Shelley Edwards

Fields of interest

The conservation of the natural biodiversity of South Africa is becoming increasingly important, and the knowledge of areas of high endemicity and high species richness will aid in determining which areas are of conservation interest. The use of molecular analyses to identify biodiversity hotspots within South Africa will aid greatly in the determination of reserve locations, and as well contribute towards knowledge of past demographic events in South Africa.

My current research focuses on the intraspecific genetic and morphological variation of the Karoo Bush Rat Otomys unisulcatus. The study endeavours to investigate the patterns of genetic structure, as well as the phylogeographic relationships, between O. unisulcatus populations, which will be supported by geometric morphometric analyses of the mandible of this species. This research will contribute towards knowledge of the species, knowledge of possible past vicariant events within South Africa, as well as towards an increased knowledge of areas of high biodiversity within this country.

 

Supervisors: Prof. CA Matthee, Dr. B Jansen van Vuuren, Dr. S Matthee

Department of Botany and Zoology University of Stellenbosch Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 South Africa

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