ECOLOGICAL GENETICS & CONSERVATION

Vanessa Huml

 

Conservation and adaptive genetic variation in the European grayling

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My work is looking at how local adaptation and pathogens impact European grayling populations.  I am using genetics tools to identify functionally important genes of the immune system. Genetic variation at functional sites of the genome has an adaptive value if it is a result from different selection pressures, as from bacterial pathogens, where distinct genetic variants have an advantage. I am interested in how genetic variation compares to bacterial diversity and environmental characteristics, like water quality, to determine how these parameters may impact local adaptation. Overall, my work will impact European grayling conservation by contributing to understanding how UK populations of grayling cope with environmental change.