At the core of evolutionary analyses and conservation management is the need for understanding population dynamics, especially the rate of and effects of genetic drift. We have a long history of modeling population genetic dynamics, with implications for real world dynamics. Recently we have also extended our tool-set into that of using whole genome sequencing data to reconstruct changes in population size and admixture events over the past million years, in both fish and butterflies.

The Lakes Bävervattnen Project

Hotagen Nature Reserve and Natura 2000 area is located in the County of Jämtland, Sweden. Here, brown trout and Arctic char populations of three water systems are monitored genetically over time since the 1970s. These empirical data feed into many of our projects and are, and have been, used for a variety of fundamental issues relating to population dynamics and conservation genetics of both natural and experimentally released populations. Presently, the long term data series generated within this study provides important basis for the following projects of our group: Genetic monitoring and goals for conservation, Effective population size of metapopulations, and Genetic diversity in environmental monitoring.

Principal Investigators: Linda Laikre, Nils Ryman
Contributing Researchers: Anastasia Andersson, Sara Kurland
 

Genetics and life history dynamics of cryptic, sympatric salmonid populations

Genetically distinct, sympatric populations have been reported in several salmonid species and they are typically detected based on morphological or behavioural differences. In a few, rare cases sympatric populations have also been detected without obvious phenotypical differences, based on genetic data alone (i.e., cryptic populations). We work to understand the evolutionary mechanisms behind such sympatric populations including whether life history divergence occurs or whether, in fact, cryptic sympatric populations can exist in the absence of such divergence. We also address statistical power issues related to the detection of sympatric populations.

Principal Investigator: Linda Laikre
Contributing Researchers: Nils Ryman, Anastasia Andersson
Collaboratorating Researchers: Per Erik Jorde, Christopher Wheat

Genetic monitoring and goals for conservation

We study microevolutionary processes relating to conservation issues using empirical genetic data from a wide range of species. We describe patterns of genetic biodiversity over space and time, work to understand the processes that shape these patterns, and recommend how the information can be used for sustainable management and conservation genetic guidelines.  

Principal Investigators: Linda Laikre
Contributing Researchers: Nils Ryman, Anastasia Andersson, Sara Kurland, Maria Celorio, Lovisa Wennerström, Mari Edman
Collaborating Researcher: Christopher Wheat

Effective population size of metapopulations

The genetically effective population size (Ne) is the most widely used parameter for quantifying and monitoring rates of inbreeding and loss of genetic variation through drift. The concept was developed for single, isolated populations. We develop methods for modelling and understanding the dynamics of Ne in substructured populations (metapopulations), apply these to empirical cases and formulate conservation recommendations. We also address questions associated with estimating Ne from empirical data.  

Principal Investigators: Linda Laikre, Nils Ryman
Contributing Researcher: Sara Kurland
Collaboratorating Researcher: Ola Hössjer

Population genomics of butterflies

Understanding the evolutionary history of butterflies, from their origins to how populations have become adapted to their local conditions, is a central goal of our lab. We use a range of genomic based approaches, beginning with assembling high quality genomes. Onto this we then place samples of population variation from regions differening in their environmental conditions, such as from Spain and northern Sweden. Using this data we can then work to reconstruct the demographic history of populations, identify which regions may have undergone strong selective sweeps, as well as investigate specific functional categories of genes to ask if they are showing strong signals of local adaptation compared to the rest of the genome. We also investigate the recombination dynamics within and between species, investigating how this affects the landscape of genetic variation compared to other insects.

Principal Investigators: Christopher Wheat,  Karl Gotthard, Christer Wiklund, Soren Nylin
Contributing Researchers: Christen Bossu, Jason Hill, Lisa Fors, Naomi Pruisscher Keehnen, Peter Pruisscher, Ramprasad Neethiraj

Bridging the conservation genetics gap

Our research, followed by others, has shown that implementing conservation policy for genetic diversity lags considerably behind work for other biodiversity levels. This is known as the “conservation genetics gap”. Decades of conservation genetic research has contributed with a wealth of information of relevance for management, but is poorly used in practical management. This is a serious problem since genetic diversity constitutes the basis for adaptive potential and long term survival of species. We work in multi-disciplinary teams to investigate if and how genetic knowledge is used in management, why the conservation genetic gap exists and what means are effective to bridge it.

Principal Investigator: Linda Laikre
Contributing Researchers: Anastasia Andersson, Lovisa Wennerström, Mari Edman
Collaborating Researchers: Annica Sandström, Carina Lundmark, Klas Andersson, Andreas Duit, Sanna Lundquist

Genetic diversity in environmental monitoring

Genetic diversity is the basis of all biodiversity and is essential for populations´ and species´ long term survival and adaptation. This is recognized in international conservation policy but poorly implemented in practice. In Swedish environmental monitoring genetic diversity is presently not considered at all. This is a pilot project to suggest how genetic diversity can be included in monitoring programs. Two model species are used representing marine and freshwater habitats – Fucus and brown trout (Salmo trutta) – where our group focuses on the trout whereas the Fucus pilot is run by Professor Kerstin Johannesson at University of Gothenburg.

Principal Investigator: Linda Laikre
Contributing Researchers: Anastasia Andersson, Sara Kurland, Nils Ryman, Mari Edman
Collaborating Researcher: Kerstin Johannesson