Co-divergence or opportunism: the evolution of trematode parasitism in the sea. This proposal is for fundamental research into how a major group of parasites (trematodes) has evolved in interaction with its hosts. The work is mainly the kind of 'basic science' that underpins other science without having intended immediate community benefit. However, the work depends strongly on the important task of developing better knowledge of trematodes in Australian native animals. Some of these parasite ....Co-divergence or opportunism: the evolution of trematode parasitism in the sea. This proposal is for fundamental research into how a major group of parasites (trematodes) has evolved in interaction with its hosts. The work is mainly the kind of 'basic science' that underpins other science without having intended immediate community benefit. However, the work depends strongly on the important task of developing better knowledge of trematodes in Australian native animals. Some of these parasites are pathogens of bivalves (scallops, giant clams and oysters) but almost nothing is known about them here. Another benefit of the study is in the training of several postgraduate students who will be able to contribute to the further study and management of parasites in Australia.Read moreRead less
The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will ....The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture. The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will identify environmental stressors that activate viral disease in Penaeus monodon. Outcomes will be incorporated into on-farm managerial regimes to minimize risk of crop loss to disease. Development of biomarkers as indicators of stress related risks may be commercialized.Read moreRead less
Aquaculture of the tropical abalone: identifying and selecting for factors promoting high settlement, survival and growth. There is a growing demand worldwide for the 'cocktail'-sized tropical abalone Haliotis asinina. We have developed a full set of hatchery and grow-out procedures that Queensland Sea Scallops Pty Ltd will test on a commercial scale. At QSS, we will propagate and growout Haliotis asinina to determine the factors controlling settlement, survival, growth and health. We will do ....Aquaculture of the tropical abalone: identifying and selecting for factors promoting high settlement, survival and growth. There is a growing demand worldwide for the 'cocktail'-sized tropical abalone Haliotis asinina. We have developed a full set of hatchery and grow-out procedures that Queensland Sea Scallops Pty Ltd will test on a commercial scale. At QSS, we will propagate and growout Haliotis asinina to determine the factors controlling settlement, survival, growth and health. We will do this by combining breeding experiments with microarray gene profiling and other advanced gene expression studies. This knowledge will enhance the development of this new aquaculture industry in tropical Australia and our understanding of abalone aquaculture in general.Read moreRead less
The evolution of dim light vision in vertebrates. High sensitivity (rod-based) vision has been extremely important for the survival and adaptive radiation of many vertebrates, including humans over evolutionary time. This multidisciplinary project will reveal the evolutionary and physiological constraints on early photoreception and the difficulties in operating over an enormous range of lighting conditions. Not only will the findings be crucial for our understanding of basic mechanisms of dim l ....The evolution of dim light vision in vertebrates. High sensitivity (rod-based) vision has been extremely important for the survival and adaptive radiation of many vertebrates, including humans over evolutionary time. This multidisciplinary project will reveal the evolutionary and physiological constraints on early photoreception and the difficulties in operating over an enormous range of lighting conditions. Not only will the findings be crucial for our understanding of basic mechanisms of dim light vision, but also provide potential insights into the physiological bases of various rod dystrophies affecting humans and the improved design of more sensitive cameras and safe light environments for rearing animals in captivity e.g. for aquaculture.Read moreRead less
Evolution of the biofabrication of mineralized structures in animals. Shells and skeletons are produced by a wide range of animals. These highly-order crystalline structures are genetically-encoded and produce high-performance composite materials that exceed present capabilities in human engineering. This international collaboration will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fabrication of these architectures. This knowledge will contribute significantly to the development of materi ....Evolution of the biofabrication of mineralized structures in animals. Shells and skeletons are produced by a wide range of animals. These highly-order crystalline structures are genetically-encoded and produce high-performance composite materials that exceed present capabilities in human engineering. This international collaboration will elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling the fabrication of these architectures. This knowledge will contribute significantly to the development of materials for advanced electronics and energy transducers, human bone therapeutics and marine-based products such as pearls and cements, through the identification of genes underlying biofabrication networks and the development of in vitro bioproduction systems.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354787
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Research Network for Biotechnological and Environmental Applications of Microalgae (BEAM). The network will facilitate inderdisciplinary and collaborative research into the limitations on microalgal growth leading to the development of new, commercial-scale microalgae culture systems, the production of fine chemicals, bioactive compounds and renewable fuels (hydrogen), as well as environmental applications such as monitoring the physiological state of phytoplankton in the environment, CO2 biorem ....Research Network for Biotechnological and Environmental Applications of Microalgae (BEAM). The network will facilitate inderdisciplinary and collaborative research into the limitations on microalgal growth leading to the development of new, commercial-scale microalgae culture systems, the production of fine chemicals, bioactive compounds and renewable fuels (hydrogen), as well as environmental applications such as monitoring the physiological state of phytoplankton in the environment, CO2 bioremediation and algal/bacterial systems for the bioremediation of contaminated soils. This will be achieved by applying research on photosynthetic light utilisation efficiency and carbon fixation, chlorophyll fluorescence, biochemistry of secondary metabolites, molecular biology and photobioreactor design and engineering, informed by an understanding of the ecology of these algae.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347105
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Algal Identification - Culturing Facility of North Queensland (NQAIF). NQAIF, a regionally integrated tropical algal identification - culturing facility; the first of its kind in the world, will establish and house tropical phytoplankton cultures to enable new and enhance existing experimental research on marine and freshwater tropical phytoplankton under controlled environmental conditions. The facility will establish world-class expertise in North Queensland and create the knowledge base for t ....Algal Identification - Culturing Facility of North Queensland (NQAIF). NQAIF, a regionally integrated tropical algal identification - culturing facility; the first of its kind in the world, will establish and house tropical phytoplankton cultures to enable new and enhance existing experimental research on marine and freshwater tropical phytoplankton under controlled environmental conditions. The facility will establish world-class expertise in North Queensland and create the knowledge base for the Australasian Pacific regions. NQAIF will significantly boost high quality national and international collaborative links in the research areas of tropical water quality; phytoplankton toxicity; the search for novel bioactive compounds; sustainable tropical aquaculture and coral bleaching.Read moreRead less
The essence of being an animal: sponge allorecognition and the evolution of individuality. The human genome encodes the ability to recognise self from nonself at the cellular level. In medicine, this innate ability results in the rejection of transplanted (grafted) tissues from unrelated individuals. This project seeks to get to the evolutionary foundation of self-nonself recognition by studying this process in a simple and tractable model - a sponge from the Great Barrier Reef. Like humans, spo ....The essence of being an animal: sponge allorecognition and the evolution of individuality. The human genome encodes the ability to recognise self from nonself at the cellular level. In medicine, this innate ability results in the rejection of transplanted (grafted) tissues from unrelated individuals. This project seeks to get to the evolutionary foundation of self-nonself recognition by studying this process in a simple and tractable model - a sponge from the Great Barrier Reef. Like humans, sponges reject cells and tissues derived from another individual. By defining the genetic basis of self-recognition in sponges we reveal the antiquity of this system and the core features of histocompatibility and immunity. Such insights can inform a range of regenerative medical pursuits.Read moreRead less
Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response. Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics is an emerging field that integrates gene profiling technologies with experimental and field approaches of ecology and evolution. I take this approach to address a key problem in marine invertebrate biology: how do larvae respond to their environment and how does variation in this response influence the distribu ....Variation in larval gene expression in a marine invertebrate: implications for population divergence via differential settlement response. Evolutionary and ecological functional genomics is an emerging field that integrates gene profiling technologies with experimental and field approaches of ecology and evolution. I take this approach to address a key problem in marine invertebrate biology: how do larvae respond to their environment and how does variation in this response influence the distribution and evolution of a species? I will use a marine gastropod (abalone) model, for which there exists substantial development and population genetic data, and established aquaculture methodologies. Outcomes of this study will enhance knowledge of the stock structure of this and other commercial fisheries, as well as aquaculture efficiency.Read moreRead less
Early animal evolution: reconstructing the last common metazoan ancestor through the analysis of developmental and structural genes in sponges. All animals, from the simplest invertebrates to humans, arose from a common ancestor. Reconstruction of this ancestor requires the comparison of metazoan developmental genetic architectures. Here we contribute to this pursuit by studying a phylogenetically and biological appropriate metazoan system - marine sponge embryos and larvae. Using high-throughp ....Early animal evolution: reconstructing the last common metazoan ancestor through the analysis of developmental and structural genes in sponges. All animals, from the simplest invertebrates to humans, arose from a common ancestor. Reconstruction of this ancestor requires the comparison of metazoan developmental genetic architectures. Here we contribute to this pursuit by studying a phylogenetically and biological appropriate metazoan system - marine sponge embryos and larvae. Using high-throughput gene profiling techniques, we will analyse the developmental genetics underlying the sponge body plan. Commonalities shared between sponges and more sophisticated animals are likely to have been present in the "genetic toolkit" of the most ancient metazoan ancestor and, as such, is the genetic foundation from which all animal biodiversity arose.Read moreRead less