About the School
Current Students
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David AyreProfessor 35.G05 +61 2 4221 3440 Lab: 35.G03 Lab: +61 2 4221 4266 |
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Research Interests
Ecological genetics and marine ecology
Evolutionary consequences of variation in the mating systems of terrestrial plants
The importance of selection in determining the genetic structure of populations of marine invertebrates
Behavioural Ecology - especially pollinator behaviour and behaviour of marine invertebrates
Representative Publications
Ayre, D.J. (1995) Localised adaptation of sea anemone clones: evidence from transplantation over two spatial scales. J. Animal Ecology 64: 186-196.
Ayre D.J. and T.P. Hughes (2000) Genotypic diversity and gene flow in brooding and spawning corals along the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Evolution 54: 1590-1605.
England, P.R. , R. Beynon, R.J. Whelan and D.J. Ayre (2001) A molecular genetic assessment of mating system variation in a naturally bird-pollinated shrub: contributions from birds and honeybees. Conservation Biology 15: 1645-55.
Ayre D.J. and T.P. Hughes (2004) Climate change, genotypic diversity and gene flow in reef-building corals. Ecology Letters 7: 273-278.
Paper in PDF (229k)
Ayre D.J. and K.J. Miller (2004) Where do clonal coral larvae go? Adult genotypic diversity conflicts with reproductive effort in the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis. Marine Ecology Progress Series 277: 95-105.
Paper in PDF (122k)
Current Students
PHD Students
Mr Justin Lathlean - Factors influencing range limits of Marine Invertebrates.
Mr Tyge Dahl Hermansen - Ecological and genetic tests of the status of the Sea Anemones at the Species Borders.
Mr David Roberts - Hybridization in Bream.
Current ARC funded Postdoctoral Fellows:
Recent PhD Graduates
Dr Tanya Llorens (2004)
W.A. Dept. of Conservation and Land Management - TanyaL@calm.wa.gov.au
Dr Glenn Johnston (2003)
Human Impacts Research Program Australian Antarctic Division - glenn.johnstone@aad.gov.au
Dr Tom Cellebrezze (2003)
Effects of European honeybees on the pollination ecology of Australian Plants. Thomas.Celebrezze@dipnr.nsw.gov.au
Mr David McKenna
Demographic consequences of fire-sensitivity in Persoonia
Ms Annette Usher
Hybridization in Banksia's
Mr Paul Rymer
Ecological and genetic assessments of gene flow and mating systems in Persoonia.
Mr David Field
Effects of habitat fragmentation on hybridization in Eucalypts
Ms Eszter Hidas
Processes determining species distributions on the south east coast of Australia
Mr Laurence Clarke
Effects of increased UV radiation on somatic mutation in Antarctic Moss.
Future Topics for Students
I would be happy to support research student projects across the range of my research interests i.e.
• Effects of life-history variation on gene flow and population structure in Marine or Freshwater Invertebrates
• Fisheries genetics
• Behavioural Ecology e.g. competitive interactions between sea anemone clones (see picture)
• Plant/pollinator interactions and their genetic and ecological consequences
See Also the Honours Topics Page
Abbreviated CV
Academic Degrees
B.Sc. (Hons) 1977, Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia.
Ph.D. 1983, Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia.
Academic and Research Appointments:
1978-79 Research Officer, Department of Microbiology, University of W.A.
1980-83 Ph.D. student, Department of Zoology, University of W. A..
1983-85 Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian Institute of Marine Science.
1985-88 Lecturer, Department of Biology, University of Wollongong.
1989-94 Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology, University of Wollongong.
1990, 1993 Visiting Research Zoologist, Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis (6 month sabbatical leaves).
1994-5 Co-ordinator of Australian Flora and Fauna Research Centre (AFFRC), University of Wollongong.
1995-2002 Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong.
2002 - Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Director Institute for Conservation Biology, University of Wollongong.
Member of the editorial board of the Journals 'Evolution' and 'Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology'.
Current Externally Funded Research Projects:
Fire, bees and other disturbances: the basis for variation in genetic diversity in long-lived plants.
A collaboration with Prof. Rob Whelan (Wollongong) – funded by ARC
A genetic and experimental assessment of the frequency and importance of hybridisation of Black and Yellow Fin Bream.
A collaboration with R. West and C. Gray
- ARC Linkage
Using microsatellites as markers to explore genetic variation in Ceratodon purpureus, an Antarctic moss.
A collaboration with Associate Professor Sharon Robinson funded by the Australian Antarctic Division.
Research Features
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Allelic Diversity decreases with increasing latitude in scleractinian corals - |
Sea anemones fight across an interclonal boundary. The white structures are specialised fighting tentacles and are laden with nematocysts (stinging cells).
D.J. Ayre and R.K. Grosberg (2004) Animal behaviour (in press)