Conservation research has historically been conducted at the macro level, focusing on
animals and plants and their role in the wider ecosystem. However, there is a growing …

Australia is home to a rich biodiversity of marsupials that are found nowhere else.
Unfortunately, many of these species are currently threatened with extinction due to …

Background Captive koala breeding programmes are essential for long-term species
management. However, breeding efficacy is frequently impacted by high neonatal mortality …

Biodiversity is declining globally, and Australia has one of the worst extinction records for
mammals. The development of sequencing technologies means that genomic approaches …

Wildlife harbour a diverse range of microorganisms that affect their health and development.
Marsupials are born immunologically naïve and physiologically underdeveloped, with …

Advances in sequencing technologies have revealed the complex and diverse microbial
communities present in ticks (Ixodida). As obligate blood-feeding arthropods, ticks are …

Defensins are antimicrobial peptides involved in innate immunity, and gene number differs
amongst eutherian mammals. Few studies have investigated defensins in marsupials …

Background Sarcoptes scabiei is globally distributed and one of the most impactful
mammalian ectoparasites. Sarcoptic mange, caused by infection with S. scabiei, causes …

Characterising functional diversity is a vital element to understanding a species' immune
function, yet many immunogenetic studies in non-model organisms tend to focus on only …

This paper reviews current research on the microbial life that surrounds vertebrate embryos.
Several clades are believed to develop inside sterile—or near-sterile—embryonic …