The genetic link between local adaptation and speciation. Darwin believed that natural selection drove the origin of new species, or speciation. However, research on speciation during the 20th century shifted focus from studying adaptation within a population to examining the causes of reproductive isolation (lack of interbreeding) between populations. This Project aims to unify our understanding of adaptation and reproductive isolation by examining their shared heredity. Using an established sy ....The genetic link between local adaptation and speciation. Darwin believed that natural selection drove the origin of new species, or speciation. However, research on speciation during the 20th century shifted focus from studying adaptation within a population to examining the causes of reproductive isolation (lack of interbreeding) between populations. This Project aims to unify our understanding of adaptation and reproductive isolation by examining their shared heredity. Using an established system in natural conditions, this project will generate new knowledge on the genetic processes driving speciation. This interdisciplinary research will clarify how biodiversity originates with implications for crops, conservation biology and species responses to environmental change.Read moreRead less
Sex and bottlenecks: understanding the evolutionary dynamics of bacterial adaptation. Bacteria can rapidly adapt to changing environments, often with devastating consequences for humans. However, this adaptive evolution is often limited by strong reductions in population size, in particular during transmission from one host to another. This project aims to investigate whether recombination in bacteria can overcome the limits that such bottlenecks impose on the rate of adaptation. To this end, it ....Sex and bottlenecks: understanding the evolutionary dynamics of bacterial adaptation. Bacteria can rapidly adapt to changing environments, often with devastating consequences for humans. However, this adaptive evolution is often limited by strong reductions in population size, in particular during transmission from one host to another. This project aims to investigate whether recombination in bacteria can overcome the limits that such bottlenecks impose on the rate of adaptation. To this end, it will construct mathematical models and complement them with evolution experiments in bacterial populations. Results from this research aim to generate fundamental insights into the role of recombination in bacterial evolution and will provide guidance for developing management strategies for bacterial pathogens.Read moreRead less
Discovering sex determining genes in a reptile with genetic and environmental sex determination. Reptile sex determination is particularly fascinating because it is triggered either by genes on sex chromosomes or by the nest temperature. This project will identify and characterise candidate sex determining genes in a model reptile to understand how genes control sexual differentiation and how they interact with temperature.
Characterising rates of molecular evolution across the Tree of Life. This project aims to characterise the variation in molecular evolutionary rates across the Tree of Life. Despite advances in genetic methods and genomic data, a critical gap remains in knowledge of evolutionary rates across species. The project will evaluate and refine methods for estimating rates, develop genomic data for molecular clocks, create an online database of rate estimates, and reconstruct ecological communities’ res ....Characterising rates of molecular evolution across the Tree of Life. This project aims to characterise the variation in molecular evolutionary rates across the Tree of Life. Despite advances in genetic methods and genomic data, a critical gap remains in knowledge of evolutionary rates across species. The project will evaluate and refine methods for estimating rates, develop genomic data for molecular clocks, create an online database of rate estimates, and reconstruct ecological communities’ responses to past environmental and climatic factors. The project’s database of evolutionary rates in different species is expected to increase understanding of evolutionary and demographic events across species, including the Australian biota, and improve conservation efforts.Read moreRead less
An integrated molecular approach to human evolution. This project aims to use the power of High Throughput Sequencing to investigate a range of genetic mechanisms that facilitate rapid human adaptation to diverse environments. This project expects to create the first ultra-high-quality Aboriginal Australian reference genome using Single Molecule, Real-Time Sequencing, which will expand the known range of human genomic and non-genomic variation. The results should offer the first detailed, long- ....An integrated molecular approach to human evolution. This project aims to use the power of High Throughput Sequencing to investigate a range of genetic mechanisms that facilitate rapid human adaptation to diverse environments. This project expects to create the first ultra-high-quality Aboriginal Australian reference genome using Single Molecule, Real-Time Sequencing, which will expand the known range of human genomic and non-genomic variation. The results should offer the first detailed, long-term reconstruction of the evolutionary history of human adaptability to specific environmental and cultural stressors. Importantly, the translation of the results to biomedical research will shed new light on the origins of modern diseases.Read moreRead less
The evolutionary genetics of adaptation in species with separate sexes. This project aims to provide new theory and analysis methods for studying the genetic basis of female and male fitness. The project expects to provide new insights into the evolutionary, genetic and demographic mechanisms that influence evolutionary genetic diversity within populations. The project will reveal how sex differences in selection affect adaptation, and provide a framework for predicting whether populations with ....The evolutionary genetics of adaptation in species with separate sexes. This project aims to provide new theory and analysis methods for studying the genetic basis of female and male fitness. The project expects to provide new insights into the evolutionary, genetic and demographic mechanisms that influence evolutionary genetic diversity within populations. The project will reveal how sex differences in selection affect adaptation, and provide a framework for predicting whether populations with separate sexes are able to persist under changing environmental conditions. By developing a rigorous theoretical foundation for sex-specific adaptation – including genome inference methods that follow logically from the theory – the proposal will define new approaches for studying evolutionary processes in natural populations.Read moreRead less
Tracking the molecular dynamics of adaptation with horizontal gene transfer. This project aims to track the dynamics of adaptation with gene exchange by building the first experimental evolution model that can directly observe this process. The acquisition of genes from other strains and species (horizontal gene transfer) frequently underlies bacterial adaptation, but it is unknown how this occurs. This project aims to shift understanding of how microbial populations respond to environmental cha ....Tracking the molecular dynamics of adaptation with horizontal gene transfer. This project aims to track the dynamics of adaptation with gene exchange by building the first experimental evolution model that can directly observe this process. The acquisition of genes from other strains and species (horizontal gene transfer) frequently underlies bacterial adaptation, but it is unknown how this occurs. This project aims to shift understanding of how microbial populations respond to environmental challenges. There are significant benefits to be gained from understanding how microbes adapt in response to climate change and the widespread application of antibiotics, given that microbial populations form intimate associations with humans and sustain all of the world’s ecosystems.Read moreRead less
DNA and the missing: ancient DNA and advanced forensic identification. Identifying the remains of missing persons, disaster victims and war dead is of major social and cultural importance and has significant implications for national and international justice systems. This project will apply expertise in analysis of ancient DNA to build capacity and expertise within Australia to identify highly degraded human remains.
How does developmental plasticity shape adaptation to environmental change? This project aims to address how animals adapt to environmental change by examining a process largely ignored in current studies: how the environment alters animal development. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of the genetics of adaptation using an innovative approach to determine how genetic variation, environmental conditions, and development interact to shape adaptation to changing environmen ....How does developmental plasticity shape adaptation to environmental change? This project aims to address how animals adapt to environmental change by examining a process largely ignored in current studies: how the environment alters animal development. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of the genetics of adaptation using an innovative approach to determine how genetic variation, environmental conditions, and development interact to shape adaptation to changing environments. Expected outcomes of this project include enhancing predictions of how species respond to climate change and building capacity for international collaborations. The intended impact of this project is to increase our understanding of how animals respond to environmental change by determining how multiple environmental cues act together to alter development, and how the genetic makeup of the individual affects these responses.Read moreRead less
The role of genome reorganisation in adaptation and speciation. Local adaptation and speciation are fundamental evolutionary processes that rely on changes to the genome. However, the role of genome architecture (e.g. chromosomal rearrangements, gene duplications) in driving these processes is poorly understood. This project will use advanced comparative genomics and bioinformatics to examine the role of chromosome rearrangements in driving adaptation and speciation, and evaluate rates of molec ....The role of genome reorganisation in adaptation and speciation. Local adaptation and speciation are fundamental evolutionary processes that rely on changes to the genome. However, the role of genome architecture (e.g. chromosomal rearrangements, gene duplications) in driving these processes is poorly understood. This project will use advanced comparative genomics and bioinformatics to examine the role of chromosome rearrangements in driving adaptation and speciation, and evaluate rates of molecular evolution between the X-chromosome and autosomes. Utilising Australia’s endemic mammalian fauna as a tractable model system, I will link population processes with macro-evolutionary outcomes to show how genome architecture underpins biodiversity.Read moreRead less