Molecular and Physiological Analysis of Animal Systems
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Academic Staff:
Dr. John A. Donald
Dr. Tes Toop
Dr. Stuart Linton
Postgraduate Students:
Brett Jennings, Ray Bartolo; Scott Nankervis; Jillian Healy; Sofie Trajanovska;
Ben Maynard; Hannah Burrow; Zhi Peng Liu; Praphaporn Laimek.
Honours Students
Rachel Blake, Aaron Schultz, Ben Allardyce, Jessica Fernandez
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This group is located on level 1 in the Science Building at the Geelong Campus
at Waurn Ponds. It is examining the molecular and biochemical control of cellular
and systems homeostasis in animals, and genetic markers. The long term goals
of this research include:
- modulation of internal and external cues that promote animal reproduction
- elucidation of the control of internal salt and water balance
- elucidation of cardiovascular control
- examination of biological responses to environmental stressors
- examination of the adaptations of herbivorous invertebrates
- analysis of genetic markers associated with commercial invertebrates
- elucidation of the physiological and biochemical adaptations of invertebrates
to land.
The results will have important implications for a number of areas including
the Australian shellfish and crustacean industry, cardiovascular function and
health of animals, and the surveillance of environmental quality. Members of
the group have already initiated national, international and industrial collaborative
interactions with other investigators in Australia, Japan, Canada, England,
New Zealand, Thailand, The Netherlands, and the United States of America.
Research projects focus on the following topics:
- Use of lower vertebrate models for understanding mechanisms of action
of natriuretic peptides
- Endocrine control of water balance in desert animals
- Role of nitric oxide in vascular regulation
- Isolation and characterisation of genes controlling spawning in molluscs
and crustaceans
- Settlement cues for larvae of commercially important species
- Molecular aspects of heat-stress protein genes
- Endocrine control of the stress response in freshwater and saltwater
fishes
- Physiological and anatomical parameters of farmed fish in various aquaculture
settings
- Isolation and characterisation of genes and enzymes associated with cellulose
digestion and waste metabolism in crustaceans
- Development and use of genetic markers in aquaculture and wild stock
management
