Mr Martin Breed

Qualifications

PhD in Plant Population and Restoration Genetics, University of Adelaide (2009-2012)

MSc in Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University (2006-2008)

BSc in Environmental Science and Zoology, James Cook University (2004-2006)

Awards & Achievements

PhD thesis: Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence

Academic Merit and Research Potential: Noel and Vivian Lothian Scholarships, University of Adelaide 2010 and 2012

Research Interests

I am currently a post doc researcher with Prof Andy Lowe and Prof Jon Ågren, located at the EBC at Uppsala University, Sweden. I am interested in ecological genetics and genomics of model and non-model plant taxa along environmental gradients and in human-impacted systems.

I have a keen interest in ecological genomics to derive the genetic basis of plant adaptation and how to utilise ecological genetics and genomics data for conservation and restoration management.

 

For my PhD, I focussed on restoration and conservation genetics - the interface of population genetics with restoration ecology.

I investigated habitat fragmentation, population density and climate change effects on South Australian and Neotropical forests. My primary goal was to derive seed-sourcing recommendations for these systems that maximises resilience to environmental change.

I monitored fitness proxy data from several reciprocal transplant and common garden trials. I used nuclear microsatellites and AFLPs to derive mating system, gene flow and genetic diversity data. My strong statistical background allowed me to bring these data streams together to investigate the roles of historical demography and selection.

I was part of Andy Lowe's Plant Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics lab group at ACEBB as well as TREND. My co-supervisors were Dr Mike Gardner (Uni of Adelaide and Flinders University) and Dr Kym Ottewell (Department for Environment and Conservation, WA and University of Adelaide affiliate).

If you have any questions or comments, or are interested in this field, please feel free to contact me (details above).

 

Manuscript reviewer: Molecular Ecology, Ecography, Environmental Science & Policy, PLoS ONE, Journal of Plant Ecology, Population Ecology

Research Funding

• Successful grant writer for Profs Andy Lowe, Barry Brook, Corey Bradshaw ARC Linkage - LP110200805 (2012-2014 $405k)

Research funding

• Breed MF, Ottewell K, Gardner M, Lowe AJ (2010-2012) Developing best practice approaches for restoring River Murray forest ecosystems that are resilient to climate change. Native Vegetation Council of South Australia Research Grant ($45K)
• Breed MF (2011-2012) PhD research. Estate of the late Winifred Violet Scott ($27.5K)
• Breed MF (2012-2013) PhD research. Sir Mark Mitchell Foundation ($5K)
  
• Breed MF (2010) PhD research. Nature Foundation of South Australia ($5K)
  
• Breed MF (2011-2012) PhD research. Sir Mark Mitchell Foundation ($4K)
  
• Breed MF (2010) PhD research. Australian Geographic Society Sponsorship ($3K)
  
• Breed MF (2010) PhD research. Field Naturalists Society of South Australia - Lirabenda Endowment Fund ($3K)
  
• Breed MF (2010) PhD research. Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia Limited - University Research Grant ($1K)
  
• Breed MF (2010) PhD research. Biological Society of South Australia Field Research Grant ($1K)
  

Travel grants

• Breed MF (2013) The Dean's travel grant from the Wallenberg Foundation for travel to the Evomics Workshop in Genomics, Czech Republic (SEK15k) 
• Breed MF (2010-2012) National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility - PhD Student Collaboration Travel Grants for travel to Europe 2012, 2011 and Costa Rica 2010 ($9k)
• Breed MF (2010) Environment Institute Travel Grants for travel to Costa Rica (AUD$3k)
  

Publications

Peer-reviewed journal articles

1. Breed M.F., Ottewell K.M., Gardner M.G., Marklund M.H.K., Dormontt E.E., Lowe A.J. (accepted) Mating patterns and pollinator mobility are critical traits in forest fragmentation genetics. Heredity. DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2013.48
2. McCallum K.P., Guerin G.R., Breed M.F., Lowe A.J. (accepted). Combining population genetics, species distribution modelling and field assessments to understand a species’ vulnerability to climate change. Aust. Ecol.
   
3. Breed M.F., Ottewell K.M., Gardner M.G., Marklund M.H.K., Stead M.G. Harris J.B.C. & Lowe A.J. (in press) Mating system and early viability resistance to habitat fragmentation of a bird-pollinated eucalypt. Heredity. DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2012.72
4. Breed M.F., Stead M.G., Ottewell K.M., Gardner M.G., Lowe A.J. (2013). Which provenance and where? Seed sourcing strategies for revegetation in a changing environment. Conservation Genetics. 14(1): 1-10.[pdf]
5. Rudh A., Breed M.F., Qvarnström A. (2013) Does aggression and explorative behaviour decrease with lost warning colouration? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 108(1): 116-126
6. Breed M.F., Marklund M.H.K., Ottewell K.M., Gardner M.G., Harris J.B.C. & Lowe A.J. (2012) Pollen diversity matters: revealing the neglected effect of pollen diversity on fitness in fragmented landscapes. Molecular Ecology. 21(24): 5955-5968 [Pdf].
   
7. Murphy N.P., Breed M.F., Guzik M., Cooper S., Austin A. (2012) Trapped in desert springs: phylogeography of Australian desert spring snails. Journal of Biogeography 39(9): 1573-1582. [Pdf]
8. Breed M.F., Gardner M.G., Ottewell K.M., Navarro C. & Lowe A.J. (2012). Shifts in reproductive assurance strategies and inbreeding costs associated with habitat fragmentation in Central American mahogany. Ecology Letters 15(5): 444-452. [Pdf]. Media release and featured on EurekAlert, Science Newsline Nature, e! Science News.
9. Breed A.C., Breed M.F., Meers J., Field H.E. (2011). Evidence of endemic Hendra virus infection in flying-foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus) - implications for disease risk management. PLoS One. 6: e28816. [pdf]
10. Weeks A.R., Sgro C.M., Young A.G., Frankham R., Mitchell N.J., Miller K.A., Byrne M., Coates D.J., Eldridge M.D.B., Sunnucks P., Breed M.F., James E.A. & Hoffmann A.A. (2011). Assessing the benefits and risks of translocations in changing environments: a genetic perspective. Evolutionary Applications 4(6), 709-725. [pdf]
11. Breed M.F., Ottewell K.M., Gardner M.G., Lowe A.J. (2011). Clarifying climate change adaptation responses for scattered trees in modified landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology 48(3), 637-641 [pdf]. Faculty 1000 Recommended paper
    

Citation statistics here

Under review

• Breed MF, Christmas MJ, Lowe AJ. The constrained inbreeding hypothesis. New Phytologist
• Dormontt E, Gardner MG, Breed MF, Rodger J, Prentis P, Lowe AJ. Sequential invaison bottlenecks. PLoS ONE

In preparation

• Lowe AJ, Breed MF et al. Genetic structuring of Neotropical trees. 
• Guerin G, Breed MF et al. Community assembly rules.

Other publications

• Breed MF (2012) Pollen can protect mahogany from extinction. E-Science. 1:36. April 2012.
  
• Breed MF (2012) Breathing life back into iconic forests. The Advertiser - can you believe it? 24th April 2012.
  
• Breed MF (2012) Natural pollen diversity a key to sustaining forest resource. CSIRO Ecos Magazine 16th April 2012.
  

Presentations

• Breed MF, Ottewell KM, Gardner MG, Lowe AJ (Oct 2012) Seed quality shifts and managing plant genetic resources in fragmented landscapes. Linnean Centre for Plant Biology in Uppsala - Plant Science for Future Needs. Invited talk.
  
• Breed MF (July 2012) Restoration genetics in neotropical and Australian mallee forests. TERN science meeting. Invited talk.
  
• Breed MF (April 2011) Developing best-practice seed sourcing strategies in the Murray Darling Basin that are resilient to climate change. Field Naturalists Society of South Australia. Invited talk.
  
• Breed MF (June 2010) Restoration Genetics of Australian Mallee and Neotropical Forests. Departmental Seminar, Tulane University. Invited talk
• Breed MF (June 2010) Restoration Genetics of Australian Mallee and Neotropical Forests. Departmental Seminar, University of Costa Rica. Invited talk
• Breed MF (May 2010) The Environment Institute. Tree Planting Day. Community Involvement Program, Yookamurra Sanctuary. Funded presentation
• Breed MF. (Feb 2010) Restoration Genetics of Murray-Darling and Neotropical Forests. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences symposium talk. Invited talk
• Breed MF. (Oct 2009) Restoration Genetics of Murray-Darling and Neotropical Forests. ACEBB symposium talk. Invited talk
• Breed MF, Hailer F, Darimont C, Leonard J. (Dec 2008) Genetic effects of culling. Conference Poster Presentation. 33rd Ecological Society of Australia Conference Sydney, Australia
• Breed MF, Hailer F, Darimont C, Leonard J. (Oct 2008) Genetic effects of culling. Conference Poster Presentation. Australasian Wildlife Management Society Annual Conference 2008 Fremantle, Australia.
• Breed MF, Hailer F, Darimont C, Leonard J. (Sept 2008) Genetic effects of culling. Conference Poster Presentation. 54th Australian Mammal Society Inc. Darwin, Australia.

Collaborators

Andrew Lowe, Hugh Cross, Greg Guerin, Ed Biffin, Stefan Caddy-Retalic, Eleanor Dormontt, Matt Christmas - TREND-SA and Ecological and Evolutionary Biology of Plants research group, University of Adelaide - TREND-SA ecological genomics project

Jon Ågren, Sverre Lundemo, Froukje Postma - Department of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University - Arabidopsis thaliana project

Barry Brook, Corey Bradshaw, Steve Delean, Damien Fordham, Michael Stead - Global Change Ecology Lab, University of Adelaide - TREND-SA ecological genomics project

Doug Schemske, Chris Oakley - Michigan State University - Arabidopsis thaliana project

John McKay - Colorado State University, Arabidopsis thaliana project

Mike Gardner - Flinders University and SA Museum - PhD project

Kym Ottewell - WA Department for Conservation - PhD project

Bert Harris - Princeton University - various project

Bianca Dunker - Flinders University and Australian National University - various projects

 

Files

• Breed et al Ecol Letts - Breed_et_al_Ecol_Letts.pdf [697.0K] (application/pdf)
• Breed et al Scattered trees JAppEcol - Breed_et_al_scattered_trees_JApplEcol.pdf [144.3K] (application/pdf)
• Breed MEC pollen diversity matters - Breed_MEC_pollen_diversity_matters.pdf [390.6K] (application/pdf)
• Breed et al incrassata Heredity - Breed_et_al_incrassata_2013.pdf [518.1K] (application/pdf)
• Breed et al provenance? Cons Gen - Breed_et_al_2013_Cons_Gen.pdf [295.5K] (application/pdf)
• Breed et al PLoS ONE - Breed_PLoS_ONE.pdf [296.3K] (application/pdf)
• Murphy et al JBiogeog - Murphy_et_al_JBiogeog.pdf [789.9K] (application/pdf)
• Weeks et al EvolApps - Weeks_et_al_2011_Genetic_translocations_EvolApps.pdf [666.1K] (application/pdf)

Entry last updated: Monday, 13 May 2013