Karen Bell

Karen Bell is a postdoctoral fellow at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Her research involves molecular systematics and phylogeography of plants, particularly investigating natural and human-mediated dispersal. Her background is in molecular biology, biogeography and systematics. She started out in entomology, and moved into botany via research on plant–insect interactions. Karen’s current research includes phylogeography of Acacia (s.l.) farnesiana, a species with a pan-tropical distribution; and biogeography of Adansonia spp. (baobabs), a genus with a distribution that defies biogeographic expectations, with the highest species richness of extant species in Madagascar, a single species in continental Africa, and a single species in north-western Australia.

Projects

• Movements of plants into pre-British Australia

Publications

Bell, K.L., Heard, T.A. and Klinken, R.D. van (2011). Natural enemies of invasive Hymenachne amplexicaulis and its native congener in Australia and the potential for biological control. Biological Control 57, 130–137.

Bell, K.L. and Philips, T.K. (2009). New species of the myrmecophile Polyplocotes Westwood (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) from South Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 48, 15-24.

Bell, K.L. and Philips, T.K. (2008). A revision of the South African myrmecophile Diplocotidus (Coleoptera : Ptinidae). African Entomology 16, 33–40.

Bell, K.L. and Philips, T.K. (2008). Four new species of the myrmecophile Diplocotes Westwood (Coleoptera : Ptinidae) from Queensland and South Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology 47, 80–86.

Philips, T.K. and Bell, K.L. (2008). Attavicinus, a new generic name for the myrmecophilous dung beetle Liatongus monstrosus (Scarabaeidae : Scarabaeinae). Coleopterists Bulletin 62, 67–81.

Full publication list