Mr Justin
Bloomfield
Honours student - COMPLETED
Topic: genetic variation of
Eucalyptus obliqua in Tasmania
University of Tasmania
Eucalyptus obliqua (stringy bark) is an
ash species closely related to Eucalyptus delegatensis
(alpine ash) and Eucalyptus regnans (swamp gum or
mountain ash). Eucalyptus obliqua covers broad
geographical and ecological ranges throughout south eastern
Australia, including parts of Queensland and South Australia.
In Tasmania E. obliqua is an important
component of Forestry
Tasmania’s native forest harvesting program. Generally
seed is collected on site prior to harvesting, and clearfelled
areas are resown with the local seed. However, when onsite
seed is not available, seed is imported from other sites, following
guidelines that relate to proximity, altitude and rainfall.
My project aimed to assess the genetic
robustness of Forestry Tasmania’s seed zones and seed
transfer guidelines for E. obliqua. I used DNA
microsatellite analysis to measure local genetic differentiation of
E. obliqua across local steep ecological gradients, and
broad scale genetic differentiation across Tasmania. My
results will be used to inform and reinforce future seed transfer
guidelines for E. obliqua.
I first studied eucalypt genetics when I did a
third year summer research project in the School of
Plant Science (University of Tasmania) on chloroplast DNA
haplotypes of Eucalyptus globulus in Victoria and New
South Wales. I was a member of the Eucalypt Genetics Group at the
School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, as an Honours
student in Biotechnology.
