Population genomics for wildlife conservation and management
- Paul Hohenlohe,
- W. Chris Funk,
- Om Rajora
Abstract
Biodiversity is under threat worldwide. Over the past decade, the field
of population genomics has developed across non-model organisms, and the
results of this research have begun to be applied in conservation and
management of wildlife species. Genomics tools can provide precise
estimates of basic features of wildlife populations, such as effective
population size, inbreeding, demographic history, and population
structure, that are critical for conservation efforts. Moreover,
population genomics studies can identify particular genetic loci and
variants responsible for inbreeding depression or adaptation to changing
environments, allowing for conservation efforts to estimate the capacity
of populations to evolve and adapt in response to environmental change
and to manage for adaptive variation. While connections from basic
research to applied wildlife conservation have been slow to develop,
these connections are increasingly strengthening. Here we review the
primary areas in which population genomics approaches can be applied to
wildlife conservation and management, highlight examples of how they
have been used, and provide recommendations for building on the progress
that has been made in this field.20 Mar 2020Submitted to Molecular Ecology 21 Mar 2020Submission Checks Completed
21 Mar 2020Assigned to Editor
01 Apr 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
02 Jul 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
17 Aug 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
02 Oct 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
02 Oct 20201st Revision Received
29 Oct 2020Editorial Decision: Accept