Dr Luciano B. Beheregaray

Associate Professor
Head of the MELMU and MEGMAR
Associate Editor for Conservation Genetics

Dept. of Biological Sciences
Macquarie University
Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia
Phone: 61 (2) 9850 8204; Fax: 61 (2) 9850 8245
E-mail: Luciano.Beheregaray@bio.mq.edu.au

Research Interests

- Biogeography, Phylogeography and Speciation
- Conservation Biology
- Marine and Freshwater Population Biology

My main research, which is multidisciplinary, exploratory and targets some of the world’s most renowned ecosystems, illustrates how modern natural historians can contribute to our understanding of evolution, ecology and can stimulate public interest about the importance of conserving historical dimensions of biodiversity. I currently head or am a collaborator in 38 projects in phylogeography (i.e. the analysis of population history using DNA data), conservation genetics (i.e. the use of genetic knowledge to preserve threatened species) and phylogenetics (i.e. the reconstruction of the tree of life) of a variety of organisms. Destpite the diversity of interests, I am particularly fascinated about understanding biogeographic scenarios and evolutionary processes underlying population divergence and speciation in fishes. I believe that good molecular population biology can only be achieved with comprehensive sampling, so I dedicate considerable time and effort in field expeditions. Past and current research includes work on fishes from Amazonia, Patagonia and the Pampas, coastal dolphins, sperm whales and blue whales from the Indian and Pacific Oceans, giant tortoises from the Galápagos, rays and sharks from Mexico, and wombats, sharks, bony fishes, abalones, oysters, limpets, tunicates and sea-urchins from Australia.

Current Research Projects and Collaborations (click here for details)

- Comparative Phylogeography and Speciation of Amazonian Fishes
- MEGMAR (Molecular Ecology Group for Marine Research - several projects)
- Social and Genetic Structure of Bottlenose and Common Dolphins
- Evolution and Conservation of Giant Galapagos Tortoises
- Phylogeography and Conservation Genetics of Wobbegong Sharks
- Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of New World Silverside Fishes
- Genetic Benefits from Mate Choice in Marine Mammals
- Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of Indo-Pacific Butterflies
- Speciation in Elasmobranchs from the Gulf of California
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics of Sperm Whales and Blue Whales
- Phylogeography and Conservation Management of Australian Perches and Bass
- Phylogeography and Conservation Genetics of Purple Spotted Gudgeon

Fieldwork Experience

- Argentina (Patagonia, Peninsula Valdez, Andes) 1997-1998.
- Australia (East coast) 1997-2001, 2005-present.
- Brazil (Amazonia, Pampas grassland, southern coast) 1990-present.
- Chile (Andes, southern and central coasts) 1997.
- Ecuador (Galapagos Islands) 2000.
- Mexico (Sea of Cortez) 2008.
- Peru (Andes) 1997.
- United States (Gulf of Mexico) 1995.
- Uruguay (Pampas grassland, coast) 1994, 1997-1998.

Recent Work and Teaching Experience

- Associate Professor. Macquarie University, January 2009 - present.
- Senior Lecturer, "Biol 206 Genetics". Macquarie University, January 2005 - present.
- Lecturer of "Biol 206 Genetics". Macquarie University, August 2003 - 2005.
- Lecturer of "Biol 206 Genetics". MDIS Singapore, 2004 - present.
- Guest lecturer in the "Advanced Biology Program". Macquarie University.
- Gaylord Donnelley Research Fellow. Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies. Yale University, 2001-2003.
- Postdoctoral Fellow. Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Yale University, 2001–2003.
- Junior Research Fellow. Dept. of Biological Sciences. Macquarie University, January – June 2001.

Selected Research Grants and Awards

- ARC Discovery. 2005-2007
"Comparative Phylogeography and Patterns of Diversification of Amazonian Fishes"
$260,000 (Beheregaray)

- ARC Linkage. 2006-2008
"Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics and Stocking Management of Perches and Basses"
$287,000 (Beheregaray & Gilligan - DPI Fisheries)

- Research Innovation Fund, Macquarie University. 2005-2006
"Molecular Ecology Group for Marine Research"
$250,000 (Beheregaray, Briscoe, Frankham, Raftos, Harcourt & Williamson)

- Australian Government, Department of the Environment, Australian Antarctic Division
"Novel genetic markers for stock identification of blue whales and genetic differentiation between the two main Australian feeding aggregations"
$62,000 (Moller, Beheregaray, LeDuc, Jenner, Gill, Jenner, Morrice, Bannister, Harcourt, Gales)

- Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation / Birds Eye. 2004
"Conservation Genetics of Wobbegong and Grey Nurse Sharks in Australia"
$24,570 (Beheregaray, Stow, Harcourt & Briscoe)

- MURIFG, Macquarie University. 2005
"A Liquid Handling Robot for the Automation of Sample Preparation and Enzymatic Analysis"
$77,981 (Bergquist, Beheregaray, Whalley, Gillings, Nevalainen, Stokes, Mabbutt)

- MURDG, Macquarie University. 2004-2005
"Population Structure and Dispersal Patterns of Botllenose and Common Dolphins in Southeastern Australia"
$16,000 (Moller & Beheregaray)

- DPI Victoria. 2004
"Taxonomic Assesment of Bass and Perch"
$24,140 (Beheregaray)

- ECR, Macquarie University. 2003-2004
"Development of Microsatellite Loci for Amazonian Fishes"
$20,000 (Beheregaray)

- ECOSAVE, Yale University. 2002-2003
"Field Expeditions to the Rio Negro, central Amazonia"
$20,000 (Beheregaray & Caccone)

- DG Catcheside Prize. Given by the Genetics Society of Australia, best PhD thesis in 2001

Selected Publications (click here for complete list of refereed publications)

- Beheregaray LB, Ciofi C, Geist D, Gibbs J, Caccone G, Powell JR (2003) Genes record a prehistoric volcano eruption in the Galápagos. Science 302, 75.

- Beheregaray LB (2008) Twenty years of Phylogeography: the state of the field and the challenges for the Southern Hemisphere. Molecular Ecology 17, 3754-3774.

- Beheregaray LB, Havill N, Gibbs J, Fritts T, Powell JR, Caccone G (2004) Giant tortoises are not so slow: rapid diversification and biogeographic consensus in the Galápagos. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 101, 6514-6519.

- Beheregaray LB, Sunnucks P, Briscoe DA (2002) A rapid fish radiation associated with the last sea level changes in southern Brazil: the silverside Odontesthes perugiae complex. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 269, 65-73.

- Beheregaray LB, Sunnucks P (2001) Fine-scale genetic structure, estuarine colonization and incipient speciation in the marine silverside fish Odontesthes argentinensis. Molecular Ecology 10, 2849-2866.

- Beheregaray LB, Caccone A (2007) Cryptic biodiversity in a changing world. Journal of Biology 6, 1-5.

- Möller LM, Beheregaray LB (2004) Genetic evidence of sex-biased dispersal in resident bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). Molecular Ecology 13, 1607-1612.

- Banks S, Piggott M, Williamson J, Bove U, Holbrook N, Beheregaray LB (2007) Oceanic variability and coastal topography shape local genetic structure in a long-dispersing marine invertebrate. Ecology 88, 3055-3064.

- Russello MA, Beheregaray LB, Gibbs J, Fritts T, Havill N, Powell JR, Caccone A (2007) Lonesome George is not alone among Galápagos tortoises. Current Biology 17, R317-R318.

- Poulakakis N, Glaberman S, Michael R, Beheregaray LB, Ciofi C, Powell JR, Caccone A (2008) Historical DNA analysis reveals living descendants of an extinct species of Galapagos Tortoise. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 105, 15464-15469.