A5014868738- Plant and animal studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Insect behavior and control techniques
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Forest Insect Ecology and Management
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Conferences and Exhibitions Management
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Biotechnology and Related Fields
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Diversity and Career in Medicine
- Morphological variations and asymmetry
James Cook University
2015-2024
Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine
2014-2024
Australian National University
2008-2011
The University of Queensland
2000-2008
Natural selection on mate recognition may often contribute to speciation, resulting in reproductive character displacement. Field populations of Drosophila serrata display displacement cuticular hydrocarbons when sympatric with birchii . We exposed field and allopatric D. experimental sympatry for nine generations. Cuticular evolved resemble the populations, whereas remained unchanged. Our experiment indicates that natural resulted pattern
Women continue to be under-represented in the sciences, with their representation declining at each progressive academic level. These differences persist despite long-running policies ameliorate gender inequity. We compared exposure and visibility an evolutionary biology conference for attendees two different levels: student post-PhD academic. Despite there being almost exactly a 1:1 ratio of women men attending conference, we found that when considering only those who presented talks, spoke...
In many species, females display preferences for extreme male signal traits, but it has not been determined if such evolve as a consequence of gaining genetic benefits from exercising choice. If prefer traits because they indicate quality that will enhance the fitness offspring, correlation between female preference genes and confer offspring fitness. We show Drosophila serrata cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) blends, this affects Female is positively genetically correlated with fitness,...
Processes that affect the evolution of female preferences or male display traits involved in mating decisions different geographic areas have potential to result within-species divergence. This could occur via reinforcement mate recognition species using same for and sexual selection. Sympatric individuals experience traits, whereas allopatric do not, creating divergent selection sympatric populations. Sexual operates on cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) Drosophila serrata, CHCs populations with...
Field populations of Drosophila serrata display reproductive character displacement in cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) when sympatric with birchii. We have previously shown that the naturally occurring pattern can be experimentally replicated by exposing field allopatric D. to experimental sympatry Here, we tested whether repeated evolution natural and was a consequence genetic constraints on CHCs. The variance‐covariance (G) matrices for CHCs were determined had evolved either presence or...
Where closely related species occur in sympatry, reinforcement may result the evolution of traits involved recognition that are at same time used for within-species mate choice. Drosophila serrata lives forested habitat on east coast Australia, and over northern half its distribution it coexists with a species, birchii. Here we show strength reinforcing selection natural populations is sufficient to generate reproductive character displacement along 36-km transect across contact between...
Animals use mating traits to compete for, attract, and choose mates. Because influence mate choice, the divergence of between populations can result in reproductive isolation. This occur without associated morphological divergence, producing reproductively isolated cryptic species that are visually indistinguishable. Thus, identifying morphologically conservative groups is key resolving diversity speciation processes. Lizards contain many such groups, with phylogeographic studies often...
It is well established from the fossil record and phylogeographic analyses that late Quaternary climate fluctuations led to substantial changes in species' distribution, but whether how these resulted phenotypic divergence speciation less clear. This question can be addressed through detailed analysis of traits relevant ecology mating within among intraspecific lineages persisted separate refugia. In a biogeographic system (the Australian Wet Tropics [AWT]) with well-established history...
Predicting how species will respond to the rapid climatic changes predicted this century is an urgent task. Species distribution models (SDMs) use current relationship between environmental variation and species' abundances predict effect of future change on their distributions. However, two common assumptions SDMs are likely be violated in many cases: (i) that environment with abundance or fitness constant throughout a range remain so (ii) abiotic factors (e.g. temperature, humidity)...
Bacteria form microbial communities inside most higher-level organisms, but we know little about how the microbiome varies along environmental gradients and between natural host populations laboratory colonies. To explore such effects on insect-associated microbiomes, studied gut in four Drosophila species over two mountain tropical Australia.
The analysis of interaction networks across spatial environmental gradients is a powerful approach to investigate the responses communities global change. Using combination DNA metabarcoding and traditional molecular methods we built bipartite Drosophila – parasitoid food webs from six Australian rainforest sites spanning 850 m in elevation 5°C mean temperature. Our cost‐effective hierarchical network reconstruction separated determination host frequencies detection quantification...
Australian lizards are a diverse group distributed across the continent and inhabiting wide range of environments. Together, they exhibit remarkable diversity reproductive morphologies, physiologies, behaviours that is broadly representative vertebrates in general. Many traits exhibited by have evolved independently multiple lizard lineages, including sociality, complex signalling mating systems, viviparity, temperature-dependent sex determination. thus outstanding model organisms for...
Although adaptive change is usually associated with complex changes in phenotype, few genetic investigations have been conducted on adaptations that involve sets of high-dimensional traits. Microarrays supplied descriptions gene expression, and phenotypic resulting from adaptation often results large-scale expression. We demonstrate how analysis expression generated during can be accomplished by determining variance partitioning within classical experimental designs. A microarray experiment...
We describe a new species of velvet gecko (Diplodactylidae: Oedura) from north-east Queensland, Australia. Oedura jowalbinna sp. nov. is robust, medium-sized (SVL 60–69 mm) that readily distinguished its congeners by distinctive dorsal colour pattern. The dorsum grey with faint freckling and pale, dark-edged band across the neck another base tail. combination yellow tail body also distinctive. differs significantly most similar congener, O. coggeri, in multivariate analysis morphology...
Abstract The Kuranda Treefrog occurs in tropical north-east Australia and is listed as Critically Endangered due to its small distribution population size, with observed declines drought human-associated impacts habitat. Field surveys identified marked the mid-2000s, culminating very low abundance at most sites 2005 2006, followed by limited recovery. Here, samples from before (2001–2004) after (2007–2009) this decline were analysed using 7132 neutral genome-wide SNPs assess genetic...
Abstract Amphibians represent a useful taxon to study the evolution of sex determination because their highly variable sex-determination systems. However, system for many amphibian families remains unknown, in part lack genomic resources. Here, using an F1 family Green-eyed Treefrogs ( Litoria serrata ), we produce first genetic linkage map any Australo-Papuan (family: Pelodryadidae). The resulting contains 8662 SNPs across 13 groups. Using independent set sexed adults, identify small region...
Abstract The environment presents challenges to the transmission and detection of animal signalling systems, resulting in selective pressures that can drive signal divergence amongst populations disparate environments. For chemical signals, climate is a potentially important force because factors such as temperature moisture influence persistence chemicals. We investigated an Australian lizard radiation ( Heteronotia ) explore relationships between sexually dimorphic trait (epidermal pore...