Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to page-level navigation Go to the Disability Resource Centre Website Go to the DRC Booking Accommodation Portal Go to the Inclusive Technology Lab Website
The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
UBC Okanagan News
  • Research
  • People
    • Student Profile
    • Faculty Profile
    • Alumni Spotlight
  • Campus Life
    • Campus News
    • Student Life
    • Teaching & Learning
  • Community Engagement
  • About the Collection
    • Stories for Media
  • UBCO Events
  • Search All Stories
Home / 2015 / July / 21 / New research advances genetic studies in wildlife conservation
Environment & Sustainability, Teaching & Learning

New research advances genetic studies in wildlife conservation

July 21, 2015

An elusive and climate-sensitive American pika (Ochotona princeps) calling.  Image Credit: Philippe Henry, CC BY 4.0

An elusive and climate-sensitive American pika (Ochotona princeps) calling. Image Credit: Philippe Henry, CC BY 4.0

‘Next-gen’ DNA sequencing of non-invasively collected hair expands field of conservation genetics

New research shows that the entire genome – the complete set of DNA information — of hard-to-study species may now be available to scientists without the need to handle or even see the organism they are studying.

Published this week in the open access journal PeerJ by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and SNPsaurus LLC, the research opens up the field of conservation genomics to the use of non-invasive sampling techniques.

Information embedded within DNA has long contributed to biodiversity conservation, helping to reconstruct the past history of species, assess their current status, and guide strategies for their protection. Endangered and elusive species may be both rare and difficult to locate. As a result, conservation geneticists typically have to rely on sources of DNA collected non-invasively, such as from hair, feathers or feces.

“Until now, these approaches have been quite successful in obtaining genetic information from a handful of markers across the genome,” says Michael Russello, associate professor of biology in UBC’s Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the study. “However, so-called ‘next-generation DNA sequencing’ (NGS) now allows researchers to collect massive volumes of genetic data on the scale of entire genomes, but harnessing such technology for endangered species can be quite challenging.”

For example, NGS typically requires high quality and large quantities of starting DNA extracted from fresh tissues or blood. Acquiring such materials is trivial for humans; a mere cheek swab will usually do. This is not the case, say, for the Amur leopard, which is both rare and elusive. In such cases, scientists and managers must rely on non-invasively collected sources of DNA that typically yield low quality and low quantity of starting material.

The new study demonstrates that the non-invasive sampling essential for many conservation-related studies is now compatible with the minimum requirements for harnessing NGS technologies. As a result, it will now be possible to further expand the field of conservation genetics in the genomics era.

“We were able to collect genome-wide data from natural populations of the elusive and climate-sensitive American pika on a scale unheard of just a few years ago,” says Russello.

The research relied on DNA extracted from hair samples collected using rolled packing tape by Matthew Waterhouse, a PhD candidate at UBC and co-author of the study.

“The flexibility gained by using non-invasive approaches opens up sampling opportunities and increases sample sizes that are critical for our genetic studies, all while minimizing impact on the individual pika,” says Waterhouse.

The innovative data collection approach pioneered by Eric Johnson and Paul Etter of SNPsaurus LLC, both co-authors of the study, enabled the sampling of almost 10,000 variable sites in the American pika genome using, in some cases, as little as 1 nanogram (one billionth of a gram) of starting DNA extracted from hair.

“There are tremendous benefits for expanding our coverage of the genome when studying species of conservation concern, as it vastly improves our inferences of key genetic characteristics of populations and opens up new avenues for inquiry in the form of potentially identifying those parts of the genome that are involved in organisms’ ability to adapt to changing environments,” says Russello.

The use of NGS on non-invasively collected samples is not without its challenges, but can be overcome with a host of careful considerations pointed out by the authors.

In an era in which global biodiversity continues to decline at rates consistent with a mass extinction, conservation scientists and managers can now add genomics to their toolkit for attempting to document and reverse this trend.

An elusive and climate-sensitive American pika (Ochotona princeps) foraging.  Image Credit: Philippe Henry, CC BY 4.0

An elusive and climate-sensitive American pika (Ochotona princeps) foraging. Image Credit: Philippe Henry, CC BY 4.0

— 30 —

Media Contact

Bud Mortenson
Director
University Relations

The University of British Columbia
Okanagan campus
Tel: 250-807-9255
E-mail: bud.mortenson@ubc.ca

Content type: Media Advisory
More content from: Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences (prior July 2020)

Trending Stories

  • Opening doors for international student research
  • Cutting breakfast carbs can benefit people with Type 2 ...
  • Call for Canada to braid Indigenous rights with endangered ...
  • A student’s poor eating habits can lead to a ...
  • Why don’t we eat turkey eggs?
All Stories
Contact Media Relations

About UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the campus resides. The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top five per cent of universities in the world, and among the top three Canadian universities.

The Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

Discover more about UBC Okanagan

Find a Program Admissions Book a Tour UBCO Facts
UBC Okanagan Campus News, University Relations

Innovation Precinct Annexation 1 (IA1)
3505 Spectrum Court
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 2Z1

We respectfully acknowledge the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples, in whose traditional, ancestral, unceded territory UBC Okanagan is situated.

 

Search all stories

Subscribe to receive news by email

Visit UBC's Vancouver news room

Global and Admin Messages

News

Okanagan Campus

TikTok icon Linkedin icon

UBC Okanagan News
Okanagan Campus
3333 University Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
Find us on
  
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility