Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101535
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,000.00
Summary
Ancient genomics of Western Australian taxa to inform conservation management. The project aims to apply genomic approaches to infer the genetic health and evolutionary history of three threatened, iconic Western Australian taxa: black cockatoos, ghost bats and woylies. Genomic data provide a powerful lens through which to study species, but the applications of genomic techniques in conservation biology have been sparse. Effective restoration and conservation initiatives require an understanding ....Ancient genomics of Western Australian taxa to inform conservation management. The project aims to apply genomic approaches to infer the genetic health and evolutionary history of three threatened, iconic Western Australian taxa: black cockatoos, ghost bats and woylies. Genomic data provide a powerful lens through which to study species, but the applications of genomic techniques in conservation biology have been sparse. Effective restoration and conservation initiatives require an understanding of species' former population sizes, connectivity and biodiversity. The project seeks to elucidate the population genetic, phylogenetic, and conservation genetic parameters of the three species at the genomic level using DNA isolated from modern and ancient sources (eg museum skins and fossils). The information gained may inform conservation efforts for some of Australia’s endangered biota.Read moreRead less
Improving predictions of species distribution dynamics. This project aims to mainstream methods for improved prediction of species distributions under the impacts of environmental change. This is important because these predictions are commonly used to guide environmental decisions, but the standard modelling methods used to produce them have critical limitations. This project intends to (i) make key statistical developments to methods for modelling dynamics of species distributions and (ii) tra ....Improving predictions of species distribution dynamics. This project aims to mainstream methods for improved prediction of species distributions under the impacts of environmental change. This is important because these predictions are commonly used to guide environmental decisions, but the standard modelling methods used to produce them have critical limitations. This project intends to (i) make key statistical developments to methods for modelling dynamics of species distributions and (ii) translate the methods into practice, through guidelines, tools and training, engagement with users and case studies addressing species of current concern. This should provide significant benefits because it will enable better decisions and more effective and cost-efficient management actions.Read moreRead less