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Conservation genomics: genetic diversity and inbreeding

Published on September 28, 2023   26 min

A selection of talks on Plant & Animal Sciences

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0:00
Hello, I'm Jacqueline Robinson and I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Institute for Human Genetics at the University of California, San Francisco. In this presentation, we will be covering some of the fundamental theories and practical applications of conservation genomics with a particular focus on genetic diversity and inbreeding.
0:22
There is accumulating evidence that Earth is currently in the midst of a global extinction crisis, driven by the direct and indirect impacts of human activity. The five most prominent factors driving this extinction crisis are, one, changes in land and sea use, such as the draining of wetlands or clearing of forests for agriculture. Two, the direct exploitation of organisms such as fishing and poaching. Three, climate change. Four, pollution, and five, invasive species. Unfortunately, as we see in the graph on the left, the extinction rates of many groups of organisms are increasing rapidly. Effective conservation efforts are needed now more than ever, and will become increasingly vital as time goes on.
1:08
Conservation is a little different from many other disciplines in that it is mission driven and highly multidisciplinary. Its ultimate mission is to preserve biodiversity and the processes that sustain it. Achieving this goal requires incorporating many fields of knowledge, including ecology, evolution, law, economics, and more. In the rest of this presentation we will be focusing on how genetics factors into conservation.
1:37
First, we will cover the aims and methods of modern conservation genomics. Then we will learn about applications and conservation based on genetic similarity or distinctiveness. Then we will see how genetic diversity is correlated with population size or abundance before moving on to the topics of inbreeding and inbreeding depression. Finally, we will see how genomics may be useful in efforts to prevent or even reverse extinctions.

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Conservation genomics: genetic diversity and inbreeding

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