Life history constraints on sexual selection: an investigation using territoriality in butterflies. Contemporary studies into the evolution of male contest behaviour largely ignore the influence of life history. However, contest behaviour should be influenced by life history because the costs of fighting (injury or death) are extracted in a life history currency. Here I aim to measure reproductive value in a territorial butterfly, and to isolate the effects of this parameter, physiological condi ....Life history constraints on sexual selection: an investigation using territoriality in butterflies. Contemporary studies into the evolution of male contest behaviour largely ignore the influence of life history. However, contest behaviour should be influenced by life history because the costs of fighting (injury or death) are extracted in a life history currency. Here I aim to measure reproductive value in a territorial butterfly, and to isolate the effects of this parameter, physiological condition and fighting experience upon male aggression. I propose an innovative experimental approach to unraveling the effects of these covarying life history influences which promises exciting and highly original insights into the evolution of contest behaviour.Read moreRead less
The role of plant chemical defences in the population ecology of mammal herbivores. Plants defend themselves against herbivores by producing toxic compounds in their leaves. Many studies show that such compounds influence diet selection by mammal herbivores, but we understand much less about their effects on populations of such species. This project will investigate how concentrations of leaf toxins in eucalypts affect reproductive success, distribution and abundance of the marsupials that feed ....The role of plant chemical defences in the population ecology of mammal herbivores. Plants defend themselves against herbivores by producing toxic compounds in their leaves. Many studies show that such compounds influence diet selection by mammal herbivores, but we understand much less about their effects on populations of such species. This project will investigate how concentrations of leaf toxins in eucalypts affect reproductive success, distribution and abundance of the marsupials that feed on them. The knowledge gained by this study will be important in modelling populations of these marsupial species and predicting their responses to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Young people, sex, love and the media. This project aims to discover what young Australians are learning about sex, love and relationships from popular media, as well as the impact that it is having on their behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality and intimate relationships. It will make recommendations about how to promote ethical and safe sexual practices and attitudes.
Television Presenters as Cultural Intermediaries. With significant changes in television programming, especially its preoccupation with everyday life through formats such as lifestyle shows and reality TV, it is important that research maintains its understanding of television's social and cultural function. This project will examine what kinds of ethical and social advice are being presented to the public, how this advice is being given and what the context of such advice is. The hypotheses inv ....Television Presenters as Cultural Intermediaries. With significant changes in television programming, especially its preoccupation with everyday life through formats such as lifestyle shows and reality TV, it is important that research maintains its understanding of television's social and cultural function. This project will examine what kinds of ethical and social advice are being presented to the public, how this advice is being given and what the context of such advice is. The hypotheses investigated will enable hard data to be inserted into debates about the media's role in society, benefiting the industry itself as well.Read moreRead less
Working from home: New media technology, workplace culture and the changing nature of domesticity. New media technologies are often marketed as liberating people from the workplace, providing flexibility in meeting work obligations. Communication technologies in particular make working from home increasingly possible: laptops, mobile phones and PDAs make any space a potential site for paid labour. This research studies the effect of new media technologies on how work is performed, where and by w ....Working from home: New media technology, workplace culture and the changing nature of domesticity. New media technologies are often marketed as liberating people from the workplace, providing flexibility in meeting work obligations. Communication technologies in particular make working from home increasingly possible: laptops, mobile phones and PDAs make any space a potential site for paid labour. This research studies the effect of new media technologies on how work is performed, where and by whom, to gauge their impact on the community more broadly. It also asks whether these new relationships to work raise the prospect of changing traditional attitudes to the work performed in and outside the home by men and women.Read moreRead less
Sentimental blokes: a cultural history of working-class masculinities in Australia, 1850-1929. For decades now, therapists, academics and activists have called for Australian men to be more emotionally articulate. This is necessary in part because stereotypes of Australian masculinity emphasise hostility towards emotion, especially sentimental emotion. By demonstrating the significance of masculine sentimentality in Australia's past, this project will help to change this. Drawing on the insights ....Sentimental blokes: a cultural history of working-class masculinities in Australia, 1850-1929. For decades now, therapists, academics and activists have called for Australian men to be more emotionally articulate. This is necessary in part because stereotypes of Australian masculinity emphasise hostility towards emotion, especially sentimental emotion. By demonstrating the significance of masculine sentimentality in Australia's past, this project will help to change this. Drawing on the insights of theatre and cultural studies and publishing in diverse forums, it will also bring a more interdisciplinary dimension to the history of Australian masculinities. Further, it will make Australian material relevant to international scholarship on emotional history, the relationship between class and gender, and gendered subjectivities.Read moreRead less
Pathways to semelparity versus early maturity in animals and plants. The project aims to resolve an important but unresolved question in life history evolution and ecology- which mechanisms and constraints lead to semelparity (breeding once, which is rare), and which lead to fast life history (breeding early, which is common) in animals and plants. Theory predicts that both may be adaptations to schedules of adult death. Understanding why males and females have either semelparous or fast life hi ....Pathways to semelparity versus early maturity in animals and plants. The project aims to resolve an important but unresolved question in life history evolution and ecology- which mechanisms and constraints lead to semelparity (breeding once, which is rare), and which lead to fast life history (breeding early, which is common) in animals and plants. Theory predicts that both may be adaptations to schedules of adult death. Understanding why males and females have either semelparous or fast life history strategies is crucial to predicting survival of harvested and threatened species under pressure from climate change, drought, predators, and diseases that kill adults. Expected project outcomes include improved ability to address agents of decline of threatened animals and plants including semelparous species.Read moreRead less
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
Extrinsic threats and biological predisposition in animal extinction and rediscovery. A global extinction crisis looms, and Australia has a shocking record, especially of mammal extinctions. The results of this project to find how different threats affect each species will lead to management that focusses on species- and region-specific causes. This will help to prevent further extinctions of Australian mammals and other fauna. Many people hope that species of particular importance to us such as ....Extrinsic threats and biological predisposition in animal extinction and rediscovery. A global extinction crisis looms, and Australia has a shocking record, especially of mammal extinctions. The results of this project to find how different threats affect each species will lead to management that focusses on species- and region-specific causes. This will help to prevent further extinctions of Australian mammals and other fauna. Many people hope that species of particular importance to us such as the thylacine have defied extinction, and will be rediscovered. This project will test which predictive factors can increase the chance of species rediscovery, and help management agencies plan for the expected number of future rediscoveries.Read moreRead less
Chain formation in weaver ants: a new system for understanding the decision-making and problem-solving mechanisms of complex biological systems. Every day in Australia, groups of social insects solve problems with a skill beyond human capacity. Despite their tiny brains and simple behaviours, their daily activities mirror many of the same problems faced by human societies (regulating traffic flow, achieving 3-D construction tasks and modulating information transfer networks) and social insects s ....Chain formation in weaver ants: a new system for understanding the decision-making and problem-solving mechanisms of complex biological systems. Every day in Australia, groups of social insects solve problems with a skill beyond human capacity. Despite their tiny brains and simple behaviours, their daily activities mirror many of the same problems faced by human societies (regulating traffic flow, achieving 3-D construction tasks and modulating information transfer networks) and social insects studies have excellent track-records in providing innovative solutions. Studies of problem solving in weaver ants enhances knowledge of a significant Australian species, improves the national skill base through collaborations with overseas researchers leading this new field, and highlights Australia's role in solving internationally relevant questions, including problem-solving in complex systems.Read moreRead less