Forest floor choked with decaying plant matter, forest floor, adaptive evolution, leaf litter

Invasive species and biosecurity

Invasive species and biosecurity research focuses on managing invasive species and enhancing biosecurity measures to protect ecosystems and biodiversity. It develops strategies to mitigate threats, control species spread and inform policies for sustainable environmental protection and agricultural resilience.

About

Species that have evolved elsewhere such as weeds, feral animals, insects and other invertebrates, diseases, fungi and parasites can have major impacts on native biodiversity.

  • Evolutionary changes in invasive species can increase their impact on native species and their geographic spread.
  • Hybridization between exotic and native species can also have significant impacts in invaded habitats.
  • The management of exotic pathogens can be improved by identifying resistance in the invaded host’s genome.
  • Native species may become invasives when they move from their current ranges as they adapt to climate change.

For information on Australia's biodiversity policies see the Department of the Environment and Energy:

See also:

Projects

In October 2014, a project began in SE Arnhem Land to document biodiversity using Indigenous and Western knowledge. The Yugul Mangi Rangers collaborate with ecologists to input data into the Atlas of Living Australia, aiming to enhance biodiversity understanding and create employment pathways for the community.

The project investigates if adaptation in invasive plant species affects fire regimes. Researchers from ANU and CSIRO study traits promoting fire tolerance or flammability, using genomics and spatial genetic analyses. This work could influence policy on climate change adaptation and ecosystem management in Australia.

The Solomon Lab's project aims to identify microbes from major weed species to develop novel biocontrol methods. Students will work with ANU and CSIRO, supported by a $5,000 stipend. This research could improve agricultural productivity by targeting pathogens and weeds affecting crops and pastures.

Student intake

Open for Honours students

The Ignition Grant Round 3 project aims to enhance genomic resources for Helicoverpa species, focusing on pest and non-pest comparisons. By using advanced sequencing techniques on museum specimens, the study seeks to uncover evolutionary traits, inform conservation strategies, and aid in biosecurity planning for these agricultural pests.

This CBA-supported Honours/Masters project, now awarded, focuses on the role of European brown hares in Australia regarding lagomorph microbial diversity. Using Nanopore sequencing, it aims to understand hare-rabbit pathogen dynamics. It offered a $5,000 stipend and collaboration with ANU and CSIRO.

Student intake

Open for Honours students

This 2018 Honours project investigates the hare microbiome in Australia using Nanopore sequencing, focusing on microbial diversity and epidemiology. Collaborating with ANU and CSIRO, it offers support and potential stipends. Students interested in microbiology or bioinformatics are encouraged to apply. Contact Dr Hall, Dr Schwessinger, or Dr Ranjard for details.

Student intake

Open for Honours students

News

ABDF

The CBA has announced the first round of successful projects selected to trial the use of the DiversityScanner technology.

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In an Australian-first, researchers, students, managers and other stakeholders got the opportunity to observe the DiversityScanner technology.

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A two-day CBA Synthesis Group workshop this week explored the uptake and effectiveness of Airborne eDNA technologies.

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A diverse range of workshops have been funded in the the latest round of the CBA's high-impact Synthesis Group program.

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Over 90 students, scientists and managers participated in a 5-day training workshop on advanced population genomics tools in the popular programming language R.

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A new CBA initiative aims to advance biodiversity monitoring and discovery in Australia using a novel combination of genomics, AI and robotics.

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