Hannah Cliff

Research

I am currently investigating the phylogeography of the spotted snow skink (N. ocellatus), a species endemic to Tasmania. The species is a rocky habitat specialist and is expected to have low dispersal capabilities, yet it has a wide distribution ranging from sea level in warm coastal sites through to high altitude environments which experienced glaciation during the last glacial maximum. By sampling from over 30 populations across both mainland Tasmania as well as several Furneaux group islands, this study examines population relationships at a fine spatial scale across the entire species range. A multi-locus approach will be used to assess intraspecific sequence variability. This information will help reveal sites of glacial refugia and recolonisation routes, and can also be related to known divergences in the species life history, morphology, and physiological responses between populations.

Education

• Honours in Zoology at University of Tasmania (2012 – Present)
• BSc of Science from University of Tasmania (2011)

Publications

Cliff HB,Wapstra E. and Burridge CB (2015) Persistence and dispersal in a Southern Hemisphere glaciated landscape: the phylogeography of the spotted snow skink
(Niveoscincus ocellatus) in Tasmania. Evolutionary Biology.