Main Research Interest
Population genetics, karyology and phylogeography of terrestrial invertebrates.

Background
My undergraduate degree had a botanical emphasis however most of my subsequent research has focussed on the systematics and population genetics of model groups of sedentary terrestrial invertebrates. In retrospect, I think the reason for my choice is that, in terms of population dynamics, sedentary invertebrates share many characteristics of plants, but are more tractable models, as phenomena such as polyploidy and asexual reproduction are rare and more easily identified when present.

Research Interests
My main research interest is in the historical and environmental causes of genetic differentiation at the population level, and the genetic phenomena associated with speciation. I believe that the role of chromosomal change is especially important in the speciation process, and this has been the focus of much of my research to date.

To investigate the association between genetic change and speciation it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the phylogenetic history of the groups under study. Thus sytematics is central to my research, and I have used allozymes, chromosomes, sequence variation and morphology to address phylogenetic problems.

Terrestrial invertebrates of limited vagility are prone to the formation of small, inbred populations in which mutations are rapidly fixed. This makes them excellent models for examining patterns of population divergence and allelic frequency change that underlie the evolutionary process.

My research is primarily involved with the Australian spider fauna and Australian representatives of the phylum Onychophora. I also have an active interest in spider social behaviour and the impact different forms of social behaviour have on population differentiation, through the effects of strong inbreeding, skewed sex ratios, and other population phenomena. All of these problems require genetic markers with resolving powers appropriate to the particular evolutionary levels that are being examined. In my lab, these include chromosomes, allozymes, microsatellites and DNA sequence.

My main research collaborators are Drs Noel Tait (Macquarie University) and Paul Sunnucks (http://www.latrobe.edu.au/genetics/staff/sunnucks/homepage/)

Research in progress includes:

- chromosomal evolution in the Australian Onychophora
- molecular systematics of the Australian Onychophora
- comparative phylogeography of saproxylic invertebrates
- sex ratio, colony structure and population differentiation in social spiders

Publications 2004-09
Moore, D.J., Halliday, D.C.T., Rowell, D.M., Robinson, A.J., Keogh, J.S. 2009. Positive Darwinian selection results in resistance to cardioactive toxins in true toads (Anura: Bufonidae). Biology Letters 5: 513-516.

Garrick, R.C., Rowell, D.M., Simmons, C.S., Hillis, D.M., Sunnucks, P. 2008. Fine-scale phylogeographic congruence despite demographic incongruence in two low-mobility saproxylic springtails. Evolution 62(5): 1103-1118.

Wishart, G., Rowell, D.M. 2008. Trapdoor Spiders of the Genus Misgolas (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae) from Eastern New South Wales, With Notes on Genetic Variation. Records of the Australian Museum 60: 45-86.

Beavis, A., Rowell, D., Evans, T., (2007) Cannibalism and kin recognition in Delena cancerides (Araneae: Sparassidae), a social huntsman spider. Journal of Zoology 271: 233-237.

Cook, L.G., Rowell, D.M. 2007. Genetic diversity, host-specificity and unusual phylogeography of a cryptic, host-associated species complex of gall-inducing scale insects. Ecological Entomology 32: 506-515.

Garrick, R.C., Sands, C.J., Rowell, D.M., Hillis, D.M., Sunnucks, P. 2007. Catchments catch all: long-term population history of a giant springtail from the southeast Australian highlands - a multigene approach. Molecular Ecology 16: 1865-1882.

Sharp, H.E., Rowell, D.M. 2007. Unprecedented chromosomal diversity and behaviour modify linkage patterns and speciation potential: structural heterozygosity in an Australian spider. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20: 2427-2439.

Gruetzner, F., Ashley, T., Rowell, D., Marshall Graves, J., (2006) “How did the platypus get its sex chromosome chain? A comparison of meiotic multiples and sex chromosomes in plants and animals”, Chromosoma, Vol 115, pp 75-88.

Strausfeld, N., Strausfeld, C., Loesel, R., Rowell, D., Stowe, S., (2006) "Arthropod phylogeny: onychophoran brain organization suggests an archaic relationship with a chelicerate stem lineage", Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, Vol, pp.

Woodman, J., Ash, J., Rowell, D., (2006) "Population structure in a saproxylic funnelweb spider (Hexathelidae: Hadronyche) along a forested rainfall gradient", Journal of Zoology, Vol 268, pp 325-333. Reinhard, J., Rowell, D., (2005) "Social behaviour in an Australian velvet worm, Euperipatoides rowelli (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae)", Journal of Zoology, Vol 267, pp 1-7.

Garrick, R., Sands, C., Rowell, D., Tait, N., Greenslade, P., Sunnucks, P., (2004) "Phylogeography recapitulates topography: very fine-scale local endemism of a saproxylic 'giant' springtail at Tallaganda in the Great Dividing Range of south-east Australia", Molecular Ecology, Vol 13, pp 3329-3344.

Students
I have supervised and cosupervised 29 honours students and 13 PhD students. Selected theses below:

• M.Hurst "Rapid and asymmetrical change in the structure of a hybrid zone". Hons
• T. Armstrong "Hybridisation among alpine species of the genus Ranunculus." Hons
• D.Gleeson "Genetic Variation and Insecticide Resistance in the New Zealand Population of the Sheep Blowfly, Lucilia cuprina." PhD.
• B. Mitterdorfer "Microsatellite variation across a hybrid zone in the Australian magpie Gymnorhina tibicen." Hons.
• S. Barclay "Environmental determinants of the population biology of Euperipatoides rowelli (Peripatopsidae : Onychophora) in a logged forest." Hons.
• S. Chignell "The nature of sociality in the huntsman spider Delena cancerides (Sparassidae)." Hons.
• S. Latham "Characterisation of a Daviesia (Fabaceae) hybrid zone." Hons.
• A. Wilson "Reproductive genetics of Sitobion aphids." PhD.

Courses taught

• Biology 1003 - Ecology, Evolution and Genetics - I teach the genetics component of this course, which is the introductory unit for all subsequent genetics, evolution and ecology units.
• Biology 2151 - Introductory Genetics - This course broadly covers all areas of genetics, with emphasis on population and quantitative genetics
• Biology 2152 - Advances in Human Genetics - Deals with the most recent work in the area of human evolutionary and clinical genetics, as well as ethical and legal issues and a module on genetic counselling.