Scientists Use Conservation Genomics to Address Climate Impacts on Ecosystems

Climate change is occurring faster than the evolutionary adaptation of many ecosystems. Scientists are using conservation genomics, which involves sequencing an organism's complete genetic blueprint, to identify individuals with traits suited to survive conditions such as drought, disease, and climate extremes. This information guides restoration projects.

An estimated 1 million species face extinction, many within decades, due to human activities including habitat destruction, pollution, and overuse of natural resources. These findings come from a 2019 report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a United Nations-affiliated body.

Ecosystems such as California's redwoods and coastal seagrass meadows, which store carbon and support biodiversity, are affected by marine heat waves, wildfires, and coastal development.

Coral reefs have experienced mass bleaching from repeated marine heat waves. Researchers are sequencing corals and their symbiotic algae to identify colonies that withstand higher temperatures. They are testing selective breeding and cultivation of these resilient corals to aid reef recovery.

Seagrasses in Southern California, particularly eelgrass, face stress from warming waters, more frequent and severe king tides, and runoff from development, which reduce light availability. Eelgrass provides habitat for fish, crabs, and plankton, supports migratory birds, and sequesters carbon and methane in sediments.

Redwood forests in Northern California store more carbon per acre than any other forest type, according to a 2020 study by Save the Redwoods League and Humboldt State University. These trees, among the tallest and oldest on Earth, have evolved with low-intensity fires but face hotter, more destructive wildfires and drought.

Much of the old-growth redwoods has been lost to logging, and scientists have sequenced the redwood genome to support conservation efforts.