Dr David Runciman:  Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Genetics

Over 2007 I am sharing my time between being a homemaker, teaching in primary schools and conducting research into the population genetics of Pacific Gulls; just your regular complementary combination of activities! The gull research is a component of a PhD project on Pacific Gull biology being completed by Bruce Robertson under the supervision of Cath Meathrel from the Department of Environmental Management and Ecology at La Trobe's Albury-Wodonga Campus.

In the past I have conducted research into the conservation genetics of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm, the effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic structure of the native cockroach, Panesthia australis, factors affecting primary sex ratios of Zebra Finches, recolonisation of the Krakatau Archipelago, geographic variation in genetic structure, morphology and vocalisations of Zebra Finches (PhD project), and conservation biology of the Helmeted Honeyeater (Honours project).

I have had a life-long interest in biology and education and this passion has led to my new vocation as a primary school teacher. One of the many reasons I have chosen to be a primary rather than secondary or tertiary educator is my desire to pique curiosity and inspire children at a very young age, before they risk becoming disengaged from school.

Publications

Runciman D, Blacket MJ, Schmuki C & Sunnucks P (2006) Polymorphic population genetic markers for the Australian wood cockroach Panesthia australis. Molecular Ecology Notes 6, 765-766.

Schmuki C, Vorburger C, Runciman D, MacEachern S & Sunnucks P (2006) When log-dwellers meet loggers: impacts of forest fragmentation on two endemic log-dwelling beetles in southeastern Australia. Molecular Ecology 15, 1481-1492.

Runciman D, Zann RA & Murray ND (2005) Geographic and temporal variation of the male Zebra Finch distance call. Ethology 111, 367-380.

Zann R & Runciman D (2003) Primary sex ratios in zebra finches: no evidence for adaptive manipulation in wild and semi-domesticated populations. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54, 293-302.

Rozman J, Runciman D & Zann RA (2003) Seasonal variation in body mass and fat of Zebra Finches in south-eastern Australia. Emu 103, 11-19.

Thornton IWB, Runciman D, Cook S, Lumsden LF, Partomihardjo T, Schedvin NK, Yukawa J & Ward SA (2002) How important were stepping stones in the colonisation of Krakatau? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 77, 275-317.

Runciman D, Zann RA & Murray ND (1999) A W-chromosome linked marker for gender identification in the zebra finch. Animal Genetics 30, 66-67.

Runciman D, Cook S, Riley J, Wardill J & Thornton IWB (1998) The avifauna of Sebesi, a possible stepping-stone to the Krakatau Islands. Tropical Biodiversity 5, 89-97.

Runciman D (1996) Activity budget of non-breeding Helmeted Honeyeaters. Emu 96, 62-65.

Runciman D, Franklin DC & Menkhorst PW (1995) Movements of Helmeted Honeyeaters during the non-breeding season. Emu 95, 111-118.

Zann R & Runciman D (1994) Survivorship, dispersal and sex ratios of Zebra Finches Taeniopygia guttata in southeast Australia. Ibis 136, 136-146.

Seminars and conference presentations

Runciman D (2004) Landscapes and log-dwellers: A cockroach’s-eye view of habitat fragmentation. Department of Zoology, Melbourne University.

Runciman D (2004) Panesthia and pine trees: How habitat fragmentation has affected the population genetic structure of a native cockroach. Department of Genetics, La Trobe University.

Runciman D, Schmuki C, Sunnucks P & MacEachearn S (2004) Landscapes and log-dwellers: A cockroach’s-eye view of habitat fragmentation. Contributed paper, Genetics Society of Australia 51st annual meeting, Melbourne.

Runciman D, Sunnucks P & MacEachearn S (2003) Boring Blaberids in bits of bush: how habitat fragmentation has moulded the genetic structure of a log-dwelling Australian cockroach Panesthia australis. Poster presentation, XIX International Congress of Genetics, Melbourne.

Runciman D (2003) Boring Blaberids in bits of bush: forest fragmentation and the population genetics of an Australian cockroach, Panesthia australis. Department of Genetics, La Trobe University.

Runciman D & Zann RA (2002) Attractive traits and adaptive sex allocation in Zebra Finches revisited: what was all the hurley-burley about? Contributed paper, Genetics Society of Australia 49th annual meeting, Sydney.

Runciman D (2000) Zebra Finch phylogeography. Contributed paper, The 2nd Southern Hemisphere Ornithological Congress, Brisbane.

Runciman D, Murray ND & Zann RA (1999) Phylogeography of the Zebra Finch. Poster presentation, Genetics Society of Australia 46th annual meeting, Brisbane.

Runciman D (1999) Geographic variation in the Zebra Finch: Molecular and morphological incongruence. Department of Zoology, La Trobe University.

Runciman D (1998) Origins of the avifauna of the Krakatau archipelago, Indonesia. Invited speaker, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Green Guide Seminar Series, Institute of Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture, Tatura.

Runciman D (1997) The Zebra Finch: Geographic variation & the TGW gene. Postgraduate seminar, Department of Genetics & Human Variation, La Trobe University.

Runciman D, Cook S, Murray ND & Zann RA (1996) Magnetic isolation of randomly amplified microsatellites (MIRAM). Contributed paper, 4th International DNA Fingerprinting Conference,  Melbourne.