Skip to main content
What can we help you find?

Research

What is Conservation Genomics?

Conservation genomics is a field of study that uses biotechnology to conserve and restore biodiversity. Within species, the level of genetic diversity is directly proportional to a species’ ability to adapt, survive, and thrive.

To date, one of the most detailed conservation genomics studies of any wildlife species focused on American bison. This species experienced a well-documented population decline between 1800 and 1900 that reduced its numbers by over 99%!

The spectacular recovery of over 700,000 animals present today is a testament to their genetic constitution and is recognized as one of the most significant accomplishments in modern conservation biology.

Some Past Projects

  • Genomic Technology for North American Bison Conservation (Sam Stroupe)
  • African Lion Conservation Genomics (Caitlin Curry)
  • Uncovering the Genomic Signatures of Population Structure and Introgression in American Bison Bison (David Forgacs)
  • Preserving Genetic Information of Wildlife Species (Jerad Dabney)
  • Genetic Catalog of Huntable Wildlife Species of Africa (Floyd Barnes)
  • The Utilization of Genetic Markers to Resolve Modern Management Issues in Historic Bison Populations: Implications for Species Conservation (Natalie Halbert)
  • Sequencing the Genome of American Bison (Lauren Dobson) 
  • Assessment of Recent Bottlenecks: A Case Study of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas Stock of Bowhead Whales (Alex Rooney) 
  • Developing DNA-Based Technologies in North American Bison: Parentage Testing, Linkage Mapping and QTL Scans (Robert Schnabel)
  • An Evaluation of the Outcome of Interspecific Hybridization Events Coincident with Dramatic Demographic Decline in North American Bison (Todd Ward)
This graph represents the survival and repopulation of bison by tracking the major founding lineages from wild-captured bison to modern populations. It does not include all bison movement but is instead meant to show the contribution and influence that the founding herds have on modern populations based on documented evidence of transferring bison. This figure also identifies populations that are known to have domestic cattle introgression, whether through historical documentation or modern genetic testing, and the years when each population was established. The Banff National Park population is not the same as the reintroduced animals that currently reside in the park. (Coder 1975) (American Bison Society 1908) (Dratch & Gogan 2010) (COSEWIC 2013) (The Catalina Islander, 1924, Fourteen Buffalo Are Free on Catalina Island). (From Stroupe et.al 2022).
A) Map and B) Genetic Tree for African Lion Conservation Genomics
Radiated maximum likelihood tree with branch support. Clades are colored by region. Haplotypes in bold are found in Zambia. The map insert is from Curry et al. 2015, showing the locations of the lions sampled. Circles indicate geographic locations for populations determined by Antunes et al. UGA (Uganda); KEN (Kenya); SER (Serengeti National Park, Tanzania); NGC (Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania); KRU (Kruger National Park, South Africa); BOT-I (Southern Botswana and Kalahari, South Africa); BOT-II (Northern Botswana); NAM (Namibia); GIR (Gir Forest, India); ANG (Angola); ZBW (Zimbabwe); and MOR (Morocco). A square denotes ZAM (Zambia).