Anne Kemp is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

and

paleoichthyologist The evolution of fish began about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion. It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates. The first fish ...

who specializes in

lungfish Lungfish are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the order Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining ancestral characteristics within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and ancestral structures within Sarcopterygii, i ...

es (order

Dipnoi Lungfish are freshwater vertebrates belonging to the order Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining ancestral characteristics within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and ancestral structures within Sarcopterygii, i ...

). Her primary area of study is the

Australian lungfish The Australian lungfish (''Neoceratodus forsteri''), also known as the Queensland lungfish, Burnett salmon and barramunda, is the only surviving member of the family Neoceratodontidae. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world. ...

(''Neoceratodus forsteri''). She has served as a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian s ...

since 2010. Prior to this, she had also served as a research fellow at

Queensland Museum The Queensland Museum is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist mu ...

between 1980 and 1991, and at the Centre of Microscopy at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

between 1999 and 2008. Kemp's pioneering work was with Australian lungfish in the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the Go ...

and at Enoggera Reservoir beginning in 1969; they are no longer thought to exist at the latter location. She has documented the decline of the species at many locations in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

at due to

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

, finding significant lack of recruitment in the populations due to the construction of

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

s, and supports conservation efforts for the endangered species. Aside from her work with the Australian lungfish, Kemp also studies the evolutionary history of lungfishes, including the creation of a new

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...

of post-

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

lungfish species as well as the description of many fossil lungfish species. A species of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

lungfish in the genus ''

Ferganoceratodus ''Ferganoceratodus'' is a genus of prehistoric lungfish known from the Jurassic and possibly Early Cretaceous of Asia. It is a basal member of the suborder Ceratodontoidei. Despite only being known from Mesozoic-aged rocks, phylogenetic analyse ...

'' described in 2020, ''

Ferganoceratodus annekempae ''Ferganoceratodus'' is a genus of prehistoric lungfish known from the Jurassic and possibly Early Cretaceous of Asia. It is a basal member of the suborder Ceratodontoidei. Despite only being known from Mesozoic-aged rocks, phylogenetic analyses ...

'', was named after her.

References

External links

* * Australian ichthyologists Women ichthyologists Women paleontologists Australian women biologists Australian paleontologists 20th-century Australian zoologists 20th-century Australian women scientists 21st-century Australian zoologists 21st-century Australian women scientists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Australia-scientist-stub