NSFDEB-NERC Origins and expansion of endemic biodiversity in western Melanesia and their relation to tectonic evolution
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Wolverhampton
Department Name: Faculty of Science & Engineering
Abstract
Western Melanesia-including New Guinea-sits at the crossroads of Asia and Australia and is one of the most interesting, puzzling, and understudied hyperdiverse regions on Earth. Clarifying how tectonic movements have sundered or joined different Melanesian landforms in the past several million years is key to understanding the origins of this biotic diversity. The intent of this project is to elucidate how the diversity and evolutionary history of the five major geological landforms that comprise most of western Melanesia have impacted evolution of that region's biota and to identify those ancient insular landmasses critical in the origin of lineages that colonised and radiated across New Guinea, Australia, and/or insular Asia. To meet this goal, we will construct dated phylogenetic trees on a multitude of reptile and amphibian (herpetofauna) lineages having different dispersal abilities, times of origin, and natural histories that span the five major landmasses of western Melanesia. We will use the dates and relationships recovered to identify areas and times of origin for each clade and trace their expansion to new regions. Cross-validation between these results and updated geological models will illuminate tectonic events that drove speciation and dispersal in the region. We use herpetofauna to address these questions because their variable but moderate trans-marine dispersal abilities allow them to better track geological history than do taxa having much greater (e.g., birds) or lesser (e.g., land snails) dispersal capabilities. This research will help to replace the outdated, unidirectional "out-of-New-Guinea" model for origins of Pacific biodiversity with a more dynamic and nuanced understanding that ancient, yet under-appreciated, land areas in Melanesia have long been important in shaping biotic evolution in the broader region.
Organisations
- University of Wolverhampton (Lead Research Organisation)
- South Australian Museum (Collaboration)
- University of Melbourne (Project Partner)
- University of Bath (Project Partner)
- US Geological Survey (USGS) (Project Partner)
- Griffith University (Project Partner)
- University of Michigan (Project Partner)
- University of Texas at Arlington (Project Partner)
People |
ORCID iD |
Simon Maddock (Principal Investigator) |
Related Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Award Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NE/W006774/1 | 09/11/2022 | 30/07/2023 | £504,699 | ||
NE/W006774/2 | Transfer | NE/W006774/1 | 31/07/2023 | 08/11/2025 | £296,019 |
Description | Research collaboration |
Organisation | South Australian Museum |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Steve Richards has provided valuable tissue samples that are helping us fill gaps in our sampling from across Papua New Guinea. The collaboration will lead to joint publications and help improve the research quality. |
Collaborator Contribution | The partner (Steve Richards) is providing important samples that are filling in important geographic and taxonomic gaps that we had. |
Impact | No outputs yet. Disciplines = ecology, evolution, conservation, geology. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Ecology Group Seminar Series (Newcastle University) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Two seminars delivered about the project to provide details about the grant project. Several collaborations formed and access to labs granted. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
Description | Outreach activity - BioScience Seminar Series (Wolverhampton) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | To provide information about the origins of Western Melanesian diversity. The event was in hybrid with people attending in person and streamed online. There was a mix of professionals and members of the general public who attended. Discussion and follow up questions/possible collaborations came from the presentation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Project website |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Website is still in progress but is available online. Some interviews have taken place to go onto the website. Website will be transferred over to Newcastle University soon and will be enhanced at this stage. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
URL | https://westmelanesiaherps.wixsite.com/westmelanesiaherps |