An ancestral recombination graph approach to conservation genomics

Time period:

1 January 2026 – 31 December 2029

Project leader:

Alexander Mackintosh

Funder:

Formas

Type of award:

Unclassified

Total funding:

4,494,064 SEK

Human activity has reduced habitat availability for many species on earth, with previously widespread populations now fragmented and at risk of extinction. Analysis of genome sequence data has emerged as a promising tool to inform the conservation management of such populations. However, the summaries of genome sequence variation typically used for conservation investigations are only weakly informative about the processes relevant to understanding biodiversity loss and informing conservation practices. In this project I will take a new approach to conservation genomics by connecting genome sequence variation to population processes via the ancestral recombination graph (ARG). This approach uses far more of the information contained in sequence data and so allows for detailed inference of population processes and better predictions of conservation outcomes. I will develop new ARG-based methods and apply these to a threatened grasshopper species in Sweden (Psophus stridulus) in collaboration with the organisations responsible for its conservation management. This research will generate new knowledge about how habitat loss has shaped evolution in a threatened species. More broadly, I will provide a powerful framework for genomic investigations in species of conservation concern. This project marks an important step in my career, facilitating a transition from basic research in population genomics to applied research in conservation.