Behavioural, evolutionary and physiological ecology

Ecologists often begin by asking how interactions between individual and the environment result in differential survival & reproductive output of organisms depending on their size, age, sex & which traits they possess. These can result in predictable changes in population size and composition that, at broader scales, generates variation in gene flow among populations and differences in species ranges. Natural selection operates whenever there is variation in reproductive output because organisms differ in their ‘fit’ with the environment. Evolutionary change feeds back to affect future ecological interactions. Research at the Research School of Biology covers all aspects of the ecology-evolution cycle. Our key research strengths include: ecophysiology of plants and mammals; behavioural ecology of crabs, birds, insects, reptiles & fish; sensory ecology of crabs & insects; functional ecology of fish & plants; evolutionary genetics of microbes, fungi and reptiles; and the epigenetics of bees. We also have a strong international reputation for developing theory in evolution & ecology that transcends specific study taxa. 

Project Groups
3D modelling of navigation environments Zeil Group - Ecological neuroscience
A unique non-human model for the evolution of musical tool use: drumming by the palm cockatoo Langmore Group - Avian evolutionary and behavioural ecology
Acoustic communication in birds Magrath Group - Behavioural ecology; acoustic communication; ornithology
Alarm signals and interspecific eavesdropping Magrath Group - Behavioural ecology; acoustic communication; ornithology
Are evolutionary refugia traps for endemic species? Moritz Group - Evolutionary biogeography & conservation
Australian Mountain Research Facility (AMRF, ARC LIEF project)
  • Borevitz Group - Plant genomics for climate adaption
  • Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
  • Avian ecology and climate change
    Behavioural and life history variation in a wild population of eastern grey kangaroos (current PhD)
    Biological adaptation under natural and anthropogenic conditions
    Can cooperative species better handle environmental variability?
    Carry-over effects of climate on Australian Birds
    CLIMATE CHANGE
    Climate change and leaf-eating mammals Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    Co-evolution between Australian cuckoos and their hosts Langmore Group - Avian evolutionary and behavioural ecology
    Comparative, meta-analytic and empirical approaches to understanding the impacts of developmental environments on life-history evolution Noble Group - Animal ecophysiology and evolutionary ecology
    Coral development and comparative genomics Ball (Eldon) Group - The molecular basis of coral biology
    Coral regeneration Adamska Group - Genomic and evolutionary basis of animal development
    Domestic applicants for PhDs in Ecology & Evolution
    Domesticating Australian native bees for use as alternative pollinators Mikheyev Group - Evolutionary genomics
    Duetting and female song in Australian passerines Langmore Group - Avian evolutionary and behavioural ecology
    Ecological, social and food-security dimensions of Timor-Leste fisheries
    Ecology of the Silky Hairstreak butterfly and its attendant ant, a potential indicator of old growth forest Rowell Group - Population genetics, karyology and phylogeography of terrestrial invertebrates
    Ecology, genetics and physiology of animal-plant interactions Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    Effect of endocrine disruptors on reproduction in daphniids Cooper Group - Insect physiology, salt and water regulation
    Effects of climate change on Australian bird species
    Effects of climate change on Australian bird species
    Effects of climate change on avian morphology
    Environmental drivers of growth and mortality in larval fishes
    Environmental physiology of locusts Cooper Group - Insect physiology, salt and water regulation
    Environmental risk assessment of genetically modified Alfalfa mosaic virus resistant white clover (Trifolium repens L.) Linde Group - Population genetics, evolution, phylogeography and molecular phylogenetics of fungi
    Epigenetic integration of genomic and environmental information in honey bees Maleszka Group - From molecules to behaviour
    Evolution of Australia's globally unique biodiversity hotspot
    Evolutionary biology of Australian reptiles and amphibians Keogh Group - Evolutionary biology & ecology of reptiles and amphibians
    Evolutionary causes and ecological consequences of ageing in superb fairy-wrens (current PhD)
    Evolutionary significance of early developmental environments: Interaction between maternal effects and offspring thermal environment on phenotypic development and fitness Noble Group - Animal ecophysiology and evolutionary ecology
    Evolving with sexually transmitted infections Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
    Feeding and ecology of grapevine scales Cooper Group - Insect physiology, salt and water regulation
    Fiddler crabs: sex, territoriality and beyond
    Genetics and evolution of variation in chemical defence against herbivores Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    Genital evolution in insects Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
    Habitat quality as a driver of fisheries productivity on macroalgal reefs
    HONOURS/MSC PROJECTS: Thermal tolerance and response to climate change in plants from extreme environments Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    How do animals learn about poisonous plants? Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    How do climate-related changes in tidal patterns affect the foraging time and breeding behaviour of shorebirds?
    Identification of molecular mechanisms of action and direct target genes of developmental signalling pathways in sponges Adamska Group - Genomic and evolutionary basis of animal development
    Identification of target genes of developmental transcription factors Brachyury, Gata and Caudal in sponges Adamska Group - Genomic and evolutionary basis of animal development
    Identifying general rules why species differ in their sensitivity to climate variability
    Impact of early thermal environments on thermal behaviour and physiology in lizards Noble Group - Animal ecophysiology and evolutionary ecology
    Improving nitrogen use efficiency in cereals Atkin Group - Plant respiration in a changing world
    Insect ecology, morphology or physiology Cooper Group - Insect physiology, salt and water regulation
    Insect vision & navigation Zeil Group - Ecological neuroscience
    Investigating adaptive genomic variation underlying drought tolerance in Eucalyptus Borevitz Group - Plant genomics for climate adaption
    Kin selection and competition in cooperative breeders
    Living on the edge: how do Australian plants cope with extreme temperature? (ARC Linkage 2019-22) Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    LUCK
    Maternal effects and phenotypic development in lizards Noble Group - Animal ecophysiology and evolutionary ecology
    Multi-trait plasticity: understanding temperature response of alpine plants in a warming world (ARC Discovery 2017-20) Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    Nutrition of free-ranging primates Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    Out of the darkness: predicting rates of respiration of illuminated leaves along nutrient gradients Atkin Group - Plant respiration in a changing world
    Parent-offspring communication under the risk of predation Magrath Group - Behavioural ecology; acoustic communication; ornithology
    Pest resistance and sustainable plantation management of eucalypts Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    PhD Scholarship top-up opportunity: Enhancing climate-resilience of ecological restoration Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    PHD STUDENT RESEARCH - Ecology and ecophysiology in Australian desert and alpine plant species Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    Phylogenetics of Eucalypt beetles Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
    Postgraduate projects with research support: Drivers of climate change responses in the Australian Alps
  • Borevitz Group - Plant genomics for climate adaption
  • Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
  • Regulation of cricket salivary glands Cooper Group - Insect physiology, salt and water regulation
    Regulation of rat reproduction in rice fields of south east Asia Cooper Group - Insect physiology, salt and water regulation
    Responding to extreme climatic events
    Role of poisonous plants in the foraging ecology of marsupials Foley Group - Animal-Plant interactions
    Seed and seedling ecology Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    Sexual selection and the evolution of sex roles Jennions Group - Behavioural and reproductive ecology
    Sexual selection in changing in environments Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
    Sexual selection in the field cricket Teleogryllus commodus Jennions Group - Behavioural and reproductive ecology
    Skeleton formation in soft corals and calcareous sponges Adamska Group - Genomic and evolutionary basis of animal development
    Sponge and coral microbiomes Adamska Group - Genomic and evolutionary basis of animal development
    Spread of innovation in urban sulphur-crested cockatoos Aplin Group - Cognitive Ecology
    Student projects - additional topics for the future Atkin Group - Plant respiration in a changing world
    Students opportunities in Sequeira Group Sequeira Group - Statistical Modelling & Marine Megafauna Movement
    SUMMER SCHOLARSHIPS: Thermal tolerance and response to climate change in plants from extreme environments Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    SYNCHRONY
    Testing environmental causes of population decline in an Australian song-bird (current PhD)
    The causes and consequences of dispersal in seed beetles Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
    The ecology and evolution of aposematism Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
    The evolution and functional sigificance of leaf shape Nicotra Group - Plant physiological ecology, plant evolutionary biology, reproductive ecology
    The evolution of cooperative behaviour in Rabbit fish Head Group – Ecology and evolution of sex
    The evolution of genital size in mosquitofish Jennions Group - Behavioural and reproductive ecology
    The evolution of mouth markings in estrildid finches Langmore Group - Avian evolutionary and behavioural ecology
    The evolution of song in female birds Langmore Group - Avian evolutionary and behavioural ecology
    The impact of climate change on inter-specific interactions Langmore Group - Avian evolutionary and behavioural ecology
    Thermal acclimation, metabolism and thermal physiology in lizards Noble Group - Animal ecophysiology and evolutionary ecology
    Using macroinvertebrates to determine water quality in the Mulloon Creek catchment Cooper Group - Insect physiology, salt and water regulation
    Vocal mimicry and display Magrath Group - Behavioural ecology; acoustic communication; ornithology
    Wild eco-evolutionary dynamics: why is an iconic Australian bird declining? (ARC Discovery 2019-2023))