Climate Adaptation and Conservation Genomics

Climate change is testing whether species can adapt quickly enough to survive rising heat, drought, disease, flooding, and changing habitats.

Conservation genomics uses DNA sequencing to identify resilient traits and inform restoration, selective breeding, and reintroduction. Examples include a Mission Bay eelgrass hybrid that performed better under low light, searches for heat-tolerant corals, genome-linked drought traits in California trees, and genetic monitoring of the reintroduced Pacific pocket mouse. The approach can improve conservation decisions, but it cannot replace emissions reductions or account for every ecological dependency within an ecosystem.