linda.beaumont@mq.edu.au
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Website | Our research explores biological responses to climate change. Our primary interests lie in understanding and reducing uncertainty in species distribution modelling and in assessing changes to species distribution and shifts in the timing of life-cycle events. Our lab works with invasive species as well as those of conservation concern. We are particularly interested in assessing the adaptive potential of species to climate change as well as conservation and management implications. |
anthony.chariton@mq.edu.au
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Website | The Environmental Genomics, Ecology and Ecotoxicology Lab focuses on the development and application of ‘omic’ technologies for monitoring and assessing aquatic systems. Much of the lab’s research is in estuarine and coastal environments, with an emphasis on trying to understand the interplay between natural and anthropogenic stressors (eg contaminants) on sedimentary environments. This includes using next-generation sequencing technologies to collectively examine the structure, function and connectivity of aquatic communities. The group is multi-disciplined, with a wide range of research interests covering both aquatic and terrestrial environments. |
rachael.dudaniec@mq.edu.au
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Website | The Landscape and Evolutionary Genetics Lab combines spatial and ecological data with genomics approaches to understand the effects of environmental conditions on gene flow and local adaptation in natural populations. Our research aims to inform how we manage species’ connectivity, genetic diversity and evolutionary capacity. This includes species of conservation concern or invasive species and pests, spanning invertebrates and vertebrates. Using these approaches, we can test predictions about land-use and climate change effects on species’ genetic diversity, future distributions and their adaptive capacity. In doing so, we gain insights into the role of gene flow, the environment, ecological processes and local adaptation in driving evolution. |
richard.frankham@mq.edu.au
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Website | My research field is conservation and evolutionary genetics. For the last 12 years, it has primarily focussed on the science underlying genetic management of fragmented animal and plant populations, one of the most important, largely unaddressed issues in conservation biology. With collaborators, this has involved work on predicting the risk of outbreeding depression, the implication of different species concepts in biodiversity conservation, and the magnitude, consistency and persistence of genetic rescue effects. This culminated in the publication in 2017 of “Genetic Management of Fragmented Animal and Plant Populations” and a “Practical Guide” to this topic is nearing completion. Other research topics including the evolution of weeds and whether they develop into new species in non-native locations, and genetic issues in species resurrection attempts. Our work involves reviews, meta-analyses, evolutionary syntheses, and analytical and computer modelling. |
Dr Rachael Gallagher rachael.gallagher@mq.edu.au
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Website | I am a plant ecologist and conservation biologist working to ensure that plants are protected and recognised for their vital contribution to society. My work focusses on the vulnerability of plants to threats, including climate change and invasive species, using a combination of data science approaches, modelling and experiments. |
lesley.hughes@mq.edu.au
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Website | Understanding the observed and potential impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems is one of the most serious and challenging environmental issues we face. The main strength of our research in this area has been to integrate a number of different methods, from small-scale field and laboratory manipulations to computer modelling of potential impacts on hundreds of species. This research interest has led to work focused on the implications of climate change on the applied issues of land management and conservation policy in Australia and elsewhere. |
jaco.leroux@mq.edu.au
Publication List
Website | Research in the Plant Molecular Ecology Lab focusses on i) the molecular ecology and population dynamics of invasive species, ii) evolutionary biology and biogeography of plants, and iii) plant-microbial interactions. To do this, we use both experimental and observational approaches to explore phylogeographic and population genetic structures of invasive plant species; extreme long-distance dispersal to explain historical disjunct plant distributions; the dynamics of plant-bacterial interaction networks; soil microbial community diversity and functional responses to plant community compositional changes; and plant evolutionary biology. |
rick.shine@mq.edu.au
Publication List
Website | Our research explores the intersection between ecology and evolutionary biology, to understand the processes that shape the characteristics of organisms. Our primary focus is on reptiles (especially snakes) and amphibians (especially cane toads), but with a broad range of other species as occasional players. Our main focuses is on applying evolutionary and ecological insights to build new and more effective approaches to wildlife conservation. |
adam.stow@mq.edu.au
Publications list
Website | Professor Stow leads the Conservation Genetics Group which uses genomic and field data to answer behavioural, ecological and evolutionary questions in a range of terrestrial and marine environments. Projects fall into two main research themes: the first describes the impacts of human activities on dispersal, gene flow and adaptive variation at landscape scales. This information is then incorporated into models designed to predict the influence of conservation management options. The second theme characterises mating systems and the implications of these for the evolution of social behaviours. We work on sharks, marine mammals, wetland birds, social lizards, turtles, poison frogs and a range of invertebrates. Field work is carried out in the Australian deserts, the Amazon Basin, wetlands of inland Australia and temperate and tropical waters off Australia and Brazil. |
