Comparative Phylogeography of Lizards in Southwestern Australia

Geoff has just started his Honours, and his topic concerns the evolution of herpetofauna in southwestern Australia. This region has been noted for its exceptional endemism, high species diversity and degree of environmental threat across many floral taxa. This has contributed to the region’s declaration as one of the world’s top 25 biodiversity hotspots. However virtually nothing is known about the phylogeographic patterns in the region’s highly endemic fauna, and Geoff will study the comparative phylogeography of four lizards in the Hotspot. An understanding of the evolutionary processes driving current species diversity and endemism patterns is extremely important both in terms of conservation and management of the diverse and endemic southwestern biota and also for answering broad-scale biogeographic questions and understanding the role that geological processes and climate play in the evolution of the Hotspot. ACTHA’s grant will contribute towards the cost of the expensive molecular lab-work associated with Geoff’s project.