Serpent sensory innovation in the evolutionary transition from land to sea

该项目旨在研究支持动物适应环境变化的行为能力的感觉适应的潜在机制。这项研究将利用创新的表型成像和基因组测序，来研究一系列生态多样性的蛇的感觉系统之间的协调变化。预期的成果包括来自澳大利亚和国际博物馆藏品的3D数字解剖模型的大型数据库，以及关于影响脊椎动物感觉受体进化的遗传过程的新知识。通过使用感官适应性作为评估脆弱物种潜在灭绝风险的框架，应该为保护提供显著的好处。

This project aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying sensory adaptation, which underpins the behavioural capacity of animals to adapt to environmental change. This research will harness innovative phenotypic imaging and genomic sequencing, to study the coordinated changes among sensory systems in a range of ecologically diverse snakes. Expected outcomes include a large database of 3D digital anatomical models from Australian and international museum collections, and new knowledge on the genetic processes influencing sensory receptor evolution in vertebrates. The should provide significant benefits for conservation by using sensory adaptability as a framework for estimating potential extinction risk for vulnerable species.