Researcher biography
Project title:
Conservation of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) under human-induced disturbance
Project description:
My research centres on global biodiversity loss, with a specific focus on Australia's freshwater ecosystems and the iconic platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). The platypus plays a crucial role in controlling aquatic invertebrates and nutrient cycling. However, the species is facing significant anthropogenic threats, including climate change. Investigating impacts of climate change on species distributions can be improved by identifying climate refugia: areas that have exhibited long-term high habitat suitability throughout evolutionary or geological timescales and are expected to remain so, even under extreme climate change scenarios. My research aimed to understand changes in platypus distribution across Australia over long geological timescales, thus to inform future conservation management.