Presented by Dr Matthew Lott

Research Assistant, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum



Climatic and evolutionary processes are inextricably linked to conservation. Avoiding extinction in rapidly changing environments often depends upon a species’ capacity to adapt in the face of extreme selective pressures. Researchers at the Australian Museum have therefore used a high-throughput next-generation sequencing-based approach to investigate the mechanisms underlying population structure and adaptive genetic variation in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), an iconic Australian marsupial that represents a unique conservation challenge because it is not uniformly threatened across its range.

In a recently published study, an examination of 250 specimens representing 91 wild source locations revealed that five major genetic clusters currently exist on a continental scale. There was strong evidence for repeated, climate-associated range contractions and demographic bottleneck events - this suggests that geographically isolated locations may have played a more significant role in the survival of the koala through the Pleistocene period.



Consequently, genome-wide genetic variation must be aligned with the protection of core koala habitat to increase the resilience of vulnerable populations to accelerating threats. Finally, we propose that the five major genetic clusters identified in this study should be accounted for in future koala conservation efforts (e.g., guiding translocations), as existing management divisions in the states of Queensland and New South Wales do not reflect historic or contemporary population structure.