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Professor Peter Prentis
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Biography
I am a Professor in evolutionary genetics in the School of Biology and Environmental Science/Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy at QUT. My current research employs a combination of high throughput genomics, bioinformatics and field experiments to address evolutionary questions in human dominated and agricultural production systems. The questions I am currently investigating include the application of genomic approaches to improve productivity in fruit tree species, better control pest species in horticulture and help conserve wild species. My research uses diverse species to answer these questions but mainly fruit crops and their wild relatives, as well as pest fruit fly species. This research is developing new ways to use male attractants in the management of pest insects and new approaches to reduce the length of juvenility in tree breeding programs. My previous research investigated the evolutionary genomics of plant species and sea anemones. This research answered fundamental questions about the genomics of adaptation and venom production, the genomics of artificial selection in crops as well as population genetic studies in invasive species.Personal details
Positions
- Professor / Centre Director, Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Keywords
genomics, evolution, plants, functional genomics, comparative genomics, horticulture, fruit flies, sea anemones, toxins
Research field
Evolutionary biology, Genetics
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Publications
- Kerr, S., Shehnaz, S., Paudel, L., Manivannan, M., Shaw, L., Johnson, A., Velasquez, J., Tanurdžic, M., Cazzonelli, C., Varkonyi-Gasic, E. & Prentis, P. (2024). Advancing tree genomics to future proof next generation orchard production. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/246606
- Christensen, S., van der Burg, C., Clarke, A. & Prentis, P. (2023). Gene expression responses of Bactrocera tryoni larvae feeding on different ripening stages of tomato fruit. Journal of Applied Entomology, 147(3), 205–230. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239132
- Ashwood, L., Elnahriry, K., Stewart, Z., Shafee, T., Naseem, M., Szanto, T., van der Burg, C., Smith, H., Surm, J., Undheim, E., Madio, B., Hamilton, B., Guo, S., Wai, D., Coyne, V., Phillips, M., Dudley, K., Hurwood, D., Panyi, G., King, G., Pavasovic, A., Norton, R. & Prentis, P. (2023). Genomic, functional and structural analyses elucidate evolutionary innovation within the sea anemone 8 toxin family. BMC Biology, 21. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/240583
- Paudel, L., Kerr, S., Prentis, P., Tanurdžic, M., Papanicolaou, A., Plett, J. & Cazzonelli, C. (2022). Horticultural innovation by viral-induced gene regulation of carotenogenesis. Horticulture Research, 9. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/230383
- Ashwood, L., Undheim, E., Madio, B., Hamilton, B., Daly, M., Hurwood, D., King, G. & Prentis, P. (2022). Venoms for all occasions: The functional toxin profiles of different anatomical regions in sea anemones are related to their ecological function. Molecular Ecology, 31(3), 866–883. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/228779
- Surm, J., Smith, H., Madio, B., Undheim, E., King, G., Hamilton, B., Van Der Burg, C., Pavasovic, A. & Prentis, P. (2019). A process of convergent amplification and tissue-specific expression dominates the evolution of toxin and toxin-like genes in sea anemones. Molecular Ecology, 28(9), 2272–2289. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/131537
- Jung, H., Winefield, C., Bombarely, A., Prentis, P. & Waterhouse, P. (2019). Tools and strategies for long-read sequencing and de novo assembly of plant genomes. Trends in Plant Science, 24(8), 700–724. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/197247
- Nagalingam, K., Van Der Burg, C., Qin, Y., Cameron, S., Clarke, A. & Prentis, P. (2018). Plant-mediated female transcriptomic changes post-mating in a Tephritid fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni. Genome Biology and Evolution, 10(1), 94–107. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/223437
- Mangalam, K., Schutze, M., Clarke, A., Nagalingam, K. & Prentis, P. (2014). Sexual selection in true fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae): transcriptome and experimental evidences for phytochemicals increasing male competitive ability. Molecular Ecology, 23(18), 4645–4657. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/78771
- Prentis, P., White, E., Radford, I., Lowe, A. & Clarke, A. (2007). Can hybridization cause local extinction: a case for demographic swamping of the Australian native Senecio pinnatifolius by the invasive Senecio madagascariensis? New Phytologist, 176(4), 902–912. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/40148
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Peter, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Editorial Board Member - Ecology and Evolution
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Editorial Board member- PeerJ
- Type
- Keynote Speaker/Expert Panel Member/Invited Speaker for a Conference
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Invited speaker - Venoms to Drugs
- Type
- Committee Role/Editor or Chair of an Academic Conference
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Conference organisation - ABACBS 2016
Selected research projects
- Title
- Improving the Impact from Current and Future Genetic and Genomic Investments
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- PRO-016485
- Start year
- 2023
- Keywords
- Title
- Ancestral State Reconstruction and the Evolution of Australian Marsupials
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP220103234
- Start year
- 2022
- Keywords
- Title
- Centre for Fruit Fly Biosecurity Innovation
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IC150100026
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
- Title
- Geomolecular dating with biologically relaxed clocks, and mammal evolution
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP150104659
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- Molecular dating; Fossil calibration; Mammal evolution
- Title
- Generic Delimitations in Rottboelliinae (Andropogoneae, Panicoideae, Poaceae) based on Molecular and Morphological Data
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- RFL214-56
- Start year
- 2014
- Keywords
- Cytology; Diversity; Morphology; Systematics; Taxonomy
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Looking for a postgraduate research supervisor?
I am currently accepting research students for Honours, Masters and PhD study.
You can browse existing student topics offered by QUT or propose your own topic.
Current supervisions
- Investigating Genes Associated with Fruit Fly Resistance in Citrus
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor David Hurwood - Investigating drivers of speciation in the fruit fly genus, Bactrocera (Diptera: Tephritidae)
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor David Hurwood - Using a genomics approach to improve breeding time in Australian tree crops
PhD, Mentoring Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr - Population genomics and transcriptomics of the desert lime, Citrus glauca
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor David Hurwood, Dr Fran Humphries - A Comparative Analysis of Toxin Proteome Evolution in Sea Anemones
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Daniel Broszczak - Mining for Fusarium Wilt and Sigatoka susceptibility gene targets in banana for editing and disease resistance
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Rob Harding, Dr Pradeep Deo - Regulation of Flowering Genes in Citrus
PhD, Mentoring Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stephanie Kerr - Exploring the genetics of precocious flowering for breeding improved Australian mango cultivars
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- The complexity of competition between three native Australian fruit fly species, Bactrocera tryoni, B. neohumeralis and B. jarvisi in a changing environment (2023)
- Characterisation of the Interactions Between Queensland Fruit Fly, Bactrocera Tryoni, Egg and Larvae, and Tomato Fruit at the Whole Insect and Molecular Level (2022)
- Characterising the Functional Venom Profiles of Sea Anemones (2022)
- Understanding the Role of Innate Immune and Novel Genes in the Evolution and Regeneration of Sea Anemones (2020)
- Molecular Insights into the Evolution of Novel Genes (2019)
- Functional significance of male attractants of Bactrocera tryoni (Diptera: Tephritidae) and underlying mechanisms (2014)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.