Overview
Topic status: We're looking for students to study this topic.
Genetic variation within populations ensures that even after speciation, the divergence of individual genes selected from the two daughter species will usually predate the speciation event, sometimes so much so that certain gene phylogenies (evolutionary relationships) will not conform to the species phylogeny. For example, more than 10% of human genes have their closest relative not in our sister group, chimpanzees, but in the more distantly related gorillas. In other cases there is still some limited gene flow (e.g. hybridisation) between different populations after they have separated as species. Such events can confuse attempts to both infer the true species phylogeny and estimate the timing of the actual speciation event. This project will compare a number of new methods for inferring the species phylogenies of bandicoots or kangaroos from mitochondrial DNA and several nuclear genes. Computer-based research could be supplemented with a morphometric or DNA sequencing study.
This project may include research visits to other research institutes in Australia.
- Study level
- Honours
- Supervisors
- QUT
- Organisational unit
Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Keywords
- genetics
- Contact
-
Please contact the supervisor.
Dr Matthew Phillips
