Characterisation of tumour variants of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. This project will take a new approach to cancer research by studying the evolution of Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The results will directly contribute to the conservation management of the Tasmanian devil, as well as generating new information on tumour growth, metastasis and emergence of resistance.
Understanding diet designs that break life history trade-offs. The aim of this project is to understand the mechanisms by which organisms use nutrition to enhance fitness. Food availability is a key predictor of evolutionary fitness. Surprisingly, recent data shows that some key assumptions informing how these predictions are realised are not strictly correct, thus exposing a lack of important mechanistic knowledge. This project seeks to understand these mechanisms. The project plans to use nove ....Understanding diet designs that break life history trade-offs. The aim of this project is to understand the mechanisms by which organisms use nutrition to enhance fitness. Food availability is a key predictor of evolutionary fitness. Surprisingly, recent data shows that some key assumptions informing how these predictions are realised are not strictly correct, thus exposing a lack of important mechanistic knowledge. This project seeks to understand these mechanisms. The project plans to use novel genomics techniques to develop diets that support or improve fitness under circumstances such as stress or ageing, and to understand the molecular underpinnings of these improvements. Project outcomes may expand academic knowledge of fundamental nutritional biochemistry, and improve predictions of species’ responses to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Understanding evolution of dominant bacteria inhabiting the rodent gut . The gut microbiome is central to animal health and immune function, however we have an incomplete understanding of how this important symbiotic ecosystem evolved. By approaching this knowledge gap from a historical perspective and using real-time observation, this project will address how the gut community evolved with the rodent host and how members of that community respond to new selective pressures. The significance of ....Understanding evolution of dominant bacteria inhabiting the rodent gut . The gut microbiome is central to animal health and immune function, however we have an incomplete understanding of how this important symbiotic ecosystem evolved. By approaching this knowledge gap from a historical perspective and using real-time observation, this project will address how the gut community evolved with the rodent host and how members of that community respond to new selective pressures. The significance of these findings is in their capacity to inform our understanding of the relationship between host and microbe, not only within a key model system, but by extrapolation to other host-microbe systems. Read moreRead less
Genomics and evolution of symbiont transmission in coral reefs. This project aims to understand more deeply the symbiosis between coral and the alga Symbiodinium that underpins the primary productivity, biodiversity and economic impacts of Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. Reef-building corals are sustained by symbiosis between the coral and the alga Symbiodinium, and breakdown of symbiosis under environmental stress leads to coral bleaching and death. This project aims to understand how ge ....Genomics and evolution of symbiont transmission in coral reefs. This project aims to understand more deeply the symbiosis between coral and the alga Symbiodinium that underpins the primary productivity, biodiversity and economic impacts of Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef. Reef-building corals are sustained by symbiosis between the coral and the alga Symbiodinium, and breakdown of symbiosis under environmental stress leads to coral bleaching and death. This project aims to understand how genomes of differently acquired Symbiodinium have evolved to support symbiosis with corals, through sequencing of algal genomes of Symbiodinium. This knowledge will improve the precision in predicting change to inform decision-making strategies in the conservation and restoration of coral reefs.Read moreRead less
Symbiodinium: the evolutionary transition to coral reef symbiont. Coral reefs are sustained by symbiosis between the coral host and dinoflagellates of genus Symbiodinium. Breakdown of this symbiosis under environmental stress results in coral bleaching and eventual death. This project aims to understand how dinoflagellate genomes have evolved to support a symbiotic lifestyle. The project aims to sequence genomes of Symbiodinium from reef corals and other hosts, and two free-living relatives. Thi ....Symbiodinium: the evolutionary transition to coral reef symbiont. Coral reefs are sustained by symbiosis between the coral host and dinoflagellates of genus Symbiodinium. Breakdown of this symbiosis under environmental stress results in coral bleaching and eventual death. This project aims to understand how dinoflagellate genomes have evolved to support a symbiotic lifestyle. The project aims to sequence genomes of Symbiodinium from reef corals and other hosts, and two free-living relatives. This should enable the identification of genes that have been gained or lost, or are under adaptive selection. This genome-scale perspective on the molecular systems implicated in the evolution of this symbiotic lifestyle has potential to inform strategies for preserving Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the face of climate variations.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100685
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Historical pest genomes inform debate about how rapid evolution proceeds. This project plans to compare the genomes of archived and contemporary specimens to discover how two key Australian pest moths have adapted to insecticides, aiding prediction of how they may respond in the future. Agricultural pest species are often capable of rapid adaptation to insecticides, resulting in widespread genetic resistance. Does this resistance build on existing genetic variation, or are fresh mutations used t ....Historical pest genomes inform debate about how rapid evolution proceeds. This project plans to compare the genomes of archived and contemporary specimens to discover how two key Australian pest moths have adapted to insecticides, aiding prediction of how they may respond in the future. Agricultural pest species are often capable of rapid adaptation to insecticides, resulting in widespread genetic resistance. Does this resistance build on existing genetic variation, or are fresh mutations used to produce a fast adaptive response? How do adaptive strategies differ among key Australian pests? This project aims to answer these questions and advance understanding of mechanisms that underpin rapid evolution to improve approaches toward pest management and agricultural protection.Read moreRead less
The genetics of adaptation: changing developmental trajectories in eucalypts. During their life cycles, many animals and plants undergo genetically programmed changes in form. Such changes may be dramatic and rapid as seen in insect metamorphoses or plant heteroblasty, and may have ecological, evolutionary and even economic consequences. The project aims to identify the genes controlling such transitions in Australia's eucalypts.