Diversification and Conservation of Australian Frogs

We do not have a complete understanding of true diversity in any Australian plant or animal group with which we can test ideas about evolutionary diversification or conservation management. This Holy Grail is achievable in Australian frogs. We will utilise the massive Australian tissue collections and new genetic and analytical techniques to provide the most comprehensive assessment of cryptic diversity for any group of Australian animals and test hypotheses concerning the tempo of frog diversification. This information will be combined with novel analytical techniques developed in Australia to evaluate frog diversity protected currently and in the future under various climate-change scenarios. Our results will have wide applicability.