Gene Flow in Variable Environments

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Gene Flow in Variable Environments Tara Goodsell
The dryland rivers of arid Australia are highly
variable, at times extending into vast
floodplains, but usually existing as isolated
waterholes. Connectivity of the aquatic
populations that are resident in this river
habitat range from being highly connected by
floodplain, to being reduced in isolated
waterholes. The Cooper Creek turtle inhabits the
dryland rivers of southwest Queensland.
Waterholes in this environment vary in
permanency, and as this turtle is unable to
travel far overland, populations inhabiting
ephemeral waterholes are decimated
periodically. This project is investigating the
genetic divergence and gene flow between
populations of freshwater turtles in the Cooper
Creek and Warrego River. These unique dryland
rivers have resulted in the development of highly
structured turtle populations contained in a
network of permanent and ephemeral waterholes.
Understanding these processes will guide future
management plans toward a better conservation of
dryland rivers and of the populations of
freshwater turtles they sustain.

Funded by the CRC for Freshwater Ecology
Applied Ecology