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Honours StudentsTessa KoumoundourosHonours StudentEnrolled at: Zoology Department, University of Melbourne tkoumoundouros@musum.vic.gov.au Phylogeography of Cyclodomorphus praealtus: using biogeographic patterns to assess extinction risk in the face of climate change. Habitat specialists in alpine regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change, as there is little scope for them to migrate to higher elevations in response to rising temperatures. The alpine she-oak skink, Cyclodomorphus praealtus, has a restricted, high-altitude distribution and exists in several isolated populations. For my Honours research project, I will be using molecular techniques to gain insight into population genetic structure of this species and the historical climatic and geological processes that lead to its current distribution. I will also assess the habitat requirements of C. praealtus, by collecting microhabitat and ecological information where the species is located. This information, in conjunction with predicted changes in alpine habitat, will be analysed to: (i) assess the potential impact of climate change on C. praealtus; and (ii) provide important ecological information for the management of this species and its habitat. Dr Joanna Sumner, Museum Victoria, and Dr Devi Stuart-Fox, Zoology Department, University of Melbourne, are my supervisors. I will also be working with Nick Clemann from the Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria, who has provided tissue sample for the phylogeographic analysis and will supervise me during field work. |
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