I am currently a Research Scientist in Fauna Conservation in the Science Division of Dept of Parks and Wildlife. My research focuses primarily on the conservation genetics of threatened and priority-listed West Australian mammal species, including genetic assessment of animal translocations, resolution of taxonomic issues to support conservation listings and understanding the population genetics of varied fauna to support conservation planning and decision-making. I also have a background in research on the ecological genetics of a range of temperate and tropical plant species.
- Conservation genetics of threatened plants and animals
- Genetic management of reintroduced populations
- Plant-animal interactions (seed dispersal, pollen dispersal)
- Mating systems and gene flow analysis
- Molecular species identification
- Scat DNA analysis
Academic qualifications:
2007 Doctor of Philosophy, University of Adelaide, SA - "A survey of the reproductive ecology and patterns of pollen-mediated gene flow in Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. leucoxylon paddock trees"
1998 Bachelor of Science Honours, University of Adelaide, SA - "Enhanced transport of nutrients through soil cores with the addition of organic amendments"
1997 Bachelor of Science, University of Adelaide, SA - Majors in Botany and Zoology
Positions held:
Mar 2012 - Current: Research Scientist, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Government of Western Australia, WA
Mar 2010 - Feb 2012: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA
Feb 2008 - Mar 2010: Research Fellow, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide/Department for Environment and Heritage, SA Government, Adelaide, SA
Mar 2006 - Jul 2007: Research Associate, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW
Jan 2004 - Jan 2006: Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW
Sept 2001 - Dec 2002: Research Scientist, Evolutionary Biology Unit, South Australian Museum, SA
Adjunct Positions:
Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, WA
Membership of Professional Societies:
INTECOL
Society for Ecological Restoration
Browne L, Ottewell K, Karubian J (2015) Short-term genetic consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation for the neotropical palm Oenocarpus bataua. Heredity doi:10.1038/hdy.2015.35
Roberts DG, Ottewell KM, Whelan RJ, Ayre DJ (2014) Is the post-disturbance composition of a plant population determined by selection for outcrossed seedlings or by the composition of the seedbank? Heredity 112(4): 409-414
Breed MF, Ottewell KM, Gardner MG, Marklund MHK, Dormontt EE, Lowe AJ (2013) Mating patterns and pollinator mobility are critical traits in forest fragmentation genetics. Heredity doi:10.1038/hdy.2013.48
Breed MF, Stead MG, Ottewell KM, Gardner MG, Lowe AJ (2013) Which provenance and where? Seed sourcing strategies for revegetation in a changing environment. Conservation Genetics 14(1): 1-10
Breed MF, Gardner MG, Ottewell KM, Navarro CM, Lowe AJ (2012) Shifts in reproductive assurance strategies and inbreeding costs associated with habitat fragmentation in Central American mahogany. Ecology Letters 15(5): 444-452.
Breed MF, Marklund MHK, Ottewell KM, Gardner MG, Harris JBC, Lowe AJ (2012) Pollen diversity matters: revealing the neglected effect of pollen diversity on fitness in fragmented landscapes. Molecular ecology 21(24): 5955-5968.
Breed MF, Ottewell KM, Gardner MG, Marklund MHK, Stead MG, Harris JBC, Lowe AJ (2012) Mating system and early viability resistance to habitat fragmentation in a bird-pollinated eucalypt. Heredity doi:10.1038/hdy.2012.72
Karubian J, Browne L, Bosque C, Carlo T, Galetti M, et al. (2012) Seed dispersal by neotropical birds: Emerging patterns and underlying processes. Ornitologia Neotropical 23: 9-24.
Ottewell K, Grey E, Castillo F, Karubian J (2012) The pollen dispersal kernel and mating system of an insect-pollinated tropical palm, Oenocarpus bataua. Heredity 109: 332–339
Breed MF, Ottewell KM, Gardner MG, Lowe AJ (2011) Clarifying climate change adaptation responses for scattered trees in modified landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology 48(3): 637-641
Forrest CN, Ottewell KM, Whelan RJ, Ayre DJ (2011) Tests for inbreeding and outbreeding depression and estimation of population differentiation in the bird-pollinated shrub Grevillea mucronulata. Annals of Botany 108(1): 185-195
Ottewell KM, Bickerton D, Lowe AJ (2011) Can a seed bank provide demographic and genetic rescue in a declining population of the endangered shrub Acacia pinguifolia? Conservation Genetics 12(3): 669-678.
Ayre D, O’Brien E, Ottewell K, Whelan R (2010) The accumulation of genetic diversity within a canopy?stored seed bank. Molecular Ecology 19(13): 2640-2650
Ottewell KM, Donnellan SC, Paton DC (2010) Evaluating the demographic, reproductive and genetic value of eucalypt paddock trees for woodland restoration in agricultural landscapes. Restoration Ecology 18: 263-272
Ayre DJ, Ottewell KM, Krauss SL, Whelan RJ (2009) Genetic structure of seedling cohorts following repeated wildfires in the fire?sensitive shrub Persoonia mollis ssp. nectens. Journal of Ecology 97(4): 752-760
Ottewell KM, Donnellan SC, Lowe AJ, Paton DC (2009) Predicting reproductive success of insect- versus bird-pollinated scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. Biological Conservation142(4): 888-898
Ottewell KM, Donnellan SC, Moran GF, Paton DC (2005) Multiplexed microsatellite markers for the genetic analysis of Eucalyptus leucoxylon (Myrtaceae) and their utility for ecological and breeding studies in other Eucalyptus species. Journal of Heredity 96(4): 445-451
Gardner MG, Ottewell K, Adams M (2004) Isolation of microsatellites in a parthenogenetic lizard Menetia greyii (Scincidae) and their utility in sexual species of the Menetia greyii complex. Molecular Ecology Notes 4(2): 219-221
