Research topics

Functional genomics / evo-devo

Understanding biomineralisation

Animals produce multifunctional, durable, tough, elastic, biocompatible, and self-healing natural materials under natural conditions. The most striking of these are the biominerals, composites of organic molecules (such as proteins and polysaccharides) and minerals (primarily calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, or silica) that are precisely controlled to produce complex architectures at nanoscale dimensions.

Biomineralisation research in this laboratory focuses primarily on molluscs and seeks to identify genes involved in controlling shell synthesis, to investigate how these genes have evolved, and to understand how these genetic factors lead to differences in shell (or pearl) properties, including mineralogy and pigmentation.

ALLORECOGNITION

The ability of cells to discriminate ‘self’ from ‘non-self’ is thought to have been fundamental for the evolution of multicellularity. Accordingly, it is generally assumed that most multicellular organisms have mechanisms in place to detect foreign cells, including those that originate from conspecifics (allorecognition). However, within animals such mechanisms have been documented on only a few phyla, including vertebrates, urochordates, cnidarians and poriferans.

There are some clues that capacity for allorecognition may be limited in bivalve molluscs. For example, cultured pearl formation involves tissue grafts between two individuals of the same species, graft success rates are routinely very high. The recent discovery of multiple transmissible neoplasia lineages in a range of bivalve species may also point towards a lack of allorecognition. Our group is exploring this possibility, using a combination of tissue culture, histological, and genomic tools.

This research is funded by the BBSRC.

Molecular aquaculture

Rock oyster biodiversity and potential for aquaculture

Oyster biodiversity in the tropics has been vastly underestimated and represents significant untapped opportunity for the development of aquaculture. Our research found that at least 14 oyster species occupy the coast of north-eastern Australia, with several of these showing promise for cultivation. The results of this research are published here.

Find our ‘Guide to Queensland’s intertidal oysters’ here (16MB).

This research was supported by a Queensland Government Advance Queensland Fellowship, Griffith University, the FRDC, the Queensland Oyster Growers Association, and the Queensland Museum. We continue to expand this research beyond Australia, and to work with partners to develop husbandry practices for these species.

Our oyster survey also helped to detect the presence of an exotic species, Magallana bilineata (the black-scar oyster), in far north Queensland. Read about this detection here.

Bivalve disease

A major challenge for oyster aquaculture is the prevalence of disease outbreaks. We have been investigating the drivers of QX disease in Sydney rock oysters, and investigating host responses to infection by the causative agent, Martelia sydneyi. You can read about this research here.

Shellfish reef restoration

Shellfish reefs are culturally, economically, and ecologically important, but are now classified as functionally extinct across much of the globe. A number of oyster reef restoration projects have commenced within Australia, however (in Queensland at least) very little is known about the target oyster species, their current abundances, and how species composition affects the ecosystem services provided by these reefs.

We are fortunate that extant oyster reefs can be found in Queensland and appear to be in good health. We are working towards characterising these ecosystems and providing critical baseline information to support protection and restoration of oyster reefs in the tropics. You can read about this work here.

You can also read about our project in the Noosa estuary here.