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5/20/2015  |   09:15 - 10:00   |  Ballroom ABC

Plenary III
CONSERVATION OF AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY IN A WORLD WITH LESS WATER: A MOLECULAR ECOLOGIST’S PERSPECTIVE As the world’s population continues to grow, human water needs are growing accordingly, thus reducing the water available for sustaining our freshwater biodiversity. This is likely to be further exacerbated in areas where rainfall will decrease as a result of global climate change. Molecular ecologists have contributed substantially in recent years to our understanding of first, the levels and patterns of current biodiversity and second to understanding patterns of connectivity among populations of aquatic species and their significance for their conservation and management. Both are critical for prioritization of areas for protection and for designing rehabilitation programs. In this talk, I will attempt to synthesize our understandings to date. I will argue that a multi-disciplinary approach that incorporates new technological approaches in acquisition of molecular data is the best way forward for our aquatic biodiversity. Molecular ecologists can contribute by collaborating with other ecologists, especially in the fields of species distribution modeling and conservation planning. This approach will help to prioritize conservation actions for the best possible outcomes.

Jane Hughes (POC,Primary Presenter/Author), Griffith University, jane.hughes@griffith.edu.au;
Jane Hughes is a Professor in the Griffith School of Environment at Griffith University in Brisbane Australia. She is also a Senior Fellow in the Australian Rivers Institute. Jane's undergraduate and Honours degrees are from the University of Western Australia and her PhD is from La Trobe University in Melbourne. She has been at Griffith University as an academic since 1978, when she began as a Junior Teaching Fellow. Her research is mainly focused on the use of molecular techniques to address questions in ecology and evolution and recently, much of her work has focused on connectivity among populations of aquatic animals in rivers and streams. She and her students have also published a lot of papers on the processes maintaining and producing biodiversity. When not working on freshwater fish and invertebrates, Jane works on the evolution of diversity in Australian birds. Jane is an editor for Freshwater Science, Marine and Freshwater Research, PeerJ and Heredity.