Mitzy Pepper

Bachelor of Arts (Geography)/ Bachelor of Science (Geology)
First Class Honours (Biology)

PhD student, Keogh Lab

Background Research Interests
I have always loved geology; plate tectonics, mineralogy, sedimentology, geomorphology. These things really interest me. I get excited by the intricate, folded layers of banded iron formations in their many shades of reds and browns, or the way continents rearrange their position on Earth over time. I'm also interested in ecology; the function of landscapes, the impacts of humans on natural systems, biodiversity. Between 2000 and 2005, I completed a BA/BSc at the Australian National University, majoring in Geography and Geology. I was able to see a whole lot of Australia during course-work field trips, and I was lucky enough to be part of a marine research crew on board the RMV Southern Surveyor conducting a month-long study of submarine vents of arc and backarc volcanoes, and mapping seafloor bathymetry.

Through what I still consider a lucky twist of fate, I met Assoc. Prof. Scott Keogh, who at the time was in need of a geologist with GIS mapping skills, and he introduced me to Phylogeography - a discipline that uses molecular techniques to investigate how historical and current environmental factors (like geology, geomorphology and climate) have shaped the evolutionary histories of biota. This field brings together everything I am interested in. Having no formal training in biology or genetics, it was a big step to start Honours in evolutionary biology, so I started slowly, by reading two books that awoke the "inner biologist" in me; Jonathan Weiner's The Beak of the Finch, and David Quamen's The Song of the Dodo. In 2005 I received a Summer Scholarship from the ANU to complete a short genetic project for Scott that involved sequencing mtDNA from a number of Small-eyed snakes as part of a broader project on this species phylogeography along the sandstone peninsulas near Sydney.

For my Honours project I originally was going to work on an aspect of phylogeography in the forests of south Western Australia, but through another twist of fate I ended up tagging along on a joint Conservation and Land Management (CALM) and Western Australian Museum (WAM) three week long field trip, conducting the first regional biological survey of the Pilbara, in far north Western Australia. Being a largely unexplored area of endemism, the Pilbara became the "stage" on which I would "watch the lizards do their evolutionary dance" and my project was to be the first detailed phylogenetic study of any plant or animal across the region. I used a group of Australian geckonid lizards (Diplodactylus) firstly to genetically quantify the species within the group, and also to test a number of hypotheses concerning how geological and environmental attributes shaped the evolutionary history of these geckos in Western Australia. In addition, I looked at finer-scale phylogeographic patterns of the gecko Diplodactylus stenodactylus specifically in the Pilbara, to investigate the role of the region's unique geological history in shaping the evolutionary history of this gecko species. The phylogeographic results of my project were extremely interesting. Firstly, my phylogeny identified a deep phylogenetic split within D. stenodactylus that separated populations in the Pilbara from those populations that lived outside the Pilbara. The geographic boundary between these two main clades is surprisingly sharp, and may be associated with landscape-scale differences in underlying geological substrate, as the Pilbara populations live on rocks, and the non-Pilbara populations live on sand.

Since completing Honours, I have been back to the Pilbara and surrounding areas 3 times both as a volunteer herpetologist on CALM surveys, and also co-supervised a survey of short range endemic invertebrates in Karijini National Park and Millstream Chichester National Park in WA with Karen Edwards and Dr. Mark Harvey from the Western Australian Museum (WAM). I have been working for Scott Keogh and Paul Doughty from the WAM for the past 6 months on various projects, including the identification and phylogeny of a new species of Heteronotia discovered on the first Pilbara survey, as well as large-scale phylogenetic studies on the geckos Rhynchoedura ornata and Diplodactylus stenodactylus across Australia.

I started a PhD in March 2007 at the ANU with Scott Keogh on a project stemming from the results of my Honours work. Back in the Pilbara again (I'm hooked!), I will conduct genetic studies across a number of other reptile species to investigate whether they show similar phylogeographic patterns to D. stenodactylus, and try to uncover how geology is playing a role in shaping their distributions.

Education

• 2007-Present, PhD Candidate in Evolutionary Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT. Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. J. Scott Keogh
• 2005, The Australian National University, First Class Honours (Biology), "Geology and Geography Predict Phylogenetic Patterns in Pilbara Geckos". Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. J. Scott Keogh
• 2004, The Australian National University, BA/BSc Geography & Geology

Fellowships, Research Grants, Awards

• Present, Australian National University Postgraduate Research Award & Stipend, (AU$19,616 p.a. x 3.5 yrs)
• 2009, Society for the Study of Evolution International Travel Grant ($700)
• 2009, Australian Society of Herpetologists Research Grant ($750)
• 2009, Wentworth Group Science Program Scholarship, The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
• 2008, International Alliance of Research Universities travel grant (for research visit to the lab of Prof. Craig Moritz) ($3300)
• 2008, Australian National University Vice-Chancellor's cross-institutional travel grant to UC Berkeley to visit Prof. Craig Moritz ($5,000)
• 2007, Australian National University Vice Chancellor's Field Work Fund ($2500)
• 2007, Species' Modelling Workshop travel grant, Environmental Futures Network, Queensland ($500)
• 2007, Australian Museum Research Fellowship ($910)
• 2007, ACT Amateur Herpetological Society Research Grant ($500)
• 2007, Australian National University Vice-Chancellor Travel Grant ($1400)
• 2007, Early Career Researcher funding, Environmental Futures Network, ($1500)
• 2006, Murray Littlejohn Prize (Best talk by an Honours Student), Australian Society of Herpetologists, Adelaide
  2005, Australian National University Summer Research Scholarship. Scholarship held in the School of Botany and Zoology; phylogenetic study of a new gecko species from Western Australia.

Employment

• 2006, Laboratory Technician for Assoc. Prof. Scot Keogh (12 months full-time), School of Botany & Zoology, The Australian National University
• 2006, Music Teacher/Performer (past 6 years and ongoing)
• 2004, Field and Research Assistant (2 months part-time), School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, The University of New South Wales at The Australian Defence Force Academy,
• 2004, Research Assistant/Database Manager (4 months full-time), Geoscience Australia
• 2001, Research Assistant (casual), Department of Geology, The Australian National University

Other relevant experience

• 2006, Conservation and Land Management (CALM) & the Western Australian Museum, WA, Project Co-supervisor (9 days), Pilbara Short Range Endemics Survey
• 2006, Conservation and Land Management, WA, Volunteer Herpetologist (2 weeks), Giralia Biological Survey
• 2005, Conservation and Land Management, WA, Volunteer Herpetologist (4 weeks), Pilbara Biological Survey
• 2004, Conservation and Land Management, WA, Volunteer Herpetologist (4 weeks), Pilbara Biological Survey
• 2004, The Australian National University/Australian Marine National Facility (MNF) Research Assistant (4 weeks), MNF RV Southern Surveyor

Peer Reviewed publications

• Pepper, M., Doughty, P., Keogh, J. S., 2006. Molecular phylogeny and phylogeography of the Australian Diplodactylus stenodactylus (Gekkota; Reptilia) species-group based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes reveals an ancient split between Pilbara and non-Pilbara D. stenodactylus, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41:539-555. Download PDF.
• Pepper, M., Doughty, P., Arculus, R., Keogh, J. S. Landforms predict phylogenetic structure on one of the world's most ancient surfaces. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8:152.

Popular publications

• 2009. Pepper, M., Regular science columnist with the Canberra Times newspaper.

Conferences & Presentaions

• 2009, Pepper, M., Fujita, M., Moritz, C., Keogh, J. S., Old lizards in young deserts: complex patterns of endemism and diversification in the Australian arid-zone, Evolution, Moscow Idaho, USA.
• 2009, Pepper, M., Understanding the beak-faced gecko: the relevance of 19th Century taxonomy to 21st Century discoveries, ACT Herpetological Society, Canberra.
• 2009, Pepper, M., Australian Geckos: How the Pilbara can tell us about their evolution, Monaro Amphibian & Reptile Keepers, Canberra.
• 2008, Pepper, M., Doughty, P., Keogh, J. S., Rock and sand dwelling geckos show congruent molecular signatures across an ancient landscape, Evolution, Minneapolis, USA.
• 2007, Pepper, M., Doughty, P., Keogh, J. S., Cryptic Speciation in Arid Zone Geckos, Australian Society of Herpetologists (Honorary mention for PhD student prize).
• 2007, Pepper, M., Doughty, P., Keogh, J. S., Geological History Predicts Genetic Diversity in Pilbara Geckos, Evolution, Christchurch, New Zealand.
• 2007, Pepper, M., The Pilbara: a biodiversity hotspot in a geologically complex region, Guest lecture in 2nd Year biology course, Australian National University.
• 2006, Pepper, M., Doughty, P., Keogh, J. S., Does Geological History Predict Genetic Diversity in Pilbara Geckos?, Australian Society of Herpetologists (awarded the Murray Littlejohn Prize for the best presentation by an honours student).
• 2005, Pepper, M., Doughty, P., Keogh, J. S., Geology and Geography Predict Phylogeographic Patterns in Pilbara Geckos, ARC Research Collaboration Network: Environmental Futures, In Partnership with the Combined Invertebrates Conference, Australian National University, ACT.

Media attention

• Canberra Times article about me
• ANU Student Profile piece
• ANU ScienceWise piece
• ANU Reporte piece

Last updated August 2009

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