Threatened species

Threatened species

The threatened species research focuses on conserving at-risk flora and fauna through evidence-based strategies. It examines threats, habitat needs, and recovery actions, aiming to inform policy and promote biodiversity conservation, species protection and sustainable ecosystem management.

About

Understanding genetic diversity and gene flow amongst populations of threatened species and the identification of cryptic species, particularly within endangered taxa, is essential for their conservation and management.

For information on Australia's biodiversity policies see the Department of the Environment and Energy:

Projects

The Ignition Grant Round 6 project aims to use next-generation sequencing to develop a phylogenetic framework for Thynninae wasps, crucial pollinators of threatened Australian orchids. This collaboration between ANU and CSIRO will enhance understanding of wasp systematics, aiding orchid conservation efforts.

The Ignition Grant Round 2 project aims to improve the delimitation of species boundaries in sexually deceptive orchids using Genotype by Sequencing (GBS). The study highlights issues with taxonomic over-splitting and its conservation implications, emphasising the need for accurate species identification to guide conservation efforts.

In October 2014, a project began in SE Arnhem Land to document biodiversity using Indigenous and Western knowledge. The Yugul Mangi Rangers collaborate with ecologists to input data into the Atlas of Living Australia, aiming to enhance biodiversity understanding and create employment pathways for the community.

Australia's orchid flora is rich and threatened, with the Diurideae tribe showing significant diversity. A project by ANU and CSIRO developed an exome capture system to study Diurideae's phylogenetic relationships, aiding conservation efforts. The project concluded successfully in 2017, leading to further research grants.

This completed CBA-supported Honours project investigated avian bill size increases as an adaptation to climate warming. It aimed to identify genetic factors influencing bill morphology using genome-wide association analysis on historical specimens. The study provided insights into climate adaptation genetics and was based at CSIRO's ANWC.

Student intake

Open for Honours students

The project aims to develop methods for applying next-generation sequencing to museum collections, specifically rock-wallaby skins, to evaluate genetic diversity and inform conservation efforts. By optimising genomic techniques, this research will enhance conservation genomics and highlight the importance of museum collections for evolutionary studies in Australia.

News

Rock-wallabies are a very interesting system to explore. It's exciting because it's an iconic Australian marsupial and it brings our research to the forefront of evolutionary theory.

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Amid the questioning of government support for remote Aboriginal communities and what Prime Minister Tony Abbott called the “lifestyle choices” of those who

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