A project undertaken at Monash University, and supervised by Emily Roycroft
Australia is in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, with 100+ species extinct since European colonisation in 1788. Australian mammals have been disproportionately impacted, with 40+ species lost, and >30% of surviving species at risk. Two centuries of catastrophic extinction are a tragic but unique opportunity to learn from the past, as we look to secure a sustainable future for Australia’s biodiversity.
Pseudomys pilbarensis between OscarRange & Fitzroy Crossing
While Australian mammal declines are driven by the proximate impacts of feral predators, habitat clearing and disease, the role of genetic factors in accelerating the extinction process has not been explored. In many cases, the DNA of now-extinct Australian species has been preserved within historical specimens housed in Australia’s national museums. By unlocking a genomic record of extinction from these specimens, we can reconstruct how population decline is impacted by factors encoded in the genome.
caloprymnus
For surviving but threatened species, theory predicts that small populations will be less genetically healthy than larger populations, increasing their risk of future extinction. Small populations, like those on islands, are therefore expected to be suboptimal sources for conservation actions like genetic rescue. However, the prevalence of harmful mutations has not been empirically tested for Australian mammals at scale.
djoongari
This project will seek to learn lessons from past extinctions, assess the present genomic health of key surviving populations, and provide crucial guidance to secure the future of Australia’s threatened species. Along with extinct and declining populations, this project will also look to natural ‘insurance’ populations on Australian offshore islands as case studies to ask; are small populations genetically compromised?