Potential Honours Projects in the
School of Animal Biology
mid-year 2012
The following pages contain various projects that are available as honours research
projects for 2012.
This is not an exhaustive list but should be used as a guide for you to:
1) Gain an idea of the scope of appropriate projects
2) Be introduced to potential supervisors and their fields of study
3) Stimulate ideas about other projects that interest you
Please contact any supervisors on this list or about their project, or refer to the
School’s Honours pages for lists of potential supervisors and approach them about
ideas not listed here.
ANIMAL NUTRITION PROJECTS
Supervisor: Phil Vercoe
philip.vercoe@uwa.edu.au
Possible projects include:
Antimethanogenic bioactivity
Australian native plants
of
pasture
species
and
The role of grazing behaviour in increasing the biodiversity
of grazing systems
Persistency of antimethanogenic properties of pasture species and Australian native plants
Improving estimates of methane production by studying behaviour of animals in respiration
chambers
Use of remotely sensed data for monitoring spatial distribution of perennial pastures in
Western Australia (to be co-supervised by Dr. Waqar Ahmad, CSIRO)
Reproductive biology in farm animals –
research the basics to find new
applications
Supervisor: Graeme Martin
Graeme.Martin@uwa.edu.au
Supervisor: Penny Hawken
Penny.Hawken@uwa.edu.au
Possible areas include:
 Female pheromones in sheep – fact or fiction?
 Brain pathways used by male pheromones to affect female reproduction
 Early embryo mortality … how can we detect it?
 Ram sperm cells following changes in nutrition
 Ram seminal plasma: testosterone and antioxidant enzymes
 Testis after nutritional supplement: cFos, urea
 Plant ‘toxins’ and reproductive endocrinology
 Stress: Does cortisol in wool reflect the past?
 ‘Medicinal forages’ and reproduction
 The search for a nutritional treatment to induce luteolysis
 Genes, hormones and puberty
ANIMAL PRODUCTION PROJECTS
1. Cryopreservation of duck sperm – the role of semen fractions.
2. Pigeon gene bank – the relationship between cooling and warming rates in freezing
of pigeon sperm.
Supervisor: Irek Malecki
Irek.Malecki@uwa.edu.au
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY PROJECTS
Phylogenetic relationships among planktonic and directly developing species within
the genus Bembicium (Gastopoda: Littorinidae)
Supervisors: Jason Kennington (jason.kennington@uwa.edu.au) and Michael Johnson
(msj@cyllene.uwa.edu.au)
The mode of reproduction can have major effects on population structure and likelihood of
genetic divergence within marine species (Bohonak 1999). Species without larval dispersal
tend to be more subdivided genetically than those with planktotrophic larvae. Littorine snails
of the genus Bembicium include species that exhibit a planktonic larval stage and species that
are direct developers (Johnson and Black 2006). The genus includes five species, two of
which have planktonic dispersal, B. auratum and B. nanum, and three that are direct
developers, B. vitattum, B. melanostoma and B. flavescens (Reid 1998).
Allozyme analyses of these five species across their geographical distributions have
been conducted by Johnson and Black (2006). This study supported the current taxonomic
treatment of the genus, but failed to resolve important historical relationships between
species, which are fundamental to understanding the origin and evolutionary significance of
modes of reproduction. An investigation of mitochondrial DNA within Bembicium will allow
finer resolution of genetic subdivision and provide the essential historical perspective needed
to understand the effects of modes reproduction on the genetic structure of this genus.
Specifically, the study will (1) test the hypothesis that direct development evolved only once
in this genus, (2) allow comparison of amounts and patterns of genetic divergence in lineages
with different modes of reproduction, and (3) determine the evolutionary history of populations
of the direct developer B. vittatum, which has disjunct and genetically highly divergent
populations over a range of 4000 km.
Reading
Bohonak, A.J. 1999. Dispersal, gene flow, and population structure. The Quarterly Review of
Biology 74, 21-45.
Johnson, M..S. and R. Black. 2006. Effects of mode of reproduction on genetic divergence
over large spatial and temporal scales in intertidal snails of the genus Bembicium Philippi
(Gastropoda: Littorinidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 89, 689-704.
Reid, D.G. 1988. The genera Bembicium and Risellopsis (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) in
Australia and New Zealand. Records of the Australian Museum 40, 91-150.
Williams, S.T., D.G. Reid and D.T.J. Littlewood. 2003. A molecular phylogeny of the
Littorininae (Gastropoda: Littorinidae): unequal evolutionary rates, morphological
parallelism, and biogeography of the Southern Ocean. Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution 28, 60-86.
Parapatric distributions of Rhagada land snails: origin, genetic distinctness and
specific status of R. globosa and R. torulus
Supervisor: Mike Johnson
mike.johnson@uwa.edu.au
The genus Rhagada is the dominant group of land
snails in the Pilbara region. A striking feature of this
genus and other camaenid snails in northern WA is
that sympatry of congeneric species is extremely
rare.
Instead, species replace each other
geographically, which makes it difficult to test
directly whether they are good biological species.
In addition, the taxonomy has been based largely
on shell morphology, with additional comparisons of
reproductive anatomy in some cases. Molecular
genetic analyses can determine whether such
species are distinct phylogenetic groups, but these
are most valuable if the groups can be found
together.
This project will combine morphological and
molecular analyses to test for reproductive isolation
between Rhagada globosa and R. torulus. These
are the two southernmost species in the genus, with
narrow distributions from south of the Cape Range
to the north of Shark Bay. Recent searching has
found a narrow zone where both types occur. The
contact zone allows direct tests of whether the two
forms are reproductively isolated.
Molecular
phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA will determine the history of the contact zone, and analysis of
microsatellite DNA and variation of shells and genitalia can determine whether the forms
interbreed or maintain genetic isolation.
Temporal genetic variation in the intertidal snail Bembicium vittatum
Supervisors: Mike Johnson & Jason Kennington
mike.johnson@uwa.edu.au, jason.kennington@uwa.edu.au
Analysis of variation of genetic traits over time provides valuable information about stability of
genetic structure, effective population size, and contrasting effects of selection on different
traits (e.g., Lessios et al. 1994, Tessier & Bernatchez 1999, Palm et al. 2003). Most studies,
however, examine temporal variation over only a short period of time, even though longer
term comparisons allow much more powerful analyses.
The intertidal snail Bembicium vittatum offers a chance to examine temporal genetic changes
of molecular and morphological traits over a twenty-year period, representing more than a
dozen generations. This species lacks planktonic larvae, and is highly genetically subdivided
in the Abrolhos Islands, in ways that reflect patterns of connectivity among populations
(Johnson & Black 1991, 1996, 1998). In addition, populations differ in their sizes and degree
of isolation, and hence in their potential for bottlenecks. Variation of allozyme loci was
examined in 1987 and 1992, and samples for the same sites are available from 2007 (and
from 1997 for some sites). Thus, analysis of allozymes in the 2007 samples, combined with
comparisons with the previous years, will provide tests of stability of patterns of genetic
subdivision, and specific comparisons among populations with different characteristics.
Alternatively, more powerful microsatellite DNA markers could be used to examine variation
at selected sites, using samples collected in 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2002.
These populations also differ in shell shape and colour, which are adapted to local conditions
(Johnson & Black 2000, 2008). Quantification of temporal variation in these morphological
traits will allow testing of the expectation that they should be less affected by fluctuation in
population sizes, and hence are likely to differ from the allozymes in their amounts and
patterns of temporal variation (e.g., Binks et al. 2007).
This project will involve analysis of allozymes or microsatellite DNA and shell traits in
populations of B. vittatum, to quantify temporal variation, as a test of effects of population
characteristics and type of trait on genetic structure. The extent and complexity of the data
provide rewarding possibilities for a student willing to take on in-depth analyses.
Background reading
Binks, R.M, Kennington, W.J. & Johnson, M.S. (2007). Rapid evolutionary responses in a
translocated population of intertidal snail (Bembicium vittatum) utilise variation from
different source populations. Conservation Genetics, in press.
Johnson, M.S., & Black R. (1991). Genetic subdivision of the intertidal snail Bembicium
vittatum (Gastropoda: Littorinidae) varies with habitat in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands,
Western Australia. Heredity 67: 205-213.
Johnson, M.S., & Black R. (1996). Geographic cohesiveness versus associations with habitat:
genetic subdivision of Bembicium vittatum Philippi (Gastropoda: Littorinidae). in the
Houtman Abrolhos Islands. Biol J Linnean Soc 58: 57-74.
Johnson, M.S., & Black R. (1998). Increased genetic divergence and reduced genetic
variation in populations of the snail Bembicium vittatum in isolated tidal ponds. Heredity 80:
163-172.
Johnson, M.S., & Black R. (2000). Associations with habitat versus geographic cohesiveness:
size and shape of Bembicium vittatum Philippi (Gastropoda: Littorinidae). in the Houtman
Abrolhos Islands. Biol J Linnean Soc 71: 563-580.
Johnson, M.S., & Black R. (2008). Adaptive responses of independent traits to the same
environmental gradient in the intertidal snail Bembicium vittatum. Heredity 101: 83-91.
Lessios, H.A., Weinberg, J.R., & Starczak, V.R. (1994). Temporal variation in populations of
the marine isopod Excirolana: how stable are gene frequencies and morphology?
Evolution 48: 549-563.
Palm, S., Laikre, L., Jorde, P.E., & Ryman, N. (2003). Effective population size and temporal
genetic change in stream resident brown trout. Conservation Genetics 4: 249-264.
Tessier, N., & Bernatchez, L. (1999). Stability of population structure and genetic diversity
across generations assessed by microsatellites among sympatric populations of landlocked
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Molecular Ecology 8: 169-170.
Exploring the relationship between immune function and sexually selected traits
Supervisor: Kathryn McNamara (kathryn.mcnamara@uwa.edu.au)
Throughout the animal kingdom, individuals face attack by
pathogens and parasites. These present immune challenges
that can significantly impact the host's reproductive success
and longevity. Ecological immunity is a rapidly expanding field
that examines the causes and consequences of variation in
host immune function. Despite the ubiquity of parasites and
pathogens and the likelihood of considerable, if not constant,
challenges to an individual's immune system, the optimal
immune defence is not necessarily maximum immune defence.
This is because all organisms are resource limited and, as a
result, they face trade-offs as they attempt to maximise their
fitness. That is, investment in immune defence comes at a
cost, and resource limitation requires trade-offs that reduce the
expression of other life-history traits, such as sexually selected
traits.
I am interested in developing a project with an Honours
student that will tease apart these important trade-offs between immunity and reproduction. I
have primarily used moths and butterflies as model systems in the past, as they have several
reproductive quirks that make them particularly interesting in relation to sperm competition
and sexual conflict. In this project, you will learn how to conduct several invertebrate immune
assays, how to assess the quality of moth sperm and more...
References


Lawniczak, M. K. N., Barnes, A. I., Linklater, J. R., Boone, J. M., Wigby, S. &
Chapman, T. 2007: Mating and immunity in invertebrates. Trends in Ecology &
Evolution 22, 48-55.
Simmons, L. W. & Roberts, B. 2005: Bacterial immunity traded for sperm viability in
male crickets. Science 309, 2031-2031.
Daphnia plasticity across time and space
Supervisors: Dr Desiree Allen (with Dr Joe Tomkins)
desiree.allen@uwa.edu.au, Joseph.tomkins@uwa.edu.au
Daphnia are small crustaceans, typically
found in freshwater ponds and lakes
around the world. In Australia, these
ancestrally freshwater species have
made the significant adaptive move into
highly saline environments. We are
interested in understanding how species
make the move from their ancestral
environments into new stressful and
potentially toxic environments. One
mechanism
thought
to
enable
transitions between environments is
phenotypic plasticity - where a single
individual
may
produce
different
phenotypes in different environments.
To investigate this we can take
advantage of two novel aspects of the
Daphnia life cycle. First, they are
cyclical parthenogens which means
they can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Thus, we can make replicate copies of single
genotypes and place them in different environments to measure plasticity in individual
genotypes. Second, they produce sexual eggs encased a desiccation resistant capsule which
can lay dormant in the population for decades. We can collect these capsules, hatch the
eggs, and then use these hatched individuals to "look back in time" at how plasticity may have
changed as the environment changed.
The two broad projects we are interested in are:
1) How does plasticity vary across environments species, and populations? Do the range of
environments that a species can tolerate differ between ancestral freshwater species and the
derived salt-adapted species?
2) Does within-population plasticity change over time as the aquatic environment becomes
more saline?
Genetic diversity, population history and adaptation to novel environmental stress
Supervisors: Joseph Tomkins and Jason Kennington
Joseph.tomkins@uwa.edu.au, jason.kennington@uwa.edu.au
What are the chances that endangered species can adapt to
the novel environmental challenge posed by global warming?
One way to find out is to conduct controlled laboratory
experiments that isolate particular hypotheses that relate to this
question. Clearly rare and endangered species tend to have lost
genetic diversity, how important such a loss of neutral variation
is for the ability of a population to adapt to novel environmental
challenge is a question that requires empirical attention.
We have lab populations of the mite Rhizoglyphus echinopus
and Drosophila melanogaster which vary in their genetic history.
These species have a very short generation time (two weeks)
and laboratory adaptation/extinction can be measured relatively
easily. By constructing populations with different genetic
histories this project would allow the student to investigate the
effect of population genetic history on the prospects for
adaptation to novel environmental challenges.
Sexual selection, artificial selection and the function of antennae in Callosobruchus
maculatus
Supervisors: Joseph Tomkins and Emile van Lieshout
joseph.tomkins@uwa.edu.au, emile.vanlieshout@uwa.edu.au
Callosobruchus maculatus are small seed-eating beetles
that are easily cultured in the laboratory. Male beetles
appear to have relatively longer and thicker antennae than
females. This difference is likely related to male matesearching behaviour, since females release pheromones to
attract mates. We propose a selection experiment to
manipulate the relative investment (size) of this trait. This will
involve selecting for relatively long antennae or relatively
short antennae in lines of Callosobruchus beetles. At the
end of the experiment, the heritability, correlated response in
females, allometry and degree of sexual dimorphism in antennae will be estimable. The study
will also allow us to determine what effect an elongation in antennae has on the males’ ability
to find females in a complex environment and therefore the role of intraspecific variation in
antennae morphology on mate finding ability.
NEUROECOLOGY PROJECTS
School of Animal Biology and the UWA Oceans Institute
The following are a list of potential Honours Projects for 2012 (Feb or mid year intakes). More
information can be provided by Professor Shaun P. Collin (WA Premier’s Research Fellow),
(shaun.collin@uwa.edu.au) and other Senior members of staff, Associate Professor Nathan
Hart, nathan.hart@uwa.edu.au, W/Professor David Hunt, david.hunt@uwa.edu.au, and
Research Associate Kara Yopak, kara.yopak.uwa@gmail.com, can also be contacted by
email for more information.
These projects can be done in either Zoology or Marine Science.
1. Inner ears of deep-sea myctophids: Structural adaptations for hearing. (Collin)
Little is known about whether deep-sea animals are able to communicate acoustically
but previous work has indicated that some deep-sea fishes possess very large ears
and are able to produce sounds via “drumming” muscles attached to the swim bladder.
In this project, you will examine the anatomy of a range of species of lanternfishes
(myctophids) that represent a large proportion of the mesopelagic fauna in the deepsea. This anatomical study will be the first to investigate the potential for sound
production and hearing in this group.
Evangelista, C., Mills, M., Siebeck, U. E. and Collin, S. P. (2010) A comparison of the
external morphology of the membranous inner ear in elasmobranchs. J. Morphology
271: 483-495.
2. Circadian control of behaviour: the structure and function of the pineal organ in
sharks and rays (Collin, Hart, Hunt)
All animals rely on light to set their circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. This nonvisual form of light detection is generally mediated by the pineal organ. This project will
investigate the structure and function of the pineal of sharks and rays with the hope of
characterising the types of photoreceptors present and how they might be used for
light entrainment in a variety of environmental light conditions and habitats. Techniques
will include light and electron microscopy, microspectrophotometry, PCR and gene
cloning.
3. Dim light vision in deep-sea fish (Collin and Hunt)
The visual systems of deep-sea fishes are tuned for detecting low levels of sunlight
and/or bioluminescence. In many species, the eyes have become specialised to
increase sensitivity and avoid predation. However, the eyes of some species have
degenerated. In this project, you will investigate both ocular and retinal adaptations in a
range of deep-sea fish species in an attempt to reveal the limits of vision and light
detection. Techniques will include light and electron microscopy, modelling the optical
sensitivity and gene cloning.
Collin, S. P., Hoskins, R. V. and Partridge, J. C. (1998) Seven retinal specialisations in
the tubular eye of the deepsea pearleye, Scopelarchus michaelsarsi: A case study in
visual optimisation. Brain Behavior and Evolution 51: 291-314.
Hunt, D. M., Dulai, K. S., Cottrill, P. B., Partridge, J. C. and Bowmaker, J. K. (2001)
The molecular basis for spectral tuning of rod visual pigments in deep sea fish. J Exp
Biol 204, 3333-3344.
4. Sampling of colour space in the eyes of vertebrates: an in situ hybridization
study of retinal photoreceptors (Hunt, Hart, Collin)
Photoreceptors in vertebrates are vital for vision and transform light energy into
electrical impulses that can be interpreted by the brain via the process of
phototransduction. These receptors form highly regular mosaics that sample the visual
world, often in colour. In this project, you will investigate how each type of
photoreceptor samples the world of a range of vertebrates including lampreys,
stingrays and reef fishes. Techniques will include gene cloning, in situ hybridization,
stereology and light and electron microscopy.
Collin, S. P. and Shand, J. (2003) Retinal sampling and the visual field in fishes. In:
Sensory Processing in Aquatic Environment. (eds. S. P. Collin and N. J. Marshall).
Springer-Verlag, New York. pp. 139-169.
Wilkie, S. E., Vissers, P. M., Das, D., Degrip, W. J., Bowmaker, J. K. and Hunt, D. M.
(1998) The molecular basis for UV vision in birds : spectral characteristics, cDNA
sequence and retinal localization of the UV-sensitive visual pigment of the budgerigar
(Melopsittacus undulatus). Biochem J 330, 541-547.
5. Quantitative measures of brain evolution in bony fishes (Collin and Yopak)
Brain and body size relationships have traditionally been used to infer cognitive abilities
across a range of mammals (including humans), providing vital information about life
history traits, behaviour and “intelligence”. This project will develop new methodologies
to accurately assess total neuron number (rather than brain size) and processing
power in bony fishes. The goal of this project is to understand the fundamental
selection pressures underlying the evolution of the brain and its component parts and
trace the evolution of cognitive capacity. Techniques will include isotropic fractionation,
flow cytometry, and stereology.
Gabi, M., Collins, C. E., Wong, P., Torres, L. B., Kaas, J. H. and Herculano-Houzel, S.
(2010). "Cellular scaling rules for the brains of an extended number of primate
species." Brain, Behavior, and Evolution 76: 32-44
Herculano-Houzel, S. and Lent, R. (2005). "Isotropic fractionator: A simple, rapid
method for the quantification of total cell and neuron numbers in the brain." Journal of
Neuroscience 25(10): 2518-2521
6. Variation in neuron composition the shark cerebellum (Collin and Yopak)
Cerebellum size in cartilaginous fishes has been related to an increase in the
processing of sensory input implicated in motor control and recent work has
demonstrated emerging ecological patterns between both cerebellar organization and
habitat complexity in sharks. This project hopes to reveal a more quantitative measure
of neuronal cell number in the cerebellum, to uncover whether variability in the number
of main motor output neurons similarly correlates with habitat dimensionality and agile
prey capture in these fishes. Techniques will include isotropic fractionation, flow
cytometry, and stereology.
Yopak, K. E., Lisney, T. J., Collin, S. P. and Montgomery, J. C. (2007). "Variation in
brain organization and cerebellar foliation in chondrichthyans: Sharks and
holocephalans." Brain, Behavior, and Evolution 69(4): 280-300.
7. Escape responses in fiddler crabs. (Hemmi, Collin)
Fiddler crabs are highly visual animals that live under constant threat of predation from
birds. Field experiments have shown that the design of the crabs’ eye limits their ability
to measure a predator’s distance and their direction of movement. Results suggest that
the crabs use different criteria to determine their response in the field than they do in
the laboratory. In this project, you will bring fiddler crabs into the laboratory to test their
escape decisions under controlled conditions. You will also test how these animals
respond to the same stimuli in different environmental situations. You will learn to
design and analyse carefully controlled behavioural experiments with the aim to
understand the mechanisms underlying visually guided behaviour.
Hemmi JM & Pfeil A (2010) A multi-stage anti-predator response increases information
on predation risk. Journal of Experimental Biology 213 1484–1489
Hemmi JM (2005) Predator avoidance in fiddler crabs: 2. The visual cues. Animal
Behaviour 69 615–625
8. Learning in fiddler crabs. (Hemmi, Collin)
Fiddler crabs are often unable to recognise their predators accurately, but have been
shown to learn to ignore moving objects that have proven harmless over time. This
process, called habituation, is often thought to be a very simple form of learning.
Experiments under natural conditions have shown that habituation is a more
sophisticated process than previously thought. In this project, you will conduct learning
experiments in the laboratory with the aim to determine the characteristics of the object
(dummy predator) and the environment that are important for this learning process.
You will learn to design and analyse carefully controlled behavioural experiments and
discover how sensory information affects learning in animals.
Hemmi JM, & Merkle T (2009). High stimulus specificity characterizes anti-predator
habituation under natural conditions. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London
Series B 276 4381–4388
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY PROJECTS
These projects can be done in either Zoology or Conservation Biology.
The effect of oil palm conversion on rainforest insect biodiversity in Borneo
Prof Raphael K. Didham (raphael.didham@uwa.edu.au)
The front-line for emerging conflicts between production and biodiversity is in the tropical
regions of the world, where the Earth’s great storehouses of biodiversity are being destroyed
at accelerating rates to make way for food production and biofuel plantations. Of greatest
international concern is the ‘double jeopardy’ that conversion of tropical forests to oil palm
plantations represents for both biodiversity loss and climate change 1-7. There is now
significant international interest in finding ways to make oil palm plantations more
‘sustainable’, through creative manipulation of landscape structure to minimise biodiversity
loss. In Borneo, an international consortium of researchers is undertaking one of the world’s
largest experiments to investigate how alteration of the spatial arrangement of rainforest
remnants affects biodiversity loss at local- to landscape-scales. The Stability of Altered
Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) project (www.safeproject.net) is investigating the myriad ways in
which logging, deforestation and forest fragmentation modify the functioning of tropical
rainforests, impairing their ability to deliver ecosystem services and reducing their capacity to
support the diversity of life.
You have the opportunity to be part of this international research effort, investigating how
spatial landscape context affects insect biodiversity in rainforest remnants. There are a range
of possibilities for the exact question to be addressed, and these can be tailored to suit your
interests and skills (see references for the types of research previously conducted by my lab
group8-16). In general, the work will involve field sampling for a target insect group (such as
beetles or ants) along rainforest edge gradients in landscapes of varying land-use intensity
and varying spatial arrangement of habitat. Extensive lab sorting of insect samples will be
required, with identification of morphospecies in conjunction with taxonomic experts, followed
by statistical analysis of variation in biodiversity and community composition. Ideally, field
experiments will be implemented to look at the functional consequences of biodiversity loss
for the provision of ecosystem services (such as nutrient cycling, seed dispersal etc).
This project will be physically and mentally challenging, expensive, and will demand a great
deal of self-motivation and independence.
1Green
et al. 2005 Science 307:550-555; 2Vandemeer & Perfecto 2005 Science 308:12571258;3Righelato & Spracklen 2007 Science 317,902; 4Scharlemann & Laurance 2008
Science 319:43-44; 5Koh & Wilcove 2007 Nature 448:993-994; 6Clements & Posa 2007
Nature 449:403; 7Venter et al. 2008 Nature 451:16.
8Didham 2010 Ecological consequences of habitat fragmentation. In: Encyclopedia of Life
Sciences.
John
Wiley
&
Sons
Ltd,
Chichester.
http://www.els.net/
[DOI:
10.1002/9780470015902.a0021904]; 9Ewers & Didham 2008. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, USA 105: 5426-5429; 10Pawson et al. 2008 Biodiversity and
Conservation 17: 1127-1148; 11Tylianakis et al. 2008. Ecology Letters 11: 1351-1363;
12Didham et al. 2007 Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22: 489-496; 13Ewers et al. 2007
Ecology 88: 96-106; 14Ewers & Didham 2006 Biological Reviews 81: 117-142; 15Didham et al.
1998 Ecological Monographs 68:295-323; 16Didham et al. 1996 Trends in Ecology and
Evolution 11: 255-260.
Carnivorous plants and commensal flies: Darwin’s missed opportunity in Australia
Prof Raphael Didham (raphael.didham@uwa.edu.au)
Dr David Yeates (CSIRO, Canberra)
Carnivorous plants – plants such as sundews and pitcher plants that lure insects and trap
them to obtain important, if not essential, nutrients for survival, growth and reproduction –
have always fascinated biologists. Charles Darwin, for example, was a world authority on
carnivorous plants, eventually publishing his landmark work ‘Insectivorous Plants’ in 1875.
However, on Darwin’s brief stop in WA during the Voyage of the Beagle he sailed unaware
past one of the most remarkable natural history stories of Australian pitcher plants. In the
southwest of WA lives the Albany pitcher plant, Cephalotus folicularis, and an extraordinary
commensal fly, Badisis ambulans, whose larvae are able to survive inside the pitcher plant
and feed off dead and decaying insects. Curiously, a disproportionate number of insects
falling into the pitcher plants are ants of the genus Iridomyrmex which the fly larvae seem to
feed on, and bizarrely the adult flies that eventually emerge from the pitcher plant are entirely
wingless and have evolved to bear a striking resemblance to the same Iridomyrmex ants! The
ecological and evolutionary associations between the plant, the flies and the ants are almost
completely unknown, and a wide range of research questions are open for investigation. How
do the fly larvae survive in the pitcher plants when other insects are killed? Do the fly larvae
lure the ants into the pitcher plants using chemical signalling? What are the evolutionary
selection pressures that have favoured mimicry of the adult fly and the ant? Does the adult fly
also mimic ant chemical signalling, perhaps to aid in dispersal between isolated pitcher
plants? The fly is completely wingless and it is unknown how it is able to disperse between
isolated plants. Does the fly ‘use’ the ants to carry it between plants? Darwin could not have
been further from the truth when he wrote of Albany, King George’s Sound, in 1836 that
“Since leaving England I do not think we have visited any one place so very dull &
uninteresting as K. George’s Sound”! Today, the Albany pitcher plant is at risk from land-use
change and climate change, and is considered to be of conservation concern.
Albany pitcher plant
Fly larva
Adult fly mimicking ant Iridomyrmex ant nest
Synergistic interactions between habitat disturbance and invasion in urban bushland
Prof Raphael Didham (raphael.didham@uwa.edu.au)
Dr Lori Lach (lori.lach@uwa.edu.au)
It is widely recognised that habitat disturbance promotes species invasion, and that the
ecological impacts of invasive species can also scale non-linearly with increasing intensity of
landscape change. What is not well studied is the range of potential mechanisms underlying
positive feedback effects that have been observed between disturbance and invasion,
whereby disturbance leads to a primary invasion, which then promotes further habitat
disturbance, which in turn facilitates the invasion of yet more non-native species. This
facilitation between invasive species has been termed ‘invasional meltdown’, and has been
widely debated in the literature. One possible example of this type of facilitation between
invasive species is seen in urban bushland remnants on the Swan Coastal Plain, WA. African
big-headed ants, Pheidole megacephala (also called coastal brown ants in Australia), are
invading the disturbed margins of bushland, displacing native ant species and potentially
increasing weed invasion rates. Big-headed ants are industrious seed harvesters, and appear
to take over the ecological niche of some native seed harvesters, however the types of seeds
they prefer to harvest are thought to be quite different to those harvested and dispersed by
native ants. The concern is that big-headed ants foraging into the urban landscape
surrounding bushland remnants will distribute ever-increasing numbers of invasive weed
seeds into bushland, and alter native seed dispersal processes. The aim of this work is to
determine the spatial distribution of big-headed ants in urban remnants, their negative
interactions with native ant species, and the potential facilitation of weed invasion into urban
remnants through seed harvesting. There are a range of possibilities for the exact questions
to be addressed, and these can be tailored to suit your interests and skills. The work is likely
to involve field surveys of the spatial distribution of ant nests, field sampling of the soil seed
bank and spatial distribution of weeds, lab germination trials, lab tests of interactions between
ant species, lab tests of seed preference and dispersal, and a range of other experimental
manipulations in the lab and field. This research has important conservation management
implications as the big-headed ant is the least studied of the top-5 major ant invaders in
Australia, and current climate-matching models predict that it could eventually have the most
widespread distribution of any invasive ant species, covering 70% of mainland Australia.
Didham, R. K., Tylianakis, J. M., Gemmell, N. J., Rand, T. A. and Ewers, R. M. 2007.
Interactive effects of habitat modification and species invasion on native species decline.
Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22: 489-496.
Didham, R. K., Tylianakis, J. M., Hutchison, M. A., Ewers, R. M. and Gemmell N. J. 2005. Are
invasive species the drivers of ecological change? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20:
470-474.
Didham, R. K., Watts, C. H. and Norton, D.A. 2005. Are systems with strong underlying
abiotic regimes more likely to exhibit alternative stable states? Oikos 110: 409-416.
Ewers, R. M., Kapos, V., Coomes, D. A., Lafortezza, R. and Didham, R. K. 2009. Mapping
community change in modified landscapes. Biological Conservation 142: 2872-2880.
Holway, David A., Lori Lach, Andrew V. Suarez, Neil D. Tsutsui, and Ted J. Case. 2002. The
causes and consequences of ant invasions. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics
33:181-233.
Lach, Lori, Catherine L. Parr, and Kirsti L. Abbott (eds.) 2010. Ant Ecology. Oxford University
Press.
Lach, Lori and Melissa Thomas. 2008. Invasive ants in Australia: Documented and potential
ecological consequences. Australian Journal of Entomology 47:275-288.
Pawson, S. M., McCarthy, J. K., Ledgard, N. J. and Didham, R. K. 2010. Density-dependent
impacts of exotic conifer invasion on grassland invertebrate assemblages. Journal of
Applied Ecology 47: 1053-1062.
Tylianakis, J. M., Didham, R. K., Bascompte, J. and Wardle, D. A. 2008. Global change and
species interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. Ecology Letters 11: 1351-1363.
Restoring insect pollination services in degraded habitats
Prof Raphael Didham (raphael.didham@uwa.edu.au)
Habitat restoration programs can be effective at re-vegetating degraded land, yet most fail to
restore natural ecosystem dynamics due to an inability to reinstate insect-mediated pollination
services. The dominant mechanisms of pollination failure lie at the interface between spatial
constraints on the availability of floral resources in a hostile landscape matrix, and
physiological constraints on pollinator thermal tolerance, desiccation resistance and
metabolism. The aim of this research is to quantify the roles that spatial and physiological
limitations on pollinator energetics play in pollination failure during restoration. This project
blends cutting-edge landscape ecology with eco-physiological techniques, providing a wealth
of opportunities for potential honours projects in one or both of these areas. Knowledge
gained in this project will inform ecological theory surrounding the impacts of global
environmental change on species interaction networks, while at the same time providing
conservation managers with information to formulate targeted landscape-scale restoration
programs that optimise insect-mediated pollination services.
Banksia
Woodland
Sand mining
Restoration opt
APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY PROJECTS
Behavioural responses by insects to surface treatments
Supervisors: Dr Christian Nansen
christian.nansen@uwa.edu.au
Using Ethovision XT (www.noldus.com), we are interested in quantifying behavioural
responses of different insects and mites to different agro-chemicals applied to crops. Some of
these agro-chemicals are pesticides but only work (kill target pests) based on contact. So it
would be a “problem” if these contact pesticides are repellent to the target pest. By offering
individual insects a choice and characterize and quantify how much time they spent on
different surface treatments, we can obtain valuable insight into the performance of these
agrochemicals. This information is very valuable to both industry partners and farmers.
This project has two components:
· Acquire quantitative behavioural data based on Ethovision XT.
· Conduct greenhouse experiments with insect pests on growing plants with/without
experimental agrochemical treatments.
This project will provide the student with hands-on experience with: 1) Ethovision XT, 2)
rearing of insects, 3) plant-insect studies.
Quantifying pesticide spray deposition in fields
Supervisors: Dr Christian Nansen
christian.nansen@uwa.edu.au
It is well established that commercial pesticide applications in paddocks rarely lead to more
than 5-10% spray coverage – and even less in the bottom of dense crop canopies. Thus,
target pests are essentially presented with a choice of which about 90-95% of a leaf is without
pesticide. Low spray coverage is believed to contribute significantly to the risk of target pest
populations developing resistance to pesticides. In this project, we will develop a decision
support tool farmers so that they can increase the likelihood of high spray coverage based on
weather conditions. An example of such a develop a decision support is available
at http://pilcc.tamu.edu/
This project is field based and will require travelling to farming regions and collect spray
coverage data and weather data. We will quantify the spray coverage and use regression
models to explain the spray coverage based on weather variables, spray characteristics, and
canopy height.
This project will provide the student with hands-on experience with: 1) field research in
farmers paddocks, 2) website presentation of research data, 3) dissemination of research
data to growers.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PROJECTS
These projects can be carried out in either Zoology or Conservation Biology
Ecological studies of western ringtail possums
Supervisor: Roberta Bencini
Roberta.Bencini@uwa.edu.au
Several projects will be available, including:
1) The effects of development (road construction as well as urban development) on the
western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis), the common brushtail possum
(Trichosurus vulpecula) and possibly other medium sized mammals.
2) Dietary preferences of western ringtail possums. An investigation of whether preference of
particular trees is due to nutrient levels or secondary metabolites in the leaves. This would
require a student with interests in chemistry/biochemistry and/or botany.
3) It has been suggested that ringtail possums live by the road, and so are at higher risk of
being run over, because Main Roads trims the trees on the road reserve to increase the
visibility for motorists. There is a theory that the resulting fresh growth attracts the animals.
This would need to be tested by examining the composition of the leaves form trees near and
away from the road and scats from possums leaving near the road or far away from it to
investigate digestibility. There are hundreds of ringtail possums in rehabilitation so a study on
captive animals to complement the two projects above would also be possible.
Predation on turtles nests by foxes in Yallagonga Regional Park
Supervisor: Roberta Bencini
Roberta.Bencini@uwa.edu.au
The student will be required to study the ecology of oblong tortoises and the impact of fox
predation of nests. This will be supported by Friends of Yallagonga.
FRESH WATER ECOLOGY
The effectiveness of habitat restoration on macro invertebrate diversity
Supervisor: Andrew Storey
Andrew.Storey@uwa.edu.au
This project, supported by the City of Subiaco aims to survey the aquatic invertebrate fauna of
Lake Jualbup and Lake Mabel Talbot. Aquatic fauna will be sampled with a sweep net in all
habitats of the wetlands, including open water, submergent rush habitats, and benthic
sediments.
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION PROJECTS
Supervisor: Nancy Longnecker
nancy.longnecker@uwa.edu.au
These are examples of potential science communication research projects that could suit
honours students. These dovetail to existing or recent research in our group. Please contact
Nancy for more information.
1. Effectiveness of narrative in communicating scientific information.
2. Impact of science engagement on attitudes, intentions and behaviour
3. What do visitors get out of science exhibits?
4. Motivations and barriers to participation in Citizen Science programs
5. Can producing podcasts and/or blog posts result in deeper learning by university students?
MARINE BIOLOGY PROJECTS
These can be done as Zoology, Conservation Biology or Marine Science honours
Two projects on the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythogramma
The purple sea-urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma is a common temperate species occurring
in the intertidal and shallow sub-tidal from Kalbarri to Northern NSW and including
Tasmania. In all states except Western Australia, the species occurs only as a thin-spined
morph with variably coloured test and spines. These individuals belong to the sub-species
H.e.erythrogramma. In Western Australia, H.e.erythrogramma occurs, usually with a white
test and green spines, but is much less common than a thicker-spined form,
H.e.armigera. This sub-species almost always has a purple test, and spines are usually
purple or purple with green tips. Recent molecular work suggests the two sub-species have
some differences although there is some overlap. Preliminary investigations also suggest
there may be a temporal separation of their spawning seasons, affording some degree of
reproductive isolation. There are at least two lines of investigation to continue this work.
Reproductive cycles in two sub-species of Heliocidaris erythrogramma
Supervisor: Jane Prince (jane.prince@uwa.edu.au)
What is the timing of the reproductive cycles of the two subspecies in Western Australia? To
answer this question, it will be necessary to obtain individuals of both subspecies over a six
month period and compare the development of the gonads using histological techniques.
Individuals can also be artificially spawned and the eggs and sperm used to perform crosses
within and between sub-species. Larvae produced can be reared through to settlement to
compare fertilization and settlement success in the different crosses.
Distribution and habitat use by the two sub-species of Heliocidaris erythrogramma
Supervisor: Jane Prince (jane.prince@uwa.edu.au)
On the southern coast of eastern Australia, individuals of H.e.erythrogramma with different
coloured tests, show strong associations with different habitats. This association is not seen
on the eastern coast where there is little variation in test colour. Similar investigations in W.A.
have been hampered by the patchy occurrence of individuals with white tests. This project
would aim to increase our understanding of how and where H.e.erythrogramma is distributed
along the west coast and what are the habitat variables that define where they occur.
Both these projects would require snorkelling.
Three projects on intertidal invertebrates in the Ningaloo Marine Park
The macroinvertebrate fauna of the intertidal rock platforms in the Ningaloo Marine Park is a
diverse assemblage spanning many phyla that includes both tropical and temperate species,
indirect and direct developers and long and short lived species. The work to date has
concentrated on spatial and temporal variation in assemblage structure, incorporating
variation in the numbers of individual species such as cowries and giant clams.
Distribution patterns of the giant clam, Tridacna sp across intertidal rock platforms in
the Ningaloo Marina Park.
Supervisors: Jane Prince with Bob Black, Mike Johnson and Anne Brearley
Individuals of the giant clam (Tridacna sp) occur patchily across the intertidal rock platforms in
the Ningaloo Marine Park. This project will aim to determine whether or not there are
predictive patterns to this distribution, including across-platform patterns and differences in
distribution between newly settled recruits and established adults
Linking spatial and temporal variation in density to life history characteristics
Supervisors: Jane Prince, with Bob Black, Mike Johnson and Anne Brearley
Individual species within the intertidal assemblage show large fluctuations in densities within
sites between years and between sites within years. To what extent can this be linked to the
life history strategies and the geographic affinities of the species involved? For example,
does a temperate broadcast spawner at the northern limit of its range show more variation in
distribution and abundance than a tropical direct developer? This project will involve taking
part in the third census of platforms in the marine park and then working with the data
collected in 2007, 2009 and 2012 to test ideas and predictions.
Resource partitioning within selected guilds of gastropod molluscs on intertidal rock
platforms in the Ningaloo Marine Park.
Supervisors: Jane Prince with Bob Black, Mike Johnson and Anne Brearley
There are over 200 species of invertebrates recorded from the intertidal rock platforms in the
Ningaloo Marine Park, including many con-geners, fulfilling the same functional role, for
example, the cowries (Cypraea spp), the cones (Conus spp) and the ceriths (Cerithium spp).
The suite of cowry species in the northern section of the park was studied in 2009, revealing
differences in micro-distribution and habitat preference. The same type of investigation could
be applied to one or more of the groups
All three projects will involve a field trip in August- September with the possibility of a second
field trip in February-March if required. Contact Jane (jane.prince@uwa.edu.au for more
information on all three projects)
Ghost crabs as indicators of beach use at Rottnest Island
Supervisor: Jane Prince
Shore crabs of the family Ocypodidae have been extensively used as indicators of beach
damage. This has mainly involved the impact of off-road vehicles on sandy beaches,
however heavy pedestrian traffic also has the potential to change beach profiles and so
damage burrows and disrupt feeding patterns of shore dwelling species.
Preliminary studies on just a few beaches at Rottnest Island has not demonstrated a close
link between the abundance of ghost crabs and human usage, but as yet the most heavily
used beaches have not been assessed. This projects aims to further those preliminary
studies and in doing so discover more of the basic biology of ghost crabs on Rottnest Island.
Barros F (2001) Ghost crabs as a tool for rapid assessment of human impacts on exposed
sany beaches. Biol Conserv 97: 399-404
Foster-Smith J, Birchenough AC, Evans SM, and Prince J (2007) Human Impacts on Cable
Beach, Broome (Western Australia). Coastal Management 35: 181-194.
Moss D, McPhee DP (2006) The impacts of recreational four-wheel driving on the abundance
of the ghost crab (Ocypode cardimanus) on a sub-tropical sandy beach in SE Queensland.
Coastal Management, 35:567-583.
Budgeting life on coral reefs - senescence in tropical fishes
Supervisors: Martial Depczynski, Monica Gagliano
Senescence is the complex process of ageing by which organisms become less able to and
less efficient in adapting to changes in their environment, hence experiencing increased
vulnerability and ultimately death. Understanding the biological processes that lead to
senescence, and why different organisms senesce at dramatically different rates is a longstanding problem in evolutionary biology.
By measuring the aggregation of "waste material" or lipofuscin that naturally accumulates in
animals as a consequence of physiological stress (i.e. senescence) or damage, the project
aims to quantify the cumulative costs of living in coral reef fishes. Specifically, this project
aims to examine sex-specific variations in physiological ageing and whether the rate of
accumulation of lipofuscin at a given chronological age differs between male and female of
the tropical damselfish Pomacentrus amboinensis.
Centre for Marine Futures
School of Animal Biology and the UWA Oceans Institute
The following are a list of potential Honours Projects or areas of research for 2012 (Feb or
mid year intakes). More information can be provided by Professor Jessica Meeuwig,
(Jessica.meeuwig@uwa.edu.au). Broadly speaking, the Centre conducts research around
marine conservation and fisheries ecology.
1. Fish conservation
Our research group has commenced a program in the Chagos Archipelago, the world’s
largest, contiguous no-take marine sanctuary. We have large data sets of video
imagery that allow a range of ecological questions to be tested based on sampling a
region that has not been fished for >40 years. Key questions relate to structure of reef
fish assemblages compared to other exploited and nonexploted regions of the Indian
Ocean, behaviour of animals.
2. Ear stones of Lutjanus bohar: tropical climate recorders? (Meeuwig, Rountrey
Meekan (AIMS)
Lutjanus bohar is a tropical snapper found throughout the Indo Pacific. It is a relatively
long lived species and as otolith (ear stone) collections exist, it is a prime candidate for
testing whether growth increments laid down in the ear stones can be mapped to
variation in climate. Such biochronologies have been established for trees, corals and
several temperate fish species but to date have not been established for tropical
widlely distributed individuals. As otoliths have been collected across a wide range of
sites, opportunity exists to consider how growth increments vary both in space and in
time. Note, this project is part of a large collaborative international grant that is
exploring the role of fish ear stones as climate recorders.
Gillanders,BM,. Black BA, Meekan MG< and Morrison MA. 2012. Climatic effects on
the growth of a temperate reef fish from the Southern Hemisphere: a biochronological
approach Marine Biology 159:1327-1333.
3. Shark ecology
We have a range of projects considering shark ecology and behaviour based on the
use of tags and stereo video imagery.