The koala Phascolarctos cinereus is the only member of the once diverse marsupial family Phascolarctidae to have survived the Last Glacial Maximum. A climate envelope model for P. cinereus was developed to predict the range for this species at present and at the Last Glacial Maximum. The model was compared to the contemporary koala records and the known fossil records of P. cinereus during the Quaternary. The predicted current core range for koalas was concentrated in southeast Queensland,eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria. At the Last Glacial Maximum their predicted core range contracted significantly to southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales. Our findings concord with other studies that find species experienced range contractions during glacial maxima. In the context of the future conservation planning for koalas in the wild, our historical perspective demonstrates the past adaptations of koalas to changes in climate and their probable range contraction to climatic refugia. The future survival of wide-ranging specialist species, such as the koala, may depend on identifying and protecting, future climatic refugia.
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Research Article|
January 29 2012
Modelling the potential range of the koala at the Last Glacial Maximum: future conservation implications
Christine Adams-Hosking;
Christine Adams-Hosking
1
University of Queensland, Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia
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Patrick Moss;
Patrick Moss
1
University of Queensland, Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia
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Jonathan Rhodes;
Jonathan Rhodes
1
University of Queensland, Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia
2
University of Queensland, The Ecology Centre, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia
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Hedley Grantham;
Hedley Grantham
2
University of Queensland, The Ecology Centre, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia
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Clive McAlpine
Clive McAlpine
1
University of Queensland, Landscape Ecology and Conservation Group, School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia
2
University of Queensland, The Ecology Centre, Brisbane, Qld 4072 Australia
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Australian Zoologist (2011) 35 (4): 983–990.
Citation
Christine Adams-Hosking, Patrick Moss, Jonathan Rhodes, Hedley Grantham, Clive McAlpine; Modelling the potential range of the koala at the Last Glacial Maximum: future conservation implications. Australian Zoologist 1 January 2011; 35 (4): 983–990. doi: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2011.052
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