luke browne

La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science

Conservation Genomics

One of the primary strengths of La Kretz Center researchers is the intersection of conservation biology and cutting-edge genomic science. We actively fund projects that bring together academics, resource and land policy professionals, and regulatory experts to optimally use the power of genomics in the conservation of California’s threatened and exploited species. In partnership with the UCLA Grand Challenges program, we have launched the California Conservation Genomics Project. In addition, we continue to fund researchers as they quantify the distribution of genetic variation that is critical for adaptation and species resilience in the face of climate change, habitat fragmentation, and other challenges faced by declining species.

PROJECTS

Monitoring of artificial reef restoration in Palos Verdes using eDNA

Awardee: Elijah Catalan, first year Ph.D. student at the Institute of Environment and Sustainability. Elijah's research intends to bring together genomic-based biodiversity monitoring, biogeochemistry, Indigenous tribal knowledge, and stewardship programs to understand the resilience of coastal and marine biodiversity to climate change and possibilities for adaptation on the West Coast.

environmental dna as a tool for assessing microbial diversity & ecological impacts by contaminants at the bowtie parcel brownfield site in southern california

Environmental DNA as a tool for assessing microbial diversity & ecological impacts by contaminants at The Bowtie parcel Brownfield site in Southern California

Awardee: Maura Palacios, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Wayne Lab. Maura's projects use eDNA to assess species assemblages in the Mojave Desert Springs, a threatened ecosystem and to explore microbial community changes in relation to hazardous materials at Brownfield sites throughout Southern California, for potential bioremediation practices.

Publications

Divergent sensory and immune gene evolution in sea turtles with contrasting demographic and life histories

B.P. Bentley, T. Carrasco-Valenzuela, E.K.S. Ramos, H. Pawar, L.S. Arantes, A. Alexander, S.M. Banerjee, P. Masterson, M. Kuhlwilm, M. Pippel, J. Mountcastle, B. Haase, M. Uliano-Silva, G. Formenti, K. Howe, W. Chow, A. Tracey, Y. Sims, S. Pelan, J. Wood, K. Yetsko, J.R. Perrault, K. Stewart, S.R. Benson, Y. Levy, E.V. Todd, H.B. Shaffer, P. Scott, B.T. Henen, R.W. Murphy, D.W. Mohr, A.F. Scott, D.J. Duffy, N.J. Gemmell, A. Suh, S. Winkler, F. Thibaud-Nissen, M.F. Nery, T. Marques-Bonet, A. Antunes, Y. Tikochinski, P.H. Dutton, O. Fedrigo, E.W. Myers, E.D. Jarvis, C.J. Mazzoni, L.M. Komoroske

Published Work | 2023 | PNAS, Volume 120, Issue 7

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