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Kangaroo research features on Totally Wild
University of the Sunshine Coast science student Amberlee Marker’s research into the genetic diversity of local kangaroos has featured on Channel Ten television program Totally Wild.
Amberlee, 20, was interviewed by Totally Wild reporter Sean Kennedy recently for a three-minute segment of an episode that aired on Tuesday 9 November.
A video clip of the interview can be viewed at the Channel Ten website. The clip can be found under the "Full Episodes" heading and is entitled: “TW – Tuesday 9 November 2010 (3/3)”.
The Honours student’s research is believed to be the first Australian study of the faecal microsatellite DNA of kangaroos, a type of DNA used in forensic science.
Amberlee has found what appears to be a five-fold decrease in genetic diversity among the Eastern Greys on USC’s Sippy Downs campus.
She has suggested that it might be necessary to send kangaroos on “blind dates” to other populations across the Sunshine Coast to help increase genetic diversity among the marsupials and save them from isolation and inbreeding.
“If further research shows this is also happening in neighbouring populations, I recommend moving some of the dominant kangaroos of both genders between groups for breeding,” Ms Marker said.
“They need to be ‘dating’ outside their family group to be sustainable long-term. However the side effects, such as social acceptance of the new animal, are unknown.”
Amberlee, who went to St John’s College at Nambour, said using new technology to extract DNA from kangaroo droppings was non-invasive for the animals, saved time and money and involved simple collection and storage.
Her research has been supported by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Campus Wildlife Fund.
— Terry Walsh