two thelytokous lines differ in a virus-like particle protein-coding gene (VLP1), which raise ....Genetic analysis of two distinct reproductive strategies in sexual and thelytokous field populations of an endoparastic wasp. Asexual (thelytokous) females of an insect parasitoid, Venturia canescens, which develop inside another insect, exhibit evolutionarily stable mixtures of life-history strategies, allowing two genetically distinct wasp lines to coexist sympatrically on the same host resources. The two thelytokous lines differ in a virus-like particle protein-coding gene (VLP1), which raises the question whether the VLP1 gene locus is genetically associated with the phenotype. We will investigate the genetic basis for the observed phenotypic differences, by comparing the two thelytokous lines with the corresponding homozygous VLP1-genotypes in sexual strains. The outcome will provide a molecular and genetic framework to test parthenogenetic reproduction strategies in some insect species.Read moreRead less
Control points in nitrogen uptake: enhancing the response of cereals to nitrogen supply and demand. Vast amounts of nitrogen fertiliser are applied to cereal crops to maintain yields. By uncovering what limits nitrogen uptake in cereals, this project will provide the scientific basis for improving nitrogen use efficiency and decreasing fertiliser use, with significant economic and environmental benefits.
Fisheries genomics of snapper in Australia and New Zealand Waters. This industry-driven project aims to assemble a strategic research alliance to generate and apply knowledge to a highly significant fisheries resource. It involves collaboration between the five major state government fisheries agencies in Australia, the New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute for seafood and two Australian labs with leadership in fish genetics and genomics. It expects to generate and integrate genomic, environmen ....Fisheries genomics of snapper in Australia and New Zealand Waters. This industry-driven project aims to assemble a strategic research alliance to generate and apply knowledge to a highly significant fisheries resource. It involves collaboration between the five major state government fisheries agencies in Australia, the New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute for seafood and two Australian labs with leadership in fish genetics and genomics. It expects to generate and integrate genomic, environmental and phenotypic datasets for snapper populations from across vast coastal regions of the two countries. The outcomes should substantially enhance intra- and inter-jurisdictional fisheries management and aquaculture initiatives, providing commercial, social and environmental benefits for many stakeholders.Read moreRead less
History, transport, or temperature: solving the riddle of Australia's temperate marine biodiversity. Maintaining a healthy and biologically diverse marine environment is essential for sustaining economic development. This project will integrate different research fields to answer fundamental questions about marine biodiversity. This will improve the capacity to identify priorities for conservation planning and sustainable use of Australia's marine assets.
Subterranean invertebrate communities of arid zone Western Australia: diversity, assessment and food-web structure. The diverse and unique subterranean fauna associated with aquifers of the Western Australia arid zone is potentially threatened by water extraction, mining and other human impacts. This project aims to apply a powerful combination of molecular genetic analyses and compound specific isotope analyses to study, for the first time, the food web structure and source of energy of these g ....Subterranean invertebrate communities of arid zone Western Australia: diversity, assessment and food-web structure. The diverse and unique subterranean fauna associated with aquifers of the Western Australia arid zone is potentially threatened by water extraction, mining and other human impacts. This project aims to apply a powerful combination of molecular genetic analyses and compound specific isotope analyses to study, for the first time, the food web structure and source of energy of these groundwater ecosystems. The project aims to also develop novel procedures for monitoring their biodiversity using environmental DNA within the groundwater. The results will provide crucial information for the management of groundwater, and conservation of their associated ecosystems, and significantly improve the rigour of long-term environmental monitoring.Read moreRead less
The evolutionary potential of fragmented and declining populations. This project aims to integrate adaptive genomic and epigenomic information from wild, captive and reintroduced populations to identify evolutionary potential across different life-histories and levels of habitat fragmentation. The project will capitalise on knowledge and genomic resources for Australian freshwater fishes, including a natural experiment of evolution. It is expected that the project will address fundamental and ap ....The evolutionary potential of fragmented and declining populations. This project aims to integrate adaptive genomic and epigenomic information from wild, captive and reintroduced populations to identify evolutionary potential across different life-histories and levels of habitat fragmentation. The project will capitalise on knowledge and genomic resources for Australian freshwater fishes, including a natural experiment of evolution. It is expected that the project will address fundamental and applied questions about the adaptive capacity of populations in their natural environment. The outcomes of the project will help evaluate and improve local and ecosystem-level initiatives towards the sustainable management of aquatic biodiversity impacted by human activities. The project will also inform on management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin.Read moreRead less