Dr. Jane Melville, a leading taxonomist and evolutionary biologist. She is currently leading a decade-long, multi-million dollar, cross-university project to study the impacts of Australia’s unique reptilian species and their evolving changes. Collaborating closely with fellow researcher Dr. Black, she meticulously maps minute differences between various Australian lizard species, focusing particularly on the elusive earless dragon. She uses cutting-edge methods such as high-resolution imaging and genetic profiling. These techniques are shedding light on how these species adapt to their changing world.
In 2019, Dr Melville was able to use micro-CT scans to study the skulls of especially vulnerable grassland earless dragons. His data analysis revealed stark disparities that many had overlooked. By pairing these high-resolution, 3D measurements with genetic data, she was able to convincingly identify four unique species of earless dragons. This study further enhances our understanding of these prized reptiles. It serves as a reminder of their conservation needs, even as climate change makes things more difficult.
Currently, Dr. Melville’s work extends beyond lizards. She explains the exciting, daunting task ahead of analyzing thousands of miniature fossils. These fossils were collected from cave bottoms throughout South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland. She serves a major role in a project that applies machine learning technologies to study fossils. We consider this work to be a significant step forward in paleontological research.
Innovative Techniques in Research
Dr. Melville’s lab is filled with the sounds of machines whirring and computers glowing. She’s usually right next to a microscope, very gingerly doing surgery or carefully examining very small specimens. In the case of her groundbreaking research using computed tomography (CT) scanning, she can non-invasively study these invaluable specimens without damaging them.
“With CT scans you can do that much more accurately, you can do it on the bones and you can do it without damaging these precious museum specimens,” said Dr. Melville. Specimen preservation is key for ongoing and future research. It helps improve our understanding of their biology, which benefits subsequent studies.
Dr. Melville’s breakthroughs on earless dragons are just one of her many notable achievements. She’s helping to spearhead efforts to study Tasmanian tiger joeys by employing next-generation CT scanning technology. This rich and complicated approach to the scientific endeavor motivates her group to dig deep on these fascinating species. They are committed to learning about their growth and change.
“It was absolutely magical to be able to really peel back and start to have a look at all of that incredible data that you can see when you can pick out every single tiny little facet of bone,” – Andrew Pask.
CT scans have revolutionized how researchers study extinct and endangered species. They provide a relatively non-invasive way to gather important data without harming the specimens.
Addressing Climate Change Through Research
As a conservation practitioner, Dr. Melville understands the need for flexible conservation strategies that are responsive to climate change. She thinks that traditional approaches tend to ignore the fluidity of how species are distributed across an environment that’s constantly changing.
Unfortunately, right now I believe that when governments try to conserve land for species it’s a very static endeavor. They’re thinking, ‘Oh they’re here now. That means they’ll regularly have to show up here,” she noted. This overall viewpoint illustrates the critical need to take an adaptive and innovative approach to conservation. Longer-term, we need to do better at considering shifts in habitats and species ranges.
Her research will ultimately improve our understanding of how environments—both natural and anthropogenically-altered—affect the ecology of different species, which will better guide future conservation efforts. As climate change scenarios continue to unfold, it will be ever more critical to understand which species are able to adapt and ensuring their survival.
Future Directions in Research
Dr. Melville, along with her colleagues like Christy Hipsley, is currently working to advocate for a centralized CT scanned data repository to facilitate this. They imagine it functioning similarly to the current databases for DNA information. This new initiative has the potential to increase collaboration between scientists and improve access to important research information.
“The idea and the goal is to have a single standardized repository (for CT scanned data) like we have for DNA,” stated Hipsley. Such a repository would make research easier to conduct and encourage more meaningful comparisons of biodiversity in various places.
Dr. Melville continues to work on conservation and study living and extinct species. She does this in the process of deploying new technologies which is raising the bar for her industry. She doesn’t shy away from addressing the challenges posed by climate change. Through her advocacy for improved conservation practices, she opens doors for future generations of scientists.
