Hybridisation events – together with other biological processes such as recombination and incomplete lineage sorting – can create gene tree discordance, where different genomic regions describe different evolutionary histories.

The repeated, independent evolution of similar traits in different species is a fascinating phenomenon that affords deep insights into the relative importance of deterministic vs. stochastic forces in evolution.

In this talk, I introduce how white-winged choughs, highly social cooperative breeders, integrate multiple features of alarm and contact communication to coordinate antipredator behaviour and maintain cohesion.

Developmental conditions are powerful drivers of phenotypic plasticity. Environmental factors, such as temperature, can directly program fitness-associated phenotypes, while maternal effects act as indirect cues that shape the developmental environment.

Using Eucalypts representing widely contrasting range sizes and home climates across Australia, I explore whether greater geographic distribution size or climate of origin are associated with the ability of these plants to acclimate their photosynthetic and respiratory apparatus or heat tolerance thresholds.

Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used across fields as diverse as ecology, archaeology, epidemiology, and conservation biology.