Tropical Wildlife Genomics

Tropical wildlife populations are rapidly declining, and improving conservation strategies to protect species at the brink of extinction is critical. Today, genomic approaches are becoming increasingly important toolkits for understanding wildlife biology and informing sustainable conservation and management actions for wildlife populations and their habitats. Despite the importance and power of genomics in modern-day wildlife science, we still lack adequate datasets for understanding the biology and conservation genomics of several tropical amphibian, reptile and fish species. To date, these faunal group faces complex issues in tropical regions, including imminent extinction due to hunting, habitat destruction, diseases, etc. For many threatened wildlife, the genetic rescue of remaining populations is now their last chance, making genomics an essential part of future recovery efforts for these tropical faunas. Our goal here is to use genomic tools to assess, monitor, and manage endangered tropical wildlife species and significantly advance biological discovery, conservation and understanding of tropical fauna. Here, we aim to use genomic tools to

(1) identify populations and units for conservation,

(2) assess effective population size and connectivity,

(3) detect hybridization among co-occurring species that could hamper species conservation;

(4) assess the potential of populations to persist and adapt to diverse tropical environment, and

(5) investigate trait evolution.