Overview
Topic status: We're looking for students to study this topic.
The swamp rat, Rattus lutreolus, is a native rodent found in coastal sedge and heathlands of eastern Australia, from the Atherton Tableland in north-east QLD, south to Kangaroo Island in SA. There are three recognised subspecies: a north-east QLD form, another form found throughout the south-east mainland and a third form on Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands. But a fourth form of the swamp rat exists: a small, isolated population in mid-east QLD of which almost nothing is known. This project aims to examine the systematic relationships among all four groups of swamp rats, using a combined genetic and taxonomic approach. This project will be undertaken using a phylogenetic approach incorporating both genetic (DNA sequence) and taxonomic (morphological) data.
- Study level
- Honours
- Supervisors
- QUT
- Organisational unit
Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Contact
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Please contact the supervisor.
Dr Andrew Baker
