Population genomics of rainforest mountain frogs (Anura: Limnodynastidae: Philoria) severely impacted by the Australian megafires
Firstly, we are interested in whether analysis of phylogenetic and population genetic structure can inform whether individuals can move between suitable habitat areas, suggesting an ability to recolonise habitats. Secondly, we seek to assess whether populations are at elevated risk of population decline due to low genetic diversity levels and inbreeding, which is relevant for planning conservation interventions such as translocations. Thirdly, we aim to identify high-value genetic populations with high genetic diversity and lower inbreeding that should be primary targets for protection and management and to determine whether high-value populations are covered by current conservation plans for these species (e.g. Assets of Intergenerational Significance (AIS) in NSW). Fourthly, given that Philoria species were among those most impacted by the 2019/20 megafires (Legge et al. 2020), there is value in analysing the potential impacts of the fires on each species, such as whether fires burned populations that had higher genetic diversity and/or a higher frequency of unique alleles.