Conservation genomics: the science of plentiful scarcity

Abstract

Conservation genomics: the science of plentiful scarcity.

Joop Ouborg
section Conservation Genetics
Institute for Water and Wetland Ecology
Radboud University Nijmegen
j.ouborg@science.ru.nl

Over the past twenty years conservation genetics has progressed from being mainly a theory-based field of population biology to a full-grown empirical discipline. Technological developments in molecular genetics have led to extensive use of neutral molecular markers such as microsatellites in conservation biology. This has allowed assessment of the impact of genetic drift on genetic variation, of the level of inbreeding within populations, and of the amount of gene flow between or within populations. Recent developments in genomic techniques, including next generation sequencing, whole genome scans and gene-expression pattern analysis, have made it possible to step up from a limited number of neutral markers to genome-wide estimates of functional genetic variation. These developments stimulate the transition of conservation genetics to conservation genomics.
Conservation genomics is necessary for studying functional genomic variation as function of drift and inbreeding, for studying the mechanisms that relate low genetic variation to low fitness, for integrating environmental and genetic approaches to conservation biology, and for developing modern, fast monitoring tools.

Publications:
Ouborg et al. 2006
Ouborg et al. 2010