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

103 works between 1997 and 2024
All (103) Journal Article (97) Book Chapter (2) Conference Publication (4)

101 - 103 of 103 works

1999

Journal Article

Are cochineal insects eriococcids?

Gullan, P. J. and Cook, L. G. (1999). Are cochineal insects eriococcids?. Entomologica, 33, 91-99.

Are cochineal insects eriococcids?

1999

Journal Article

Are the enlarged ducts of Eriococcus (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) plesiomorphic?

Cook, L. G. and Gullan, P. J. (1999). Are the enlarged ducts of Eriococcus (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) plesiomorphic?. Entomologica, 33, 59-66.

Are the enlarged ducts of Eriococcus (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) plesiomorphic?

1997

Journal Article

The response of gall-inducing scale insects (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae: Apiomorpha Rübsaamen) to the fire history of mallee eucalypts in Danggali Conservation Park, South Australia

Gullan, P. J., Cranston, P. S. and Cook, L. G. (1997). The response of gall-inducing scale insects (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae: Apiomorpha Rübsaamen) to the fire history of mallee eucalypts in Danggali Conservation Park, South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 121 (4), 137-146.

The response of gall-inducing scale insects (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae: Apiomorpha Rübsaamen) to the fire history of mallee eucalypts in Danggali Conservation Park, South Australia

Current funding

  • 2022 - 2024
    Population genetics and demography of Macrozamia conferta
    Acciona Energy Australia Global Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2025
    A perimeter defence in Australian processionary caterpillars
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 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

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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

  • 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

    Systematics and evolution of Melaleuca

    Principal 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

    Phylogeny and biogeography of the Microneurae section of Acacia

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Rod Fensham

  • 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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