Research Interests
Wildlife ecology at large is my passion. Finding novel and interesting ways to discover new knowledge is what intrigues me. Contributing to conservation of wildlife is my lifelong goal.
My specific interests involve integrating ecology, genomics and modelling to better understand wildlife dynamics from the individual to the landscape scale. As dispersal is a key process for a population's viability, I am interested in understanding the various dispersal strategies that exist within a population. One technique to study dispersal is through using estimates of genetic relatedness coupled with spatial data. I am also interested in exploring the potential of using genetic relatedness to better understand underlying processes that occur across the landscape beyond dispersal.
Current Research
In my position as a researcher in Umeå, I work with wild populations both locally and internationally. My work involves whole genome assembly and analysis, population genetics/genomics, and pedigree/relatedness analysis. As projects develop, I will update this page with project-specific information. More details will follow soon.
San Diego Zoo Global Post Doc Project
Although I am no longer a Postdoctoral Associate at San Diego Zoo, I will continue to work with the project, which entails integrating molecular data into pedigree management. Currently, genetic relatedness is estimated through kinship calculations based on the observed pedigree. However, a lack of knowledge of founder relatedness confounded by unknown or uncertain parentage issues lead to gaps in pedigrees across ex situ populations, making population management challenging at best. As the main goal of population management is to maintain genetic diversity, a holistic solution is necessary to resolve incomplete pedigrees. The aim of this project is to develop an algorithm that incorporates genome-wide SNPs from RAD-Seq libraries comprised of informative individuals. True estimates of genetic relatedness incorporated into the algorithm will result in pedigree resolution. This project is funded by an IMLS grant and the PI is Dr. Jamie Ivy.
This work involves two steps: The first is to identify priority individuals for genetic sampling. For this, I have developed two methods, one that is based on a new baseline consisting of the living part of the pedigree, the other is aimed at resolving the pedigree from population inception. I have developed a Windows-based software package that incorporates these two methods called PedSam. The second step is the development of an algorithm that integrates genetic relatedness into the pedigree for resolution. I am currently working on an algorithm that will resolve the living pedigree (new baseline). More details to come in the near future.
The result of this work will help managers to make more informed decisions on which pairs of individuals to breed with the ultimate goal of minimizing inbreeding and maintaining genetic diversity within the population. As most of this work will be applied to species that are, to some degree, at risk of extinction and whose population numbers are already low, this work will hopefully contribute to the immense efforts involved in preserving species.
Past Research
My PhD project involved the development of a set of specialized SNPs useful for inferring relatedness for the Swedish brown bear (Ursus arctos). The set includes 87 autosomal SNPs, 3 X-chromosome SNPs, 2 Y-chromosome markers, and 4 mitochondrial markers. The sex chromosome markers are useful for identifying sex of individuals as well as maternity. The mitochondrial markers are useful for identifying one of three subpopulation origins. More information can be found here.
We have used these SNPs to estimate dispersal distances of brown bears in the southern Swedish population. Using SNP data from non-invasively-collected samples across the two counties of Dalarna and Gävleborg, we reconstructed pedigrees, identified mother-offspring pairs and measured the geographic distance between them.
We have used the same SNP data to analyze relatedness within the landscape to detect fine-scale spatial structuring. We found two areas that appear segregated from the rest of the population and there is evidence that inbreeding may have occurred. For more details, read our article here.
Wildlife ecology at large is my passion. Finding novel and interesting ways to discover new knowledge is what intrigues me. Contributing to conservation of wildlife is my lifelong goal.
My specific interests involve integrating ecology, genomics and modelling to better understand wildlife dynamics from the individual to the landscape scale. As dispersal is a key process for a population's viability, I am interested in understanding the various dispersal strategies that exist within a population. One technique to study dispersal is through using estimates of genetic relatedness coupled with spatial data. I am also interested in exploring the potential of using genetic relatedness to better understand underlying processes that occur across the landscape beyond dispersal.
Current Research
In my position as a researcher in Umeå, I work with wild populations both locally and internationally. My work involves whole genome assembly and analysis, population genetics/genomics, and pedigree/relatedness analysis. As projects develop, I will update this page with project-specific information. More details will follow soon.
San Diego Zoo Global Post Doc Project
Although I am no longer a Postdoctoral Associate at San Diego Zoo, I will continue to work with the project, which entails integrating molecular data into pedigree management. Currently, genetic relatedness is estimated through kinship calculations based on the observed pedigree. However, a lack of knowledge of founder relatedness confounded by unknown or uncertain parentage issues lead to gaps in pedigrees across ex situ populations, making population management challenging at best. As the main goal of population management is to maintain genetic diversity, a holistic solution is necessary to resolve incomplete pedigrees. The aim of this project is to develop an algorithm that incorporates genome-wide SNPs from RAD-Seq libraries comprised of informative individuals. True estimates of genetic relatedness incorporated into the algorithm will result in pedigree resolution. This project is funded by an IMLS grant and the PI is Dr. Jamie Ivy.
This work involves two steps: The first is to identify priority individuals for genetic sampling. For this, I have developed two methods, one that is based on a new baseline consisting of the living part of the pedigree, the other is aimed at resolving the pedigree from population inception. I have developed a Windows-based software package that incorporates these two methods called PedSam. The second step is the development of an algorithm that integrates genetic relatedness into the pedigree for resolution. I am currently working on an algorithm that will resolve the living pedigree (new baseline). More details to come in the near future.
The result of this work will help managers to make more informed decisions on which pairs of individuals to breed with the ultimate goal of minimizing inbreeding and maintaining genetic diversity within the population. As most of this work will be applied to species that are, to some degree, at risk of extinction and whose population numbers are already low, this work will hopefully contribute to the immense efforts involved in preserving species.
Past Research
My PhD project involved the development of a set of specialized SNPs useful for inferring relatedness for the Swedish brown bear (Ursus arctos). The set includes 87 autosomal SNPs, 3 X-chromosome SNPs, 2 Y-chromosome markers, and 4 mitochondrial markers. The sex chromosome markers are useful for identifying sex of individuals as well as maternity. The mitochondrial markers are useful for identifying one of three subpopulation origins. More information can be found here.
We have used these SNPs to estimate dispersal distances of brown bears in the southern Swedish population. Using SNP data from non-invasively-collected samples across the two counties of Dalarna and Gävleborg, we reconstructed pedigrees, identified mother-offspring pairs and measured the geographic distance between them.
We have used the same SNP data to analyze relatedness within the landscape to detect fine-scale spatial structuring. We found two areas that appear segregated from the rest of the population and there is evidence that inbreeding may have occurred. For more details, read our article here.