Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group at the University of New South Wales, has resulted in the development of a tool to standardise genetic testing of koala populations, to help provide a significant boost to conservation and recovery efforts.
Lyndal Hulse, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at UQ’s School of the Environment, said the standardised koala genetic marker panel provided a consistent method for researchers nationwide to capture and share koala genetic variation, enabling improved collaboration and data integration across studies.
“Koalas in the wild are under increasing pressure from habitat loss, disease and vehicle strikes, forcing them to live in increasingly smaller and more isolated pockets with limited access to breeding mates outside their group. Population inbreeding can mean detrimental effects on their health so a standardised panel to directly compare genetic markers will enable researchers, conservationists and government agencies to better understand the genetic diversity of koala populations, and allow for greater collaboration to ensure their survival,” Hulse said.
Saurabh Shrivastava, Senior Account Manager at the Australian Genome Research Facility, said the new screening tool was a single nucleotide polymorphism array that used next-generation sequencing technologies.
“The Koala SNP-array can accommodate good quality DNA, so is suitable for broad-scale monitoring of wild koala populations, and importantly, is available to all researchers and managers,” he said.
Hulse said ideally the tool could help guide targeted koala relocations across regions.
“There are very strict rules about relocating koalas, but this could be key to improving and increasing the genetics of populations under threat. These iconic marsupials are listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT – and in 50 years we may only be able to see koalas in captivity. Understanding the genetic diversity of different populations of koalas is crucial if we’re going to save them from extinction,” she said.
Anne Layton-Bennett
Picture: Michaela Blyton_UQ
