ORCID Profile
0000-0003-1062-0839
Current Organisation
University of Queensland
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Evolutionary Biology | Phylogeny and Comparative Analysis | Animal Structure and Function | Palaeontology (incl. Palynology) | Ecology | Environmental Science and Management | Ecology And Evolution Not Elsewhere Classified | Zoology | Population Ecology | Animal Behaviour | Biostatistics | Genomics | Stochastic Analysis and Modelling | Applied Statistics | Invasive Species Ecology | Conservation and Biodiversity | Conservation And Biodiversity | Bioinformatics
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity at Regional or Larger Scales | Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species at Regional or Larger Scales | Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education | Biological sciences | Expanding Knowledge in the Earth Sciences |
Related Links
Publications
Homosexual behaviour in birds: frequency of expression is related to parental care disparity between the sexes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2010
Ultraviolet signals ultra-aggression in a lizard
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2006
Down a Rabbit Hole: Burrowing Behaviour and Larger Home Ranges are Related to Larger Brains in Leporids
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-09-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S10914-022-09624-6
Abstract: Studies on the evolution of brain size variation usually focus on large clades encompassing broad phylogenetic groups. This risks introducing ‘noise’ in the results, often obscuring effects that might be detected in less inclusive clades. Here, we focus on a s le of endocranial volumes (endocasts) of 18 species of rabbits and hares (Lagomorpha: Leporidae), which are a discrete radiation of mammals with a suitably large range of body sizes. Using 60 in iduals, we test five popular hypotheses on brain size and olfactory bulb evolution in mammals. We also address the pervasive issue of missing data, using multiple phylogenetic imputations as to conserve the full s le size for all analyses. Our analyses show that home range and burrowing behaviour are the only predictors of leporid brain size variation. Litter size, which is one of the most widely reported constraints on brain size, was unexpectedly not associated with brain size. However, a constraining effect may be masked by a strong association of litter size with temperature seasonality, warranting further study. Lastly, we show that unreasonable estimations of phylogenetic signal (Pagel’s lamba) warrant additional caution when using small s le sizes, such as ours, in comparative studies.
Functional Richness and Relative Resilience of Bird Communities in Regions with Different Land Use Intensities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-07-2007
Toe-bud clipping of juvenile small marsupials for ecological field research: No detectable negative effects on growth or survival
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2009
Beyond Brownian motion and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process: Stochastic diffusion models for the evolution of quantitative characters
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 02-08-2016
DOI: 10.1101/067363
Abstract: Gaussian processes such as Brownian motion and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process have been popular models for the evolution of quantitative traits and are widely used in phylogenetic comparative methods. However, they have drawbacks which limit their utility. Here I describe new, non-Gaussian stochastic differential equation (diffusion) models of quantitative trait evolution. I present general methods for deriving new diffusion models, and discuss possible schemes for fitting non-Gaussian evolutionary models to trait data. The theory of stochastic processes provides a mathematical framework for understanding the properties of current, new and future phylogenetic comparative methods. Attention to the mathematical details of models of trait evolution and ersification may help avoid some pitfalls when using stochastic processes to model macroevolution.
A novel approach for global mammal extinction risk reduction
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-02-2012
Thermal ecology and structural habitat use of two sympatric lizards (Carlia vivax and Lygisaurus foliorum) in subtropical Australia
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-11-2002
Extinct or still out there? Disentangling influences on extinction and rediscovery helps to clarify the fate of species on the edge
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-08-2016
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.13421
Abstract: Each year, two or three species that had been considered to be extinct are rediscovered. Uncertainty about whether or not a species is extinct is common, because rare and highly threatened species are difficult to detect. Biological traits such as body size and range size are expected to be associated with extinction. However, these traits, together with the intensity of search effort, might influence the probability of detection and extinction differently. This makes statistical analysis of extinction and rediscovery challenging. Here, we use a variant of survival analysis known as cure rate modelling to differentiate factors that influence rediscovery from those that influence extinction. We analyse a global data set of 99 mammals that have been categorized as extinct or possibly extinct. We estimate the probability that each of these mammals is still extant and thus estimate the proportion of missing (presumed extinct) mammals that are incorrectly assigned extinction. We find that body mass and population density are predictors of extinction, and body mass and search effort predict rediscovery. In mammals, extinction rate increases with body mass and population density, and these traits act synergistically to greatly elevate extinction rate in large species that also occurred in formerly dense populations. However, when they remain extant, larger-bodied missing species are rediscovered sooner than smaller species. Greater search effort increases the probability of rediscovery in larger species of missing mammals, but has a minimal effect on small species, which take longer to be rediscovered, if extant. By separating the effects of species characteristics on extinction and detection, and using models with the assumption that a proportion of missing species will never be rediscovered, our new approach provides estimates of extinction probability in species with few observation records and scant ecological information.
Isogenic Mammary Models of Intraductal Carcinoma Reveal Progression to Invasiveness in the Absence of a Non-Obligatory In Situ Stage
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-04-2023
Abstract: In breast cancer, progression to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) involves interactions between immune, myoepithelial, and tumor cells. Development of IDC can proceed through ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-obligate, non-invasive stage, or IDC can develop without evidence of DCIS and these cases associate with poorer prognosis. Tractable, immune-competent mouse models are needed to help delineate distinct mechanisms of local tumor cell invasion and prognostic implications. To address these gaps, we delivered murine mammary carcinoma cell lines directly into the main mammary lactiferous duct of immune-competent mice. Using two strains of immune-competent mice (BALB/c, C57BL/6), one immune-compromised (severe combined immunodeficiency SCID) C57BL/6 strain, and six different murine mammary cancer cell lines (D2.OR, D2A1, 4T1, EMT6, EO771, Py230), we found early loss of ductal myoepithelial cell differentiation markers p63, α-smooth muscle actin, and calponin, and rapid formation of IDC in the absence of DCIS. Rapid IDC formation also occurred in the absence of adaptive immunity. Combined, these studies demonstrate that loss of myoepithelial barrier function does not require an intact immune system, and suggest that these isogenic murine models may prove a useful tool to study IDC in the absence of a non-obligatory DCIS stage—an under-investigated subset of poor prognostic human breast cancer.
Beyond brownian motion and the ornstein-uhlenbeck process: Stochastic diffusion models for the evolution of quantitative characters
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 02-2019
DOI: 10.1086/706339
Inferring Extinction of Mammals from Sighting Records, Threats, and Biological Traits
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-12-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1523-1739.2011.01797.X
Abstract: For species with five or more sightings, quantitative techniques exist to test whether a species is extinct on the basis of distribution of sightings. However, 70% of purportedly extinct mammals are known from fewer than five sightings, and such models do not include some important indicators of the likelihood of extinction such as threats, biological traits, search effort, and demography. Previously, we developed a quantitative method that we based on species' traits in which we used Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate the probability of rediscovery of species regarded as extinct. Here, we used two versions of the Cox regression model to determine the probability of extinction in purportedly extinct mammals and compared the results of these two models with those of stationary Poisson, nonparametric, and Weibull sighting-distribution models. For mammals with five or more sightings, the stationary Poisson model categorized all but two critically endangered (flagged as possibly extinct) species in our data set as extinct, and results with this model were consistent with current categories of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The scores of probability of rediscovery for in idual species in one version of our Cox regression model were correlated with scores assigned by the stationary Poisson model. Thus, we used this Cox regression model to determine the probability of extinction of mammals with sparse records. On the basis of the Cox regression model, the most likely mammals to be rediscovered were the Montane monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex pulchra), Armenian myotis (Myotis hajastanicus), Alcorn's pocket gopher (Pappogeomys alcorni), and Wimmer's shrew (Crocidura wimmeri). The Cox model categorized two species that have recently disappeared as extinct: the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) and the Christmas Island pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi). Our new method can be used to test whether species with few records or recent last-sighting dates are likely to be extinct.
Does Testis Size in Cuckoos Vary with Paternal Care?
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 2009
Empirical tests of life-history evolution theory using phylogenetic analysis of plant demography
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-01-2010
Correlates of rediscovery and the detectability of extinction in mammals
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 29-09-2010
Abstract: Extinction is difficult to detect, even in well-known taxa such as mammals. Species with long gaps in their sighting records, which might be considered possibly extinct, are often rediscovered. We used data on rediscovery rates of missing mammals to test whether extinction from different causes is equally detectable and to find which traits affect the probability of rediscovery. We find that species affected by habitat loss were much more likely to be misclassified as extinct or to remain missing than those affected by introduced predators and diseases, or overkill, unless they had very restricted distributions. We conclude that extinctions owing to habitat loss are most difficult to detect hence, impacts of habitat loss on extinction have probably been overestimated, especially relative to introduced species. It is most likely that the highest rates of rediscovery will come from searching for species that have gone missing during the 20th century and have relatively large ranges threatened by habitat loss, rather than from additional effort focused on charismatic missing species.
Morphometric and ultrastructural comparison of the olfactory system in elasmobranchs: The significance of structure-function relationships based on phylogeny and ecology
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2008
DOI: 10.1002/JMOR.10661
Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between olfactory morphology, habitat occupancy, and lifestyle in 21 elasmobranch species in a phylogenetic context. Four measures of olfactory capability, that is, the number of olfactory lamellae, the surface area of the olfactory epithelium, the mass of the olfactory bulb, and the mass of the olfactory rosette were compared between in idual species and groups, comprised of species with similar habitat and/or lifestyle. Statistical analyses using generalized least squares phylogenetic regression revealed that bentho-pelagic sharks and rays possess significantly more olfactory lamellae and larger sensory epithelial surface areas than benthic species. There was no significant correlation between either olfactory bulb or rosette mass and habitat type. There was also no significant difference between the number of lamellae or the size of the sensory surface area in groups comprised of species with similar diets, that is, groups preying predominantly on crustaceans, cephalopods, echinoderms, polychaetes, molluscs, or teleosts. However, some groups had significantly larger olfactory bulb or rosette masses than others. There was little evidence to support a correlation between phylogeny and morphology, indicating that differences in olfactory capabilities are the result of functional rather than phylogenetic adaptations. All olfactory epithelia exhibited microvilli and cilia, with microvilli in both nonsensory and sensory areas, and cilia only in sensory areas. Cilia over the sensory epithelia originated from supporting cells. In contrast to teleosts, which possess ciliated and microvillous olfactory receptor types, no ciliated olfactory receptor cells were observed. This is the first comprehensive study comparing olfactory morphology to several aspects of elasmobranch ecology in a phylogenetic context.
How unpredictable is the individual scanning process in socially foraging mammals?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-09-2010
Inclusive science: ditch insensitive terminology
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-04-2020
Phylogenetic correlates of extinction risk in mammals: species in older lineages are not at greater risk
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 22-08-2013
Abstract: Phylogenetic information is becoming a recognized basis for evaluating conservation priorities, but associations between extinction risk and properties of a phylogeny such as ersification rates and phylogenetic lineage ages remain unclear. Limited taxon-specific analyses suggest that species in older lineages are at greater risk. We calculate quantitative properties of the mammalian phylogeny and model extinction risk as an ordinal index based on International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List categories. We test for associations between lineage age, clade size, evolutionary distinctiveness and extinction risk for 3308 species of terrestrial mammals. We show no significant global or regional associations, and three significant relationships within taxonomic groups. Extinction risk increases for evolutionarily distinctive primates and decreases with lineage age when lemurs are excluded. Lagomorph species (rabbits, hares and pikas) that have more close relatives are less threatened. We examine the relationship between net ersification rates and extinction risk for 173 genera and find no pattern. We conclude that despite being under-represented in the frequency distribution of lineage ages, species in older, slower evolving and distinct lineages are not more threatened or extinction-prone. Their extinction, however, would represent a disproportionate loss of unique evolutionary history.
Fels-Rand: an Xlisp-Stat program for the comparative analysis of data under phylogenetic uncertainty
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-2000
DOI: 10.1093/BIOINFORMATICS/16.11.1010
Abstract: Motivation: Currently available programs for the comparative analysis of phylogenetic data do not perform optimally when the phylogeny is not completely specified (i.e. the phylogeny contains polytomies). Recent literature suggests that a better way to analyse the data would be to create random trees from the known phylogeny that are fully-resolved but consistent with the known tree. A computer program is presented, Fels-Rand, that performs such analyses. A randomisation procedure is used to generate trees that are fully resolved but whose structure is consistent with the original tree. Statistics are then calculated on a large number of these randomly-generated trees. Fels-Rand uses the object-oriented features of Xlisp-Stat to manipulate internal tree representations. Xlisp-Stat’s dynamic graphing features are used to provide heuristic tools to aid in analysis, particularly outlier analysis. The usefulness of Xlisp-Stat as a system for phylogenetic computation is discussed. Availability: Available from the author or at www.uq.edu.au/~ansblomb/Fels-Rand.sit.hqx. Xlisp-Stat is available from stat.umn.edu/~luke/xls/xlsinfo/xlsinfo.html. Contact: s.blomberg@abdn.ac.uk
Convergent maternal care strategies in ungulates and macropods
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.1111/J.0014-3820.2002.TB00858.X
Abstract: Mammals show extensive interspecific variation in the form of maternal care. Among ungulates, there is a dichotomy between species in which offspring follow the mother ("following" strategy) versus species in which offspring remain concealed ("hiding" strategy). Here we reveal that the same dichotomy exists among macropods (kangaroos, wallabies and allies). We test three traditional adaptive explanations and one new life history hypothesis, and find very similar patterns among both ungulates and macropods. The three traditional explanations that we tested were that a "following" strategy is associated with (1) open habitat, (2) large mothers, and (3) gregariousness. Our new life-history hypothesis is that a "following strategy" is associated with delayed weaning, and thus with the "slow" end of the slow-fast mammalian life-history continuum, because offspring devote resources to locomotion rather than rapid growth. Our comparative test strongly supports the habitat structure hypothesis and provides some support for this new delayed weaning hypothesis for both ungulates and macropods. We propose that sedentary young in closed habitats benefit energetically by having milk brought to them. In open habitats, predation pressure will select against hiding. Followers will suffer slower growth to independence. Taken together, therefore, our results provide the first quantitative evidence that macropods and ungulates are convergent with respect to interspecific variation in maternal care strategy. In both clades, differences between species in the form of parental care are due to a similar interaction between habitat, social behavior, and life history.
Sperm competition drives the evolution of suicidal reproduction in mammals
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 07-10-2013
Abstract: In some marsupial genera but in no other mammals, escalating stress hormones during the breeding season cause immune system collapse and synchronized death after mating in all males (suicidal reproduction). In this paper, we resolve the environmental drivers and adaptive mechanism of sexual selection responsible for the repeated evolution of this surprising and extreme life history strategy in mammals. The strategy of synchronized suicidal reproduction in mammals resulting in male death before offspring are born has often been attributed to altruistic or kin-selected paternal suicide to avoid food depletion. We show that rather than altruism or kin-selection, in idual sexual selection leads to apparent self-sacrifice in these genera.
Independent Contrasts and PGLS Regression Estimators Are Equivalent
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-01-2012
Abstract: We prove that the slope parameter of the ordinary least squares regression of phylogenetically independent contrasts (PICs) conducted through the origin is identical to the slope parameter of the method of generalized least squares (GLSs) regression under a Brownian motion model of evolution. This equivalence has several implications: 1. Understanding the structure of the linear model for GLS regression provides insight into when and why phylogeny is important in comparative studies. 2. The limitations of the PIC regression analysis are the same as the limitations of the GLS model. In particular, phylogenetic covariance applies only to the response variable in the regression and the explanatory variable should be regarded as fixed. Calculation of PICs for explanatory variables should be treated as a mathematical idiosyncrasy of the PIC regression algorithm. 3. Since the GLS estimator is the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE), the slope parameter estimated using PICs is also BLUE. 4. If the slope is estimated using different branch lengths for the explanatory and response variables in the PIC algorithm, the estimator is no longer the BLUE, so this is not recommended. Finally, we discuss whether or not and how to accommodate phylogenetic covariance in regression analyses, particularly in relation to the problem of phylogenetic uncertainty. This discussion is from both frequentist and Bayesian perspectives.
Transcending data gaps: a framework to reduce inferential errors in ecological analyses
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-05-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ELE.13089
Abstract: The analysis of functional ersity (FD) has gained increasing importance due to its generality and utility in ecology. In particular, patterns in the spatial distribution and temporal change of FD are being used to predict locations and functional groups that are immediately vulnerable to global changes. A major impediment to the accurate measurement of FD is the pervasiveness of missing data in trait datasets. While such prevalent data gaps can engender misleading inferences in FD analyses, we currently lack any practical guide to handle missing data in trait datasets. Here, we identify significant mismatches between true FD and values derived from datasets that contain missing data. We demonstrate that imputing missing data with a phylogeny-informed approach reduces the risk of misinterpretation of FD patterns, and provides baseline information against which central questions in ecology can be evaluated.
Accumulation and partitioning of heavy metals in mangroves: A synthesis of field-based studies
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2007
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2007.04.059
Abstract: We report the findings of a comparative analysis examining patterns of accumulation and partitioning of the heavy metals copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in mangroves from available field-based studies to date, employing both species level analyses and a phylogenetic approach. Despite mangroves being a taxonomically erse group, metal accumulation and partitioning for all metals examined were broadly similar across genera and families. Patterns of metal accumulation were also similar regardless of whether species were classified as salt secreting or non-secreting. Metals were accumulated in roots to concentrations similar to those of adjacent sediments with root bio-concentration factors (BCF ratio of root metal to sediment metal concentration) of 1< or =. Root BCFs were constant across the exposure range for all metals. Metal concentrations in leaves were half that of roots or lower. Essential metals (Cu and Zn translocation factors (TF ratio of leaf metal to root metal concentration) of 0.52 and 0.53, and leaf BCFs of 0.47 and 0.51, respectively) showed greater mobility than non-essential metals (Pb TF of 0.31 and leaf BCF of 0.11). Leaf BCFs for the essential metals Cu and Zn decreased as environmental concentrations increased. The non-essential metal Pb was excluded from leaf tissue regardless of environmental concentrations. Thus mangroves as a group tend to operate as excluder species for non-essential metals and regulators of essential metals. For phytoremediation initiatives, mangrove ecosystems are perhaps best employed as phytostabilisers, potentially aiding in the retention of toxic metals and thereby reducing transport to adjacent estuarine and marine systems.
Costs of Reproduction and Terminal Investment by Females in a Semelparous Marsupial
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 13-01-2011
Morphological shifts in island-dwelling birds: The roles of generalist foraging and niche expansion
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2003
DOI: 10.1111/J.0014-3820.2003.TB00392.X
Abstract: Passerine birds living on islands are usually larger than their mainland counterparts, in terms of both body size and bill size. One explanation for this island rule is that shifts in morphology are an adaptation to facilitate ecological niche expansion. In insular passerines, for instance, increased bill size may facilitate generalist foraging because it allows access to a broader range of feeding niches. Here we use morphologically and ecologically ergent races of white-eyes (Zosteropidae) to test three predictions of this explanation: (1) island populations show a wider feeding niche than mainland populations (2) island-dwelling populations are made up of in idual generalists and (3) within insular populations there is a positive association between size and degree of foraging generalism. Our results provide only partial support for the traditional explanation. In agreement with the core prediction, island populations of white-eye do consistently display a wider feeding niche than comparative mainland populations. However, observations of in idually marked birds reveal that island-dwelling in iduals are actually more specialized than expected by chance. Additionally, neither large body size nor large bill size are associated with generalist foraging behavior per se. These latter results remained consistent whether we base our tests on natural foraging behavior or on observations at an experimental tree, and whether we use data from single or multiple cohorts. Taken together, our results suggest that generalist foraging and niche expansion are not the full explanation for morphological shifts in island-dwelling white-eyes. Hence, we review briefly five alternative explanations for morphological ergence in insular populations: environmental determination of morphology, reduced predation pressure, physiological optimization, limited dispersal, and intraspecific dominance.
A primer on phylogenetic generalised least squares
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Date: 2014
Bayesian models for comparative analysis integrating phylogenetic uncertainty
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-06-2012
Abstract: Uncertainty in comparative analyses can come from at least two sources: a) phylogenetic uncertainty in the tree topology or branch lengths, and b) uncertainty due to intraspecific variation in trait values, either due to measurement error or natural in idual variation. Most phylogenetic comparative methods do not account for such uncertainties. Not accounting for these sources of uncertainty leads to false perceptions of precision (confidence intervals will be too narrow) and inflated significance in hypothesis testing (e.g. p-values will be too small). Although there is some application-specific software for fitting Bayesian models accounting for phylogenetic error, more general and flexible software is desirable. We developed models to directly incorporate phylogenetic uncertainty into a range of analyses that biologists commonly perform, using a Bayesian framework and Markov Chain Monte Carlo analyses. We demonstrate applications in linear regression, quantification of phylogenetic signal, and measurement error models. Phylogenetic uncertainty was incorporated by applying a prior distribution for the phylogeny, where this distribution consisted of the posterior tree sets from Bayesian phylogenetic tree estimation programs. The models were analysed using simulated data sets, and applied to a real data set on plant traits, from rainforest plant species in Northern Australia. Analyses were performed using the free and open source software OpenBUGS and JAGS. Incorporating phylogenetic uncertainty through an empirical prior distribution of trees leads to more precise estimation of regression model parameters than using a single consensus tree and enables a more realistic estimation of confidence intervals. In addition, models incorporating measurement errors and/or in idual variation, in one or both variables, are easily formulated in the Bayesian framework. We show that BUGS is a useful, flexible general purpose tool for phylogenetic comparative analyses, particularly for modelling in the face of phylogenetic uncertainty and accounting for measurement error or in idual variation in explanatory variables. Code for all models is provided in the BUGS model description language.
The high intracellular ph buffering of hagfish (Eptatretus cirrhatus) dental plate retractor muscle cannot be attributed to the known histidine-related compounds present in other vertebrates
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 1991
Genus-wide variation in foliar polyphenolics in eucalypts
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.PHYTOCHEM.2017.09.014
Abstract: Many studies quantify total phenolics or total tannins, but understanding the ecological role of polyphenolic secondary metabolites requires at least an understanding of the ersity of phenolic groups present. We used UPLC-MS/MS to measure concentrations of different polyphenol groups - including the four most common tannin groups, the three most common flavonoid groups, and quinic acid derivatives - in foliage from 628 eucalypts from the genera Eucalyptus, Angophora and Corymbia. We also tested for phylogenetic signal in each of the phenolic groups. Many eucalypts contained high concentrations of polyphenols, particularly ellagitannins, which have been relatively poorly studied, but may possess strong oxidative activity. Because the biosynthetic pathways of many phenolic compounds share either precursors or enzymes, we found negative correlations between the concentrations of several of the constituents that we measured, including proanthocyanidins (PAs) and hydrolysable tannins (HTs), HTs and flavonol derivatives, and HTs and quinic acid derivatives. We observed moderate phylogenetic signal in all polyphenol constituents, apart from the concentration of the prodelphinidin subunit of PAs and the mean degree of polymerisation of PAs. These two traits, which have previously been shown to be important in determining plants' protein precipitation capacity, may have evolved under selection, perhaps in response to climate or herbivore pressure. Hence, the signature of evolutionary history appears to have been erased for these traits. This study is an important step in moving away from analysing "totals" to a better understanding of how phylogenetic effects influence phenolic composition, and how this in turn influences ecological processes.
Understanding repeatability and plasticity in multiple dimensions of the sociability of wild female kangaroos
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2017
Genome-wide association analyses identify 18 new loci associated with serum urate concentrations
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-12-2012
DOI: 10.1038/NG.2500
Global gene flow releases invasive plants from environmental constraints on genetic diversity
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 07-02-2020
Abstract: When plants establish outside their native range, their ability to adapt to the new environment is influenced by both demography and dispersal. However, the relative importance of these two factors is poorly understood. To quantify the influence of demography and dispersal on patterns of genetic ersity underlying adaptation, we used data from a globally distributed demographic research network comprising 35 native and 18 nonnative populations of Plantago lanceolata . Species-specific simulation experiments showed that dispersal would dilute demographic influences on genetic ersity at local scales. Populations in the native European range had strong spatial genetic structure associated with geographic distance and precipitation seasonality. In contrast, nonnative populations had weaker spatial genetic structure that was not associated with environmental gradients but with higher within-population genetic ersity. Our findings show that dispersal caused by repeated, long-distance, human-mediated introductions has allowed invasive plant populations to overcome environmental constraints on genetic ersity, even without strong demographic changes. The impact of invasive plants may, therefore, increase with repeated introductions, highlighting the need to constrain future introductions of species even if they already exist in an area.
Association of Low-Frequency and Rare Coding-Sequence Variants with Blood Lipids and Coronary Heart Disease in 56,000 Whites and Blacks
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2014
Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 11 new loci for anthropometric traits and provides insights into genetic architecture
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 07-04-2013
DOI: 10.1038/NG.2606
Data from: Maternal effects and warning signal honesty in eggs and offspring of an aposematic ladybird beetle
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.5061/DRYAD.5V42P
Data from: Dispersal capacity predicts both population genetic structure and species richness in reef fishes
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.5061/DRYAD.522CM
Evidence for the functions of surface-active behaviors in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-11-2017
DOI: 10.1111/MMS.12374
Factors driving the variability in diving and movement behavior of migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): Implications for anthropogenic disturbance studies
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-10-2017
DOI: 10.1111/MMS.12375
Genome-wide association study identifies eight loci associated with blood pressure
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-05-2009
DOI: 10.1038/NG.361
Detrimental influence on performance of high temperature incubation in a tropical reptile: is cooler better in the tropics?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-07-2013
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-012-2409-6
Abstract: Global temperatures have risen over the last century, and are forecast to continue rising. Ectotherms may be particularly sensitive to changes in thermal regimes, and tropical ectotherms are more likely than temperate species to be influenced by changes in environmental temperature, because they may have evolved narrow thermal tolerances. Keelback snakes (Tropidonophis mairii) are tropical, oviparous reptiles. To quantify the effects of temperature on the morphology and physiology of hatchling keelbacks, clutches laid by wild-caught females were split and incubated at three temperatures, reflecting the average minimum, overall average and average maximum temperatures recorded at our study site. Upon hatching, the performance of neonates was examined at all three incubation temperatures in a randomized order over consecutive days. Hatchlings from the 'hot' treatment had slower burst swim speeds and swam fewer laps than hatchlings from the cooler incubation temperatures in all three test temperatures, indicating a low thermal optimum for incubation of this tropical species. There were no significant interactions between test temperature and incubation temperature across performance variables, suggesting phenotypic differences caused by incubation temperature did not acclimate this species to post-hatching conditions. Thus, keelback embryos appear evolutionarily adapted to development at cooler temperatures (relative to what is available in their habitat). The considerable reduction in hatchling viability and performance associated with a 3.5 °C increase in incubation temperature, suggests climate change may have significant population-level effects on this species. However, the offspring of three mothers exposed to the hottest incubation temperature were apparently resilient to high temperature, suggesting that this species may respond to selection imposed by thermal regime.
Effect of a control burn on lizards and their structural environment in a eucalypt open-forest
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2002
DOI: 10.1071/WR01015
Abstract: The composition of an open-forest lizard assemblage in eastern Australia was examined before and after a low-intensity controlled fire and concurrently compared with that in an adjoining unburnt area. The effect of fire on the available structural environment and the habitat used by two focal species, Carlia vivax and Lygisaurus foliorum, was also examined. Lizard species richness was unaffected by the controlled burn as was the abundance of most species. C. vivax was the only species to display a significant reduction in abundance after fire. While the low-intensity fire resulted in significant changes to the available structural environment, there were no compensatory shifts in the habitat preferences of either C. vivax or L. foliorum. The reduction in abundance of C. vivax was congruent with this species' avoidance of burnt areas. C. vivax displayed a non-random preference for ground cover and litter cover, which were reduced in burnt areas. Changes in the availability of preferred structural habitat features are likely to contribute to changes in the abundance of some lizard species. Therefore, even low-intensity disturbances can have an impact on lizard assemblages if critical habitat features are lost or become limiting.
Testing for phylogenetic signal in comparative data: Behavioral traits are more labile
Publisher: The Society for the Study of Evolution
Date: 2003
Tempo and mode in evolution: phylogenetic inertia, adaptation and comparative methods
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-10-2002
Range extension and genetic structure of the narrowly-restricted slider skink, Lerista rochfordensis Amey and Couper, 2009 (Reptilia: Scincidae)
Publisher: Queensland Museum
Date: 2018
Causes and consequences of variation in plant population growth rate: a synthesis of matrix population models in a phylogenetic context
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-06-2010
DOI: 10.1111/J.1461-0248.2010.01506.X
Abstract: Explaining variation in population growth rates is fundamental to predicting population dynamics and population responses to environmental change. In this study, we used matrix population models, which link birth, growth and survival to population growth rate, to examine how and why population growth rates vary within and among 50 terrestrial plant species. Population growth rates were more similar within species than among species with phylogeny having a minimal influence on among-species variation. Most population growth rates decreased over the observation period and were negatively autocorrelated between years that is, higher than average population growth rates tended to be followed by lower than average population growth rates. Population growth rates varied more through time than space this temporal variation was due mostly to variation in post-seedling survival and for a subset of species was partly explained by response to environmental factors, such as fire and herbivory. Stochastic population growth rates departed from mean matrix population growth rate for temporally autocorrelated environments. Our findings indicate that demographic data and models of closely related plant species cannot necessarily be used to make recommendations for conservation or control, and that post-seedling survival and the sequence of environmental conditions are critical for determining plant population growth rate.
Picante: R tools for integrating phylogenies and ecology
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 15-04-2010
DOI: 10.1093/BIOINFORMATICS/BTQ166
Abstract: Summary: Picante is a software package that provides a comprehensive set of tools for analyzing the phylogenetic and trait ersity of ecological communities. The package calculates phylogenetic ersity metrics, performs trait comparative analyses, manipulates phenotypic and phylogenetic data, and performs tests for phylogenetic signal in trait distributions, community structure and species interactions. Availability: Picante is a package for the R statistical language and environment written in R and C, released under a GPL v2 open-source license, and freely available on the web (picante.r-forge.r-project.org) and from CRAN (cran.r-project.org). Contact: skembel@uoregon.edu
Response to commentary by Woinarski (Critical-weight-range marsupials in northern Australia are declining: a commentary on Fisheret al. (2014) ‘The current decline of tropical marsupials in Aus
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/GEB.12252
Is Mushy Tuna Syndrome a Growing Problem for the Tuna Industry?
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 27-09-2023
Size-related mortality due to gnathiid isopod micropredation correlates with settlement size in coral reef fishes
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-01-2017
Population dynamics of feral horses (Equus caballus) in an exotic coniferous plantation in Australia
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/WR15209
Abstract: Context Understanding population dynamics of invasive species is crucial for the development of management strategies. Feral horses (Equus caballus) are a growing problem in the Tuan–Toolara State Forest (TTSF), a coniferous plantation in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Aim The population dynamics of the TTSF feral horses was not known. Therefore, the study was designed to characterise the major vital parameters of this population and, using these data, develop a long-term management plan. Methods The study was conducted over 3 years (2011–14) involving 522 in idually identified horses. Foaling rates were used to calculate fecundity. Body fat distribution was estimated using body condition score (BCS), which reflects the nutritional, metabolic and general health of in idual animals. Multi state mark–capture population models were used to estimate age-specific survival, and the Leslie age-structured projection matrix model was used to determine the annual rate at which the population increased. Key results The mean annual fecundity was low (0.23 ± 0.07 s.d.). The mean BCS of the population was mid-range (2.55 ± 0.51 s.d.) with adult females having lower scores than other age and gender groups. Survival estimates were consistently high (0.92–0.95) across all age groups. The average annual finite rate of population increase (λ) for the 3 years of the study was 1.09. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the population growth rate was almost seven times more sensitive to changes in adult survival compared with juvenile survival, and almost twice as sensitive to changes in fecundity. Key conclusions Population dynamics of the TTSF feral horses were comparable to other feral horse populations similarly challenged by environmental nutritional limitations. Implications Defining population dynamics of the TTSF feral horses permits the formulation of management goals that can be audited and adapted as required. The most effective strategy for controlling population growth in the TTSF would involve the continuing removal of substantial numbers of adult females or manipulation of survival and/or fecundity. As selective removal will likely alter the adult sex ratio and age structure of the population, ongoing assessment is necessary to minimise adverse welfare outcomes.
Strategic (adaptive) hypothermia in bull dromedary camels during rut; could it increase reproductive success?
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 15-07-2009
Abstract: In this study of body temperatures ( T b ) in free ranging dromedary camels, we found that bulls in rut start the days cooler. Daily minima during rut averaged 0.6°C lower than at other times (95% CI 0.27–0.94°C) and daily maxima averaged 0.45°C higher (95% CI −0.01 to –0.91°C), increasing the daily T b cycle. Knut Schmidt-Nielsen described a similar pattern in captive dromedaries deprived of water in hot conditions, which he interpreted as a strategy to conserve water. Our observations were made in winter and with water freely available. Dromedaries can apparently employ heterothermy for more than just water conservation. In the strenuous daily contests between rival bulls in rut, a lower T b early in the day should extend the time for which a contestant can challenge or defend before heat stress becomes a problem. Calculations show that lowering T b by even 0.6°C extends that time by more than 30 min, and many daily minima during rut were lower than that. Because the eventual winner of contests gains or retains a herd of females, we speculate that cooler T b at the start of daily contests confers an advantage which translates directly into increased reproductive success.
Interaction between plate make and protein in protein crystallisation screening
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-11-2009
Cleaning up the biogeography of Labroides dimidiatus using phylogenetics and morphometrics
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-10-2013
Mechanisms of drought-induced population decline in an endangered wallaby
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2001
Defining the role of common variation in the genomic and biological architecture of adult human height
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-10-2014
DOI: 10.1038/NG.3097
Fast–slow continuum and reproductive strategies structure plant life-history variation worldwide
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 22-12-2015
Abstract: Schedules of survival, growth, and reproduction define life-history strategies across species. Understanding how life-history strategies are structured is fundamental to our understanding of the evolution, abundance, and distribution of species. We found that life-history strategies of 418 plant species worldwide are explained by an axis representing the pace of life and another representing the wide range of reproductive strategies. This framework predicts responses to perturbations and long-term population performance, showing great promise as a predictive tool for plant population responses to environmental change.
Dispersal Capacity Predicts Both Population Genetic Structure and Species Richness in Reef Fishes
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Date: 07-2014
DOI: 10.1086/676505
Abstract: Dispersal is a fundamental species characteristic that should directly affect both rates of gene flow among spatially distributed populations and opportunities for speciation. Yet no single trait associated with dispersal has been demonstrated to affect both micro- and macroevolutionary patterns of ersity across a erse biological assemblage. Here, we examine patterns of genetic differentiation and species richness in reef fishes, an assemblage of over 7,000 species comprising approximately one-third of the extant bony fishes and over one-tenth of living vertebrates. In reef fishes, dispersal occurs primarily during a planktonic larval stage. There are two major reproductive and parental investment syndromes among reef fishes, and the differences between them have implications for dispersal: (1) benthic guarding fishes lay negatively buoyant eggs, typically guarded by the male parent, and from these eggs hatch large, strongly swimming larvae in contrast, (2) pelagic spawning fishes release small floating eggs directly into the water column, which drift unprotected before small weakly swimming larvae hatch. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we show that benthic guarders have significantly greater population structure than pelagic spawners and additionally that taxonomic families of benthic guarders are more species rich than families of pelagic spawners. Our findings provide a compelling case for the continuity between micro- and macroevolutionary processes of biological ersification and underscore the importance of dispersal-related traits in influencing the mode and tempo of evolution.
Extrinsic versus intrinsic factors in the decline and extinction of Australian marsupials
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 07-09-2003
Differential expression of neuropeptides correlates with growth rate in cultivated Haliotis asinina (Vetigastropoda: Mollusca)
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2012
Estimating distribution and abundance of feral horses (Equus caballus) in a coniferous plantation in Australia, using line-transect surveys of dung
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1071/WR16015
Abstract: Context Feral horses are a growing problem in Australia, despite implementation of management strategies. The incidence of horse sightings and horse-associated vehicle collisions within the Tuan and Toolara State Forest (TTSF), a coniferous plantation in south-eastern Queensland, has increased in the past decade, indicating an increase in population and the necessity to undertake an accurate appraisal of population abundance. Aim To determine the feasibility of using dung counts, defecation and dung-decay rates to determine the distribution and abundance of feral horse population in a managed coniferous plantation where dense vegetation prohibits the use of visual-based animal detection methods. Methods Population distribution was assessed by dung count incorporated into a vehicle strip-transect survey on 582 km of forest tracks. Population abundance was estimated from dung density, the mean defecation frequency of feral horses, and the mean number of days required for dung to decay. Dung density was obtained from on-ground distance line-transect survey that s led all representative plantation habitats and consisted of 111 transects totalling 44.3 km. Key results The strip-transect survey clearly showed that although feral horses were dispersed across the plantation, the distribution was uneven, with the central region of the plantation being the most heavily populated. The combination of dung counts, defecation rate (mean ± s.d., 7.97 ± 8.74) over 24 h and dung-decay rate (444 ± 150.7 days) provided an estimation of the density of feral horses in various habitats and indicated that the plantation was occupied by 1321 (95% CI 940–1965) horses, which corresponded to an average density of 1.8 horses km–2. The method clearly identified variations in horse abundance among the various habitats within the surveyed areas. Open habitats, created following harvesting, showed higher occurrence rates, whereas the habitats of mature forest were scantily occupied. Key conclusions Dung counts are a simple, effective and practical technique that can provide information on distribution and abundance of feral horse population in densely forested habitats where visual-based techniques are not applicable. However, unbiased and precise defecation and decay rates must be estimated. Implications The study validated the use of dung counts to provide information on feral horse distribution and abundance in densely forested environments where direct methods of census may be difficult to obtain. The methods are applicable to a range of ecosystems, but defecation and dung-decay rates must be determined separately for each ecosystem.
POPULATION DYNAMICS AND SURVIVAL OF AN ENDANGERED WALLABY: A COMPARISON OF FOUR METHODS
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2000
Gene-centric Meta-analysis in 87,736 Individuals of European Ancestry Identifies Multiple Blood-Pressure-Related Loci
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2014
Changes in local free-living parasite populations in response to cleaner manipulation over 12 years
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-07-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S00442-019-04451-8
Abstract: Predation on parasites is an important ecological process, but few experimental studies have examined the long-term impacts on the prey. Cleaner fish prey upon large numbers and selectively feed on the larger in iduals of the ectoparasitic stage of gnathiid isopods. Removal of cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus for 1.5-12.5 years negatively affects coral reef fishes, but the mechanism is unclear. A reduction in local parasite populations or the size of in idual parasites would benefit all susceptible fishes. We tested whether cleaner presence reduces local gnathiid populations using 18 patch-reefs distributed between two sites (both at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef) which were maintained cleaner-free or undisturbed for 12 years. Using emergence traps (1 m
Anthropogenic impacts on threatened species erode functional diversity in turtles and crocodilians
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 14-03-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.11.483822
Abstract: The Anthropocene is tightly associated with a drastic loss of species worldwide and the disappearance of their key ecosystem functions. The on-going reduction in ecosystem functionality is driven by global and local threats. The orders Testudines (turtles and tortoises) and Crocodilia (crocodiles, alligators, and gharials) contain numerous threatened, long-lived species for which their functional ersity and potential erosion by anthropogenic impacts remains unknown. Here, we examine 259 (69%) of the existing 375 species of Testudines and Crocodilia, quantifying their life history strategies ( i.e ., schedules of survival, development, and reproduction) from open-access data on their demography, ancestry, and threats. We find that the loss of functional ersity in simulated extinction scenarios of threatened species is greater than expected by chance. Moreover, the effects of unsustainable local consumption, diseases, and pollution are associated with specific functional strategies. In contrast, climate change, habitat disturbance, and global trade affect all species independent of their life history strategy. Importantly, the loss of functional ersity for threatened species by habitat disturbance is twice that for all other threats. Our findings highlight the importance of conservation programmes focused on preserving the functional ersity of life history strategies jointly with the phylogenetic representativity of these highly threatened groups.
Parasites of coral reef fish larvae: its role in the pelagic larval stage
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-01-2019
Nitrogen and phosphorus additions negatively affect tree species diversity in tropical forest regrowth trajectories
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-2010
DOI: 10.1890/09-0636.1
Abstract: Nutrient enrichment is increasingly affecting many tropical ecosystems, but there is no information on how this affects tree bio ersity. To examine dynamics in vegetation structure and tree species biomass and ersity, we annually remeasured tree species before and for six years after repeated additions of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in permanent plots of abandoned pasture in Amazonia. Nitrogen and, to a lesser extent, phosphorus addition shifted growth among woody species. Nitrogen stimulated growth of two common pioneer tree species and one common tree species adaptable to both high- and low-light environments, while P stimulated growth only of the dominant pioneer tree Rollinia exsucca (Annonaceae). Overall, N or P addition reduced tree assemblage evenness and delayed tree species accrual over time, likely due to competitive monopolization of other resources by the few tree species responding to nutrient enrichment with enhanced establishment and/or growth rates. Absolute tree growth rates were elevated for two years after nutrient addition. However, nutrient-induced shifts in relative tree species growth and reduced assemblage evenness persisted for more than three years after nutrient addition, favoring two nutrient-responsive pioneers and one early-secondary tree species. Surprisingly, N + P effects on tree biomass and species ersity were consistently weaker than N-only and P-only effects, because grass biomass increased dramatically in response to N + P addition. The resulting intensified competition probably prevented an expected positive N + P synergy in the tree assemblage. Thus, N or P enrichment may favor unknown tree functional response types, reduce the ersity of coexisting species, and delay species accrual during structurally and functionally complex tropical rainforest secondary succession.
Assessing the vulnerability of an assemblage of subtropical rainforest vertebrate species to climate change in south-east Queensland
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-08-2012
Three methods to measure parasite aggregation using examples from Australian fish parasites
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-08-2021
Abstract: The distribution of parasites in host populations is integral to simulations of parasite populations. We compared three methods to measure parasite aggregation, namely the Hoover, coefficient of variation and I 10 indices, using field data from a range of fish parasites. These included anisakid nematodes, trypanorhynch cestodes and polyopisthocotylean monogeneans from 10 previously published studies and one unpublished study. Positive correlations among the three methods were high. Standard errors and estimated biases obtained by bootstrap methods were smallest for the Hoover index. There was no evidence for a bias–variance trade‐off. The analyses suggest that the Hoover index is to be preferred as a measure of aggregation although difficulties remain in deriving theoretical and operational definitions of aggregation.
The effects of parasites on the early life stages of a damselfish
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-06-2012
Post-mating sexual selection increases lifetime fitness of polyandrous females in the wild
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-2006
DOI: 10.1038/NATURE05206
Abstract: Females often mate with several males before producing offspring. Field studies of vertebrates suggest, and laboratory experiments on invertebrates confirm, that even when males provide no material benefits, polyandry can enhance offspring survival. This enhancement is widely attributed to genetic benefits that arise whenever paternity is biased towards males that sire more viable offspring. Field studies suggest that post-mating sexual selection biases fertilization towards genetically more compatible males and one controlled experiment has shown that, when females mate with close kin, polyandry reduces the relative number of inbred offspring. Another potential genetic benefit of polyandry is that it increases offspring survival because males with more competitive ejaculates sire more viable offspring. Surprisingly, however, there is no unequivocal evidence for this process. Here, by experimentally assigning mates to females, we show that polyandry greatly increases offspring survival in the Australian marsupial Antechinus stuartii. DNA profiling shows that males that gain high paternity under sperm competition sire offspring that are more viable. This beneficial effect occurs in both the laboratory and the wild. Crucially, there are no confounding non-genetic maternal effects that could arise if polyandry increases female investment in a particular reproductive event because A. stuartii is effectively semelparous. Our results therefore show that polyandry improves female lifetime fitness in nature. The threefold increase in offspring survival is not negated by a decline in maternal lifespan and is too large to be offset by an equivalent decline in the reproductive performance of surviving offspring.
Skin hydrophobicity as an adaptation for self‐cleaning in geckos
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-04-2020
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.6218
Mule deer spatial association patterns and potential implications for transmission of an epizootic disease
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 07-04-2017
Manganese accumulates in the brain of northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) living near an active mine
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2017.10.088
Abstract: Mining is fundamental to the Australian economy, yet little is known about how potential contaminants bioaccumulate and affect wildlife living near active mining sites. Here, we show using air s ling that fine manganese dust within the respirable size range is found at levels exceeding international recommendations even 20 km from manganese extraction, processing, and storage facilities on Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory. Endangered northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) living near mining sites were found to have elevated manganese concentrations within their hair, testes, and in two brain regions-the neocortex and cerebellum, which are responsible for sensory perception and motor function, respectively. Accumulation in these organs has been associated with adverse reproductive and neurological effects in other species and could affect the long-term population viability of northern quolls.
Morphological shifts in island-dwelling birds: The roles of generalist foraging and niche expansion
Publisher: The Society for the Study of Evolution
Date: 2003
DOI: 10.1554/03-021
Blue and Yellow Signal Cleaning Behavior in Coral Reef Fishes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2009
DOI: 10.1016/J.CUB.2009.06.028
Abstract: Marine cleaning symbioses are classic ex les of mutualism: cleaners remove and consume ectoparasites from "client" fish, while clients benefit from a reduction in ectoparasites. However, how clients recognize cleaners and decide not to eat them is unclear. Color and body pattern are thought to be important in signaling cleaning services to coral reef fish in this study, we tested the long-held belief that cleaner fish display a blue "guild" coloration. Via color analytical techniques and phylogenetic comparisons, we show that cleaner fish are more likely to display a blue coloration, in addition to a yellow coloration, compared to noncleaner fish. Via theoretical vision models, we show that, from the perspective of potential signal receivers, blue is the most spectrally contrasting color against coral reef backgrounds, whereas yellow is most contrasting against blue water backgrounds or against black lateral stripes. Finally, behavioral experiments confirm that blue within the cleaner fish pattern attracts more client reef fish to cleaning stations. Cleaner fish have evolved some of the most conspicuous combinations of colors and patterns in the marine environment, and this is likely to underpin the success of the cleaner-client relationship on the reef.
Correlates of Recent Declines of Rodents in Northern and Southern Australia: Habitat Structure Is Critical
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 25-06-2015
Dengue virus infection alters post-transcriptional modification of microRNAs in the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-10-2015
DOI: 10.1038/SREP15968
Abstract: Recent discoveries regarding the importance of isomiRs have increased our understanding of the regulatory complexities of the miRNAome. Observed changes in the miRNA profiles in mosquitoes infected with flaviviruses have implicated small RNAs in the interactions between viruses and their vectors. Here we analysed the isomiR profiles of both uninfected and infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with the major human pathogen dengue virus (DENV). We found that several specific isomiRs were significantly altered in their abundance patterns in response to DENV infection potentially affecting their target repertoire. Notable among these were isomiR variants which displayed arm-switching. We also demonstrate that modifications to the 3p end of miRNAs are vastly more prevalent than those at the 5p ends. We also observed that in only 45% of Ae. aegypti miRNAs the most abundant read matches the exact sequence reported in miRBase. Further, we found positive correlations between the number of mature miRNA reads, pre-miRNA length, GC content and secondary structure minimum free energy with the number of isomiRs. The findings presented here provide some evidence that isomiR production is not a random phenomenon and may be important in DENV replication in its vector.
Association Between the Chromosome 9p21 Locus and Angiographic Coronary Artery Disease Burden
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2013
Modelling life history strategies with capture-recapture data: Evolutionary demography of the water skink Eulamprus tympanum
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-2001
Large-scale association analyses identify new loci influencing glycemic traits and provide insight into the underlying biological pathways
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-08-2012
DOI: 10.1038/NG.2385
Full reference list for sources of original Fst estimates
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2014
Ecological associations among epidermal microstructure and scale characteristics of Australian geckos (Squamata: Carphodactylidae and Diplodactylidae)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/JOA.12969
Reptiles
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date: 03-08-2010
Testing hypotheses of marsupial brain size variation using phylogenetic multiple imputations and a Bayesian comparative framework
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 18-02-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.17.431536
Abstract: Considerable controversy exists about which hypotheses and variables best explain mammalian brain size variation. We use a new, high-coverage dataset of marsupial brain and body sizes, and the first phylogenetically imputed full datasets of 16 predictor variables, to model the prevalent hypotheses explaining brain size evolution using phylogenetically corrected Bayesian generalised linear mixed-effects modelling. Despite this comprehensive analysis, litter size emerges as the only significant predictor. Marsupials differ from the more frequently studied placentals in displaying much lower ersity of reproductive traits, which are known to interact extensively with many behavioural and ecological predictors of brain size. Our results therefore suggest that studies of relative brain size evolution in placental mammals may require targeted co-analysis or adjustment of reproductive parameters like litter size, weaning age, or gestation length. This supports suggestions that significant associations between behavioural or ecological variables with relative brain size may be due to a confounding influence of the extensive reproductive ersity of placental mammals.
Testing for phylogenetic signal in comparative data: Behavioral traits are more labile
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2003
DOI: 10.1111/J.0014-3820.2003.TB00285.X
Abstract: The primary rationale for the use of phylogenetically based statistical methods is that phylogenetic signal, the tendency for related species to resemble each other, is ubiquitous. Whether this assertion is true for a given trait in a given lineage is an empirical question, but general tools for detecting and quantifying phylogenetic signal are inadequately developed. We present new methods for continuous-valued characters that can be implemented with either phylogenetically independent contrasts or generalized least-squares models. First, a simple randomization procedure allows one to test the null hypothesis of no pattern of similarity among relatives. The test demonstrates correct Type I error rate at a nominal alpha = 0.05 and good power (0.8) for simulated datasets with 20 or more species. Second, we derive a descriptive statistic, K, which allows valid comparisons of the amount of phylogenetic signal across traits and trees. Third, we provide two biologically motivated branch-length transformations, one based on the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) model of stabilizing selection, the other based on a new model in which character evolution can accelerate or decelerate (ACDC) in rate (e.g., as may occur during or after an adaptive radiation). Maximum likelihood estimation of the OU (d) and ACDC (g) parameters can serve as tests for phylogenetic signal because an estimate of d or g near zero implies that a phylogeny with little hierarchical structure (a star) offers a good fit to the data. Transformations that improve the fit of a tree to comparative data will increase power to detect phylogenetic signal and may also be preferable for further comparative analyses, such as of correlated character evolution. Application of the methods to data from the literature revealed that, for trees with 20 or more species, 92% of traits exhibited significant phylogenetic signal (randomization test), including behavioral and ecological ones that are thought to be relatively evolutionarily malleable (e.g., highly adaptive) and/or subject to relatively strong environmental (nongenetic) effects or high levels of measurement error. Irrespective of s le size, most traits (but not body size, on average) showed less signal than expected given the topology, branch lengths, and a Brownian motion model of evolution (i.e., K was less than one), which may be attributed to adaptation and/or measurement error in the broad sense (including errors in estimates of phenotypes, branch lengths, and topology). Analysis of variance of log K for all 121 traits (from 35 trees) indicated that behavioral traits exhibit lower signal than body size, morphological, life-history, or physiological traits. In addition, physiological traits (corrected for body size) showed less signal than did body size itself. For trees with 20 or more species, the estimated OU (25% of traits) and/or ACDC (40%) transformation parameter differed significantly from both zero and unity, indicating that a hierarchical tree with less (or occasionally more) structure than the original better fit the data and so could be preferred for comparative analyses.
Functional richness and relative resilience of bird communities in regions with different land use intensities
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-2007
Offspring phenotypes
Publisher: No publisher found
Date: 2014
Size-based predation by kookaburras (Dacelo novaeguineae) on lizards (Eulamprus tympanum : Scincidae): what determines prey vulnerability?
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 17-11-2000
Natural selection and quantitative genetics of life-history traits in western women: A twin study
Publisher: The Society for the Study of Evolution
Date: 2001
Factors affecting the reliability and validity of behavioural datasets: Assessing the impact of observers' experience and native language on studies of wild animals
Publisher: Aquatic Mammals Journal
Date: 03-2016
Chemical mediation of reciprocal mother-offspring recognition in the Southern Water Skink (Eulamprus heatwolei)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-01-2008
Convergent maternal care strategies in ungulates and macropods
Publisher: The Society for the Study of Evolution
Date: 2002
NON-BICARBONATE INTRACELLULAR PH BUFFERING OF REPTILIAN MUSCLE
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-1991
DOI: 10.1007/BF00258753
Population genetic diversity in the Australian 'seascape': A bioregion approach
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-09-2015
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View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP140101915
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View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP120101462
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View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP160100736
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View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP170103227
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