Biology Seminar Series - Alex Lewanski, Michigan State University

Many species are restricted to small, isolated populations, which can experience elevated risk of extirpation. Translocations—the intentional movement of individuals between locations—can be used to restore connectivity between populations to hopefully alleviate demographic and genetic perils that a population faces. However, populations undergoing translocation interventions often receive minimal monitoring, which has limited our understanding of the extended outcomes of translocations and whether they have fulfilled management goals. In this talk, I will discuss ongoing efforts to study translocations in an intensively monitored population of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, a federally threatened bird species found in the southeastern United States. First, using pedigree and monitoring information, I will share findings examining the outcomes of translocations and their multi-generational impacts on fitness and ancestry in the population. Second, I will share preliminary results exploring the genomic impacts of translocations based on a multi-year sampling effort.

Alex is a PhD candidate at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. He has a variety of interests in population genetics and conservation biology. A current theme of his work is combining intensive population monitoring efforts with genomic sequencing technologies to improve how we manage imperiled species. Second, he is working on developing and evaluating methods in spatial population genetics.