The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE240100006
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Northern Australia Plant Biosecurity Facility. Quarantine glasshouses (Biosecurity Containment Level 2) are required to develop research with invasive plants. However, in Australia, no quarantine glasshouses exist north of parallel 27 (Brisbane), posing a remarkable barrier to research on tropical biosecurity. This proposal aims to establish a quarantine glasshouse for a broad range of internal and external users, enabling scientists based in the Australian tropics and other interested parties t ....Northern Australia Plant Biosecurity Facility. Quarantine glasshouses (Biosecurity Containment Level 2) are required to develop research with invasive plants. However, in Australia, no quarantine glasshouses exist north of parallel 27 (Brisbane), posing a remarkable barrier to research on tropical biosecurity. This proposal aims to establish a quarantine glasshouse for a broad range of internal and external users, enabling scientists based in the Australian tropics and other interested parties to address plant biosecurity risks from and for northern Australia. Tropical biosecurity is a key area of strategic focus for JCU and its network of partners, who will benefit from the targeted research, quarantine services, and specialized training that will be enabled by this facility.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100257
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$446,857.00
Summary
Molecular biosecurity: Genomic databanks for managing new pest invasions. This project aims to develop a set of genomics-based approaches for analysing new pest invasions. By producing and analysing genomic databanks for four insect pest species, including three that have recently invaded Australia, this project expects to identify invasion origins and to track new pest incursions within Australia. The project should also provide insights into pest ecology, including movement rates and populatio ....Molecular biosecurity: Genomic databanks for managing new pest invasions. This project aims to develop a set of genomics-based approaches for analysing new pest invasions. By producing and analysing genomic databanks for four insect pest species, including three that have recently invaded Australia, this project expects to identify invasion origins and to track new pest incursions within Australia. The project should also provide insights into pest ecology, including movement rates and population change over time. This information can enable more efficient deployment of biosecurity resources and pave the way for genomics to be used pre-emptively to stop new invasions. This can help make genomics a go-to response to new pest invasions and position Australia at the forefront of genomics-based pest biosecurity.Read moreRead less
Understanding population growth time lags in invasive species. This project will use data collected from wild animals, landholder surveys, and computer simulation models to understand why invasive chital deer (Axis axis) are suddenly increasing in number after many years of slow population growth. By combining multiple empirical datasets and developing new modelling techniques, we will generate a new method for understanding population trends in introduced species. The results of this study will ....Understanding population growth time lags in invasive species. This project will use data collected from wild animals, landholder surveys, and computer simulation models to understand why invasive chital deer (Axis axis) are suddenly increasing in number after many years of slow population growth. By combining multiple empirical datasets and developing new modelling techniques, we will generate a new method for understanding population trends in introduced species. The results of this study will allow Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and others to better predict invasive species growth rates, which will allow for better, and more cost effective control methods. Read moreRead less
Eco-evolutionary drivers of niche dynamics in invasive weeds. The project aims to understand how and why invasive species become invasive. Many exotic species are known to expand their ecological niches in their novel range, exploiting habitats that ancestral populations never used. Using a unique approach that combines field transplant and quantitative genetics experiments, this study will identify the drivers of niche expansion in invasive Australian capeweed, and predict if the invasive popul ....Eco-evolutionary drivers of niche dynamics in invasive weeds. The project aims to understand how and why invasive species become invasive. Many exotic species are known to expand their ecological niches in their novel range, exploiting habitats that ancestral populations never used. Using a unique approach that combines field transplant and quantitative genetics experiments, this study will identify the drivers of niche expansion in invasive Australian capeweed, and predict if the invasive populations are likely to further expand their niches. By delivering key insights into mechanisms of adaptive evolution in invasive species, this research should benefit efforts to effectively limit the spread of invasive plants that threaten the native environment. Read moreRead less
Comparative biosecurity informatics to anticipate invasive species threats. Invasive species cause billions in economic damages to Australia, but we do not have effective means to identify dangerous species before they arrive and cause harm. This project aims to overcome this challenge using the latest techniques in machine learning combined with genetic, ecological, and functional datasets for thousands of species. This project expects to generate a novel framework that allows us to identify an ....Comparative biosecurity informatics to anticipate invasive species threats. Invasive species cause billions in economic damages to Australia, but we do not have effective means to identify dangerous species before they arrive and cause harm. This project aims to overcome this challenge using the latest techniques in machine learning combined with genetic, ecological, and functional datasets for thousands of species. This project expects to generate a novel framework that allows us to identify and rank dangerous invasive species in an unbiased way, helping to safeguard Australia's unique biological community. Expected outcomes include improved methods for detecting ecologically and functionally similar species, providing substantial economic efficiency benefits to Australian biosecurity.Read moreRead less
Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and ....Some like it hot: invasive species, hybridisation, and a warming world. Temperatures are rising and invasive species are becoming more prevalent. This project aims to understand how climate change and hybridisation between exotic and native marine species leads to rapid adaptation. Using integrative approaches from genomics and physiology and focusing on Australian blue mussels, this proposal will test leading hypotheses about how climate change and hybridisation can enable rapid adaptation and the spread of exotic species. Outcomes will include strategies for minimising impacts of invasive mussels and boosting warm-temperature adaptation in aquaculture mussels and restored shellfish reefs. This project will yield fundamental insights into how marine species can quickly adapt to warming seas.Read moreRead less
Development of genetic technology for rodent population suppression. Vertebrate pests cost Australia over $1 billion each year in agricultural losses and environmental damage and novel strategies are urgently required to tackle this massive challenge. Newly proposed “gene drives”, which might rapidly spread through populations, have enormous potential for the sustained management and even eradication of pests. Through innovative application of cutting-edge genome editing approaches, this proposa ....Development of genetic technology for rodent population suppression. Vertebrate pests cost Australia over $1 billion each year in agricultural losses and environmental damage and novel strategies are urgently required to tackle this massive challenge. Newly proposed “gene drives”, which might rapidly spread through populations, have enormous potential for the sustained management and even eradication of pests. Through innovative application of cutting-edge genome editing approaches, this proposal aims to develop gene drive technology in mice as a prototypical vertebrate pest species. We will also develop cutting-edge mathematical models of rodent gene drives to identify crucial parameters for efficacious employment and investigate potential for impact on non-target populations.Read moreRead less
Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non- ....Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non-government agencies across the entire Kimberley region. It will also result in the evaluation of methods for deployment of taste-aversion at a landscape scale. This should provide significant benefits by conserving vulnerable fauna and building a powerful network within a region of high biodiversity in tropical Australia.Read moreRead less
Untangling environmental effects on bee health in the face of Varroa . This project aims to assess bee health, disease and evolution in European honeybees and bumblebees. Bee viruses transmitted by the destructive Varroa mite cause worldwide pollinator declines. Factors determining bee health will be identified across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, which differ in Varroa impact and bee introduction histories. Harnessing Australia’s currently threatened Varroa-free status, the bum ....Untangling environmental effects on bee health in the face of Varroa . This project aims to assess bee health, disease and evolution in European honeybees and bumblebees. Bee viruses transmitted by the destructive Varroa mite cause worldwide pollinator declines. Factors determining bee health will be identified across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, which differ in Varroa impact and bee introduction histories. Harnessing Australia’s currently threatened Varroa-free status, the bumblebee invasion in Tasmania, and cutting-edge multi-omics techniques (for microbiomes, viruses and genomes), predictors of disease dynamics will be identified for two globally important bee pollinators. The project outcomes will boost Australia's capacity to manage threats to pollination services at landscape scales.Read moreRead less
Tackling pests using game theory to support cooperative management. This project aims to improve management of invasive species by assisting pest mitigation agencies to work together. This is expected to result in more efficient and effective strategies, with the potential to dramatically improve local and global agricultural and environmental outcomes. An interdisciplinary approach using game theory, spatial modelling, and ecology is expected to create a novel framework to identify how and when ....Tackling pests using game theory to support cooperative management. This project aims to improve management of invasive species by assisting pest mitigation agencies to work together. This is expected to result in more efficient and effective strategies, with the potential to dramatically improve local and global agricultural and environmental outcomes. An interdisciplinary approach using game theory, spatial modelling, and ecology is expected to create a novel framework to identify how and when agencies might collaborate, and how collaboration might impact on costs and benefits of pest control strategies. The project will provide significant benefits by improving management of invasive species across Queensland, one of Australia's largest agricultural producing states and home to a vast number of Australia's threatened species. Read moreRead less