Evolutionary dynamics of genomic erosion and its application in biodiversity conservation

Reducing biodiversity loss is one of the most pressing societal challenges of our time. Population decline leads to genomic erosion that jeopardises the long-term viability of species.

We will use the latest methods in (paleo)genomics, quantitative genomics and evolutionary modelling to assess the dynamics of genomic erosion and understand its effects on population viability and extinction risk.

First, we will conduct one of the most comprehensive studies of genomic fitness in endangered species to date by examining the fitness effects of genomic erosion in 6,530 individuals of three iconic bird species collected over the past four decades.

I will reveal the diversity that segregated within the original populations before they collapsed using zooarchaeological (~1,500-years old) and museum-preserved (~100-years old) samples.

I will then develop a modelling framework that is parameterized and validated with these empirical data to predict the consequences of genomic erosion.

I will use this framework to understand the effectiveness of conservation strategies in collaboration with the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

We will then use our modelling framework to project the climate change vulnerabilities of three species of cold-adapted Holarctic birds and understand how to mitigate these risks in collaboration with The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)