Climate change, the biodiversity crisis and how genetics can help with conservation.
Many species are headed for extinction worldwide. The loss of one species affects many others – including us – because of the interdependence of all their lifecycles. A species becomes more vulnerable to extinction when there’s a reduction in the variety of genes in its population. Conservation genetics is the study of the genetic makeup of populations and their ability to adapt to changing environments. It shows how to strengthen threatened species by maintaining their genetic diversity.
Pablo is a population geneticist and evolutionary biologist working at the junction of genomics, bioinformatics, evolutionary genetics and conservation biology. His research group uses molecular biology to study the evolutionary history of species, to help address questions of relevance in wildlife, agriculture and habitat restoration.