Research Grant
[Cite as http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE150101393]Researchers: Dr Lee Rollins (Discovery Early Career Researcher Award)
Brief description Genetic and epigenetic drivers of the Australian cane toad invasion. Although invasive species are a massive threat to biodiversity, and costly to society, we still do not understand the evolutionary processes that shape invasions. Invasive populations often show rapid evolutionary change in novel environments but attempts to identify the underlying genetic mechanisms have been largely unsuccessful. This project aims to explore an innovative and untested alternative possibility: that invader evolution is primarily driven by epigenetic change. Using an iconic Australian invasive species, the cane toad, the project aims to quantify genetic and epigenetic change across the invasion and use manipulative experiments to determine the influence of epigenetic change on the evolution of phenotypic traits important to invasion.
Funding Amount $360,000
Funding Scheme Discovery Early Career Researcher Award
- ARC : DE150101393
- PURL : http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE150101393
