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Dr Euan G. Ritchie

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr Euan Ritchie
School of Marine and Tropical Biology
Campus: Townsville
Telephone: +61 7 4781 4133
Fax: +61 7 4725 1570
Email: euan.ritchie@jcu.edu.au

Euan Ritchie School of Marine and Tropical Biology JCU photo taken by Angus McColl

PhD J.C.U. (2007)

Postdoctoral scientist, Museum Victoria (2007)

ARC Research Associate, James Cook University (2008-2010)

Australian Mammal Society, Ecological Society of Australia, Ecological Society of America

Research Interests

  • evolutionary, behavioural and macroecology

  • conservation biology

  • systematics and phylogeography

I have a broad range of interests and this is reflected in the diversity of taxonomic groups I’ve worked on, which include macroinvertebrates, birds, amphibians, mammals and more recently, agamid lizards.

Antilopine wallaroo photo by Euan Ritchie School of Mairne and Tropical Biology JCU
Thorny Devil photo by Euan Ritchie School of Marine and Tropical Biology JCU

Recent and Current Projects Include

  • I recently finished my PhD (2007) which was on the macroecology and conservation of the antilopine wallaroo (Macropus antilopinus). This macroecological research was focused on identifying and modeling the environmental and biological factors that determine the limits to distribution and abundance of this species.

  • I then joined the Museum of Victoria (2007) where I used molecular techniques to understand taxonomic relationships within Australian agamids, specifically, Pogona, Lophognathus and Amphibolurus. This investigation will help to elucidate the environmental and historical drivers of the species diversity that exists within this lizard group across arid Australia.

Undara National Park photo by Euan Ritchie School of Marine and Tropical Biology JCU
Juvenile Green Python photo by Euan Ritchie School of Marine and Tropical Biology JCU
Spinifex habitat photo by Euan Ritchie School of Marine and Tropical Biology JCU

  • My current research interest is working in collaboration with Professor Chris Johnson and others on an ARC funded project which seeks to understand the ecological roles of top predators in the Australian ecosystem. I am interested in how interactions between exotic and native predators may affect Australia’s biodiversity.

Top 10 publications

Full list of publications

Ritchie E.G., Martin J.K., Krockenberger A.K., Garnett S. & Johnson C.N. (2008). Large-herbivore distribution and abundance: Intra-and interspecific niche variation in the tropics. Ecological Monographs, 78, 105-122.

Ritchie E.G. & Bolitho E.E. (2008). Australia's Savanna Herbivores: Bioclimatic Distributions and an Assessment of the Potential Impact of Regional Climate Change. Physiol. Biochem. Zool., 81, 880-890.

Ritchie E.G. (2008). Antilopine wallaroo. In: The Mammals of Australia (eds. Van Dyck S & Strahan R). New Holland Publishers Sydney, pp. 325-326.

Ritchie E.G. (2007). The ecology and conservation of the antilopine wallaroo (Macropus antilopinus). PhD thesis. James Cook University Townsville.

Martin J.K., Coulson G., Di Stefano J., Ritchie E.G., Greenfield A., Catanchin H. & Evans L.N. (2007). The Viggers & Hearn conundrum: a kangaroo home range study with no implications for land management. Journal of Applied Ecology, 44, 1080-1085.

Johnson C.N. & Ritchie E.G. (2002). Adaptive biases in offspring sex ratios established before birth in a marsupial, the common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula. Behavioral Ecology, 13, 653-656.

Johnson P.T.J., Lunde K.B., Thurman E.M., Ritchie E.G., Wray S.N., Sutherland D.R., Kapfer J.M., Frest T.J., Bowerman J. & Blaustein A.R. (2002). Parasite (Ribeiroia ondatrae) infection linked to amphibian malformations in the western United States. Ecological Monographs, 72, 151-168.

Johnson C.N., Clinchy M., Taylor A.C., Krebs C.J., Jarman P.J., Payne A. & Ritchie E.G. (2001). Adjustment of offspring sex ratios in relation to the availability of resources for philopatric offspring in the common brushtail possum. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences, 268, 2001-2005.

Johnson P.T.J., Lunde K.B., Ritchie E.G., Reaser J.K. & Launer A.E. (2001). Morphological abnormality patterns in a California amphibian community. Herpetologica, 57, 336-352.

Johnson P.T.J., Lunde K.B., Ritchie E.G. & Launer A.E. (1999). The effect of trematode infection on amphibian limb development and survivorship. Science, 284, 802-804.

Contact Details

Dr Euan Ritchie

Campus: Townsville

Telephone: +61 7 4781 4133

Fax: +61 7 4725 1570

Email: euan.ritchie@jcu.edu.au