Recent and Ongoing Projects
- Harnessing Genomics to Restore Resilience in East Gippsland’s Threatened Flora
Susan Hoebee, Tamandra D’Ombrain
There is recognition that far east Gippsland, Victoria, is unique in terms its environments and many endemic species. Croajingalong National Park alone is home to 72 state-listed plant species, including 18 that are listed as Threatened. Many of these species exist as small, localised or small and localised populations and, for a great majority, their known distributions were severely burnt in the 2019/20 bushfires. The post-fire recovery and establishment of plans to mitigate future risks for six of these species are the focus of this collaborative work to (1) conduct post-fire surveys to assess the status and distribution of six key species in the wild; (2) assess the genomic diversity and structure of surviving of resprouting or emerging plants from these species to aid practical management recommendations; and (3) propagate seed and cuttings to serve as ‘insurance’ populations in case of future environmental catastrophes.
Collaborators: Abigail Wills and Bryce Watts-Parker (Envite); Max Elliott (Friends of Mallacoota)
Honours student: Mark Clifton
- Genomic studies of the Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena)
Susan Hoebee, Nick Murphy, Michael Cincotta
The endangered Matted Flax-lily has been and continues to be frequently translocated in the fragmented grassy ecosystems of south-eastern Australia. It is an extensively rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial, which may be locally sparse or found in dense mats of presumably one clonal colony. Chromosome number has not been reported, despite polyploidy frequently being recorded in the genus. In order to inform conservation management, this research aimed to assess both ploidy
and population genomic structure of D. amoena.
Student: Tamandra D’Ombrain (Masters)
- Diversity within the bush food Sweet Quandong
Susan Hoebee, Linda Broadhurst (CSIRO)
Preliminary studies have shown that in northern Victorian and southern NSW population, Sweet Quandong harbours low genetic diversity, with many stands consisting of single multilocus genotypes. Multiple stems of single genotypes were widely spaced suggesting vegetative growth via root suckers is extensive. Furthermore, there was no geographic structure to the diversity identified. Interestingly some individuals were identified as putatively polyploid (i.e. having more than two sets of chromosomes) – a finding that is consistent with some studies but equivocal with others. Using an array of approaches, we plan to determine if variation in ploidy level of this widely distributed bush food species is more common than is currently recognised. The results will have implications for the bush foods industry, seed production areas and other revegetation programs.
Collaborators: Jim Begley (Goulburn-Broken CMA)
Students: Jeremy Benwell-Clarke (Honours), Simone Currie (Masters)
- Unravelling the evolutionary history of an iconic Australian plant genus
Susan Hoebee, Trevor Edwards & Peter Weston (Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney)
Using genetic studies coupled with pollination studies, this project aims to identify processes involved in speciation in a group of Australian plants belonging to the genus Grevillea. The project is multi-pronged with a phylogenetic component, a narrower population genomics approach and an aspect that combines floral cues and pollination biology. Owing to habitat fragmentation and declining pollinators, identification of the processes underpinning population structure and species evolution will aid conservation management for several taxa.
Collaborators: Gareth Holmes (LTU; RBGV)
Honours Student: Reannon Smith (focal taxon Grevillea alpina)
Past Projects and Contracts
- Various population genetic studies on the diversity and structure of threatened holly-leaved grevilleas: Grevillea obtecta and Grevillea bedggoodiana
Honours projects: Gerry Ho, George Kanjere, Scott Tunbridge, Stan Wawrzyczek, Armon Aristidou
- Phylogenetic investigations of the evolution of Mn hyperaccumulation in Gossia
Denise Fernando, Susan Hoebee, Gareth Holmes, Todd McLay, Paul Forster
Traditional chloroplast markers were used to generate the first phylogeny for Gossia. Sampling included many of named Gossia species in Australia and New Caledonia. The ability to hyperaccumulate manganese (Mn: an element essential to photosynthesis) is a trait of many gossias and we sought to assess if hyperaccumulation is ancestral to all, or derived in just some, of the Gossia-clades given they occur on soils with differing Mn levels.
- New ways to find old mates – rapid identification of sex genes in plants
Anthony Gendall (LTU), Susan Hoebee & Roger Cousens (The University of Melbourne)
Approximately 60% of plant species use a self-incompatibility (SI) system to prevent inbreeding caused by self-fertilisation. Although there are many SI systems, only three have been characterised at the molecular level, with the remaining systems very poorly described. Understanding these systems has implications for conservation and restoration programs, as well as weed control and crop and horticultural breeding programs. In this proof-of-concept project, we will identify markers of sexual compatibility by an extension of differential gene expression analysis based on an RNA sequencing approach. This will have broad applications across many plant species with both conservation and agronomic value.
Collaborators: Gareth Holmes (LTU)
- Several projects determining self incompatibility groupings in various rosaceous fruit crops
Contracted by: Australian Nurserymen’s Fruit Improvement Company Ltd.
Collaborator: Anthony Gendall (LTU)
- Assessment of genetic variability among Grevillea parviflora subsp. parviflora and closely related taxa
Susan Hoebee & Elizabeth James (Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Melbourne)
This research aims to identify the robustness of available genetic markers to differentiate G. parviflora subsp. parviflora from five closely related taxa within the Linearifolia Group; particularly G. humilis subsp. humilis in the Lake Macquarie area.
Collaborators: Martin Fallding (Lake Macquarie City Council), Bob Makinson (Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney) & Gareth Holmes
Molecular Biodiversity Lab 