Understanding endemism to benefit species conservation

Narrow-range endemic species (i.e., those that occupy ranges of less than 10 000 km2) are less likely to be described, yet are at higher risk of extinction due to habitat loss. Our recent research shows around one third of invertebrate species living in forest leaf litter are likely to be narrow-range endemics. Invertebrate biodiversity decline has been recognised as a global crisis, yet in Australia our lack of knowledge of invertebrate species and their distributions makes it difficult to target conservation efforts. In collaboration with partners from Monash University, La Trobe University and UNSW, Zoos Victoria, DEECA (Victoria), the Australian Museum and the South Australian Museum, this project aims to address gaps in our knowledge of invertebrate endemism in the forests of south-eastern Australia and how we should approach their conservation.

The PhD project will contribute to a large field program sampling litter invertebrates across over 200 forested sites in SE Australia. The student will use genetic and morphological identification approaches to document species distributions and phylogenetic relatedness and relationships with landscape history, disturbance and key environmental variables. The student will test new approaches to restore invertebrates after significant disturbances such as high severity fires. Focal invertebrates will be selected from a range of taxa, including mites, beetles, amphipods, isopods, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, millipedes or centipedes.