Fitting non-Gaussian diffusion models to evolutionary data: towards a generalized framework for phylogenetic comparative analyses. This project aims to develop cutting-edge statistical methods for evolutionary biology in order to answer big questions using data derived from multiple species. Such methods are needed because of the variety of multi-species data that are becoming available, which cannot be dealt with correctly using current methods. The research is significant because it will provi ....Fitting non-Gaussian diffusion models to evolutionary data: towards a generalized framework for phylogenetic comparative analyses. This project aims to develop cutting-edge statistical methods for evolutionary biology in order to answer big questions using data derived from multiple species. Such methods are needed because of the variety of multi-species data that are becoming available, which cannot be dealt with correctly using current methods. The research is significant because it will provide a new way of fitting a wide class of statistical models to evolutionary data, in a very general setting. Further, this project will unite current methodology in a broader framework so that the proposed new methods are a generalisation of currently accepted theory. The outcomes will include a freely-available software package that implements the methods in a user-friendly form.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100544
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$344,682.00
Summary
The drivers of genome evolution and diversification in marsupials. This project aims to investigate the impact of the four basic forces of evolution, mutation, selection, neutral drift, and gene flow, on the genome. Genome-scale data have a signature of these forces and extracting it would greatly improve the quality of evolutionary models fit to the data, but the framework to identify the evolutionary forces has not been developed. This project will develop tests for assessing the impact of the ....The drivers of genome evolution and diversification in marsupials. This project aims to investigate the impact of the four basic forces of evolution, mutation, selection, neutral drift, and gene flow, on the genome. Genome-scale data have a signature of these forces and extracting it would greatly improve the quality of evolutionary models fit to the data, but the framework to identify the evolutionary forces has not been developed. This project will develop tests for assessing the impact of the primary evolutionary forces on the genome, and test these methods using simulations. The new framework of genomic analysis will be disseminated through an intuitive software package, and will be used to estimate with unprecedented confidence the history of diversification and genome evolution of marsupials.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the molecular diversity and evolution of centipede venoms. The project intends to improve understanding of venom evolution in centipedes. Venoms have emerged as a rich source of pharmacological tools with potential for development into therapeutics and bioinsecticides. However, venoms-based discovery has been limited by the narrow taxonomical range of animals studied, with many groups of venomous animals overlooked. One such group is centipedes, whose venoms contain diverse toxins th ....Unravelling the molecular diversity and evolution of centipede venoms. The project intends to improve understanding of venom evolution in centipedes. Venoms have emerged as a rich source of pharmacological tools with potential for development into therapeutics and bioinsecticides. However, venoms-based discovery has been limited by the narrow taxonomical range of animals studied, with many groups of venomous animals overlooked. One such group is centipedes, whose venoms contain diverse toxins that differ between taxa. This project aims to provide an insight into centipede venom evolution, and how it might be constrained by venom-gland morphology. This study seeks to contribute to our understanding of protein evolution and direct biodiscovery efforts around centipede venom.Read moreRead less
Turning Selaginella into a model of plant reproductive evolution and ecology. The ancient genus Selaginella can reveal how natural selection shaped fundamental traits of plant reproduction like morphological differentiation of spores (a prerequisite for the evolution of seeds) and sexual division of reproductive investment. However, almost nothing is known of the ‘ecological theatre’ in which Selaginella evolves. This project will examine the worldwide phylogenetic pattern of reproductive traits ....Turning Selaginella into a model of plant reproductive evolution and ecology. The ancient genus Selaginella can reveal how natural selection shaped fundamental traits of plant reproduction like morphological differentiation of spores (a prerequisite for the evolution of seeds) and sexual division of reproductive investment. However, almost nothing is known of the ‘ecological theatre’ in which Selaginella evolves. This project will examine the worldwide phylogenetic pattern of reproductive traits in the genus, and combine field and greenhouse studies of Australian and Malaysian species in order to test fundamental ideas in evolutionary ecology such as the theory of sex allocation, and begin to establish the ecological and adaptive counterpart to Selaginella’s emerging role as a genomic model organism.Read moreRead less
Resolving insect evolution. Our poor understanding of the evolution of insects, life’s most successful group, is a huge gap in our knowledge of nature. By analysing genomic data the project will resolve the insect evolutionary tree and discover what drove insect evolution. This will expand our knowledge of how evolution works - a vital part of conserving our biological diversity.
Evolution of Australia's globally unique hotspot of floral diversity. Australia has a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot, the southwest of Western Australia, but this unique eucalypt-dominated flora is threatened. This project will gain new insights into the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain such diversity, their vulnerability; and how the iconic eucalypts came to dominate the Australian landscape.
New approaches to understanding the forces driving convergent evolution. This project aims to address the evolutionary biology question of what drives convergent evolution of morphological phenotypes. Leveraging previous research on the phylogenetics of Australian reptiles and amphibians, the project will apply new methodological and analytical tools for quantifying and evaluating morphological diversity in a phylogenetic context. The project expects to test the influence of climate, habitat and ....New approaches to understanding the forces driving convergent evolution. This project aims to address the evolutionary biology question of what drives convergent evolution of morphological phenotypes. Leveraging previous research on the phylogenetics of Australian reptiles and amphibians, the project will apply new methodological and analytical tools for quantifying and evaluating morphological diversity in a phylogenetic context. The project expects to test the influence of climate, habitat and evolutionary history on driving convergent morphological evolution across multiple independent animal groups. The project will address fundamental theories on convergent evolution and will improve public awareness of Australia’s unique animals and their history.Read moreRead less
Phenotypic diversity dynamics at a continental scale. This project aims to build on previous research on the phylogenetics of Australian vertebrate animals to apply sophisticated new methodological and analytical tools for modelling species diversification. Australia is famous for the great diversity and uniqueness of its plants and animals, due in part to 40 million years of relative isolation. The project plans to test the influence of historical climate and habitat shifts on morphological evo ....Phenotypic diversity dynamics at a continental scale. This project aims to build on previous research on the phylogenetics of Australian vertebrate animals to apply sophisticated new methodological and analytical tools for modelling species diversification. Australia is famous for the great diversity and uniqueness of its plants and animals, due in part to 40 million years of relative isolation. The project plans to test the influence of historical climate and habitat shifts on morphological evolution and assembly of the Australian biota. This project could showcase Australia as the best place in the World to rigorously test hypotheses concerning rates of biological diversification at a continental scale.Read moreRead less
Fossils, rocks and early Cambrian clocks: calibrating body plan assembly and lineage splits in ancestral animals from Gondwana. The precise timing of when animal body plans evolved and rapidly diversified during the Cambrian Explosion remains mysterious. This project will investigate vast collections of exquisitely preserved early-middle Cambrian fossils from Australia to determine the precise order of evolutionary events at the root of the animal tree of life.
The evolution of dispersal on range edges. The rate at which an invasive species spreads, and the ability of a native species to adapt to environmental change, are both contingent on the dispersal ability of the species. Dispersal ability, however, evolves rapidly on the edge of a species' range. The rapid evolution of dispersal, therefore, determines the eventual range-limits of invasive species, as well as of native species responding to changing conditions. This research will provide tools ....The evolution of dispersal on range edges. The rate at which an invasive species spreads, and the ability of a native species to adapt to environmental change, are both contingent on the dispersal ability of the species. Dispersal ability, however, evolves rapidly on the edge of a species' range. The rapid evolution of dispersal, therefore, determines the eventual range-limits of invasive species, as well as of native species responding to changing conditions. This research will provide tools with which to predict the direction and rate of dispersal evolution on range-edges. The results of this work will, thus, massively facilitate management of invasive species and climate change.Read moreRead less