Seeing without eyes: the evolution of non-visual photoreceptors in vertebrates. Australia's underwater biodiversity is second to none with endemic species representing the earliest stages in vertebrate evolution, many of them relying heavily on vision for survival. Tracing the evolution of light detection and image formation will provide crucial information about the lifestyles of our vertebrate ancestors, the environmental selection pressures driving speciation and colour communication. Charact ....Seeing without eyes: the evolution of non-visual photoreceptors in vertebrates. Australia's underwater biodiversity is second to none with endemic species representing the earliest stages in vertebrate evolution, many of them relying heavily on vision for survival. Tracing the evolution of light detection and image formation will provide crucial information about the lifestyles of our vertebrate ancestors, the environmental selection pressures driving speciation and colour communication. Characterisation of optimal light environments and extra-ocular light detection will also help protect and manage endemic species in wild and captive environments. Read moreRead less
Particle Transport and Separation in High Aspect Ratio Inclined Channels. This project will be of benefit to the Australian coal and mineral processing industries, worth tens of billions of dollars to the Australian economy each year. The objective is to establish new options for the processing of particles as large as 50mm, and smaller than 50 microns in size, and hence significantly extend the operating size range of the Reflux Classifier. The development of new resources, especially those of ....Particle Transport and Separation in High Aspect Ratio Inclined Channels. This project will be of benefit to the Australian coal and mineral processing industries, worth tens of billions of dollars to the Australian economy each year. The objective is to establish new options for the processing of particles as large as 50mm, and smaller than 50 microns in size, and hence significantly extend the operating size range of the Reflux Classifier. The development of new resources, especially those of poorer grade, requires more effective separation technology. Success in this project will significantly benefit the end users of the technology and also contribute to Australia's Mining Services industry.Read moreRead less
Do larval fish leave the reef to avoid parasites? Although fundamental to understanding the community structure of reef fishes, why fish larvae migrate to the open ocean remains controversial. Traditional explanations are that it results in dispersal, avoidance of predators, and increased food. Recent work on the Great Barrier Reef, however, suggests avoiding reef-based micropredatory parasites may be more important. To determine if this so, we will investigate the effect of parasites on larval ....Do larval fish leave the reef to avoid parasites? Although fundamental to understanding the community structure of reef fishes, why fish larvae migrate to the open ocean remains controversial. Traditional explanations are that it results in dispersal, avoidance of predators, and increased food. Recent work on the Great Barrier Reef, however, suggests avoiding reef-based micropredatory parasites may be more important. To determine if this so, we will investigate the effect of parasites on larval fish condition, performance, and susceptibility to micropredators; whether larval fish are vulnerable to reef-based micropredators; the effects of micropredators on fish settlement patterns; and whether larval fish that don't migrate have adaptations to avoid micropredators.Read moreRead less
The role of early life history on the survival of coral reef fishes - opening the Black Box. A fundamental unanswered question in marine ecology and fisheries management is - what influences the number of individuals that survive the larval phase to join a reef population? Theoretical studies show that small changes in the quality of offspring can lead to large changes in the numbers surviving the larval phase. What aspects of offspring quality determine who survives is largely unknown. We use ....The role of early life history on the survival of coral reef fishes - opening the Black Box. A fundamental unanswered question in marine ecology and fisheries management is - what influences the number of individuals that survive the larval phase to join a reef population? Theoretical studies show that small changes in the quality of offspring can lead to large changes in the numbers surviving the larval phase. What aspects of offspring quality determine who survives is largely unknown. We use a multidisciplinary approach to explore what influences the quality of offspring spawned by adults, and whether offspring traits prior to or at hatching determine the identity of individuals that survive to join the reproductive population.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100001
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
An advanced thermogravimetric analysis system for world-leading research in clean energy, catalysis, material science and nanotechnology. Many chemical reactions occurring in solid materials during heating significantly affect the materials' stability, and subsequently affects the processes of production of clean energy, material synthesis, catalyst preparation, and nanotechnology. No equipment currently exists in Australia that will mitigate the wide range of conditions in such reactions in ma ....An advanced thermogravimetric analysis system for world-leading research in clean energy, catalysis, material science and nanotechnology. Many chemical reactions occurring in solid materials during heating significantly affect the materials' stability, and subsequently affects the processes of production of clean energy, material synthesis, catalyst preparation, and nanotechnology. No equipment currently exists in Australia that will mitigate the wide range of conditions in such reactions in materials processing. This situation impedes research progress in Australia, disadvantages Australian research students, and ultimately makes our research less competitive internationally. The establishment of the proposed apparatus will increase the competitiveness of Australian science and engineering, and contribute to the development of new Australian technologies that are important to the Australian economy and to environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less