Evolutionary, macroecological and phylogenetic patterns in Australasian freshwater crayfish. This project connects Australian systematists to a worldwide project that involves all of the world's living experts on freshwater crayfish evolution in a coordinated effort to answer some very important evolutionary questions. It involves a group of invertebrate animals that are not only readily recognisable, but which in Australia includes the world's largest and the world's most terrestrial crayfish s ....Evolutionary, macroecological and phylogenetic patterns in Australasian freshwater crayfish. This project connects Australian systematists to a worldwide project that involves all of the world's living experts on freshwater crayfish evolution in a coordinated effort to answer some very important evolutionary questions. It involves a group of invertebrate animals that are not only readily recognisable, but which in Australia includes the world's largest and the world's most terrestrial crayfish species. Information gained from the project will contribute to the management of crayfish biodiversity, identification of threatened species and tools to identify these prominent and important members of Australian freshwater ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Origin of jaws - the greatest unsolved mystery of early vertebrate evolution. The 2008 discovery of an unborn embryo in the 380 million-year-old "Mother Fish" from the famous Gogo fossil deposit in NW Australia has attracted a collaboration of Australian, American and Chinese scientists to a new international collaboration. The team will study spectacular new fossils from central Australia and southern China, the oldest known back-boned animals with jaws and a hard skeleton. Innovative 3D X-ray ....Origin of jaws - the greatest unsolved mystery of early vertebrate evolution. The 2008 discovery of an unborn embryo in the 380 million-year-old "Mother Fish" from the famous Gogo fossil deposit in NW Australia has attracted a collaboration of Australian, American and Chinese scientists to a new international collaboration. The team will study spectacular new fossils from central Australia and southern China, the oldest known back-boned animals with jaws and a hard skeleton. Innovative 3D X-ray computer tomography, and the Australian synchrotron, will be used to investigate ancient cells and preserved soft tissue structures, to search for evidence that copulation and internal fertilization, as in modern mammals, might have originated when jaws first evolved. Read moreRead less
Deep Downunder: designing a deep-sea exploration and discovery capability for Australia. Exploration of the deep-sea with the modern technologies to be developed by Deep-Downunder is a first for Australia. We aim to explore and discover life at depths from 50-3000m off The Great Barrier Reef, around the seamounts of Lord Howe Island and Tasmania and in the deep canyons of WA and SA. We expect to discover new species, hope for a glimpse of giant squid at home and will answer specific questions on ....Deep Downunder: designing a deep-sea exploration and discovery capability for Australia. Exploration of the deep-sea with the modern technologies to be developed by Deep-Downunder is a first for Australia. We aim to explore and discover life at depths from 50-3000m off The Great Barrier Reef, around the seamounts of Lord Howe Island and Tasmania and in the deep canyons of WA and SA. We expect to discover new species, hope for a glimpse of giant squid at home and will answer specific questions on Australia's ocean biology, fisheries and biotechnology never before approachable. To be effective guardians of Australian waters we must learn what lies in the depths we can't see from a boat.Read moreRead less
A biological basis for the efficient breeding of native plants for export markets: a case study with the Australian Goodeniaceae. The native plant family Goodeniaceae exhibits enormous potential for the world potted-plant trade. To provide vital biological information for the efficient breeding of these plants, we will (i) determine the molecular evolutionary relationships of species, (ii) assess chromosomal variation within and among species, (iii) characterise mating patterns in natural popul ....A biological basis for the efficient breeding of native plants for export markets: a case study with the Australian Goodeniaceae. The native plant family Goodeniaceae exhibits enormous potential for the world potted-plant trade. To provide vital biological information for the efficient breeding of these plants, we will (i) determine the molecular evolutionary relationships of species, (ii) assess chromosomal variation within and among species, (iii) characterise mating patterns in natural populations using DNA fingerprinting for paternity analysis, (iv) develop techniques to overcome barriers to wide crossing, and (v) use DNA fingerprinting for the rapid identification of artificial hybrids. Expected outcomes are an understanding of evolution and mating in the Goodeniaceae and the efficient development of horticulturally significant materialRead moreRead less
Assessment of the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of subterranean animals from calcrete aquifers in central western Australia. Recently a rich and diverse subterranean invertebrate fauna (stygofauna) was unexpectedly discovered from numerous isolated calcrete aquifers associated with palaeodrainage channels in central Western Australia. Our recent taxonomic and molecular studies have suggested that stygofaunas within each aquifer may be highly endemic. We aim to test this hypothesis by in ....Assessment of the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of subterranean animals from calcrete aquifers in central western Australia. Recently a rich and diverse subterranean invertebrate fauna (stygofauna) was unexpectedly discovered from numerous isolated calcrete aquifers associated with palaeodrainage channels in central Western Australia. Our recent taxonomic and molecular studies have suggested that stygofaunas within each aquifer may be highly endemic. We aim to test this hypothesis by investigating the diversity, distribution and uniqueness of stygofauna from three major calcrete regions. We further aim to document the environmental conditions and variability within the aquifers and to develop rigorous sampling protocols. Such data are essential for the development of appropriate strategies for sustainable management of subterranean water and their ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Molecular approaches for the exploitation of genetic diversity in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) for profitable Australian farming systems. Subterranean clover is the most widely sown annual pasture legume species in southern Australia. It is native to the Mediterranean basin and has been sown over an estimated area of 22 million ha. This project will provide breeders with a focused core germplasm collection representing the range of genetic diversity of the around 8000 accessio ....Molecular approaches for the exploitation of genetic diversity in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) for profitable Australian farming systems. Subterranean clover is the most widely sown annual pasture legume species in southern Australia. It is native to the Mediterranean basin and has been sown over an estimated area of 22 million ha. This project will provide breeders with a focused core germplasm collection representing the range of genetic diversity of the around 8000 accessions in the original collection. The focused core collection will lead to more efficient and effective breeding of elite cultivars for sustainable and profitable farming systems to benefit wool, meat and grains industries.Read moreRead less
Genetic evaluation of the diversity of the stygobitic fauna of the Pilbara, Western Australia. This study has two main aims, designed to help manage populations of the subterranean invertebrate fauna in an economically important region of Western Australia: 1) to provide phylogenetic and population genetic information on the structure of populations of amphipods and other groundwater fauna in the Pilbara, Western Australia, and 2) to investigate areas of the ecology of the fauna including respon ....Genetic evaluation of the diversity of the stygobitic fauna of the Pilbara, Western Australia. This study has two main aims, designed to help manage populations of the subterranean invertebrate fauna in an economically important region of Western Australia: 1) to provide phylogenetic and population genetic information on the structure of populations of amphipods and other groundwater fauna in the Pilbara, Western Australia, and 2) to investigate areas of the ecology of the fauna including response to changes in water chemistry. The genetic information will be used to gain an understanding of species diversity, distributions, and movement in order to help set conservation priorities in managing resources, habitats, and fauna. The ecological data will be used to study the effects of dewatering and changes in water chemsitry on morphology and survival.Read moreRead less
Evolution and biogeography of Australian idiopid trapdoor spiders: implications for conservation biology and environmental assessment. Trapdoor spiders (family Idiopidae) are poorly studied and there are many new species with restricted distributions in the western and arid parts of the continent. This project will use DNA techniques to study their evolution and provide genetic criteria for their identification, environmental assessment and determining conservation priorities.
Islands of rocks: geckos as a model system to understand patterns of biodiversity, endemism and speciation in the Kimberley. Australia is renowned for its diversity of lizards, yet a plethora of new "cryptic" gecko species continue to be discovered. The project will densely sample the complex Kimberley to understand the evolution of its geckos, which will shed light on true levels of species diversity and the geological and environmental history of this biodiversity hotspot.
Phylogenomic assessment of conservation priorities in two biodiversity hotspots: the Pilbara and the Kimberley. This project applies new sequencing and analytical methods to measure how much unique genetic diversity is represented in current and planned reserves across two biodiversity hotspots – the Pilbara and Kimberley of north-west Australia. It combines university, museum and conservation agency researchers to improve ongoing conservation planning.