New Molecular Approaches to Comparative Phylogeography. Funds are requested to gather data to test new molecular and analytical approaches in the field of molecular phylogeography. We will generate phylogeographic hypotheses from mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA for six species and evaluate the utility of microsatellite data for the reconstruction of phylogeographic history. We will borrow powerful analytical techniques from the field of evolutionary ecology and use them in a completely nove ....New Molecular Approaches to Comparative Phylogeography. Funds are requested to gather data to test new molecular and analytical approaches in the field of molecular phylogeography. We will generate phylogeographic hypotheses from mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA for six species and evaluate the utility of microsatellite data for the reconstruction of phylogeographic history. We will borrow powerful analytical techniques from the field of evolutionary ecology and use them in a completely novel way to test hypotheses of microsatellite diversity. Our research is inter-disciplinary in that we will bridge the gap between molecular phylogenetics and molecular evolution and in so doing make a major advancement in this emerging field.Read moreRead less
Evolutionary, macroecological and phylogenetic patterns in Australasian freshwater crayfish. This project connects Australian systematists to a worldwide project that involves all of the world's living experts on freshwater crayfish evolution in a coordinated effort to answer some very important evolutionary questions. It involves a group of invertebrate animals that are not only readily recognisable, but which in Australia includes the world's largest and the world's most terrestrial crayfish s ....Evolutionary, macroecological and phylogenetic patterns in Australasian freshwater crayfish. This project connects Australian systematists to a worldwide project that involves all of the world's living experts on freshwater crayfish evolution in a coordinated effort to answer some very important evolutionary questions. It involves a group of invertebrate animals that are not only readily recognisable, but which in Australia includes the world's largest and the world's most terrestrial crayfish species. Information gained from the project will contribute to the management of crayfish biodiversity, identification of threatened species and tools to identify these prominent and important members of Australian freshwater ecosystems.Read moreRead less
The ancient symbiosis of crayfish and temnocephalan flatworms in Australian freshwaters investigated using molecules, morphology and biogeography. Freshwater parastacid crayfish are widespread and diverse in Australia's freshwaters. Associated with them (living on external surfaces) since their origins on Gondwana are very many species of temnocephalan flatworms. We will elucidate the molecular, morphological and biogeographic history of this association which appears to be ancient and specific. ....The ancient symbiosis of crayfish and temnocephalan flatworms in Australian freshwaters investigated using molecules, morphology and biogeography. Freshwater parastacid crayfish are widespread and diverse in Australia's freshwaters. Associated with them (living on external surfaces) since their origins on Gondwana are very many species of temnocephalan flatworms. We will elucidate the molecular, morphological and biogeographic history of this association which appears to be ancient and specific. The study will shed light on Australia's biological links with New Zealand and South America. It will also use the association between crayfish and temnocephalans as a model to investigate general features of symbioses, including molecular and morphological evolutionary responses and phenomena such as host-switching and cospeciation.Read moreRead less