Conservation Genetics in the Age of Genomics

Genome sequencing enables scientists to study genes over time and totest the genetic variability of any form of life, from bacteria to mammals. Thanksto advances in molecular genetics, scientists can now determine an animal's degreeof inbreeding or compare genetic variation of a captive species to wild or naturalpopulations. Mapping an organism's genetic makeup recasts such terms as biodiversityand species and enables the conservation of rare or threatened species, populations,and genes.By introducing a new paradigm for studying andpreserving life at a variety of levels, genomics offers solutions to previouslyintractable problems in understanding the biology of complex organisms and createsnew tools for preserving the patterns and processes of the history of life on thisplanet. Featuring a number of high-profile researchers, this volume introduces theuse of molecular genetics in conservation biology and provides a historicalperspective on the opportunities and challenges presented by new technologies. Itdiscusses the role of zoo-, museum-, and herbarium-based biological collections,which has expanded over the past decade, and covers the promises and problems ofgenomic and reproductive technology. The collection concludes with the philosophicaland legal issues of conservation and potential effects on the formation of publicpolicy.

George Amato is director of the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics at the American Museum of Natural History, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and Fordham University, and a research associate in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at Yale University. Rob DeSalle is curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History and Scientist at the Museum's Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics. He is an adjunct professor at Columbia University and New York University and is the editor of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Oliver Ryder is the Associate director and Kleberg Chair of Genetics at the Zoological Society of San Diego's Conservation and Research of Endangered Species Program. Howard Rosenbaum is the director of the Ocean Giants program at the Wildlife Conservation Society.