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Scientists awarded lion's share of grants

Friday, 23 May 2008

Scientists working jointly with the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide and South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Museum have been awarded the lion's share of the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Biological Research Study fauna grants for 2008/09.

The ABRS awarded 43% of the grants to academics of both institutions, who work together in the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s Evolutionary Biology Unit within the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

The funds will support the documentation of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s biological diversity and improve the classification of fauna.

Dr Suzanne Miller, Director of the South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Museum, is delighted with the new grants.

"This unprecedented level of funding demonstrates the important contribution the SA Museum and ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide scientists are making to the documentation of the nation's fauna. Such work is vital to understanding ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥'s fragile biodiversity and promoting environmental sustainability," she said.

Scientists have won funding for the following projects:

• Professor Andrew Austin of the ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide: Systematics, diversity and hosts of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n scelionid wasps (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae): parasitoids of insect and spider eggs. $31,000 pa

• Steven Cooper and Lauren Hughes (SA Museum), Nick Murphy, (ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide), Jim Lowry (The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n Museum): Systematics of Chiltoniidae (Amphipoda: Crustacea) in mound springs and calcrete aquifers of Western and South ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥. $60,000 pa

• Lisa-ann Gershwin of SA Museum: Continuing studies on the taxonomy and biodiversity of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n jellyfishes. $59,472 pa

• Chris Watts of SA Museum: Systematics of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥n marsh beetles (Scirtidae; Coleoptera; Insecta) $14,571

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