eGenomics - Next generation biomonitoring of threatened species. DNA is the molecule of life and exists everywhere in the environment as a largely untapped source of information on evolution, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. Our overriding aim is to start mining that information to benefit threatened species. Based on optimized ancient DNA methods, powerful sequencing technology, whole genome analyses, and RNA profiling, we present a novel and holistic framework for genetic biomonitoring. In ....eGenomics - Next generation biomonitoring of threatened species. DNA is the molecule of life and exists everywhere in the environment as a largely untapped source of information on evolution, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. Our overriding aim is to start mining that information to benefit threatened species. Based on optimized ancient DNA methods, powerful sequencing technology, whole genome analyses, and RNA profiling, we present a novel and holistic framework for genetic biomonitoring. In two parallel model systems we will study corals and reptiles to improve environmental detection while simultaneously obtaining information on their population health. This will foster more efficient conservation of endangered species that are of tremendous importance to our marine and terrestrial ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Ants, plants, diversity and function: trophic interactions and ecosystem function in a large-scale restoration experiment. Food and clean water are but two of the benefits we reap from functioning ecosystems, but we know little about how individual species contribute to making ecosystems work. This project capitalises on the diversity of Australia's ant fauna by using ants as a model taxon to explore the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
Chemical signalling in the sea. This project aims to understand how eggs attract and select sperm, and how the environment influences these interactions. Differential sperm chemotaxis, a form of mate choice involving chemical signalling between eggs and sperm, has only been described in mussels, but may be a widespread form of gamete-level sexual selection. The project will study the biochemical and molecular basis of differential sperm chemotaxis in mussels, and the stability of gamete-level in ....Chemical signalling in the sea. This project aims to understand how eggs attract and select sperm, and how the environment influences these interactions. Differential sperm chemotaxis, a form of mate choice involving chemical signalling between eggs and sperm, has only been described in mussels, but may be a widespread form of gamete-level sexual selection. The project will study the biochemical and molecular basis of differential sperm chemotaxis in mussels, and the stability of gamete-level interactions under different environmental conditions. Improved fundamental knowledge of reproduction in a commercially important marine species may yield future commercial benefits for Australia’s marine food production sectorRead moreRead less
Resilience in biogeochemical pathways along a catchment-to-coast continuum. Aquatic systems have degraded more in the past 50 years than any other time in history. Global pressures are further threatening their sustainability, but their complexity makes it difficult to understand how they are responding. This project will combine numerous state-of-the-art approaches to unravel pathways that shape their response.
Seagrass adaptation and acclimation responses to extreme climatic events. This project aims to advance our understanding of how temperate marine plants in their northern limit will respond to the effects of synergistic stressors from extreme events combined with climate change. The project will study Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where a semi-permanent, salinity gradient maintained by shallow seagrass banks has resulted in unique ecosystems like stromatolites to persist. Expected outc ....Seagrass adaptation and acclimation responses to extreme climatic events. This project aims to advance our understanding of how temperate marine plants in their northern limit will respond to the effects of synergistic stressors from extreme events combined with climate change. The project will study Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where a semi-permanent, salinity gradient maintained by shallow seagrass banks has resulted in unique ecosystems like stromatolites to persist. Expected outcomes include practical solutions for building resilience to climate change mitigation in marine ecosystems. This will benefit the broader Australian community through changing how we manage significant resources and services these systems support, such as fisheries, coastal protection.Read moreRead less
Re-engineering the genetic code. Large, high quality libraries of new drugs are absolutely essential resources to find new medicines. However, their use is restricted to a few pharmaceutical giants. We will engineer cells to make a wide variety of drug-like polymers, providing a drug discovery resource accessible to almost any scientific laboratory. As each cell could make a different polymer, billions of different potential drugs could be produced in a single tube. This technology provides an o ....Re-engineering the genetic code. Large, high quality libraries of new drugs are absolutely essential resources to find new medicines. However, their use is restricted to a few pharmaceutical giants. We will engineer cells to make a wide variety of drug-like polymers, providing a drug discovery resource accessible to almost any scientific laboratory. As each cell could make a different polymer, billions of different potential drugs could be produced in a single tube. This technology provides an opportunity to put the future of drug discovery in the hands of the wider scientific community and provides new tools for Australian industries.Read moreRead less
Exploring the gene regulation networks governing mitochondrial biogenesis in Arabidopsis. Mitochondria, subcellular organelles that perform many functions indispensable to plant growth and productivity, are dynamic compartments whose protein complement changes dramatically during plant development and under stress. Yet, the cellular processes that regulate the production of these organelles are virtually unknown. By combining conventional approaches with an extremely powerful holistic method for ....Exploring the gene regulation networks governing mitochondrial biogenesis in Arabidopsis. Mitochondria, subcellular organelles that perform many functions indispensable to plant growth and productivity, are dynamic compartments whose protein complement changes dramatically during plant development and under stress. Yet, the cellular processes that regulate the production of these organelles are virtually unknown. By combining conventional approaches with an extremely powerful holistic method for simultaneously examining the expression patterns of every gene in the model plant Arabidopsis, this project will identify proteins that regulate mitochondrial biosynthesis and uncover the gene networks that these proteins control. The project outcomes will provide new opportunities for the rational manipulation of plant growth and productivity.Read moreRead less
Arabidopsis DNA binding proteins that control transcription of its mitochondrial genome. The increases in crop output and quality needed to drive the agricultural sector of Australia's future economy will arise from knowledge gained by combining traditional methods and the type of cutting-edge research that identifies plant mitochondrial DNA-binding proteins and their sites of action. Mitochondria are fundamental to many agronomically important traits, including plant growth, fruit ripening and ....Arabidopsis DNA binding proteins that control transcription of its mitochondrial genome. The increases in crop output and quality needed to drive the agricultural sector of Australia's future economy will arise from knowledge gained by combining traditional methods and the type of cutting-edge research that identifies plant mitochondrial DNA-binding proteins and their sites of action. Mitochondria are fundamental to many agronomically important traits, including plant growth, fruit ripening and plant stress and disease defence. Opportunities for the rational manipulation of these and hitherto undiscovered traits will come from new knowledge generated by this project, which will develop and use frontier technologies that will keep Australia at the forefront of international research into mitochondrial structure and function.Read moreRead less
Saving seagrass from climate change. This research aims to test whether seagrass ecosystems can be safeguarded from climate change impacts by enhancing genetic connectivity in range edge populations using novel genetic rescue approaches. We will use the range edge seagrass meadows of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shark Bay as our model, which was significantly impacted by a marine heat wave in 2010/2011. The project will generate new knowledge on how seagrasses can adapt and survive in situ. ....Saving seagrass from climate change. This research aims to test whether seagrass ecosystems can be safeguarded from climate change impacts by enhancing genetic connectivity in range edge populations using novel genetic rescue approaches. We will use the range edge seagrass meadows of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shark Bay as our model, which was significantly impacted by a marine heat wave in 2010/2011. The project will generate new knowledge on how seagrasses can adapt and survive in situ. Expected outcomes are improved conservation, management and restoration practices for seagrass meadows. This should provide significant benefits for long-term resilience of this economically and culturally significant ecosystem.Read moreRead less
Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the ....Marsupial germ cells and genes. Germ cells are the most fascinating cells in the body, since theirs is the unique responsibility for transmitting life from generation to generation. Studies in mice have suggested that position in the embryo determines their origin, but the early embryology of the mouse is so different from that of other mammals that the events need confirming and extending in another species. The simplified embryology of the tammar wallaby makes it ideal for studying one of the most fundamental questions in the whole of biology: what is the basis for the primal distinction between sex and soma?Read moreRead less