A5087288520- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Marine animal studies overview
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease
- Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Polar Research and Ecology
- Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications
- melanin and skin pigmentation
- Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Vitamin D Research Studies
- Cancer-related gene regulation
Australian Antarctic Division
2014-2024
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
2023-2024
University of Tasmania
2008-2015
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
2008
Royal Children's Hospital
2008
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
2008
Menzies School of Health Research
2008
Centre International de Recherche sur le Cancer
2008
The Adélie penguin is the most important animal currently used for ecosystem monitoring in Southern Ocean. diet of this species generally studied by visual analysis stomach contents; or ratios isotopes carbon and nitrogen incorporated into from its food. There are significant limitations to information that can be gained these methods. We evaluated population assessment food DNA scats as an alternative method with penguins indicator species. Scats were collected at four locations, three...
Abstract The evolution of cetaceans, from their early transition to an aquatic lifestyle subsequent diversification, has been the subject numerous studies. However, although higher-level relationships among cetacean families have largely settled, several aspects systematics within these groups remain unresolved. Problematic clades include oceanic dolphins (37 spp.), which experienced a recent rapid radiation, and beaked whales (22 not investigated in detail using nuclear loci. combined...
Age is a fundamental aspect of animal ecology, but difficult to determine in many species. Humpback whales exemplify this as they have lifespan comparable humans, mature sexually early 4 years and no reliable visual age indicators after their first year. Current methods for estimating humpback cannot be applied all individuals populations. Assays human recently been developed based on age-induced changes DNA methylation specific genes. We used information age-associated mouse genes identify...
Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is emerging as a novel, objective tool for monitoring marine metazoan biodiversity. Zooplankton biodiversity in the vast open ocean currently monitored through continuous plankton recorder (CPR) surveys, using ship-based bulk sampling and morphological identification. We assessed whether eDNA (2 L filtered seawater) could capture similar Southern Ocean zooplankton conventional CPR (~1,500 seawater per sample). directly compared with (a) (b) of collected...
Multiple studies have provided evidence for an association between reduced sun exposure and increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), likely to be mediated, at least in part, by the vitamin D hormonal pathway. Herein, we examine whether receptor ( VDR), integral component this pathway, influences MS a population-based sample where winter early childhood has been found important determinant risk. Three polymorphisms within VDR gene were genotyped 136 cases 235 controls, associations with...
DNA metabarcoding is an efficient method for measuring biodiversity, but the process of initiating long-term DNA-based monitoring programmes, or integrating with conventional programs, only starting. In marine ecosystems, plankton surveys using continuous recorder (CPR) have characterized biodiversity along transects covering millions kilometres time-series spanning decades. We investigated potential use in CPR surveys. Samples (n = 53) were collected two Southern Ocean and metazoans...
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations typically undertake seasonal migrations, spending winters in low latitude breeding grounds and summers foraging high feeding grounds. Until recently, a broad scale understanding of movement has been derived from whaling records, Discovery marks, photo identification genetic analyses. However, with advances satellite tagging technology concurrent development analytical methodologies we can now detail finer humpback movement, infer...
In understanding the impact of commercial whaling, it is important to estimate mixing low latitude breeding populations on Antarctic feeding grounds, particularly endangered humpback whale Oceania. This paper estimates degree genetic differentiation among putative Oceania (New Caledonia, Tonga, Cook Islands and French Polynesia) Australia (western eastern Australia) using ten microsatellite loci mtDNA, assesses power data for a mixed-stock analysis, determines ways improve statistical future...
Age structure is a fundamental aspect of animal population biology. strongly related to individual physiological condition, reproductive potential and mortality rate. Currently, there are no robust molecular methods for age estimation in birds. Instead, individuals must be ringed as chicks establish known-age populations, which labour-intensive expensive process. The chronological using DNA methylation (DNAm) emerging approach mammals including humans, mice some non-model species. Here, we...
Recent studies have reported multiple cases of molecular adaptation in cetaceans related to their aquatic abilities. However, none these has included the hippopotamus, precluding an understanding whether adaptations occurred before or after they split from semi-aquatic sister taxa. Here, we obtained new transcriptomes hippopotamus and humpback whale, analysed together with available data eight other cetaceans. We identified more than 11 000 orthologous genes compiled a genome-wide dataset...
<b>Objective: </b> Low past sun exposure, fair skin type, and polymorphisms of the MC1R gene have been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. We aimed to investigate interplay between melanocortin 1 receptor variants, red hair/fair phenotype, environmental exposure in MS. <b>Methods: Population-based case–control study Tasmania, Australia, involving 136 cases MS 272 controls randomly drawn from community matched on sex year birth. Measures included by calendar questionnaire,...
Since at least the middle-Miocene, Antarctic Polar Front (APF) and Subtropical (STF) appear to have been main drivers of diversification marine biota in Southern Ocean. However, highly migratory birds mammals challenge this paradigm importance oceanographic barriers. Eudyptes penguins range from Peninsula subantarctic islands some southernmost subtropical islands. Because recent diversification, number species remains uncertain. Here we analyze two mtDNA (HVRI, COI) nuclear (ODC, AK1)...
Antarctic benthic ecosystems support high biodiversity but their characterization is limited to a few well-studied areas, due the extreme environment and remoteness making access sampling difficult. Our aim was compare water sediment as sources of environmental DNA (eDNA) better characterise communities further develop practical approaches for DNA-based assessment in remote environments. We used cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) metabarcoding approach metazoan 26 nearshore sites across 12...
Abstract Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ) is a keystone species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem, and monitoring its distribution abundance crucial for sustainable management of expanding fisheries targeting species. Environmental DNA (eDNA)‐based could complement conventional surveys, but applicability limited by lack knowledge on eDNA persistence decay Ocean. We aimed to develop method that can not only quantify eDNA, also estimate relative time since this was shed (“recent” vs...
BACKGROUND Integrin alpha2 beta1 (α 2 β 1 ) plays an integral role in tumour cell invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis, altered expression of the receptor has been linked to prognosis several solid tumours. However, relationship is complex, with both increased decreased associated different stages metastases types. The ITGA2 gene, which codes for α subunit, was examined investigate whether a large CpG island its promoter region involved differential observed prostate cancer. METHODS...
Tyrosinase-negative oculocutaneous albinism (OCA1A) is characterized by lifelong white hair and skin, a phenotype that has been described in most mammalian species worldwide. Tyrosinase the key enzyme melanin biosynthesis, mutations tyrosinase gene result OCA1A. We examined sequence variation at exon 1 of 66 humpback whale samples collected from east coast Australia, including an anomalously known as "Migaloo." identified 3 novel variants, cytosine deletion results premature stop codon 1....
Abstract Humpback whales undertake long‐distance seasonal migrations between low latitude winter breeding grounds and high summer feeding grounds. We report the first in‐depth population genetic study of humpback that migrate to separate along northwestern northeastern coasts Australia, but overlap on around Antarctica. Weak significant differentiation eastern western Australia was detected across ten microsatellite loci ( F ST = 0.005, P 0.001; D EST 0.031, 0.001, n 364) mitochondrial...
Abstract The Patagonian toothfish, Dissostichus eleginoides , is a valuable fishery species and has discontinuous distribution across the Southern Ocean. Identification of genetic stock structure toothfish would allow evaluation suitability spatial scale at which fisheries management operates. Genetic subdivision seems likely given distribution. Population genetics studies this have been performed; however, they limited by sample size, coverage and/or type markers investigated. As potential...
Abstract Aim The conservation of biodiversity is hampered by data deficiencies, with many new species and subspecies awaiting description or reclassification. Population genomics ecological niche modelling offer complementary tools for uncovering functional units phylogenetic diversity. We hypothesize that phylogenetically delineated lineages gentoo penguins ( Pygoscelis papua ) distributed across Antarctica sub‐Antarctic Islands are subject to spatially explicit conditions have limited gene...
Abstract Antarctic Toothfish are a circumpolar species which targeted in multiple fisheries around Antarctica covering nine statistical areas within the Convention for Conservation of Marine Living Resources. Despite this, it is still unclear whether forms single stock across its distribution, shows pattern isolation by distance, or exhibits discrete structure between different regions. Recent genetics studies toothfish have shown connectivity two (Ross Sea and Peninsula), but earlier with...