Staff profile

Dr Susan Hoebee

Lecturer, Honours Coordinator (Botany)

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Life Sciences
Department of Botany

Biological Sciences II Room 469, Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

BSc (Hons I), PhD ANU

Membership of professional associations

Ecological Society of Australasia, Genetics Society of Australasia, The Grevillea Study Group

Area of study

Botany

Brief profile

Dr Hoebee joined La Trobe University in 2008 following post-doctoral positions in the Section for Ecological Genetics (WSL, Switzerland) and the Department of Botany (The University of Melbourne, Australia).  Prior to these positions, she completed a PhD which was run jointly through ANU and CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra.

Her research is multidisciplinary and combines aspects of ecology, molecular biology and population genetics in an attempt to build a better understanding of how plant populations change over time and how increasing degrees of population fragmentation can affect the long-term survival of a species.

Her research has focussed on issues of conservation and weed biology and her expertise spans the interlocking themes of:

  • Plant reproductive biology
  • The significance of gene flow as an evolutionary force
  • Applied population biology.

She has active collaborations with: CSIRO Plant Industry, DPI Victoria, The University of Sydney, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne,  WSL (Switzerland)

Research interests

Conservation biology

- Plant Reproduction, Molecular Ecology and Conservation

Population Genetics and Phylogenetics

- Population Connectivity and Evolutionary Biology

Teaching units

BOT3ESE - Ecology, Systematics and Evolution (Lecturer)

BOT4HNA/B - Honours in Botany (Coordinator)

Recent publications

  • Hoebee, S.E. & T.J. Edwards. 2012. The potential and realised mating system of Sagittaria platyphylla.  Contribution towards RIRDC National Weeds and Productivity Research Program (PRJ-007053).
  • Hoebee, S.E., S. Angelone, D. Csencsics, K. Määttänen, & R. Holderegger. 2012. Diversity of S-alleles and mate availability in three populations of self-incompatible wild pear (Pyrus pyraster).  Journal of Heredity 103 (2), 260-267.
  • Hoebee, S.E. 2011. Development and cross-species amplification of microsatellite markers from the endangered Wee Jasper Grevillea (Grevillea iaspicula, Proteaceae). Muelleria 29 (1), 93-96.
  • Hoebee, S.E., P.H. Thrall & A.G. Young. 2008. Integrating population demography, genetics and self-incompatibility in a viability assessment of the Wee Jasper Grevillea (Grevillea iaspicula McGill., Proteaceae). Conservation Genetics 9 (3), 515-529.
  • Holderegger, R., R. Haener, D. Csencsics, S. Angelone & S.E. Hoebee. 2008. S-allele diversity suggests no mate limitation in small populations of a self-incompatible plant. Evolution 62 (11), 2922-2928.
  • Angelone, S., K. Hilfiker, R. Holderegger, A. Bergamini & S.E. Hoebee. 2007. Regional population dynamics define the local genetic structure in Sorbus torminalis. Molecular Ecology 16 (6), 1291-1301.
  • Hoebee, S.E., U. Arnold, C. Dueggelin, F. Gugerli, S. Brodbeck, P. Rotach & R. Holderegger. 2007. Mating patterns and contemporary gene flow by pollen in a large continuous and a small isolated population of the scattered forest tree Sorbus torminalis. Heredity 99 (1), 47-55.
  • Hoebee, S.E., C. Menn, P. Rotach, R. Finkeldey & R. Holderegger. 2006. Spatial genetic structure of Sorbus torminalis: the extent of clonal reproduction in natural stands of a rare tree species with a scattered distribution. Forest Ecology and Management 226 (1-3), 1-8.
  • Newbigin, E., S. Hoebee, S. Swain, M. Groszmann & A. Young. 2006. Molecular control of reproduction in wild radish. Proceedings of the Wild Radish and other Cruciferous Weeds Symposium. Pp. 66-72. Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.
  • Holderegger, R., S. Angelone, S. Brodbeck, D. Csencsics, F. Gugerli, S.E. Hoebee & R. Finkeldey. 2005. Application of genetic markers to the discrimination of European Black Poplar (Populus nigra) from American Black Poplar (P. deltoides) and Hybrid Poplars (P. x euramericana) in Switzerland. Trees 19 (6), 743-748.
  • Wagner, H., S. Werth, R. Holderegger, F. Gugerli, S.E. Hoebee & C. Scheidegger. 2005. Variogram analysis of the spatial genetic structure of continuous populations using multi-locus microsatellite data. Genetics 169 (3), 1739-1752.
  • Walser, J.-C., R. Holderegger, F. Gugerli, S.E. Hoebee & C. Scheidegger. 2005. Microsatellites reveal regional population differentiation and isolation in Lobaria pulmonaria, an epiphytic lichen. Molecular Ecology 14 (2), 457-467.

Older publications

  • Hoebee, S.E. & A.G. Young. 2001. Low neighbourhood size and high interpopulation differentiation in the endangered shrub Grevillea iaspicula McGill. (Proteaceae). Heredity 86 (4), 489-496.
  • Olivan, M., H. Dove, R.W. Mayes & S.E. Hoebee. 1999. Recent developments in the use of alkanes and other plant wax components to estimate intake and diet composition in herbivores. Revista Portuguesa de Zootecnia 6 (1), 1-26.
  • Hoebee, S.E. 1999. Survey Report: Gentiana wingecarribiensis and suitable habitat. Prepared for the N.S.W. National Parks and Wildlife Service and The Wingecarribee Threatened Species Task Force.
  • Hoebee, S. 1998. New Research Project: Population genetics, ecology and conservation of the rare and endangered species Grevillea iaspicula McGillivray and Gentiana wingecarribiensis L. Adams. Danthonia 6 (4), 12.
  • Hoebee, S.E., H. Dove & D.I. Officer. 1998. Using plant wax alkanes to estimate the species composition of sub-tropical grass mixtures. Animal Production in Australia 22, 364.

Foreign Language Publications:

  • Haener, R., S.E. Hoebee & R. Holderegger. 2006. Peuplements de poiriers sauvages : petits mais precieux? La Foret 3, 12-14 (in French).
  • Haener, R., S.E. Hoebee & R. Holderegger. 2005. Wildbirnenbestaende - klein aber fein? Wald und Holz 5, 29-32 (in German).
  • Wirth, L.R., S. Angelone, S.E. Hoebee, U. Arnold, C. Dueggelin, K. Hilfiker, S. Brodbeck, F. Gugerli & R. Holderegger. 2005. Die Elsbeere (Sorbus torminalis) - Fruchtbarkeit trotz Einsamkeit. Wald und Holz 86 (2), 33-35 (in German).
  • Holderegger, R., U. Arnold, P. Bonfils, A. Dounavi, R. Finkeldey, F. Gugerli, K. Hilfiker, S. Hoebee, P. Rotach, S. Studhalter & M. Ulber. 2002. WSL-Forschungsprojekte zu seltenen Baumarten in der Abteilung Genetische Oekologie, insbesondere der Elsbeere. Corminaria 17, 11 (in German).

 

Research projects

Current project themes include:

- pollination biology;

- infra-specific species variation in native plants; and

- reproductive and molecular variation in invasive species.