Molecular Ecology Laboratory
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Molecular ecology is the study of the earth and its ecosystems through genetic methods. The main objectives of the USGS Alaska Science Center molecular ecology research program are to:
- Identify and fill gaps in our knowledge about species and population diagnosis, biodiversity, and health of wildlife and their habitats to inform decision making by management agencies
- Provide state-of-the-art molecular science applications and protocols for USGS, Department of Interior, and other partners.
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Publications
Conservation genomics in a changing arctic
Although logistically challenging to study, the Arctic is a bellwether for global change and is becoming a model for questions pertinent to the persistence of biodiversity. Disruption of Arctic ecosystems is accelerating, with impacts ranging from mixing of biotic communities to individual behavioral responses. Understanding these changes is...
Colella, Jocelyn P.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Brochmann, Christian; Taylor, Eric B.; Hoberg, Eric P.; Cook, Joseph A. Using redundant primer sets to detect multiple native Alaskan fish species from environmental DNA
Accurate and timely data regarding freshwater fish communities is important for informed decision-making by local, state, tribal, and federal land and resource managers; however, conducting traditional gear-based fish surveys can be an expensive and time-consuming process, particularly in remote areas, like those that characterize much of Alaska....
Menning, Damian M.; Simmons, Trey; Talbot, Sandra L. Temporal variation in genetic structure within the threatened spectacled eider
We examined the genetic structure of the threatened spectacled eider 14–18 years after the initial assessment to evaluate the influence of population recovery on diversity. Concordant with the initial assessment, spectacled eiders were highly structured at mitochondrial (mt) DNA and lacked differentiation at microsatellite loci. The degree and...
Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Haughey, Christy; Sexson, Matthew G.; Solovyeva, Diana V; Petersen, Margaret R.; Powell, Abby