Current Projects

Nov 08 2021

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Evaluating salinity tolerance in diverse Taro (Colocasia spp.) wild relatives to enhance food security in the Pacific Islands.

APSF 21074 | Project Leader: B Campbell | Amount: $37,333

A project undertaken at The University of Queensland, and supervised by Bradley Campbell. The tropical root vegetable taro is under threat from rising sea levels. The future success of Pacific...

Nov 08 2021

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Do stay-put females lure searching males into caves? A genetic perspective on glow-worm population structure.

APSF 21058 | Project Leader: D Merritt | Amount: $39,002

A project undertaken at The University of Queensland, and supervised by David Merritt. The glow-worms of Australia and New Zealand are endemic to these countries and comprise 9 identified species....

Nov 08 2021

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The first rapid biodiversity survey and beta-diversity assessment for endoparasitic marine trematode flatworms based in objective genetic barcode data.

APSF 21048 | Project Leader: S Martin | Amount: $30,331

A project undertaken at Murdoch University, and supervised by Storm Martin. There are at least as many parasitic as free-living animals, and parasites comprise a substantial component of undescribed biodiversity....

Nov 08 2021

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The smell of footprints in the Queensland fruit fly: signalling to conspecifics attracts eavesdropping predators.

APSF 21016 | Project Leader: V Mendez | Amount: $44,480

A project undertaken at Macquarie University, and supervised by Vivian Mendez. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) that cover the cuticle of insects have been extensively studied for their role in preventing desiccation...

Nov 08 2021

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Unlocking drought tolerance mechanisms using an early land plant.

APSF 21010 | Project Leader: E Lampugnani | Amount: $29,800

A project undertaken at The University of Melbourne, and supervised by Edwin Lampugnani. Drought is one of the most severe abiotic stresses that affects the health, livelihood, and food security...

Dec 25 2020

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The evolution of complex vocalisations in male and female songbirds: the effect of morphology, ecology and life-history traits on vocal complexity.

APSF 20086 | Project Leader: M Roper | Amount: $40,000

A project undertaken at Massey University, and supervised by Michelle Roper. Songbirds are most known for their melodious song, but songbird vocalisations can range from simple, repetitive sounds through to...

Dec 25 2020

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Nature vs. Nurture: Evaluating physical and genetic variability in modern and pre-Contact dingoes.

APSF 20080 | Project Leader: M Fillios | Amount: $41,000

A project undertaken at University of New England, and supervised by Melanie Fillios The status of the dingo (Canis dingo) as a either a native species or invasive pest remains...

Dec 25 2020

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The evolution of spider anti-predator defences: How to avoid being paralysed and eaten alive by wasp larvae.

APSF 20064 | Project Leader: L Lowe | Amount: $33,000

A project undertaken at Macquarie University, and supervised by Lizzie Lowe. Animals are locked in a perpetual evolutionary arms race, where prey must elude predators, and predators must outsmart their...

Dec 25 2020

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Evolutionary history and systematics of Pacific Island snails, the world’s most endangered animals.

APSF 20061 | Project Leader: F Koehler | Amount: $40,805

A project undertaken at the Australian Museum, and supervised by Frank Koehler Paciﬁc islands are home to a spectacularly rich fauna of native land snails of which many species are...

Dec 25 2020

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Assessing the contribution and consequences of vertebrates as pollinators in Banksia woodland.

APSF 20049 | Project Leader: Siegy Krauss | Amount: $42,000

A project undertaken at Kings Park Science, Department of Biodiversity, and supervised by Siegy Krauss Almost 90% of all flowering plant species (400,000 in total) rely on animal pollinators, the...

Dec 25 2020

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Chemical and social ecology of Australia Cycas.

APSF 20036 | Project Leader: R Gleadow | Amount: $42,000

A project undertaken at Monash University, and supervised by Roslyn Gleadow. Cycads, an ancient palm-like seed plant, are highly toxic, and can cause serious illness if consumed without sufficient processing....

Dec 25 2020

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A field experiment to discover how drought and environmental-water interacts with disease to influence frog survival.

APSF 20024 | Project Leader: D Driscoll | Amount: $42,000

A project undertaken at Deakin University, and supervised by Don Driscoll. Prolonged drought associated with climate change is driving widespread loss of frogs from Australian landscapes, altering food webs, and...

Dec 25 2020

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Are open nests a key evolutionary innovation in birds?

APSF 20022 | Project Leader: I Medina | Amount: $29,848

A project undertaken at The University of Melbourne, and supervised by Iliana Medina Birds' nests are one of the most marvellous animal structures, but their evolution has remained a mystery...

Jun 09 2019

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Pandemic in the Pacific: Honeybee virus dynamics during an early Varroa invasion.

APSF19069 | Project Leader: E Remnant, J Roberts | Amount: $41,000

A project undertaken at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, and supervised by Emily Remnant In the last century, the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) acquired...

Apr 07 2019

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Resolving taxonomic uncertainty to guide the conservation of New Zealand orchids

APSF 19047 | Project Leader: C Lehnebach | Amount: $42,000

A project undertaken at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, and supervised by Carlos Lehnebach This project will help to solve the uncertainty around the taxonomic status of...

Mar 05 2019

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Biodiversity change in Sahul inferred from ancient sedimentary DNA

APSF 19035 | Project Leader: M de Bruyn | Amount: $42,000

A project undertaken at The University of Sydney, and supervised by Mark de Bruyn In the last ten years, the DNA sequencing revolution has provided high-throughput tools to recover taxonomic...

Jan 07 2019

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Investigating the ecology of Norfolk Island’s endemic passerines to achieve applied conservation outcomes

APSF 19017 | Project Leader: R Clarke | Amount: $31,000

A collaborative project undertaken by the School of Biological Science, Monash University, and supervised by Rohan Clarke The unique and beautiful Norfolk Island, renowned for its avifauna, boasts high levels...

Jan 01 2019

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Using freshwater mussels to improve water quality in farm dams: a win-win for conservation and agriculture

APSF 19001 | Project Leader: A Lymbery | Amount: $36,000

A project undertaken at the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Murdoch University, and supervised by Alan Lymbery Freshwater mussels are often called the “livers of the rivers” because they filter...

Jun 03 2018

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The Status of Lyssaviruses in Bats of Australia and Melanesia

APSF 18-6 | Project Leader: J Meers | Amount: $ 45,000

A collaborative project undertaken by the University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science, and supervised by Prof. Joanne Meers Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV) is the only known lyssavirus endemic to...

May 03 2018

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Profiling the reef: towards a biomolecular fingerprint of climate change in corals of the Great Barrier Reef

APSF 18-5 | Project Leader: K Petrou | Amount: $ 38,960

A project undertaken at the School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney and supervised by Dr Katherina Petrou and Dr Daniel A Nielsen Coral reefs form one of the...

Apr 03 2018

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What are the effects of the rodent eradication on the threatened Lord Howe currawong and its diet?

APSF 18-4 | Project Leader: M Massaro | Amount: $ 36,240

A project undertaken at the Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University and led by Melanie Massaro, Nicholas Carlile, Rachel Whitsed and Richard Segal. The majority of...

Mar 03 2018

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Life-cycles of hemiuroid trematodes of pelagic fishes

APSF 18-3 | Project Leader: T Cribb | Amount: $ 44,496

A project undertaken at the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, and supervised by Assoc. Prof. Thomas H. Cribb and Dr Scott C. Cutmore Trematodes (flukes) of the...

Feb 03 2018

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The ‘spatial storage effect’: the missing link in the conservation of temperate woodland annual plant species

APSF 18-2 | Project Leader: J Morgan | Amount: $ 41,467

A project undertaken at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, supervised by John Morgan Annual plants in temperate woodlands can make a substantial contribution to native...

Jan 03 2018

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Improving the standard and rate of publication of descriptions of new taxa of Australian Collembola by purchase of digital camera for a research microscope

APSF 18-1 | Project Leader: P Greenslade | Amount: $ 4,358

A project undertaken at the Federation University Australia, and supervised by Dr Penelope Greenslade The Collembola, (common name Springtails), are a common and abundant group of mainly soil and leaf...

May 02 2017

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Will black rats benefit from cat control on Christmas Island with negative consequences for endemic birds?

APSF 17-5 | Project Leader: S Legge | Amount: $ 42,480

A collaborative project undertaken by Rosalie Willacy, NESP and Parks Australia, and supervised by Drs Sarah Legge, Eve McDonald-Madden and Michaela Plein (Previous title: The ecological impacts of invasive species...