Dr Sam Banks

Post-Doctoral Fellow
Molecular Ecology Lab

Dept. of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University
Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia
Phone: 61 (2) 9850 9251; Fax: 61 (2) 9850 8245
E-mail: sbanks@bio.mq.edu.au

Research Interests

I am interested in using molecular genetic techniques to address conservation issues. Mostly, this has involved using microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA in conjunction with data from field studies to investigate patterns of dispersal, mating systems and genetic diversity, as well as non-invasive sampling to monitor animal populations. Until early 2005, I worked with Dr Andrea Taylor at Monash University, where I completed a PhD on the impacts of habitat fragmentation due to exotic softwood plantation establishment on the population processes of the agile antechinus. I recently opted for a change of scenery (i.e. more beach, less mountains) and am now studying a range of marine invertebrate species (sea urchins, oysters, abalone and ascidians) along the eastern Australian coastline (see MEGMAR). By comparing patterns of spatial genetic structure among taxa with differing dispersal capabilities in relation to coastal geography and ocean currents, we hope to elucidate patterns of population structure that will improve our ability to manage marine organisms for conservation and fisheries.

Research Projects

- Elucidating dispersal patterns and population structure of marine invertebrates along the east Australian coastline (see MEGMAR)
- Conservation of native fauna in remnant eucalypt patches in exotic softwood plantation landscapes (with Dr Andrea Taylor, Monash University; Prof David Lindenmayer, Australian National University; Dr Rod Peakall, Australian National University)
- Genetic analysis of a phenotypic trait variation: teat number in the marsupial Antechinus agilis (with Juliey Beckman and Andrea Taylor, Monash University)
- Non-invasive population monitoring of northern hairy-nosed wombats by individual identification from DNA obtained from hair follicles (with Dr Andrea Taylor, Monash University )

Publications

Banks S, Piggott M, Williamson J, Beheregaray LB (in press) Microsatellite markers for the sea-urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii. Molecular Ecology Notes.

Piggott M, Banks S, Beheregaray LB (2006) Use of SSCP to improve the efficiency of microsatellite identification from microsatellite enriched libraries. Molecular Ecology Notes 6, 613-615.

Banks S, Piggott M, Raftos D, Beheregaray LB (2006) Microsatellite markers for the Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, a commercially important bivalve in south-eastern Australia. Molecular Ecology Notes 6, 856-858.

Piggott MP, Banks SC, Stone N, Banffy C and Taylor AC (2006) Estimating population size of endangered brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) colonies using faecal DNA. Molecular Ecology 15, 81-91.

Piggott MP, Banks SC and Taylor AC (2006) Population structure of brush-tailed rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) colonies inferred from analysis of faecal DNA. Molecular Ecology 15, 93-105.

Banks, SC, Ward, SJ, Lindenmayer, DB, Finlayson, GR, Lawson, SJ and Taylor, AC (2005) The impacts of habitat fragmentation on the social kin structure and mating system of the agile antechinus, Antechinus agilis. Molecular Ecology, 14, 1789-1801.

Banks, SC, Lindenmayer, DB, Ward, SJ, and Taylor, AC (2005) The effects of habitat fragmentation via forestry plantation establishment on spatial genotypic structure in the small marsupial carnivore, Antechinus agilis. Molecular Ecology, 14, 1667-1680.

Banks SC, Finlayson GR, Lawson SJ, Lindenmayer DB, Paetkau D, Ward SJ and Taylor AC (2005) The effects of habitat fragmentation due to forestry plantation establishment on demography and genetic variation in a marsupial carnivore, Antechinus agilis. Biological Conservation, 122, 581-597.

Banks, SC and Taylor, AC (2004) Genetic analyses in fauna conservation: issues and applications to Australian forests. Pp 576-590 in Conservation of Australia’s Forest Fauna 2nd edn, ed. D Lunney, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, Mosman, NSW, Australia.

Skerratt, LF, Skerratt, JHL, Banks, SC, Marton, R and Handasyde, K (2004) Aspects of the ecology of common wombats (Vombatus ursinus) at high density on pastoral land in Victoria. Australian Journal of Zoology, 52, 303-330.

Banks, SC, Horsup, A, Wilton, AN and Taylor, AC (2003) Genetic marker investigation of the source and impact of predation on a highly endangered species. Molecular Ecology, 12, 1663-1667.

Banks, SC, Hoyle, SD, Horsup, A, Sunnucks, P and Taylor, AC (2003) Demographic monitoring of an entire species (the northern hairy-nosed wombat, Lasiorhinus krefftii)by genetic analysis of non-invasively collected material. Animal Conservation, 6, 101-107.

Banks SC, Skerratt LF and Taylor AC (2002) Female dispersal and relatedness structure in common wombats Vombatus ursinus. Journal of Zoology, London, 256, 389-399.

Banks, SC, Piggott, MP, Hansen, BD, Robinson, NA and Taylor, AC (2002) Wombat coprogenetics: enumerating a common wombat population by microsatellite analysis of faecal DNA. Australian Journal of Zoology, 50, 193-204.

Beheregaray, LB, Sunnucks, P, Alpers, DL, Banks, SC and Taylor, AC (2000) A set of microsatellite loci for the hairy nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus krefftii and L. latifrons). Conservation Genetics, 1, 89-92.