Contact Details
| Organization: | Zoology |
| Position: | SENIOR LECTURER |
| Email: | |
| Homepage: | http://www.zoology.unimelb.edu.au/aboutus/staff/index.php?274,4 |
| Work: | 44864 |
| Fax: | 8344 7909 |
| Room: | 248 |
| Level: | 02 |
| Building: | Zoology Building |
| Campus: | Parkville |
Biography
Background
I completed my undergraduate studies in Botany and Zoology at Monash University where I obtained a BSc(Honours) in 1998. I then obtained his PhD. in Zoology at the University of Sydney under the guidance of Prof. Richard Shine in 2004. This included a one year Fulbright fellowship the USA where I collaborated with Prof. Kellar Autumn at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon, and Prof. Warren Porter at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. I then took up an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research (CESAR) from 2004-2006. I joined the Zoology Department as a lecturer in 2007.
Research
The impact of climate on animals
My research in this field is focused on understanding how climate impacts on the distribution and abundance of terrestrial animals. My approach combines laboratory and field investigations of ecophysiology and behaviour. A particular focus is on developing trait-based, mechanistic models that enable predictions of distributions under current and future climates with GIS data. I have been working with Prof. Warren Porter at The University of Wisconsin to develop computer programs that use energy balance equations and microclimate models to predict how traits (behaviour, morphology and physiology) of organisms interact with climatic conditions to affect key fitness components such as potential activity time, development and growth rates, water balance and food requirements. Importantly, this trait-based approach makes it possible to incorporate evolutionary change. Current and widely-used regression-based approaches to this problem are unable to incorporate evolution because they use the distribution points of the organism as a starting point rather than its traits. The trait-based models we are developing work for any kind of ectotherm or endotherm and hold great promise for enhancing our understanding of the adaptive significance of climate-sensitive traits, for looking at selection gradients across landscapes, and of course for predicting the impact of climate change.
The evolution of parthenogenesis
The maintenance of sexual reproduction is regarded as a major unsolved problem in evolutionary biology. My research has focused on species that have secondarily lost sexual reproduction and instead reproduce by parthenogenesis. There are strong geographical and genetic correlates of the transition from sex to parthenogenesis. Specifically their distributions are often biased towards high latitudes, high altitudes or arid environments. For instance, in the Australian arid zone, we find multiple instances of parthenogenesis in lizards, insects and plants. Parthenogenetic organisms are also very often polypoids, hybrids or both.
I am interested in extent to which the ecological and geographical tendencies of parthenogenetic organisms are influenced by hybridization and by polyploidy. We need to answer this question if we are to truly understand the relevance of naturally parthenogenetic organisms to the paradox of sex. I approach this question using a number of parthenogenetic organisms from the Australian arid zone, including the grasshopper Warramaba virgo, the stick insects Sipyloidea nelida and S. similis, and the gecko Heteronotia binoei. I combine phylogeographic analysis, life-history and ecophysiological studies to compare the ecology and evolution of the parthenogenetic lineages with that of their sexual progenitors. An exciting prospect in this research is the ability, at least in W. virgo, to artificially synthesize hybrid and polyploid lineages. My collaborators in this reserach are Prof. Craig Mortiz (The University of Califorina, Berkeley) and Dr. Mark Blacket (The University of Melbourne).
I completed my undergraduate studies in Botany and Zoology at Monash University where I obtained a BSc(Honours) in 1998. I then obtained his PhD. in Zoology at the University of Sydney under the guidance of Prof. Richard Shine in 2004. This included a one year Fulbright fellowship the USA where I collaborated with Prof. Kellar Autumn at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon, and Prof. Warren Porter at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin. I then took up an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research (CESAR) from 2004-2006. I joined the Zoology Department as a lecturer in 2007.
Research
The impact of climate on animals
My research in this field is focused on understanding how climate impacts on the distribution and abundance of terrestrial animals. My approach combines laboratory and field investigations of ecophysiology and behaviour. A particular focus is on developing trait-based, mechanistic models that enable predictions of distributions under current and future climates with GIS data. I have been working with Prof. Warren Porter at The University of Wisconsin to develop computer programs that use energy balance equations and microclimate models to predict how traits (behaviour, morphology and physiology) of organisms interact with climatic conditions to affect key fitness components such as potential activity time, development and growth rates, water balance and food requirements. Importantly, this trait-based approach makes it possible to incorporate evolutionary change. Current and widely-used regression-based approaches to this problem are unable to incorporate evolution because they use the distribution points of the organism as a starting point rather than its traits. The trait-based models we are developing work for any kind of ectotherm or endotherm and hold great promise for enhancing our understanding of the adaptive significance of climate-sensitive traits, for looking at selection gradients across landscapes, and of course for predicting the impact of climate change.
The evolution of parthenogenesis
The maintenance of sexual reproduction is regarded as a major unsolved problem in evolutionary biology. My research has focused on species that have secondarily lost sexual reproduction and instead reproduce by parthenogenesis. There are strong geographical and genetic correlates of the transition from sex to parthenogenesis. Specifically their distributions are often biased towards high latitudes, high altitudes or arid environments. For instance, in the Australian arid zone, we find multiple instances of parthenogenesis in lizards, insects and plants. Parthenogenetic organisms are also very often polypoids, hybrids or both.
I am interested in extent to which the ecological and geographical tendencies of parthenogenetic organisms are influenced by hybridization and by polyploidy. We need to answer this question if we are to truly understand the relevance of naturally parthenogenetic organisms to the paradox of sex. I approach this question using a number of parthenogenetic organisms from the Australian arid zone, including the grasshopper Warramaba virgo, the stick insects Sipyloidea nelida and S. similis, and the gecko Heteronotia binoei. I combine phylogeographic analysis, life-history and ecophysiological studies to compare the ecology and evolution of the parthenogenetic lineages with that of their sexual progenitors. An exciting prospect in this research is the ability, at least in W. virgo, to artificially synthesize hybrid and polyploid lineages. My collaborators in this reserach are Prof. Craig Mortiz (The University of Califorina, Berkeley) and Dr. Mark Blacket (The University of Melbourne).
Research Expertise and International Linkages
Research Expertise
| Research Interest | Key Words | Country of Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation and Wildlife Biology/Animal Behaviour and Evolution | Habitat use, behavioural ecology, social behaviour, hybridization, parthenogenetic organisms, evolutionary ecology | Australia |
Qualifications, Honours, Fellowships and Other Awards
Qualifications
| Title | Institution | Date Awarded | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Science (Honours) | Monash University | 28-Oct-1998 | |
| Doctor of Philosophy | University of Sydney | 11-Jun-2004 |
Memberships
| Membership Type | Membership Body | Description | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Victorian Fulbright Alumni | 01-Jan-2004 | 01-Jan-2007 | |
| Member | Australian Society of Herpetologists | 01-Jan-2004 | 01-Jan-2005 | |
| Member | Genetics Society of Australia | 01-Jan-2004 | 01-Jan-2005 | |
| Member | Australasian Society for the Study of Evolution | 01-Jan-2002 | 01-Jan-2003 | |
| Member | 100 Acres Reserve Advisory Committee | 01-Jan-1996 | 01-Jan-1997 | |
| Member | Monash Biological Society | 01-Jan-1994 | 01-Jan-1998 | |
| Member | Ecological Society of Australia | 01-Jan-2007 | ||
| Member | Australian Society of Herpetologists | 01-Jan-2000 |
Other Awards
| Award Type | Awarding Body | Comments | Date Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other (Award) | University of Melbourne | Deans Award for Excellence in Research | 01-Jan-2008 |
| Other (Award) | University of Melbourne | 1st Year Earth Science Prize | 01-Jan-1994 |
| Other (Award) | ARC | Postdoctoral Fellow | 01-Mar-2004 |
| Other (Award) | Jabez King Heydon | Award for best PhD thesis | 01-Jan-2005 |
| Other (Award) | American Physiological Society | Comparative Meeting Travel Award | 01-Jan-2002 |
| Other (Award) | Australian-American Fulbright Award | 01-Jan-2001 | |
| Scholarship | Australian Postgraduate Award | PhD Scholarship | 01-Jan-2000 |
| Other (Award) | A R Wallace | Best Honours thesis | 01-Jan-1998 |
| Scholarship | Monash University | Vice-Chancellor?s Undergraduate Research Scholarship | 01-Jan-1997 |
Government Research Classifications
Research Fields, Courses and Discipline Classifications
- Genome Structure (GENETICS) (270202)
- Population and Ecological Genetics (GENETICS) (270203)
- Genetic Immunology (GENETICS) (270206)
- Molecular Evolution (GENETICS) (270208)
- Animal Systematics, Taxonomy and Phylogeny (ZOOLOGY) (270501)
- Invertebrate Biology (ZOOLOGY) (270504)
- Zoology not elsewhere classified (ZOOLOGY) (270599)
- Terrestrial Ecology (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270703)
- Landscape Ecology (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270704)
- Life Histories (incl. Population Ecology) (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270706)
- Sociobiology and Behavioural Ecology (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270707)
- Conservation and Biodiversity (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270708)
- Biogeography (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270709)
- Ecology and Evolution not elsewhere classified (ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION) (270799)
- Global Change Biology (OTHER BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES) (279901)
- Wildlife and Habitat Management (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES) (300802)
- Conservation (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES) (300805)
Socio-Economic Objective Classifications
- Disease distribution and transmission (PUBLIC HEALTH) (730212)
- Other Environmental aspects (OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS) (769999)
- Climate change (CLIMATE AND WEATHER) (770101)
- Land and water management (URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT) (770502)
- Living resources (flora and fauna) (URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT) (770503)
- Land and water management (FOREST AND WOODED LANDS) (770702)
- Living resources (flora and fauna) (FOREST AND WOODED LANDS) (770703)
- Living resources (flora and fauna) (SPARSELAND INCL. PERMANENT GRASSLAND AND THE ARID ZONE) (770903)
- Living resources (flora and fauna) (OTHER INCL. ISLANDS) (779903)
- Biological sciences (NON-ORIENTED RESEARCH) (780105)
Grants and Contracts
Research Grants, Contracts and Consultancies awarded to the University of Melbourne as the administering institution (since 2003) as recorded in Themis Agreements.
Grants
| Title | Role | Funding Source | Scheme | Award Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Are natural clones specialists or generalists? Using a model system to test alternative hypotheses for the advantages of parthenogenesis | Chief Investigator | AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL | Discovery Projects | 01/01/2004 |
| Human-induced changes in the genetic structure of amphibian populations | Chief Investigator | MUSEUM VIC, AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL |
Linkage Projects (AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL) | 01/01/2006 |
| Hybridization, polyploidy and the evolution of parthenogenesis in the Australian desert | Chief Investigator | AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL | Discovery Projects | 01/01/2007 |
| UNDERSTANDING RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE: A MECHANISTIC APPROACH INTEGRATING FUNCTIONAL GENETICS, PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOPHYSICAL MODELS FOR THE COMMON BROWN BUTTERFLY | Chief Investigator | MONASH UNIVERSITY | Discovery Projects (AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL) | 01/01/2007 |
| CHANGES IN A HYBRID ZONE: EVOLUTION OF LITORIA EWINGI AND L. PARAEWINGI | Principal Supervisor | ANZ CHARITABLE TRUSTS | Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Fund | 01/01/2007 |
| HUMAN-INDUCED CHANCES IN THE GENETIC STRUCTURE OF AUSTRALIAN NATIVE AMPHIBIAN POPULATIONS | Principal Supervisor | ANZ CHARITABLE TRUSTS | Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Fund | 01/01/2007 |
| PREDICTING AND MONITORING CLIMATE CHANGE IN INSECTS: FROM GENES TO DISTRIBUTION SHIFTS | Chief Investigator | DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER, HERITAGE AND THE ARTS | Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Significant Projects (DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT & HERITAGE) | 20/03/2008 |
| Evolutionary insights into the hybridisation between Litoria ewingi and L. paraewingi | Principal Supervisor | ANZ CHARITABLE TRUSTS | Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment Fund | 27/05/2008 |
| Robust prediction and decision strategies for managing extinction risks under climate change | Chief Investigator | AUST RESEARCH COUNCIL | Linkage Projects | 30/04/2009 |
Publications
Publications produced at the University of Melbourne and reported in the Annual Publications Collection and 'Research Report' since 2001. The Themis Publications module, released in November 2006, allows additional publications from previous institutions and publications from past years to be entered.