I’m a molecular ecologist conducting research that largely underpins practical outcomes for biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration. My research interests cover ecological evolutionary pattern and process within species, populations and communities. This extends to characterising spatial genetic structure using modern molecular markers, and understanding the processes driving these patterns, such as adaptation, mating, pollination and dispersal, through field- and lab- based experiments.

Research themes

• Conservation genetics
• Restoration genetics
• Molecular ecology
• Plant mating systems
• Dispersal of seed and pollen

Major projects

• Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Mining Restoration (ARC ITTCfMR).
• An ecological genetic assessment of restoration success.
• A genecological test of seed sourcing strategies for ecological restoration.
• Examining the reproductive functionality of restored Banksia woodlands.
• The evolution and conservation consequences of promiscuity in plants pollinated by vertebrates.
• Defining biologically significant units in spinifex (Triodia spp.) for improved ecological restoration in arid Australia.
• Resilience of seagrass to climate change.

Visit the Conservation Genetics section to learn more about the current projects.

Selected publications

Byrne M, Krauss SL, Millar MA, Elliot CP, Coates DJ, Yates C, Binks R, Nevill P, Nistelberger H, Wardell-Johnson G, Robinson T, Butcher R, Barrett M and Gibson N (2018) Persistence and stochasticity are key determinants of genetic diversity in plants associated with banded iron formation inselbergs. Biological Reviews doi/10.1111/brv.12477

Krauss SL, Phillips RD, Karron JD, Johnson SD, Roberts DG and Hopper SD (2017) Novel consequences of bird pollination for plant mating. Trends in Plant Science 22:395-410.

Williams AV, Nevill PG and Krauss SL (2014) Next generation restoration genetics: applications and opportunities. Trends in Plant Science 19:529-537. A review of restoration genetics, and in particular the opportunities and application of Next Generation Sequencing methods to improved restoration outcomes.

Kendrick GA, Waycott M, Carruthers T, Cambridge M, Hovey R, Krauss S, Lavery P, Les D, Lowe R, Mascaró O, Ooi Lea Sim J, Orth RJ, Rivers D, Ruiz-Montoya L, Sinclair E, Statton J, Van Dijk K and Verduin J (2012) The central role of dispersal in the maintenance and persistence of seagrass populations. BioScience 62:56-65. A wide ranging review of the nature, extent and role of dispersal in seagrasses.

Krauss SL, Dixon B and Dixon KW (2000) Rapid genetic decline in a translocated population of the endangered plant Grevillea scapigera. Conservation Biology 16:986-994. A powerful assessment of rapid genetic erosion in a translocated population of a rare species to highlight genetic risks associated with poor genetic management with species recovery.