Testing Theories of Historical Divergence using South Eastern Australian Reptiles. The processes that serve to create species diversity must also be preserved in order to allow evolution to continue. My study will clarify the number and distribution of water skink species in south eastern Australia, a biologically diverse, yet under studied area of Australia. I will also be looking at processes, such as dispersal, that determine patterns of species distribution over time. These lizards are also ....Testing Theories of Historical Divergence using South Eastern Australian Reptiles. The processes that serve to create species diversity must also be preserved in order to allow evolution to continue. My study will clarify the number and distribution of water skink species in south eastern Australia, a biologically diverse, yet under studied area of Australia. I will also be looking at processes, such as dispersal, that determine patterns of species distribution over time. These lizards are also found on mountain tops and may be affected by global warming. Understanding how climate change has affected these lizards in the past may help us to predict how climate changes will affect them in the future and better enable us to conserve these and other species in the future.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101675
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Integrating Evolutionary History into Ecological Modeling. Ecological niche models are used across evolution, ecology and conservation to estimate species' environmental tolerances. However, these methods suffer from a near-universal assumption that may be flawed; that the species is the appropriate evolutionary grouping for study. This project will develop methods for using evolutionary information to improve estimates of species' environmental tolerances, and will demonstrate those methods in ....Integrating Evolutionary History into Ecological Modeling. Ecological niche models are used across evolution, ecology and conservation to estimate species' environmental tolerances. However, these methods suffer from a near-universal assumption that may be flawed; that the species is the appropriate evolutionary grouping for study. This project will develop methods for using evolutionary information to improve estimates of species' environmental tolerances, and will demonstrate those methods in simulation and empirical studies. This will significantly improve our understanding of evolutionary ecology and will also result in improved conservation outcomes, addressing the national priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia and the goal of responding to environmental change and variability.Read moreRead less
Peripheral isolates as hotbeds of adaptive diversity. This project uses cutting edge molecular technology and spatial analyses to predict the location of diversity relevant to managing the impact of climate change. Knowledge generated in this project will open the door to the informed use of genetic translocation in efforts to kerb expected biodiversity losses.
Reconstructing the impact of climate change on Australian native species. This project will explore the impact of past climate change on Australian native animals to identify species and ecosystems at greatest potential risk, and to help predict and minimise the effects of future change.