Optimising seed sourcing for effective ecological restoration. This project aims to address the sourcing of native seed for ecological restoration under global change. The great demand for native seed to deliver ecological restoration provides a clear need and responsibility to use this seed as efficiently as possible. This project expects to develop detailed new knowledge that links plant and environmental genomics, plant physiology, seed and soil biology in embedded experiments at post-mining ....Optimising seed sourcing for effective ecological restoration. This project aims to address the sourcing of native seed for ecological restoration under global change. The great demand for native seed to deliver ecological restoration provides a clear need and responsibility to use this seed as efficiently as possible. This project expects to develop detailed new knowledge that links plant and environmental genomics, plant physiology, seed and soil biology in embedded experiments at post-mining rehabilitation sites. Expected outcomes include clear industry guidelines that refine seed sourcing strategies for ecological restoration for current and future climates. This should provide significant benefits for improved ecological restoration outcomes when using native seed today and into the future.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing the impact of climate change on Australian native species. This project will explore the impact of past climate change on Australian native animals to identify species and ecosystems at greatest potential risk, and to help predict and minimise the effects of future change.
Evolutionary origins of sexual parasitism in an Australian freshwater fish. Carp gudgeons are the most abundant, widespread and biodiverse freshwater fishes in southeastern Australia. The unacknowledged presence of many cryptic species and sexually-parasitic lineages severely taints all research on this cornerstone group. This project aims to provide unrivalled evolutionary, genomic, and taxonomic insights into this new instance of vertebrate sexual parasitism, which offers a unique mix of resea ....Evolutionary origins of sexual parasitism in an Australian freshwater fish. Carp gudgeons are the most abundant, widespread and biodiverse freshwater fishes in southeastern Australia. The unacknowledged presence of many cryptic species and sexually-parasitic lineages severely taints all research on this cornerstone group. This project aims to provide unrivalled evolutionary, genomic, and taxonomic insights into this new instance of vertebrate sexual parasitism, which offers a unique mix of research advantages not displayed by any other sexual/unisexual complex. The knowledge gained could impact many research fields, including evolutionary theory addressing the unexplainable prevalence of sex, native fish ecology, and environmental monitoring of the Murray-Darling Basin, an ecosystem of world significance.Read moreRead less
Going beyond genetics: the shape of marsupial evolution and conservation. This project aims to explain the past and protect the present biodiversity of endangered marsupial mammals such as bilbies and koalas. It will generate new knowledge using an interdisciplinary combination of 3D analysis of skull shape, reflecting a mammal’s ability to feed and sense its surrounds, with the fast-moving fields of marsupial conservation and evolutionary genetics. This will help to anticipate if, and how, chan ....Going beyond genetics: the shape of marsupial evolution and conservation. This project aims to explain the past and protect the present biodiversity of endangered marsupial mammals such as bilbies and koalas. It will generate new knowledge using an interdisciplinary combination of 3D analysis of skull shape, reflecting a mammal’s ability to feed and sense its surrounds, with the fast-moving fields of marsupial conservation and evolutionary genetics. This will help to anticipate if, and how, changing environments and declining numbers reduce these species’ ability to adapt. Benefits include better information to support improved conservation decisions and identification of genes underlying the evolution of marsupial skull diversity.Read moreRead less
A global standard for the status of Wetlands of International Importance. The project will develop and test a new global standard for the assessment and reporting on ecological condition of internationally important wetlands, listed under the Ramsar Convention. It has four aims: establishment of a strategic adaptive management and governance framework, a meta-analysis of the 2,303 internationally listed wetlands, development of a protocol for assessment and prediction and delivering a digital re ....A global standard for the status of Wetlands of International Importance. The project will develop and test a new global standard for the assessment and reporting on ecological condition of internationally important wetlands, listed under the Ramsar Convention. It has four aims: establishment of a strategic adaptive management and governance framework, a meta-analysis of the 2,303 internationally listed wetlands, development of a protocol for assessment and prediction and delivering a digital reporting platform for effective management. The project is significant because it tackles the decline of freshwater ecosystems, by targeting the most prominent wetlands. It also assists state and national governments to meet their obligations under the Ramsar Convention and most importantly guides more effective management.Read moreRead less
Designing successful genetic-rescue approaches for threatened species. This project aims to determine how threatened populations of inbred native species can be 'genetically rescued' by introducing genetically healthy individuals. This is significant because Australia is a global hotspot of extinctions and threatened species, so tools that can be used to offset extinction risk will benefit entire ecosystems at risk. We will focus on two inbred populations of koalas in South Australia to (1) meas ....Designing successful genetic-rescue approaches for threatened species. This project aims to determine how threatened populations of inbred native species can be 'genetically rescued' by introducing genetically healthy individuals. This is significant because Australia is a global hotspot of extinctions and threatened species, so tools that can be used to offset extinction risk will benefit entire ecosystems at risk. We will focus on two inbred populations of koalas in South Australia to (1) measure and map patterns of genetic diversity, (2) map densities and track individuals to measure demography, (3) develop advanced spatial models that combine population demography and genetic processes to predict the effectiveness of genetic rescue, and (4) source and rear healthy individuals to test our predictions.Read moreRead less
Long-term changes in the phenology of Australia's temperate marine macroalgae: has climate change impacted the world's most diverse algal flora? Looking back at herbarium specimens collected over the past 100 years, this project will reconstruct a historical baseline of reproduction in Australian seaweeds. This unique opportunity to rigorously assess the extent of recent changes in response to ocean warming, will help secure the continued existence of the most species rich marine flora in the wo ....Long-term changes in the phenology of Australia's temperate marine macroalgae: has climate change impacted the world's most diverse algal flora? Looking back at herbarium specimens collected over the past 100 years, this project will reconstruct a historical baseline of reproduction in Australian seaweeds. This unique opportunity to rigorously assess the extent of recent changes in response to ocean warming, will help secure the continued existence of the most species rich marine flora in the world.Read moreRead less
Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. This project aims to understand how different animals encounter pesticide in the landscape through quantifying residue deposition in arid grasslands and investigating how pesticides used to control locust plagues affect fauna. This project will investigate fenitrothion and fipronil, the main pesticides used in Australia for locust control. It will develop a deposition model for aeria ....Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. Impacts of locust control pesticides on arid-zone fauna. This project aims to understand how different animals encounter pesticide in the landscape through quantifying residue deposition in arid grasslands and investigating how pesticides used to control locust plagues affect fauna. This project will investigate fenitrothion and fipronil, the main pesticides used in Australia for locust control. It will develop a deposition model for aerial pesticide spraying, determine the short-term effect of sprayed pesticides on the behaviour and condition of free-ranging target fauna that use the environment differently, and quantify the relative importance of dietary and non-dietary exposure routes to gauge the importance of animal behaviour on pesticide exposure. Anticipated outcomes are improved baseline assessments for locusticides.Read moreRead less
Seminal fluid interferon-gamma: a potential inhibitor of reproductive success. This project aims to investigate mechanisms by which infection, heat stress and psycho-social stress interfere with fertility by inducing a signalling factor in seminal fluid that suppresses female immune adaptation for pregnancy. Factors in seminal fluid in addition to sperm parameters are known to affect male reproductive success, but these are not well defined. The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNG) is variably prese ....Seminal fluid interferon-gamma: a potential inhibitor of reproductive success. This project aims to investigate mechanisms by which infection, heat stress and psycho-social stress interfere with fertility by inducing a signalling factor in seminal fluid that suppresses female immune adaptation for pregnancy. Factors in seminal fluid in addition to sperm parameters are known to affect male reproductive success, but these are not well defined. The cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNG) is variably present in seminal plasma of several mammalian species. It was recently discovered that IFNG interferes with the female immune response required for reproductive success. This project will investigate how seminal fluid IFNG alters female immune adaptation for pregnancy. This will define how environmental factors induce seminal fluid IFNG and determine whether inhibitory effects of IFNG can be overcome with pharmacological inhibitors to boost reproductive success.Read moreRead less
Restoration genetics of five endangered fish species from the Murray-Darling Basin. Extended drought and environmental degradation have caused unprecedented loss of aquatic biodiversity in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Australia's most important agricultural region. This project will reduce the risk of extinction of two endangered and three critically endangered freshwater fish species from the lower MDB. It will provide major benefits to the broader Australian community by addressing governme ....Restoration genetics of five endangered fish species from the Murray-Darling Basin. Extended drought and environmental degradation have caused unprecedented loss of aquatic biodiversity in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Australia's most important agricultural region. This project will reduce the risk of extinction of two endangered and three critically endangered freshwater fish species from the lower MDB. It will provide major benefits to the broader Australian community by addressing government policies regarding sustainable water management in rural areas, biodiversity protection and recovery of threatened species. The study will also increase the research profile of Australia in the international scientific community by improving our understanding about genetic diversity in captive breeding and restoration programs.Read moreRead less