Archana Gauli
PhD candidate
School of Plant Science
University of Tasmania
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Archana Gauli recently started a PhD at
UTas.
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I am a CRC affiliated student at the University of Tasmania
studying genetic diversity in cabbage gum,
Eucalyptus
pauciflora (subgenus
Eucalyptus, section
Cineraceae). This species has a wide distribution,
from northern New South Wales to South Australia and Tasmania, and
occurs naturally from the tree line (up to 1965 m) in the
Australian Alps to near sea-level in southern Victoria and
Tasmania. This species has the ability to withstand cold
temperatures, dry winds and periodic drought and is currently being
explored for the development of biodiverse carbon plantings in dry,
cold areas of Tasmania. My study will focus on Tasmanian and
southern Victorian populations and will integrate both molecular
and quantitative genetic approaches with multi-environment
pedigreed field trials to provide a better understanding of the
adaptive potential of tree species to changing environments.
Molecular markers will be used to provide insights into the
patterns of genetic diversity, phylogeography and mating system of
Eucalyptus pauciflora. This information will be linked to
glasshouse studies of seedling morphology as well as assessments of
growth and other adaptive traits in large field trials that were
established in late 2010. Outcomes from the study will include
empirical information to prepare guidelines and general strategies
for identifying the most appropriate seed sources for planting
genetically robust forests. The research approach adopted and the
inferences and guidelines developed are expected to be replicable
to other regions and similar species.
I am from Nepal, where I undertook my undergraduate training at the
Institute of Forestry, Tribhuwan University, Nepal. I
subsequently undertook my M.Sc at the University of Goettingen,
Germany where I studied genetic diversity of the most planted plant
tree species in Nepal, Pinus roxburghii. I have a
background in community forestry. I have worked in government and
nongovernment organizations, focusing on sustainable community
forestry. Apart from this, I have always been interested in
understanding genetic diversity of plant species and gene pool
conservation. I have recently published a paper from my MSc
work:
Gauli A, Gailing O, Stefenon VM, Finkeldey R (2009)
Genetic similarity of natural populations and plantations of
Pinus roxburghii Sarg. in Nepal. Annals of Forest
Science 66:703
For my PhD at the University of Tasmania, Professor Brad Potts and
Associate Professor René Vaillancourt are supervising my
project work with Dr Dorothy Steane and Dr Neil Davidson assisting
as research supervisors. I am funded with an Endeavour
International Postgraduate Research Scholarship and supported with
funding from an ARC linkage grant. As an introduction to
Australian forestry issues, I have completed a unit from the
National Forestry Masters course entitled: Plantation and
Environmental Forestry.
My PhD studies contribute to the CRC for Forestry Project 4.2
Biodiversity, subproject 4.2.7 ‘Management of genetic
resources.
Biobuzz issue thirteen, December 2010