Dr Lilith Zecherle: PhD Student 2016-20
PhD Student at Liverpool John Moores Universsity co-supervised by Dr Hazel Nichols (Swansea University), Dr Shirli Bar David (Ben Gurion University of the Negev) and Prof Richard Brown (LJMU).
My PhD applyies genomic methods and landscape ecology to species conservation. Landscape genomics is a new, fast -developing field which uses an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the interaction between environmental features, gene flow and selection. For my PhD I am focussing on the population genomics of the reintroduced Asiatic wild ass Equus hemionus in Israel. This population provides an important case study for species conservation. The native E. h. hemippus became extinct in Israel and a reintroduction program began in 1982. The population is of particular interest to conservation reintroduction programs, as the founding individuals were hybrids of two different subspecies (E.h.onager and E.h.kulan). Now the population continues to grow and expand its range across the diverse habitats of Southern Israel, thereby providing an excellent model for environmental effects on the dispersal and genetic structure of small, recovering populations.
By using a ddRADseq genome-wide analysis of SNPs of the original hybrid founder individuals and the current population (estimated at 300 individuals), we will examine the effective population size, genetic diversity loss, inbreeding levels and local adaptation since release. An extensive database of environmental variables will be used to analyse effects of landscape composition on patterns of gene flow and relatedness among the current wild population.
This will provide new insights into the genetics of reintroductions and generate a detailed information base to support the successful management of this endangered E. hemionus population.
My PhD applyies genomic methods and landscape ecology to species conservation. Landscape genomics is a new, fast -developing field which uses an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the interaction between environmental features, gene flow and selection. For my PhD I am focussing on the population genomics of the reintroduced Asiatic wild ass Equus hemionus in Israel. This population provides an important case study for species conservation. The native E. h. hemippus became extinct in Israel and a reintroduction program began in 1982. The population is of particular interest to conservation reintroduction programs, as the founding individuals were hybrids of two different subspecies (E.h.onager and E.h.kulan). Now the population continues to grow and expand its range across the diverse habitats of Southern Israel, thereby providing an excellent model for environmental effects on the dispersal and genetic structure of small, recovering populations.
By using a ddRADseq genome-wide analysis of SNPs of the original hybrid founder individuals and the current population (estimated at 300 individuals), we will examine the effective population size, genetic diversity loss, inbreeding levels and local adaptation since release. An extensive database of environmental variables will be used to analyse effects of landscape composition on patterns of gene flow and relatedness among the current wild population.
This will provide new insights into the genetics of reintroductions and generate a detailed information base to support the successful management of this endangered E. hemionus population.