Microbial Pathogens as Selective Agents in the Evolution of Arthropod Sociality

我们将揭示形成群居昆虫对微生物疾病的主要反应的生态和进化力量，然后将结果应用于药物发现。我们将在社会性昆虫中产生抗生素生物勘探新方法的第一批数据，产生两个主要结果：首先，我们确定了抗菌化合物的新来源。其次，我们证明了新的生物方法是天然产物药物生物勘探的有力工具。这两项成果都通过开发新的方法来发现和识别新的自然资源，直接促进了澳大利亚生物多样性可持续利用的国家研究优先目标。

We will reveal ecological and evolutionary forces that have shaped a major response of social insects to microbial disease, then apply the results to drug discovery. We will generate the first data on a new approach to antibiotic bioprospecting in the social insects yielding two major outcomes: First, we identify novel sources of antimicrobial compounds. Second, we demonstrate that the new, biorational approach is a potent tool for natural product pharmaceutical bioprospecting. Both outcomes contribute directly to the National Research Priority Goal for the Sustainable Use of Australia's Biodiversity by developing new ways to find and identify novel natural resources.