Metaphase chromosomes of a spix macaw, a highly endangered bird that is extinct in the wild.
Genetics
The Genetics Division of CRES develops and utilizes technologies to provide important new insights relevant to the assessment, monitoring, and management of endangered species in captivity and in the wild. The division undertakes cell culture and banking of cells, tissues, blood, and DNA in the Frozen Zoo®, chromosome preparation and karyotype analysis, molecular genetic analyses including automated DNA sequencing, and other advanced methods for studying genetic variation, sex determination, paternity analysis, and evolutionary changes between populations and species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Capacity building for and transfer of technology to countries with significant wildlife resources is an integral part of the division’s activities. Visiting scientists from China, Mongolia, Kenya, Uganda, Mexico, Guatemala, Russia, and the Czech Republic have been supported to undertake training and research projects relevant to wildlife conservation and management in their own countries. The Genetics Division collaborates actively with other divisions of CRES, postdoctoral field workers, and scientists around the world in studies of wildlife genetics and in the area of small population management. Increasingly, the division provides the broader scientific community with samples from its Frozen Zoo that contribute to conservation research and a deeper understanding of evolution and biology. Samples in the Frozen Zoo come from the collections of the Zoological Society of San Diego, from samples obtained from animals in the wild, and from zoos throughout the world.
Staff
- Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., Associate Director of CRES/Genetics, Kleberg Chair
- William Modi, Ph.D., Scientist
- Leona Chemnick, Researcher
- Marlys Houck, Researcher
- Michael Romanov, Ph.D., Scientist
- Anthony Nsubuga, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
- Sarah Burgess-Herbert, Ph. D., Postdoctoral Fellow
- Suellen Charter, Research Coordinator
- Heidi Davis, Senior Research Technician
- Julie Fronczek, Research Technician
- Christie Otten, Research Technician
- Andrea Johnson, Research Technician
- Grace Magee, Research Technician
- Mary Ann Domingos, Research Technician
- Diana Lubin, Research Technician
- Zac Harlow, Consultant
- Ben Tambaschi, Administrative Assistant
- Jill Tyler, Volunteer
- Svenja Daehne, Volunteer
Projects
- Historical Museum Specimens, Ancient DNA Studies, and the Origin of Przewalski’s Horses
- Comparative Studies: Lipid Metabolism in the Great Apes and Other Primates
- Molecular Cytogenetics of Reproductive Failure in Gorillas
- Genotyping California Condors for Pedigree Analysis and Genetic Map Construction
- Ecological Implications of Population Genetic Analyses of Caribbean Iguanas
- Recent Population Demography of Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Derived from Microsatellite Allele Spectrum Analysis
- Cell Banking and Genetic Characterization of the Endangered Gobi Bear
- Laboratory and Field Studies of Gorilla Conservation Genetics
- Molecular Cytogenetic Approaches to the Conservation of Endangered Rhinoceros and Tapir Species
- Analysis of Chromosomal Variation and Reproductive Fitness as a Conservation Management Tool
- Banking Genome Biomaterials of Terrestrial Vertebrates: Adding Amphibians to the Ark
- Integrated Primate Biomaterials and Information Resource
- Adult Stem Cell Acquisition and Culture
- Mammalian Phylogenetic Studies
- Parasite Monitoring in Free-ranging Gorilla Populations
- Heritable Chondrodystrophy in California Condors: Inferring Cause and Development of Carrier Tests
- A Comparative Genomics Approach to Cocciodiomycosis Risk in Przewalski’s Horses
- Comparative Genomics of Embryonic Pathology in the Critically Endangered ‘Alala
- Comparative Genomics of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Gorillas
- Dosage Compensation and Avian Diseases: Conservation Genomics of the Future
- Capacity Building for Gorilla Conservation in Range States
- Teaching Conservation Research to Students: Forensic Barcoding of Bushmeat
- Barcoding for Species Conservation
- Molecular Conservation Genetics of Golden Eagles in Western North America
- Development of Contemporary Genomics Resources for Conservation and Biological Studies of Iguanas
- Focusing Conservation Science Efforts on the Amphibian Decline Crisis: A CRES Symposium
- Barcoding for Species Conservation
- Genome Studies for Conservation of the California Condor
Would you like to help? Join the CRES Team!
Recent Publications
- Trifonov, V., R. Stanyon, A. Nesterenko, B. Fu, P. Perelman, P. O'Brien, G. Stone, N. Rubtsova, M. Houck, T. Robinson,
M. Ferguson-Smith, G. Dobigny, A. Graphodatsky, and F. Yang (2008). Multidirectional cross-species painting illuminates the history of karyotypic evolution in Perissodactyla. Chromosome Research (2008) 16:89–107. - Ryder, O. (2005). Conservation Genomics: Applying whole genome studies to species conservation efforts. Primate Cytogenetics: Comparative Genomics and Molecular Evolution. Cytogenetics & Genome Research 108:6-15.
- Lau J., O. Ryder, E. Fernandez-Duque, A. Dixson, and O. Ryder (2004). Heterologous amplification and diversity of microsatellite loci in three owl monkey species( Aotus azarai, A. lemurinus, A. nancymaae ). Conservation Genetics 5 (5):727-731.
- Mayor, M., J. Sommer, M. Houck, J. Zaonarivelo, P. Wright, C. Ingram, and E. Louis, Jr. (2004). Phylogeographic analysis for the delimitation of lemur species in Madagascar. Proceeding of the National Academy of Science 25 (4): 875-900.
- Bigoni, .F, M. Houck, O. Ryder, and R. Stanyon (2004). Chromosome painting shows that the douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus ) has the most basal karyotype among Asian colobines. International Journal of Primatology 25 (3):679-688.
- Tserenbataa, T., R. Ramey, O. Ryder, T. Quinn, and R. Reading (2004). A population genetic comparison of argali sheep (Ovis ammon ) in Mongolia using the ND5 gene of mitochondrial DNA; implications for conservation. Molecular Ecology 13:1333-1339.
- Bowling, A., W. Zimmermann, O. Ryder, C. Penedo, S. Peto, L. Chemnick, N. Yasinetskiya, and T. Zharkhik (2003). Genetic variation in Przewalski's horses, with special focus on the last caught mare. Cytogenetics & Genome Research101:226-234.
- Karaman, M., M. Houck, L. Chemnick, S. Nagpal, D. Chawannakul, D. Sudano, B. Pike, W. Ho,O. Ryder, and J. Hacia (2003). Comparative analysis of gene-expression patterns in human and African great ape cell lines. Cytogenetics & Genome Research 13: 1619-1630.
- Myka, J., T. Lear, M. Houck, O. Ryder, and E. Bailey (2003). Homologous fission event(s) implicated for chromosomal polymorphisms among five species in the genus Equus. Cytogenetics & Genome Research 102:217-221.
- Ryder, O. (2003). Genetic studies in zoological parks and their application to conservation: past, present and future. International Zoo Yearbook 38: 102-111.
- Raudsepp, T., M. Houck, P. O'Brien, M. Ferguson-Smith, O. Ryder, and B. Chowdhardy (2002). Cytogenetic analysis of California condor ( Gymnogyps californianus ) chromosomes: comparison with chicken ( Gallus gallus ) macrochromosomes. Cytogenetics & Genome Research 98:54-60.
- Ryder, O. (2002). Cloning advances and challenges for conservation. Trends in Biotechnology 20 (6) 231-232.
- Houck, M., A. Kumamoto, D. Gallagher, Jr., and K. Benirschke (2001). Comparative cytogenetics of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana ) and Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus ). Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics 93:249-252.
- Murphy, W., E. Eizirik, S. O 'Brien, O. Madsen, M. Scally, C. Douady, E. Teeling, O. Ryder, M. Stanhope, W. de Jong, M. Springer (2001). Resolution of the early placental mammal radiation using Bayesian phylogenetics. Science 294:2348-2351.
- Murphy, W., E. Eizirik, W. Johnson, Y. Zhang, O. Ryder, and S. O'Brien (2001). Molecular phylogenetics and the origins of placental mammals. Nature 409 :614-618.
- Zhang, Y., P. Morin, O. Ryder, and Y. Zhang (2001). A set of human tri- and tetra-nucleotide microsatellite loci useful for population analyses in gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) and orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus ). Conservation Genetics 2(4):391-395.
