Testing the relationships between balancing selection and deleterious genetic mutations in four endangered species of whale

Although small and isolated populations experience increased extinction risk, recent research shows that not all small populations are doomed to extinction. The ability to predict the probability of extinction in nature could therefore direct conservation resources to those populations most in need. One theory is that small populations can evade extinction when directional selection removes deleterious genetic mutations from populations. However, this understanding has been developed through laboratory experiments, which manipulate directional selection and ignore balancing selection. In nature, genomic diversity, including deleterious mutation, is shaped by both directional and balancing selection. To accurately predict extinction risk in natural populations, it may thus be valuable to understand the relationship between balancing selection and deleterious genetic mutations. Through a collaborative effort with Dr. Andrew D. Foote and his lab at The University of Oslo (UiO), I propose to quantify the relationships between balancing selection and mutation load across four species of endangered whale using bioinformatics methods and conservation genomics approaches. Working with colleagues at UiO will enable the cooperative development of bioinformatics code and the sharing of ideas that could then foster future research projects inclusive of international partnership in the spirit of knowledge and conservation.

Faculty Supervisor:

Timothy Frasier

Student:

Partner:

University of Oslo

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Sustainability & the Environment; Life Sciences (not health)

University:

Saint Mary's University

Program: