Associate Professor Lyn Cook
Associate Professor

Lyn Cook

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 52070

Background

I obtained my PhD from The Australian National University in 2001 and have been at UQ since August 2006

My research is primarily aimed at understanding the origins, diversification and distributions of organisms, especially plants and insects in Australia. I mostly take a comparative approach and use molecular phylogenies to test hypotheses about ecological and evolutionary processes. Recent and ongoing topics include: understanding how interactions among plants and insects affect the evolutionary radiation of each; teasing apart the effects of extinction and speciation to understand how past climate and environmental change has shaped our biota; and investigating the relative roles of continental drift and long distance dispersal in explaining the current distribution patterns of organisms in the southern hemisphere. Specific questions relate, but are not limited, to topics such as:

• how the diversification of the unique Australian flora has driven insect speciation

• whether specific insect-plant interactions are the result of long term co-radiation or more recent adaptive radiations of insects

• the relative roles of vicariance (such as that induced by continental drift) and dispersal in explaining the current distribution patterns of southern hemisphere organisms

• evolutionary patterns of host-use by herbivores

• how past climate change has shaped the current distributions of taxa

• assembly of the flora and fauna of current biomes, especially the arid zone, monsoon tropics and southern temperate biomes

• phylogeography of plants and insects, and what this reveals about contemporary and recent gene flow

• consequences of differential dispersal, such as that between male and female scale insects, different developmental stages, or seed and pollen

Availability

Associate Professor Lyn Cook is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biological Sciences Plant biology Zoology

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), Australian National University
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Australian National University

Research interests

  • Evolution of biodiversity

  • Scale insect systematics

  • Plant systematics

Search Professor Lyn Cook’s works on UQ eSpace

105 works between 1997 and 2025
All (105) Journal Article (99) Book Chapter (2) Conference Publication (4)

81 - 100 of 105 works

2006

Journal Article

Description of two new genera and species of Eriococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from southern South America

Kondo, Takumasa, Hardy, Nate, Cook, Lyn and Gullan, Penny (2006). Description of two new genera and species of Eriococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from southern South America. Zootaxa, 1349 (1349), 19-36. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.1349.1.2

Description of two new genera and species of Eriococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) from southern South America

2006

Journal Article

The systematics and biology of the south African gall-inducing scale insect, Calycicoccus merwei brain (Hemiptera : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae)

Gullan, P. J., Giliomee, J. H., Hodgson, C. J. and Cook, L. G. (2006). The systematics and biology of the south African gall-inducing scale insect, Calycicoccus merwei brain (Hemiptera : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae). African Entomology, 14 (1), 13-33.

The systematics and biology of the south African gall-inducing scale insect, Calycicoccus merwei brain (Hemiptera : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae)

2005

Journal Article

Not so ancient: the extant crown group of Nothofagus represents a post-Gondwanan radiation

Cook, Lyn G. and Crisp, Michael D. (2005). Not so ancient: the extant crown group of Nothofagus represents a post-Gondwanan radiation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 272 (1580), 2535-2544. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3219

Not so ancient: the extant crown group of Nothofagus represents a post-Gondwanan radiation

2005

Journal Article

Directional asymmetry of long-distance dispersal and colonization could mislead reconstructions of biogeography

Cook, Lyn G. and Crisp, Michael D. (2005). Directional asymmetry of long-distance dispersal and colonization could mislead reconstructions of biogeography. Journal of Biogeography, 32 (5), 741-754. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2005.01261.x

Directional asymmetry of long-distance dispersal and colonization could mislead reconstructions of biogeography

2005

Journal Article

Do early branching lineages signify ancestral traits?

Crisp, Michael D. and Cook, Lyn G. (2005). Do early branching lineages signify ancestral traits?. Trends In Ecology & Evolution, 20 (3), 122-128. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2004.11.010

Do early branching lineages signify ancestral traits?

2005

Journal Article

Bush peas: a rapid radiation with no support for monophyly of Pultenaea (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

Orthia, L. A., Crisp, M. D., Cook, L. G. and de Kok, R. P. J. (2005). Bush peas: a rapid radiation with no support for monophyly of Pultenaea (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae). Australian Systematic Botany, 18 (2), 133-147. doi: 10.1071/SB04028

Bush peas: a rapid radiation with no support for monophyly of Pultenaea (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

2005

Conference Publication

Generic delimitation and phylogenetic uncertainty: An example from a group that has undergone an explosive radiation

Orthia, L. A., Cook, L. G. and Crisp, M. D. (2005). Generic delimitation and phylogenetic uncertainty: An example from a group that has undergone an explosive radiation. Workshop of a Consensus Census for Australias Virtual Herbarium, Sydney, Australia, 28 March 2003. Collingwood, Vic., Australia: CSIRO Publishing. doi: 10.1071/SB04016

Generic delimitation and phylogenetic uncertainty: An example from a group that has undergone an explosive radiation

2005

Journal Article

Molecular dating and eucalypts: reply to Ladiges and Udovicic

Crisp, Mike D., Cook, Lyn G. and Steane, Dorothy A. (2005). Molecular dating and eucalypts: reply to Ladiges and Udovicic. Australian Systematic Botany, 18 (3), 295-296. doi: 10.1071/SB05007

Molecular dating and eucalypts: reply to Ladiges and Udovicic

2005

Book Chapter

Gall-inducing scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea)

Gullan P. J.,, Miller D. R. and Cook L. G. (2005). Gall-inducing scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea). Biology, Ecology, and Evolution of Gall-Inducing Arthropods. (pp. 159-229) edited by A Raman, Carl W. Schaefer and Toni M. Withers. Enfield, NH: Science Publishers.

Gall-inducing scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea)

2004

Journal Article

The gall-inducing habit has evolved multiple times among the eriococcid scale insects (Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae)

Cook, L. G. and Gullan, P. J. (2004). The gall-inducing habit has evolved multiple times among the eriococcid scale insects (Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae). Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 83 (4), 441-452. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2004.00396.x

The gall-inducing habit has evolved multiple times among the eriococcid scale insects (Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae)

2004

Conference Publication

Radiation of the Australian flora: What can comparisons of molecular phylogenies across multiple taxa tell us about the evolution of diversity in present-day communities?

Crisp, Michael D., Cook, Lyn G. and Steane, Dorothy A. (2004). Radiation of the Australian flora: What can comparisons of molecular phylogenies across multiple taxa tell us about the evolution of diversity in present-day communities?. Discussion Meeting on Plant Phylogeny and the Origin of Major Biomes, London, United Kingdom, 15-16 March 2004. London, United Kingdom: The Royal Society Publishing. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2004.1528

Radiation of the Australian flora: What can comparisons of molecular phylogenies across multiple taxa tell us about the evolution of diversity in present-day communities?

2003

Journal Article

Apiomorpha gullanae sp n., an unusual new species of gall-inducing scale insect (Hemiptera : Eriococcidae)

Cook, L. G. (2003). Apiomorpha gullanae sp n., an unusual new species of gall-inducing scale insect (Hemiptera : Eriococcidae). Australian Journal of Entomology, 42 (4), 327-333. doi: 10.1046/j.1440-6055.2003.00370.x

Apiomorpha gullanae sp n., an unusual new species of gall-inducing scale insect (Hemiptera : Eriococcidae)

2003

Journal Article

Phylogeny and evolution of anomalous roots in Daviesia (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

Crisp, Michael D. and Cook, Lyn G. (2003). Phylogeny and evolution of anomalous roots in Daviesia (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae). International Journal of Plant Sciences, 164 (4), 603-612. doi: 10.1086/375318

Phylogeny and evolution of anomalous roots in Daviesia (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

2003

Journal Article

Molecular evidence for definition of genera in the Oxylobium group (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

Crisp, Michael D. and Cook, Lyn G. (2003). Molecular evidence for definition of genera in the Oxylobium group (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae). Systematic Botany, 28 (4), 705-713.

Molecular evidence for definition of genera in the Oxylobium group (Fabaceae : Mirbelieae)

2003

Book Chapter

Phylogeny and embryo sac evolution in the endemic Australasian papilionoid tribes Mirbelieae and Bossiaeeae

Crisp, M. D. and Cook, L. G. (2003). Phylogeny and embryo sac evolution in the endemic Australasian papilionoid tribes Mirbelieae and Bossiaeeae. Advances in legume systematics. Pt. 10, Higher level systematics. (pp. 253-268) edited by B. Klitgaard and A. Bruneau. Kew, UK: Kew Publishing.

Phylogeny and embryo sac evolution in the endemic Australasian papilionoid tribes Mirbelieae and Bossiaeeae

2002

Journal Article

A preliminary phylogeny of the scale insects (Hemiptera : Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea) based on nuclear small-subunit ribosomal DNA

Cook, L. G., Gullan, P. J. and Trueman, H. E. (2002). A preliminary phylogeny of the scale insects (Hemiptera : Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea) based on nuclear small-subunit ribosomal DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics And Evolution, 25 (1), 43-52. doi: 10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00248-8

A preliminary phylogeny of the scale insects (Hemiptera : Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea) based on nuclear small-subunit ribosomal DNA

2002

Journal Article

New status, species, distribution records and phylogeny for Australian mandibulate Chironomidae (Diptera)

Cranston, P. S., Edward, D. H. and Cook, L. G. (2002). New status, species, distribution records and phylogeny for Australian mandibulate Chironomidae (Diptera). Australian Journal of Entomology, 41 (4), 357-366. doi: 10.1046/j.1440-6055.2002.00304.x

New status, species, distribution records and phylogeny for Australian mandibulate Chironomidae (Diptera)

2001

Journal Article

Phenacoleachia Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Phenacoleachiidae) re-visited

Gullan, P. J. and Cook, L. G. (2001). Phenacoleachia Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Phenacoleachiidae) re-visited. Bollettino di Zoologia agraria e Bachicoltura, 33 (3), 163-173.

Phenacoleachia Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Phenacoleachiidae) re-visited

2001

Journal Article

Longevity and reproduction in Apiomorpha Rubsaamen (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea)

Cook, L. G. and Gullan, P. J. (2001). Longevity and reproduction in Apiomorpha Rubsaamen (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea). Bollettino di Zoologia agraria e Bachicoltura, 33 (3), 259-265.

Longevity and reproduction in Apiomorpha Rubsaamen (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea)

2001

Journal Article

Extensive chromosomal variation associated with taxon divergence and host specificity in the gall-inducing scale insect Apiomorpha munita (Schrader) (Hemiptera : Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae)

Cook, Lyn G. (2001). Extensive chromosomal variation associated with taxon divergence and host specificity in the gall-inducing scale insect Apiomorpha munita (Schrader) (Hemiptera : Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae). Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 72 (2), 265-278. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2001.tb01316.x

Extensive chromosomal variation associated with taxon divergence and host specificity in the gall-inducing scale insect Apiomorpha munita (Schrader) (Hemiptera : Sternorrhyncha : Coccoidea : Eriococcidae)

Current funding

  • 2021 - 2025
    A perimeter defence in Australian processionary caterpillars
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2024
    Population genetics and demography of Macrozamia conferta
    Acciona Energy Australia Global Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    Continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (CF-IRMS) and ancillary preparation systems for carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope microanalysis for archaeology, biology, earth and environmental scie
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Sibling rivalry or chivalry: why do male bush coconuts carry their little sisters?
    Australia & Pacific Science Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2019
    Why are Australian cycads endangered: pollinators, climate or humans?
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    Morphological and molecular variation in Gynaikothrips on fig trees in Australia and generic revisions of Lissothrips
    Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Beyond genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes: high throughput analysis of gene and protein expression and function
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Evolution of Australia's globally unique hotspot of floral diversity (ARC Discovery administered by ANU)
    Australian National University
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2015
    Species discovery and evolution of scale insect gallers of Melaleuceae
    Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2012
    Species discovery and revision of scale insect gallers of Leptospermeae and Chamelauceae
    Australian Biological Resources Study
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Building Capacity in Quantitative Genomics
    UQ School/Centre Co-Funding
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Distinguishing among patterns of extinction & speciation through geological and climatic change: a molecular modelling approach. (ARC Discovery Project administered by Australian National University).
    Australian National University
    Open grant
  • 2009
    Genomics on a different scale: towards understanding chromosomal evolution, speciation, gall-induction and host-specificity.
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2008
    Controlled Environment Facilities for the Challenges of the 21st Century
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2008
    Development of markers to study dispersal of a wind-borne plant parasite group
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2008
    The role of ecological specialisation in insect-plant macroevolutionary processes: a molecular phylogenetic approach across three kingdoms
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Lyn Cook is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Evolution of Australia's globally unique biodiversity hotspot

    Australia has a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot, the southwest of Western Australia, but this unique flora is highly threatened. We are contrasting this hotspot with the climatically and latitudinally comparable southeastern Australia to determine the processes responsible for species generation and biodiversity maintenance. Study groups include the iconic eucalypts, Melaleuca, legumes and other plants, as well as gall-inducing scale insects that are associated with the plants, and other animals.

  • Taxonomy and evolution of scale insect gallers of Melaleuceae

    We have recently discovered a large radiation of scale insects that induce galls on species of Melaleuceae. This project involves the taxonomy and systematics of the group, and examines the evolutionary relationships bewteen the insects and their hosts. There is scope for describing and naming 30 or more species.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Systematics and evolution of Melaleuca

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Rod Fensham

  • Master Philosophy

    Systematics of the processionally caterpillar Ochrogaster lunifer

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Myron Zalucki

  • Master Philosophy

    Systematics of the processionally caterpillar Ochrogaster lunifer

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Myron Zalucki

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Transcriptomics of insect-induced galls on eucalypts

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Peter Crisp

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Applications of novel models of multivariate trait evolution in marsupials

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Katrina McGuigan, Dr Simone Blomberg

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A perimeter defence in Australian processionary caterpillars

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Myron Zalucki

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Microneurae group of the genus Acacia Mill. (Fabaceae Lindl., A. sect. Plurinerves): phylogenetics and species delimitation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Rod Fensham

  • Doctor Philosophy

    A perimeter defence in Australian processionary caterpillars

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Myron Zalucki

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Systematics of Eriocaulon L. (Eriocaulaceae Martinov.) in Australasia - phylogenomics, historical biogeography, and landscape genomics

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Rod Fensham

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Applications of novel models of multivariate trait evolution in marsupials

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Katrina McGuigan, Dr Simone Blomberg

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Lyn Cook directly for media enquiries about:

  • Biogeography
  • Phylogenetics

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