Understanding Biodiversity|
Understanding Biodiversity |
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Biodiversity is the new scientific frontier of exploration and discovery. The numbers of genes, species and ecosystems in Australia are unknown. Most of the biodiversity is small or microscopic including genes, single-cell animals and plants, most invertebrates and the bacteria and fungi. They present us with a unique, major scientific challenge which, when overcome, will reveal the full variety of organisms with which we share the continent and their contributions to our lives. | |
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The Centre Research Programs are developing new technologies in molecular biology and high-tech instrumentation for Rapid Biodiversity Assessment. New developments in computing, environmental scanning electron microscopy and laser flow cytometry are being integrated for application to the discovery and assessment of invertebrate and microbial biodiversity. | |
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Automation of invertebrate and microbial biodiversity assessment is essential to monitoring the vast number of species involved. Instrumentation that processes large numbers of small organisms from environmental samples is being developed by the Centre in collaboration with Macquarie University Centre for Analytical Biotechnology and the Macquarie University Special Research Centre for Lasers and Applications. | |
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Teaching programs at the undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development levels are designed to communicate the new technologies developed by the Centre to practitioners, managers and researchers from both the private and public sectors. |
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Mites occur in vast numbers in the soil, decomposing organic material and recycling nutrients. Many are so strange as to seem alien but they are vital to the maintenance of soil health.
"Devising ways of estimating biodiversity quantitatively remains an unsolved problem". |
[Research and Education Programs] [Key Centre Personnel] [Seminar Series] [Biodiversity: Australia's Living Wealth]