Surviving in a toad-colonised landscape: manipulating predator behaviour to reduce the impact of the cane toad invasion. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Vigorous attempts at toad control have failed to slow the invasion front, and toads are now entering the Kimberley region. If we can’t stop the toads, are there other ways to reduce the numbers of native predators killed by eating thes ....Surviving in a toad-colonised landscape: manipulating predator behaviour to reduce the impact of the cane toad invasion. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Vigorous attempts at toad control have failed to slow the invasion front, and toads are now entering the Kimberley region. If we can’t stop the toads, are there other ways to reduce the numbers of native predators killed by eating these poisonous invaders? Predators given nausea-inducing chemicals with their first toad meal rapidly learn to avoid cane toads as prey, enabling them to survive even where toads are present. The study will develop those methods for several vulnerable native species, including techniques for deployment of aversion-inducing baits in advance of the toad invasion.Read moreRead less
Controlling cane toads by turning their own weapons against them. This project aims to prevent cane toads, which are causing ecological havoc across tropical Australia, from breeding successfully. Attempts to control toad populations have had little impact, but recent research has revealed a new possibility — exploiting the toads' own weapons for intraspecific conflict. Larval cane toads compete intensely with other larval cane toads and as a result, have evolved a way to kill off their competit ....Controlling cane toads by turning their own weapons against them. This project aims to prevent cane toads, which are causing ecological havoc across tropical Australia, from breeding successfully. Attempts to control toad populations have had little impact, but recent research has revealed a new possibility — exploiting the toads' own weapons for intraspecific conflict. Larval cane toads compete intensely with other larval cane toads and as a result, have evolved a way to kill off their competitors. Toad tadpoles produce chemicals that have devastating effects on younger members of their own species, but not on native species. By deploying those chemicals, this project could develop a novel and powerful form of invader control.Read moreRead less
The return of the native: reintroductions, reinvasions, and a new paradigm in restoration ecology. We develop a new solution to improve pest control used to protect rare and endangered wildlife by using reintroductions of common native species as a block to reinvasion following pest control. Our approach will significantly reduce the ongoing costs of pest control in Australia and our solution can be used by both large conservation organisations as well as small community groups aiming to control ....The return of the native: reintroductions, reinvasions, and a new paradigm in restoration ecology. We develop a new solution to improve pest control used to protect rare and endangered wildlife by using reintroductions of common native species as a block to reinvasion following pest control. Our approach will significantly reduce the ongoing costs of pest control in Australia and our solution can be used by both large conservation organisations as well as small community groups aiming to control pests and protect key wildlife. Our technique can also be exported to solve alien species problems elsewhere in the world. This work strengthens Australia’s world renowned expertise for research into alien species and ability to develop novel solutions to alien impacts.Read moreRead less
Ecology, impact and control of cane toads on the southern invasion front. The invasion of cane toads has killed many native animals in tropical Australia, but the toads’ southern (NSW) invasion front remains unstudied. This project will build on recent research to understand how toads affect southern biodiversity, and will develop new ways to reduce that impact.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101164
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Evolution of chemical warfare in invasive plants. The project aims to test when, where and how exotic plant populations become invasive through the rapid evolution of chemical compounds that inhibit native plant species. Using an innovative quantitative genetics framework, the intended outcome is to determine how the chemicals are selected, and whether there is sufficient heritable variation for the chemicals to evolve across heterogeneous landscapes characteristic of introduced ranges. The proj ....Evolution of chemical warfare in invasive plants. The project aims to test when, where and how exotic plant populations become invasive through the rapid evolution of chemical compounds that inhibit native plant species. Using an innovative quantitative genetics framework, the intended outcome is to determine how the chemicals are selected, and whether there is sufficient heritable variation for the chemicals to evolve across heterogeneous landscapes characteristic of introduced ranges. The project will deliver key insights into the ecological and genetic mechanisms of adaptive evolution in invasive species, and predict evolutionary dynamics of biological invasions that inform their effective management. The project’s expected outcomes will be useful to policy makers, weed managers and farming communities.Read moreRead less
The role of behavioural interactions in shaping invasion dynamics: A global synthesis using the common myna as a model system. Invasive species have detrimental effects on human health, the economy and native biodiversity. This study will address a major gap in our scientific understanding of invasions by undertaking the first large-scale examination of the role of interactions between species in determining the dynamics and outcomes of biological invasions. The project will integrate data, acro ....The role of behavioural interactions in shaping invasion dynamics: A global synthesis using the common myna as a model system. Invasive species have detrimental effects on human health, the economy and native biodiversity. This study will address a major gap in our scientific understanding of invasions by undertaking the first large-scale examination of the role of interactions between species in determining the dynamics and outcomes of biological invasions. The project will integrate data, across four continents, on dispersal, demography, breeding and behavioural interactions into one framework to create a cutting-edge model of invasion dynamics, using the highly invasive common myna as a model system. This novel approach will significantly advance theoretical developments in invasion biology and will inform pest management and threat mitigation efforts globally.Read moreRead less
Comparative biosecurity informatics to anticipate invasive species threats. Invasive species cause billions in economic damages to Australia, but we do not have effective means to identify dangerous species before they arrive and cause harm. This project aims to overcome this challenge using the latest techniques in machine learning combined with genetic, ecological, and functional datasets for thousands of species. This project expects to generate a novel framework that allows us to identify an ....Comparative biosecurity informatics to anticipate invasive species threats. Invasive species cause billions in economic damages to Australia, but we do not have effective means to identify dangerous species before they arrive and cause harm. This project aims to overcome this challenge using the latest techniques in machine learning combined with genetic, ecological, and functional datasets for thousands of species. This project expects to generate a novel framework that allows us to identify and rank dangerous invasive species in an unbiased way, helping to safeguard Australia's unique biological community. Expected outcomes include improved methods for detecting ecologically and functionally similar species, providing substantial economic efficiency benefits to Australian biosecurity.Read moreRead less
Systematic prioritisation of action for confronting invasive vertebrates in Australia. This project will use novel scientific approaches to effectively prioritise action for mitigating the threats invasive vertebrate pests pose to humans and to biodiversity in Australia. Results will inform policy and management, substantially advancing our understanding of the key factors shaping spatial invasion sources, hotspots, drivers and impact.
Rapid evolution via genetic novelty in an invasive social insect. This project aims to determine how introduced Asian honey bee populations in Australia and the Pacific managed to overcome severe genetic bottlenecks to become invasive pests. The project will use advanced molecular techniques to understand rapid evolution at a focal gene that determines fitness in these populations, and to see evolution in action across the genome using a twelve-year timeline of samples. The outcome will be an en ....Rapid evolution via genetic novelty in an invasive social insect. This project aims to determine how introduced Asian honey bee populations in Australia and the Pacific managed to overcome severe genetic bottlenecks to become invasive pests. The project will use advanced molecular techniques to understand rapid evolution at a focal gene that determines fitness in these populations, and to see evolution in action across the genome using a twelve-year timeline of samples. The outcome will be an enhanced capacity to manage new outbreaks of invasive social insects of all kinds via a better understanding of how invasions establish and spread. This should provide significant benefits in the form of protecting Australian agriculture and pollination services from social insect pests.Read moreRead less
'Streamlining search and destroy': development of a robust prioritisation framework for weed eradication using Hawkweed species. Introduced species are one of the greatest threats to our biodiversity and agriculture, as evidenced by the ARC’s National Research Priority: Safeguarding Australia. This project will advance Australia’s ability to protect itself from invaders by developing tools that guide cost-effective detection and response. Our project will have a direct effect on the planning a ....'Streamlining search and destroy': development of a robust prioritisation framework for weed eradication using Hawkweed species. Introduced species are one of the greatest threats to our biodiversity and agriculture, as evidenced by the ARC’s National Research Priority: Safeguarding Australia. This project will advance Australia’s ability to protect itself from invaders by developing tools that guide cost-effective detection and response. Our project will have a direct effect on the planning and management of Hawkweed control in Victoria and New South Wales. The framework delivered will have direct application to numerous other weeds (and relevance to other pests and diseases) within and beyond Australia. Read moreRead less