People

ARC DECRA Fellow (2013-2017)

Smart Futures Research Fellow (2010-2013 )

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of California, Irvine (2007-2009)

Research Interests

• Connectivity of reef-building corals
• Recovery of coral reefs following disturbances
• Population genetics of coral reef species including corals, fish and sea snakes
• Seascape genetics and larval dispersal models for the Great Barrier Reef
• Phylogenetics, phylogeography and molecular dating
• Ecology, evolution and conservation of Australian sea  snakes

My overarching research interest is the application of molecular genetic theory and modern molecular techniques to better understand the evolution and maintenance of biodiversity, at both organismal and genetic levels, in the marine environment. As such I am interested in broad range of topics that include the evolutionary history of marine taxa; the molecular ecology, population genetics and mating systems of species; patterns of connectivity among geographically dispersed populations; and the ways in which these interacting factors impinge on the conservation of marine biodiversity. For my doctoral research I studied the population genetics, phylogeography, phylogeny and conservation of the hydrophiine sea snakes. I broadened this research theme as a postdoctoral fellow at UC Irvine to investigate the timing and biogeographical patterns of species diversification in marine and aquatic snakes.

My current research interests are focused on seascape genetics and bio-oceanographic modelling to understand connectivity of reef building corals. This research evaluates larval connectivity for broadcast-spawning reef-building corals at the level of recruits using parentage analyses and assignment tests, as well as more traditional population genetic approaches. Genetic connectivity information will be coupled with environmental and oceanographic data to generate the first larval dispersal models for corals on the Great Barrier Reef.

Publicatons online

Selected Publications

• Lukoschek V, Riginos C, van Oppen MJH (2016) Congruent patterns of connectivity can inform management for broadcast spawning corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Molecular Ecology
• D’anastasi BR, van Herwerden L, Hobbs JA, Simpendorfer CA, Lukoschek V (2016) New range and habitat records for threatened Australian sea snakes raise challenges for conservation. Biological Conservation 194: 66-70
• van Oppen MJH, Lukoschek V, Berkelmans R, Peplow LM, Jones A (2015) A population genetic assessment of coral recovery on highly disturbed reefs of the Keppel Island archipelago in the southern Great Barrier Reef. PeerJ 3: e1092
• Udyawer V, Cappo M, Simpendorfer, CA, Heupel MR, Lukoschek V (2015) Distribution of sea snakes in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: observations from 10 yrs of baited remote underwater video station (BRUVS) sampling. Coral Reefs 33: 777-791
• Todd E, Blair D, Georges A, Lukoschek V, Jerry DR (2014). A biogeographic history and timeline for the evolution of Australian snapping turtles (Elseya: Chelidae) in Australia and New Guinea. Journal of Biogeography 41: 905-918
• Lukoschek V, Beger M, Ceccarelli D, Richards Z, Pratchett M (2013) Enigmatic declines of Australia’s sea snakes from a biodiversity hotspot. Biological Conservation 166: 191-202
• Lukoschek V, Cross P, Torda G, Zimmerman R, Willis B (2013) The importance of larval recruitment for reefs impacted by cyclone Yasi in the central Great Barrier Reef. PLOS ONE 8: e65363
• Bohm M plus 200 authors including Lukoschek V (2013) The Conservation Status of the World’s Reptiles. Biological Conservation 157: 372-385
• Elfes C plus 24 co-authors including Lukoschek V (2013) Fascinating and forgotten: the conservation status of the world’s sea snakes. Herpetological Conservation & Biology 8: 37-52
• Lukoschek V, Shine R (2012) Sea snakes rarely venture far from home Ecology and Evolution 2: 1113-1121
• Lukoschek V, Keogh JS, Avise JC (2012) Evaluating fossil calibrations for dating phylogenies in light of rates of molecular evolution: a comparison of three approaches. Systematic Biology 61: 22-43
• Lukoschek V, Avise JC (2012) Development of eleven polymorphic microsatellite loci for the sea snakeEmydocephalus annulatus (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) and cross-species amplification for seven species in the sister genus Aipysurus. Conservation Genetics Resources DOI: 10.1007/s12686-011-9461-0
• Lukoschek V, Avise JC (2011) Genetic monandry in six viviparous species of true sea snakes. Journal of Heredity 102: 347-351
• Lukoschek, V., Osterhage J, Karns DR, Murphy JC, Voris HH (2011) Phylogeography of the Mekong mud snake (Enhydris subtaeniata): the biogeographic importance of dynamic river drainages and fluctuating sea levels for semiaquatic taxa in Indochina. Ecology and Evolution 1: 330-342
• Lukoschek V, Avise JC (2011) Development of ten polymorphic microsatellite loci for the sea snake Hydrophis elegans (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae) and cross-species amplification for fifteen marine hydrophine species.Conservation Genetics Resources 3: 497-50
• Hoffmann M, plus 180 authors including Lukoschek V (2010) The impact of conservation on the status of the world’s vertebrates. Science 330: 1503-1509
• Karns, D.R., Lukoschek, V., Osterhage, J., Murphy, J.C. and Voris, H.H. (2010) Phylogeny and biogeography of the Enhydris clade (Serpentes: Homalopsidae). Zootaxa 2452: 18-30.
• Lukoschek, V., Funahashi, N., Lavery, S., Dalebout, M.L., Cipriano, F., & Baker, C.S (2009) FEATURED ARTICLE: High proportion of protected minke whales sold on Japanese markets due to Illegal, Unreported or Unregulated exploitation. Animal Conservation 12: 385-395
• Lukoschek, V., Funahashi, N., Lavery, S., Dalebout, M.L., Cipriano, F., & Baker, C.S (2009) COMMENTARY: The rise of commercial ‘by-catch whaling’ in Japan and Korea. Animal Conservation 12: 398-399
• Fuentes M.M.P.B., Hamann M. and Lukoschek V. (2009) Marine Reptiles. In A Marine Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report Card for Australia 2009 (Eds. E.S. Poloczanska, A.J. Hobday and A.J. Richardson), NCCARF Publication 05/09, ISBN 978-1-921609-03-9.
• Lukoschek, V, & Chilvers, B.L. (2008) A robust baseline for bottlenose dolphin abundance in coastal Moreton Bay: a large carnivore living in a region of escalating anthropogenic impacts. Wildlife Research 35: 593-605
• Lukoschek, V., Waycott, M. & Keogh, J.S. (2008) Relative information content of polymorphic microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA for inferring dispersal and population genetic structure in the olive sea snake, Aipysurus laevis. Molecular Ecology 17: 3062-3077
• Heatwole, H. & Lukoschek, V. (2008) Reptiles of the Great Barrier Reef. Pp. 343-349 in The Great Barrier ReefBiology, Environment and Management PA Hutchings, MJ Kingsford & O. Hoegh-Guldberg (Eds). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne
• Lukoschek, V., Waycott, M. & Marsh, H. (2007) Phylogeography of the olive sea snake, Aipysurus laevis(Hydrophiinae) indicates recent Pleistocene range expansion but low contemporary gene flow. Molecular Ecology 16: 3406-3422
• Lukoschek, V., Heatwole, H., Grech, A., Burns, G. and Marsh, H. (2007) Distribution of two species of marine snakes, Aipysurus laevis and Emydocephalus annulatus, in the southern Great Barrier Reef: metapopulation dynamics, marine protected areas and conservation. Coral Reefs 26: 291-307
• Endo, T., Yong-Un, M., Baker, C.S., Funahashi, N., Lavery, S., Dalebout, M.L., Lukoschek, V., Haraguchi, K. (2007) Contamination level of mercury in red meat products from cetaceans available from South Korea markets. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54: 669-677
• Lukoschek, V. & Keogh, J.S. (2006) Molecular phylogeny of sea snakes reveals a rapidly diverged adaptive radiation. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 89: 523-539
• Baker, C.S., Lukoschek, V., Lavery, S., Dalebout, M.L., Ma Yong-un, Endo, T. & Funahashi, N.  (2006) Incomplete reporting of whale, dolphin and porpoise ‘bycatch’ revealed by molecular monitoring of Korean markets. Animal Conservation 9: 474-482
• Lukoschek, V., Waycott, M. & Dunshea, G. (2005) Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from the Australasian sea snake, Aipysurus laevis. Molecular Ecology Notes 5: 879-881
• Arnold, P., Birtles, A., Dunston, A. Lukoschek, V. & Mathews, M. (2005) Colour patterns of the dwarf minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata sensu lato: description, cladistic analysis and taxonomic implications.Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 51: 277-307
• Lukoschek, V. & McCormick, M.I. (2002). A review of multi-species foraging associations in fishes and their ecological significance. Pp 467-474 in Proceedings of the Ninth International Coral Reef Symposium. M.K. Kasim Moosa, S. Soemodihardjo, A. Nontji, A Soegiarto, K. Romimohtarto, Sukarno and Suharsono (Eds). Bali, Indonesia, 2000.
• Lukoschek, V. & McCormick, M.I. (2001) Ontogeny of diet shifts in a tropical benthic carnivorous fish,Parupeneus barberinus (Mullidae): relationship between foraging behaviour, habitat use, jaw size and prey selection. Marine Biology 138: 1099-1113