My research and teaching interests focus on biodiversity: what's out there, how we discover and describe it, how it arises and adapts throught time, and how we can conserve it.

I'm very interested in speciation and rapid adaptation, including to human-induced change like climate change and invasive species. To date, I've done a lot of evolutionary biology and species discovery but I'm increasingly focussing on conservation projects. My research methods include field data, genetics, and modelling. Many of my projects involve frogs and lizards because they show biogeographic patterns and evolutionary processes on a fine scale, and because Australia has a rich diversity. However, I'm interested in all groups and current projects include mammals (e.g., Spotted-tailed Quolls) and invertebrates (e.g., Drosophila experiments). 

Current projects include: phylogenetics and taxonomy of various reptile and frog groups; mating trait evolution in geckos, frogs and flies; speciation in hybrid zones; reinforcement and character displacement; conservation genetics of endangered frogs and mammals; climate change adaptation in native Drosophila; impacts of invasive geckos and toads; recovery of frogs from chytrid disease; and decline and threatened species recovery in all vertebrate groups.

Teaching

• BZ2450: Biodiversity of Tropical Australia (Level 2; TSV)
• BZ2725: Australian Terrestrial Diversity (Level 2; CNS & TSV)
• BZ3001: Field Studies in the Equatorial Tropics: Borneo (Level 3; TSV)
• BZ3220: Population and Community Ecology (Level 3; TSV)
• BZ3740: Wildlife Ecology and Management (Level 3; TSV)
• BZ5220: Population and Community Ecology (Level 5; TSV)
• BZ5740: Wildlife Ecology and Management (Level 5; TSV)
• BZ5925: Australian Terrestrial Diversity (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• SC5820: Field Studies of Evolution in the Galapagos (Level 5; TSV)

Interests

Research

• Biodiversity: what's out there, how we discover and describe it, how it arises and adapts throught time, and how we can conserve it.

Teaching

• Biodiversity: what's out there, how we discover and describe it, how it arises and adapts throught time, and how we can conserve it.

Experience

• 2011 to 2019 - ABRS Fellowship, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Townsville)
• 2007 to 2011 - ARC Fellowship, ARC postdoc, Australian National University (Canberra)
• 1996 to 2006 - Honours, PhD, Research Assistant on various projects, University of Queensland (Brisbane)

Research Disciplines

• Evolutionary Biology (0603)
• Environmental Science and Management (0502)
• Ecological Applications (0501)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity (9608)
• Expanding Knowledge (9701)
• Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species (9604)

Awards

• 2009 - Eureka Prize - ABRS Early Career Species Discovery
• 2003 - Henry Seibert Award - Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (International)

Fellowships

• 2011 to 2014 - ABRS BushBlitz Research Fellowship (2011-2014)
• 2007 to 2010 - ARC Australian Postdoctoral (APD) Research Fellowship (2007-2010)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Barnett L, Phillips B and Hoskin C (2017) Going feral: time and propagule pressure determine range expansion of Asian house geckos into natural environments. Austral Ecology, 42 (2). pp. 165-175
• Coates A, Barnett L, Hoskin C and Phillips B (2017) Living on the edge: parasite prevalence changes dramatically across a range edge in an invasive gecko. American Naturalist, 189 (2). pp. 178-183
• Scheele B, Skerratt L, Grogan L, Hunter D, Clemann N, McFadden M, Newell D, Hoskin C, Gillespie G, Heard G, Brannelly L, Roberts A and Berger L (2017) After the epidemic: ongoing declines, stabilizations and recoveries inamphibians afflicted by chytridiomycosis. Biological Conservation, 206. pp. 37-46
• Fordham D, Brook B, Hoskin C, Pressey R, VanDerWal J and Williams S (2016) Extinction debt from climate change for frogs in the wet tropics. Biology Letters, 12. pp. 1-5
• Hoskin C and Couper P (2015) A new skink (Scincidae: Liburnascincus) from rocky habitat on Cape York, northeast Australia. Zootaxa, 3994 (2). pp. 222-234
• Scott M, Llewelyn J, Higgie M, Hoskin C, Pike K and Phillips B (2015) Chemoreception and mating behaviour of a tropical Australian skink. Acta Ethologica, 18 (3). pp. 283-293
• Hoskin C (2014) A new skink (Scincidae: Carlia) from the rainforest uplands of Cape Melville, north-east Australia. Zootaxa, 3869 (3). pp. 224-236
• Couper P and Hoskin C (2013) Two new subspecies of the leaf-tailed gecko Phyllurus ossa (Lacertilia: Carphodactylidae) from mid-eastern Queensland, Australia. Zootaxa, 3664 (4). pp. 537-553
• Hoskin C (2013) A new skink (Scincidae: Saproscincus) from rocky rainforest habitat on Cape Melville, north-east Australia. Zootaxa, 3722 (3). pp. 385-395
• Hoskin C (2013) A new frog species (Microhylidae: Cophixalus) from boulder-pile habitat of Cape Melville, north-east Australia. Zootaxa, 3722 (1). pp. 61-72

Book Chapters

• Hero J, Roberts J, Hoskin C, Lowe K, Narayan E and Bishop P (2015) Austral amphibians: Gondwanan relicts in peril. In: Austral Ark: the state of wildlife in Australia and New Zealand. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 440-466
• Reside A, Ceccarelli D, Isaac J, Hilbert D, Moran C, Llewelyn J, Macdonald S, Hoskin C, Pert P and Parsons J (2014) Biodiversity: adaptation pathways and opportunities. In: Adaptation Pathways and Opportunities for the Wet Tropics NRM Cluster Region: volume 1: introduction, biodiversity and ecosystem services. James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia, pp. 11-74

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 70+ research outputs authored by Dr Conrad Hoskin from 1999 onwards.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Can Species Interactions Cause Rapid Niche Adaptation? (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Species Interations and the Evolution of Mating Traits (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Biogeography, Speciation, and Systematics of a Tree Frog Species Complex in the Amazon Basin (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Cane Toads in Wet Tropics Upland Rainforest and thier Current and Potential Impact on Native Fauna (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Pheromones as a Mating Trait in Australian lizards: Understanding Diversity in Morphologically Conservative Taxa (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

• Understanding range expansion of Asian house geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus) in natural environments (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Locating adaptive diversity in the face of climate change (2016, PhD , Associate Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.