Targeted isolation of specific marine bacterial species associated with higher organsims for the purpose of discovering new antimicrobial compounds. Specific bacterial species that are commonly found in association with marine plants and animals often produce active secondary metabolites. The aim of this project is to apply our understanding of these bacterial-host associations to the targeted isolation of novel antimicrobials from the marine environment. While these new compounds will undoubted ....Targeted isolation of specific marine bacterial species associated with higher organsims for the purpose of discovering new antimicrobial compounds. Specific bacterial species that are commonly found in association with marine plants and animals often produce active secondary metabolites. The aim of this project is to apply our understanding of these bacterial-host associations to the targeted isolation of novel antimicrobials from the marine environment. While these new compounds will undoubtedly have a number of commercial applications this project focuses on the development of products for dental hygiene in animals. Generally, the urgent need for new antimicrobial compounds to combat the growing number of microbes that are resistant to current antibiotics highlights the importance of this project.Read moreRead less
Future climate change: consequences for decomposition and pathways of carbon flow through rhizosphere fungal communities. The proposed collaboration will provide novel insights into likely consequences of global climate change on decomposition and pathways of carbon flow through forest soils. This will refine predictive models of future climate change and its impacts on the sustainability of Australia's forests. It will also enhance the protection of our valued habitats and their important soil ....Future climate change: consequences for decomposition and pathways of carbon flow through rhizosphere fungal communities. The proposed collaboration will provide novel insights into likely consequences of global climate change on decomposition and pathways of carbon flow through forest soils. This will refine predictive models of future climate change and its impacts on the sustainability of Australia's forests. It will also enhance the protection of our valued habitats and their important soil biodiversity. The knowledge gained will help land managers to adapt current practices to meet the demands of future climate change. This will maximize the opportunities for sequestering carbon in Australia's forests and so contribute to meeting Australia's global responsibility for mitigation of climate change.Read moreRead less
How evolution is constrained by trade-offs between the multiplication and survival of organisms. The negative correlation between reproduction (production of large numbers of progeny) and survival (resistance to external challenges) is a crucial trade-off that limits the evolution of perfect organisms. Such trade-offs are extremely difficult to study in closely controlled experiments because of the complexities in biological organisation and life-cycles. This project will explore trade-offs usin ....How evolution is constrained by trade-offs between the multiplication and survival of organisms. The negative correlation between reproduction (production of large numbers of progeny) and survival (resistance to external challenges) is a crucial trade-off that limits the evolution of perfect organisms. Such trade-offs are extremely difficult to study in closely controlled experiments because of the complexities in biological organisation and life-cycles. This project will explore trade-offs using a novel synthetic biology strategy. Genes in bacteria will be engineered to produce strains with a range of fixed but different trade-off settings. The strain sets will allow unprecedented analysis of reproduction-survival trade-offs and testing of important models of how trade-offs control fitness and evolutionary outcomes.Read moreRead less
The biology of integrons and their role in bacterial adaptation. Bacteria evolve in ways that animals and plants do not. One of the tools available is the ability to share genes amongst individuals in a community. One example of this is the very rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes in pathogens. Here we will be studying a genetic element that greatly contributes to this horizontal spread of genes. This will lead to a better understanding of how bacteria work, the direct benefits of whic ....The biology of integrons and their role in bacterial adaptation. Bacteria evolve in ways that animals and plants do not. One of the tools available is the ability to share genes amongst individuals in a community. One example of this is the very rapid spread of antibiotic resistance genes in pathogens. Here we will be studying a genetic element that greatly contributes to this horizontal spread of genes. This will lead to a better understanding of how bacteria work, the direct benefits of which includes the discovery of new pathways and genes for the biotechnology industry and greater understanding of how bacteria cause disease in us, other animals and in commercial crops.Read moreRead less
A functional genomic approach for understanding metal ion adaptation in marine cyanobacteria. Unicellular marine cyanobacteria constitute 20-40% of total marine chlorophyll biomass and carbon fixation, and hence significantly impact the global carbon cycle and are very relevant to combating global warming. This research will reveal some of the major mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to metal levels in coastal and oligotrophic environments. Thus these results will help us und ....A functional genomic approach for understanding metal ion adaptation in marine cyanobacteria. Unicellular marine cyanobacteria constitute 20-40% of total marine chlorophyll biomass and carbon fixation, and hence significantly impact the global carbon cycle and are very relevant to combating global warming. This research will reveal some of the major mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria have adapted to metal levels in coastal and oligotrophic environments. Thus these results will help us understand the distribution and diversity of these organisms in relation to global primary productivity. They will also lead to the development of more robust biomarkers for metal stress and pollution in coastal environments.Read moreRead less
Microbial community stability dynamics to environmental triggers. This project aims to advance our knowledge of the structural/functional dynamics of complex microbial communities by defining stability in response to environmental influences such as nutrient stress, pathogen invasion and antibiotics/chemicals. Using innovative microbial consortia modelling, to identify communities at risk of homeostatic disruption, we will develop and test pre-emptive microbial manipulation strategies for restor ....Microbial community stability dynamics to environmental triggers. This project aims to advance our knowledge of the structural/functional dynamics of complex microbial communities by defining stability in response to environmental influences such as nutrient stress, pathogen invasion and antibiotics/chemicals. Using innovative microbial consortia modelling, to identify communities at risk of homeostatic disruption, we will develop and test pre-emptive microbial manipulation strategies for restoring community stability. This project will yield significant global impact and economic/health benefit for humans and animals.Read moreRead less
Understanding fungal diversity and functioning in forest soils using molecular and stable isotope approaches. The project aims to investigate fungal community structure and functioning in forest soils using novel molecular, stable isotope and physiological approaches. This will provide new insights into the linkage between diversity and functioning in forest soil fungal communities and the importance of these organisms in ecosystem processes. In addition, this pioneering research will facilitate ....Understanding fungal diversity and functioning in forest soils using molecular and stable isotope approaches. The project aims to investigate fungal community structure and functioning in forest soils using novel molecular, stable isotope and physiological approaches. This will provide new insights into the linkage between diversity and functioning in forest soil fungal communities and the importance of these organisms in ecosystem processes. In addition, this pioneering research will facilitate development and refinement of methodologies that will pave the way for future investigations of fungal ecology. The on-going collaboration will produce high quality joint publications and provide significant opportunities for early career researchers to gain international experience in a dynamic research environment.Read moreRead less
The dynamics of evolution: How horizontal gene transfer drives the diversification and adaptation of complex, bacterial communities. The genetic exchange between populations is a prerequisite for the long-term evolution of bacteria, however its short-term dynamics are largely unexplored. This project aims to define the temporal dynamics of gene transfer and how it shapes the genetic composition of entire bacterial communities. Using innovative DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, This ....The dynamics of evolution: How horizontal gene transfer drives the diversification and adaptation of complex, bacterial communities. The genetic exchange between populations is a prerequisite for the long-term evolution of bacteria, however its short-term dynamics are largely unexplored. This project aims to define the temporal dynamics of gene transfer and how it shapes the genetic composition of entire bacterial communities. Using innovative DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, This project aims to offer a significant new understanding of the short-term diversification of communities and how different evolutionary forces shape bacterial function. It will show how bacterial systems can adapt to new environmental conditions and the effect on essential ecosystem functions.Read moreRead less
Skin Microbes and Animal Health: Understanding the Ecological Context. This project aims to understand the fundamental ecological relationships between animal hosts (frogs, geckos) and bacteria on their skin by separating host effects from environmental factors that determine skin microbiome composition. The research is significant because it will generate new knowledge needed to understand how skin microbes function in providing protection against disease. Expected outcomes include the provisio ....Skin Microbes and Animal Health: Understanding the Ecological Context. This project aims to understand the fundamental ecological relationships between animal hosts (frogs, geckos) and bacteria on their skin by separating host effects from environmental factors that determine skin microbiome composition. The research is significant because it will generate new knowledge needed to understand how skin microbes function in providing protection against disease. Expected outcomes include the provision of essential information that will guide future research efforts on the factors that determine a healthy skin microbial community (which is needed before skin diseases can be combated). The research will provide significant benefits, including more targeted conservation efforts to combat wildlife skin diseases.Read moreRead less
The Great Escape: Mechanisms for dispersal of microbial communities from surfaces. Bacteria respond to a variety of environmental cues, including nutrient concentration, to optimise their growth strategy. One key growth strategy is the formation of biofilms or surface associated microbial communities. The aim of this project is to determine the molecular pathway for cAMP mediated starvation induced dispersal of bacterial biofilms. Our preliminary data suggest that the cAMP pathway overlaps with ....The Great Escape: Mechanisms for dispersal of microbial communities from surfaces. Bacteria respond to a variety of environmental cues, including nutrient concentration, to optimise their growth strategy. One key growth strategy is the formation of biofilms or surface associated microbial communities. The aim of this project is to determine the molecular pathway for cAMP mediated starvation induced dispersal of bacterial biofilms. Our preliminary data suggest that the cAMP pathway overlaps with other intracellular second messengers, such as c-di-GMP, to control dispersal. Further, these second messengers may act at the level of subcellular pools that interact with closely associated protein complexes to control complex behaviours such as biofilm formation and dispersal.Read moreRead less