Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0344009
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
South Australian Regional Facility for Molecular Evolution and Ecology. Adelaide and Flinders Universities and their partners, the South Australian Museum and the South Australian Research and Development Institute, seek to enhance the throughput and efficiency of molecular genotyping for the large amount of research undertaken in Adelaide in the general areas of molecular evolution and ecology, and to enhance long-term storage and accessibility of the valuable biological materials used for geno ....South Australian Regional Facility for Molecular Evolution and Ecology. Adelaide and Flinders Universities and their partners, the South Australian Museum and the South Australian Research and Development Institute, seek to enhance the throughput and efficiency of molecular genotyping for the large amount of research undertaken in Adelaide in the general areas of molecular evolution and ecology, and to enhance long-term storage and accessibility of the valuable biological materials used for genotyping. This will be achieved by developing a new fully integrated, jointly managed regional facility, that serves all relevant research groups in South Australia.Read moreRead less
Structural reorganization of the hymenopteran mitochondrial genome. This study will be the first detailed investigation of the evolution of mt genome reorganization, and as such it will identify the processes that shape the evolution of a molecule widely used to interpret phylogeny. A description of the processes that lead to mt genome reorganization will have a substantial impact on our understanding in two areas of mt biology; (1) the discovery of new molecular phenomena that impact on the or ....Structural reorganization of the hymenopteran mitochondrial genome. This study will be the first detailed investigation of the evolution of mt genome reorganization, and as such it will identify the processes that shape the evolution of a molecule widely used to interpret phylogeny. A description of the processes that lead to mt genome reorganization will have a substantial impact on our understanding in two areas of mt biology; (1) the discovery of new molecular phenomena that impact on the organization and evolution of this genome, and (2) the interpretation of its phylogenetic content. It will establish our research group as a leader in the field of evolutionary genetics. Training of high quality students, with exposure to international researchers, will be a significant component of this program.Read moreRead less
Developing biogeographic know-how: Improving species divergence and dispersal estimations to examine geological and climatic evolutionary drivers. Anthropogenic activity over the last 150 years is now dramatically changing our global climate and ecosystems. The impact on biodiversity is already evident, and large-scale floral and faunal extinctions are predicted. This study unites a cohort of international experts in an interdisciplinary team to develop new molecular and mathematical methods to ....Developing biogeographic know-how: Improving species divergence and dispersal estimations to examine geological and climatic evolutionary drivers. Anthropogenic activity over the last 150 years is now dramatically changing our global climate and ecosystems. The impact on biodiversity is already evident, and large-scale floral and faunal extinctions are predicted. This study unites a cohort of international experts in an interdisciplinary team to develop new molecular and mathematical methods to expand our fundamental knowledge on how geological and global climate change have affected our world's species components and ecosystems in the past. This research is of environmental significance and global importance as it will improve our ability to predict how species behave under future predicted climate scenarios.Read moreRead less
Origins of invertebrate fauna in Australia since the Cretaceous: a molecular approach using bees as a model taxon. Australia's unique biota is vital for ecological, recreational, and economic reasons, and is a major resource that we need to understand and manage. This project is aimed at understanding the genesis of this biota, and will help us anticipate what lies ahead, in terms of the impact of exotic species and climate change. Benefits also include developing world class scientific profiles ....Origins of invertebrate fauna in Australia since the Cretaceous: a molecular approach using bees as a model taxon. Australia's unique biota is vital for ecological, recreational, and economic reasons, and is a major resource that we need to understand and manage. This project is aimed at understanding the genesis of this biota, and will help us anticipate what lies ahead, in terms of the impact of exotic species and climate change. Benefits also include developing world class scientific profiles with consequent flow-on effects, including international collaboration, and enhanced teaching and awareness of native biota. The project will maintain our already strong track record for training a large number of postgraduate and honours students in benchmark evolutionary research techniques. Read moreRead less
Co-evolution of sociality and sex allocation: phylogenetic comparative approaches using insects. This project investigates the coevolution of sex allocation and sociality. Although linkage between these two traits has long been conjectured in evolutionary ecology, and numerous studies have investigated species-specific relationships, the question of how these two features interact over evolutionary time has not been examined. Here, we apply phylogenetic comparative approaches to determine wh ....Co-evolution of sociality and sex allocation: phylogenetic comparative approaches using insects. This project investigates the coevolution of sex allocation and sociality. Although linkage between these two traits has long been conjectured in evolutionary ecology, and numerous studies have investigated species-specific relationships, the question of how these two features interact over evolutionary time has not been examined. Here, we apply phylogenetic comparative approaches to determine whether sex allocation strategies have influenced subsequent social evolution. In particular, we extend the notion of parental manipulation to ask whether mothers have been able to use sex allocation to influence alloparental behaviour in their offspring, leading to greater levels of altruism.Read moreRead less
Origin of social parasites via sympatric speciation: testing the theory using allodapine bees as a model system. This project addresses a contentious evolutionary conjecture regarding the origin of some species and will help maintain Australia's position in the forefront of evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology. Benefits derive from developing and maintaining world class research excellence, with consequences for scientific competitiveness and training the next generation of young researc ....Origin of social parasites via sympatric speciation: testing the theory using allodapine bees as a model system. This project addresses a contentious evolutionary conjecture regarding the origin of some species and will help maintain Australia's position in the forefront of evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology. Benefits derive from developing and maintaining world class research excellence, with consequences for scientific competitiveness and training the next generation of young researchers in cutting-edge techniques. The project fosters international collaboration, important for maintaining links with the broader scientific community and fostering breadth in postgraduate training. The project will also train 3 PhD students and 1-2 honours students per year, with strong expertise in evolutionary, genetic and ecological research techniques.Read moreRead less
Phylogeny and radiation of flatworm ectoparasites from marine fish using morphology and genetics, with novel approaches to identify pathogenic species. Fish flukes (flatworm parasites) with direct lifecycles can weaken and kill captive fish and threaten lucrative industries like finfish aquaculture and public aquaria in Australia and globally. Traditional approaches and molecular techniques will identify monogenean flukes in a family containing known pathogenic species distributed worldwide. K ....Phylogeny and radiation of flatworm ectoparasites from marine fish using morphology and genetics, with novel approaches to identify pathogenic species. Fish flukes (flatworm parasites) with direct lifecycles can weaken and kill captive fish and threaten lucrative industries like finfish aquaculture and public aquaria in Australia and globally. Traditional approaches and molecular techniques will identify monogenean flukes in a family containing known pathogenic species distributed worldwide. Knowledge of fish disease is paramount for quarantine, risk assessments for import/export and for managing pathogen outbreaks in aquaculture. Benefits include: economic/social improvements in regional/rural Australia where fish farms are expanding; international excellence and core research training in fish parasitology; profitable, exportable expertise; knowledge of endemic and shared pathogens.Read moreRead less
The puzzle of Metazoan life history evolution: are feeding larvae always primitive? Most marine animals have a complex life-cycles with alternating pelagic larvae and benthic adults. An theory about animal life-history evolution states that feeding larvae are always primitive and larval feeding is lost but not gained. This hypothesis is based in part on studies on the 'classical' trochophore of marine worms such as Serpulidae, a group with both feeding and non-feeding larvae. We intend to establ ....The puzzle of Metazoan life history evolution: are feeding larvae always primitive? Most marine animals have a complex life-cycles with alternating pelagic larvae and benthic adults. An theory about animal life-history evolution states that feeding larvae are always primitive and larval feeding is lost but not gained. This hypothesis is based in part on studies on the 'classical' trochophore of marine worms such as Serpulidae, a group with both feeding and non-feeding larvae. We intend to establish a detailed phylogeny for Serpulidae and assess the evolution of larvae in the group. If feeding larvae are shown to be secondary this will raise doubts about established theories of animal evolution.Read moreRead less
Sea Snake Diversification: Why Are Certain Taxa And Regions Species-Rich? By generating new knowledge of ecologically and medically important Australasian organisms, this project will benefit biodiversity management, snakebite therapy and pharmaceutical research. Sea snakes reach peak diversity in the Indo-Australian hotspot and are threatened by habitat degradation, fisheries bycatch and rising sea temperatures. Sea snake conservation and marine reserve management strategies will directly ben ....Sea Snake Diversification: Why Are Certain Taxa And Regions Species-Rich? By generating new knowledge of ecologically and medically important Australasian organisms, this project will benefit biodiversity management, snakebite therapy and pharmaceutical research. Sea snakes reach peak diversity in the Indo-Australian hotspot and are threatened by habitat degradation, fisheries bycatch and rising sea temperatures. Sea snake conservation and marine reserve management strategies will directly benefit from a better understanding of local endemism, species boundaries and possible cryptic species. Sea snakes are highly venomous and pose a significant health risk in fishing communities; venom variation has a strong phylogenetic component and is of vital importance in antivenom preparation and bioprospecting. Read moreRead less
Major Evolutionary Events in Reptiles (Including Birds). Evolutionary patterns among the major groups of reptiles (including birds) will be resolved using new information from multiple (>6) nuclear genes combined with existing phenotypic and (mainly mitochondrial) genetic traits. This will simultaneously resolve several high-profile questions, such as: the origin and affinities of turtles, snakes and flightless birds; and the prevalence of phenotypic convergence generated by paedomorphosis and ....Major Evolutionary Events in Reptiles (Including Birds). Evolutionary patterns among the major groups of reptiles (including birds) will be resolved using new information from multiple (>6) nuclear genes combined with existing phenotypic and (mainly mitochondrial) genetic traits. This will simultaneously resolve several high-profile questions, such as: the origin and affinities of turtles, snakes and flightless birds; and the prevalence of phenotypic convergence generated by paedomorphosis and fossoriality. The multiple genetic and phenotypic data sets will also reveal any broad links between genetic and phenotypic evolution (e.g. rate correlations), and the differing abilities of nuclear genes, mitochondrial genes, and phenotypic traits to track (and thus reflect) deep evolutionary branchings.Read moreRead less