Evolution, Ecology & Genetics
Professor William Foley
 
  People  
 

Bill Foley - Professor in Botany and Zoology (william.foley@anu.edu.au )
I have wide interests in nutritional ecology, and plant animal interactions. Most recently I have been concerned with developing new approaches to measure the food intake and nutritional status of free-ranging mammals including koalas and eastern gray kangaroos. Secondly I am interested in how animals translate physiological effects of plant secondary metabolites into behavioral changes. I am also particularly interested in using knowledge of the chemistry of Eucalyptus to help breed plantation trees that are resistant to herbivore attack and to develop new products from trees that can provide greater incentives to replant degraded land in Australia.

Ian Wallis - Research Fellow (ian.wallis@anu.edu.au)
Ian is a nutritional ecologist who has studied rat kangaroos, desert tortoises and voles in past appointments. Ian is involved in all projects in the lab and in particular manages much of the analytical work and statistical analyses involved in different projects.

Gavin Moran - Research Fellow (gavin.moran@anu.edu.au)
Gavin is one of Australia's leading scientists in applying molecular approaches to tree breeding. After a long career in CSIRO, Gavin has joined ANU to provide expertise in developing methods to incorporate enhanced herbivore resistance in commercial species of Eucalyptus. In particular he is responsible for a project on association mapping in Eucalyptus globulus.

Andras Keszei - Research Fellow (andras.keszei@anu.edu.au) Andras is involved with arange of differnet projects including analysis of terpenes and terpene synthase genes.

Carsten Kulheim- Research Fellow (carsten.kulheim@anu.edu.au)
Carsten is managing the molecular side of a project to identify important resistance genes in Eucalyptus globulus. Prior to joining us, he worked with Prof Joerg Bohlmann at UBC in Vancouver and before that at Umea University in Sweden.

Students

Suat Hui Yeoh - PhD Student (suat.yeoh@anu.edu.au) - "Population genetics of Eucalyptus globulus"
Suat Hui comes from Malaysia and is working on the population genetics of Eucalyptus globulus with the aim of using the genes that are discovered in the association mapping project to understand more about the population structure of this important species.

Amanda Potts - PhD student (amanda.potts@anu.edu.au) - "Molecular basis of plant defence in mosaic eucalyptus". Mosaic eucalypts are a spectacular pohenotype where there are different chemical profiles in differnet branches. There can even be bark mosaics that show variable bark patterns along the trunk. Using a combination of genomics and transcriptomics, Amanda hopes to discover the genes and regulatory elemnts contributing to these phenotypes.

Hannah Windley - PhD Student (start 2010) (hannah.windley@anu.edu.au) "Interactions between nutrition and reproduction in common brushtail possums"

Sabine Edlich - PhD Student " (Start 2010) "Role of immunity and parasitism in reproductive success in common bruhtail possums"

Visitors

Mr Jens Maintz - Jens worked with us on an IAESTE exchange in 2006 and found that BoZo had all the necessary ingredients for a great home - pool, table tennis, kitchen etc. Jens will complete experiments for his Diploma thesis at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany and continue work on Eucalyptus globulus.

Dr Alan Wade - Alan works on honeybees and pollination and the role of floral toxins on feeding in bees.

Recent students

  • Justin Billing - PhD 2009  "Nutritional ecology of free-ranging eastern grey kangaroos"
  • Jane DeGabriel - PhD 2009 The role of Eucalyptus chemical defences in the population ecology of common brushtail possums"
  • Karen Marsh, PhD 2006 "Plant secondary metabolites as determinants of diet choice in marsupials"
  • Andras Keszei, PhD 2007 "Molecular background of defence chemical variation in Eucalyptus"
  • Martin Henery, PhD 2007 "Foliar Secondary Metabolites In Eucalyptus and Their Role In Resistance To Defoliating Insects"
  • Rose Andrew, PhD 2007 "Population and quantitative genetics of plant defence in Eucalyptus "

Past lab members:
Ben Moore (PhD)
Jennifer Sorensen (Postdoc)
Ivan Lawler (PhD)