Priority Areas for Research Grants

ABRS National Taxonomy Research Grant Program

Contact details and further information

General enquiries
Australian Biological Resources Study
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601

Email: abrs.grants@awe.gov.au

Introduction

Projects funded under the National Taxonomy Research Grant Program must be public good in focus and support the following specific criteria are used by ABRS to determine whether a project will be eligible for an ABRS grant:

Biodiversity, Conservation and Vulnerable and Endangered Species
Public, Plant and Animal Health
Building Taxonomic Capacity

1 Biodiversity, Conservation and Vulnerable and Endangered Species

Through their work, taxonomists provide information that is fundamental to the understanding and management of our biological world. To be considered for ABRS funding under this criterion, the researcher is required to demonstrate that the intended project will encompass one or more of the following areas:

1.1 Documenting Australia’s Biodiversity

Studies that contribute to documentation of Australia’s biodiversity, through identification, revision and documentation of understudied taxonomic groups

This may include, for example, studies of taxonomic groups in largely unexplored habitats or molecular projects that make genetic information publicly available.

For vascular plant groups in 2021–22 — funding priority under this Subcriterion will be given to taxonomic revisions and treatments developed for the Flora of Australia on the e-Flora platform — for any of the taxa listed in the Final Priority Plant Taxa List.

1.2 Conservation

Taxonomic research that provides critical data underpinning national responses to human-induced change, for conservation planning or for the rehabilitation of degraded environments

This may include, for example, taxonomic or systematic research on a group likely to be effective as an indicator of climate change, or focused taxonomic research on a region subject to major development.

1.3 Vulnerable and Endangered Species

Taxonomic research that contributes to a greater knowledge of Australia’s vulnerable and endangered biological heritage, especially that listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)

This may include, for example, a revision of a genus to clearly establish the taxonomic position and conservation status of undescribed species, including species currently listed under the EPBC Act.

1.4 Identifying Australia’s Biodiversity

Tools and products that contribute to the identification of Australia’s biodiversity

This may include, for example, an identification key for a taxonomic group at a national scale.

2 Public, Plant, Animal and Environmental Health

This criterion focuses on a range of research activities relevant to protecting Australians and Australia’s natural resource industries and its environment from elements of the Australian biota. To be considered for ABRS funding under the criterion of Public, Plant, Animal and Environmental health, the researcher is required to demonstrate that the proposed project contributes to one of the two following areas:

2.1 Public, Plant and Animal Health

Taxonomic research on native species that are, or have the potential to become, pests or agents of disease, or may be venomous or toxic and thereby threaten public, plant or animal health in Australia

This may include the Australian component of a large taxonomic group that has non-indigenous representatives constituting a significant biosecurity risk, where there is a need to be able to distinguish between native and exotic species.

2.2 Environmental Health

Taxonomic studies that focus on Australian organisms that may aid in the rehabilitation, resilience or productivity of natural or cultivated environments.

This may include projects that identify and document beneficial species within natural ecosystems, crops, pastures or waterways, e.g. soil crusts, algal colonies, nitrogen-fixing plants or invertebrates that play an ecosystem service.

3 Building Taxonomic Capacity

This criterion focuses on support for training and/or recruitment of taxonomists, especially for research on critical taxonomic groups. To be considered for ABRS funding under this criterion, the researcher is required to demonstrate that the proposed project will encompass one or more of the following areas:

3.1 Training of early career researcher/s

Taxonomic studies that include clearly specified opportunities for capture and passage of skills and information from professionals to junior colleagues

This may include a project where there is a component that includes a clearly documented opportunity for passing knowledge from a more senior taxonomist to an early career researcher.

3.2 Knowledge Management

Taxonomic studies that include clearly specified opportunities for capture and passage of skills and information from retired professionals to younger colleagues

This may include a project where there is a component that includes a clearly documented opportunity for passing knowledge from a retired taxonomist.

3.3 Exchange of International Expertise

Projects that facilitate international exchange of research expertise and training in areas that will boost Australia’s taxonomic capacity. Please note that NTRGP funds are not to be used for international travel.

The lasting benefits to Australian taxonomy must be clearly specified and must include capacity building.

For example, building collaborations that involve knowledge exchange from international experts to support research capacity of early career researchers, or working on a taxon for which there are currently no Australian-based experts.

2021–22 Final Priority Plant Taxa List

Old ABRS Volume number¹	Class/Order	Family	Tribe/other	Approximate number of taxon profiles needed for eFlora platform projects
Old ABRS Volume number¹	Class/Order	Family	Tribe/other	Genus profiles	Species profiles
5	Caryophyllales	Montiaceae		2	60
5	Caryophyllales	Portulacaceae		6	20
6	Dilleniales	Dilleniaceae		3	300
8	Capparales	Brassicaceae		59	197
9	Ericales	Ebenaceae		1 (Diospyros)	22
9	Ericales	Ericaceae	Tribe Styphelieae (excluding Melichrus)	18	420+
9	Ericales	Ericaceae	Various genera (excluding subfamily Epacridoideae)	7	40
9	Ericales	Sapotaceae		10	31
9	Ericales	Symplocaceae		1 (Symplocos)	19
10	Rosales	Cunoniaceae (including Davidsoniaceae)		17	38
13–15	Fabales	Fabaceae	subfamily Papilionoideae sensu LPWG (2017)² — various genera	136	1500
20B	Myrtales	Myrtaceae	Kanieae	6	c. 10
20B	Myrtales	Myrtaceae	Syzygieae	1 (Syzygium)	70
20B	Myrtales	Myrtaceae	Myrteae	12	78
21A, 21B	Myrtales	Myrtaceae	Chamelaucieae	25+	800+
27	Geraniales	Geraniaceae		3	40
27	Apiales	Araliaceae		17	128
27	Apiales	Apiaceae		34	67
30	Solanales	Menyanthaceae		4	27
30	Lamiales	Boraginaceae		26	172
31	Lamiales	Byblidaceae		1 (Byblis)	8
31	Lamiales	Lamiaceae		44	750
32	Plantaginales	Plantaginaceae		22	148
32	Scrophulariales	Scrophulariaceae (+ Myoporaceae)	Various genera	18	200
32	Scrophulariales	Oleaceae		8	50
33	Scrophulariales	Bignoniaceae		10	40
34	Campanulales	Campanulaceae		8	110
36	Rubiales	Rubiaceae	Opercularia, Pomax	2	20
38	Asterales	Asteraceae	Gnaphalieae	84	481
38	Asterales	Asteraceae	Astereae	30	330
38	Asterales	Rousseaceae		4	5
(38)	Escalloniales	Escalloniaceae		4	12
41, 42	Cyperales	Cyperaceae		53	600
47	Orchidales	Orchidaceae	Various genera	110	800
51–53	Bryophytes	Various families of mosses, liverworts and hornworts (136 families)		433	1778
Various	Algae	All families		unknown	unknown
No existing volumes	Fungi	All c. 350 families (except existing treatments of the smut fungi, the families Hygrophoraceae and Inocybaceae and the genus Septoria)		c. >1500 known genera	c. >8000 described species
No existing volumes	Lichens, Arthoniales	Arthoniaceae, Melaspileaceae, Roccellaceae		36	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Dothideomycetidae incertae sedis	Arthopyreniaceae, Microtheliopsidaceae, Mycoporaceae, Naetrocymbaceae, Pyrenothricaceae		10	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Pyrenulales	Monoblastiaceae	All genera (except Anisomeridium)	5	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Mycocaliciales	Mycocaliciaceae, Sphinctrinaceae		3	unknown
No existing volumes	Acarosporales	Acarosporaceae	All genera	5	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Agyriales	All families (except Pertusariaceae)		13	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Baeomycetales	Trapeliaceae	All genera	11	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Ostropales and Ostropomycetidae incertae sedis	All families (except Graphidaceae, Arthrorhaphidaceae, Porinaceae, Sarrameanaceae)		33	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Lecanorales	Biatorellaceae, Calycidiaceae, Carbonicolaceae, Catillariaceae, Crocyniaceae, Lecanoraceae p.p., Malmideaceae, Megalariaceae, Mycoblastaceae, Pilocarpaceae, Psoraceae, Ramalinaceae, Scoliciosporaceae Sphaeophoraceae		67	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Peltigerales	Placynthiaceae, Massalongiaceae		3	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Teloschistales	Caliciaceae, Megalosporaceae, Teloschistaceae		11	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Lecanoromycetidae incertae sedis	Elixiaceae, Lecideaceae, Sporastatiaceae, Vezdaeaceae		14	unknown
No existing volumes	Lichens, Lichinales	All families (except Peltulaceae, Aphanopsidaceae)		12	unknown
No existing volumes	Bryophytes, Pottiales	Pottiaceae	All genera	20	unknown
No existing volumes	Bryophytes, Hypnales	Amblystegiaceae, Hypnaceae, Pterobryaceae	All genera	20	unknown
No existing volumes	Bryophytes, Grimmiales	Grimmiaceae	Grimmia	1	unknown
No existing volumes	Bryophytes, Dicranales	Dicranaceae	Dicranella	1	unknown
No existing volumes	Bryophytes, Marchantiophyta	All families (except Radulaceae, Plagiochilaceae, Lejeuneaceae subfamily Ptycanthoideae, Bazzania, Acromastigum and Telaranea)		126	786
Footnotes
¹ Includes Flora of Australia, Fungi of Australia or Algae of Australia book series.
² Legume Phylogeny Working Group (2017), A new subfamily classification of the Leguminosae based on a taxonomically comprehensive phylogeny, Taxon 66 (1): 44–77 [DOI: https://doi.org/10.12705/661.3].