Rapid Evolution and Adaptation in an Endemic Island Raptor
Much of my disseration focuses on the mechanisms behind the rapid speciation of the Galápagos hawk from its most recent ancestor, the Swainson’s hawk. This is a very unique system as the Galápagos hawk is thought to have diverged only about 126,000 years ago and in that short amount of time shows significant differences from the Swainson’s hawk in both behavior and morphology. Using low-coverage whole genome sequencing I aim to identify areas of the genome that have diverged between the Swainson’s hawk and the Galápagos hawk. My research on the divergence between these two species will give us a new perspective as to the mechanisms driving a rapid divergence between species in two very different environments – mainland North America, and the Galápagos archipelago. As environments continue to change, it becomes increasingly important to understand the genetic basis and drivers of adaptive evolutionary change to preserve local adaptation relevant to conservation.
Conservation genetics and genomics of the Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
The Swainson’s hawk is a highly migratory species that breeds throughout western North America and is listed as a threatened species in California. This study has three main objectives: To evaluate population structure and genetic diversity to help identify distinct population units for conservation, to explore the demographic history of the Swainson’s hawk to increase understanding of the processes that have led to the current pattern of population differentiation and to assess adaptive differences among populations to identify functionally important traits under selection. In order to most accurately identify the specific location of genetic variation and functional traits I created my own high-quality reference genome for the Swainson’s hawk using linked-read technology from 10x Genomics. These results will help us understand how divergence occurs within different populations of a single species while also providing important population parameters to managers in order to inform listing decisions.
Anticoagulant Rodenticide Exposure in Red-tailed Hawks
In my first year at UC Davis I conducted a study in collaboration with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory on the effects of anticolagulant rodenticide poisoning on red-tailed hawks migrating through the Marin Headlands, CA. We took blood samples from 100 Red-tailed hawks and found trace amounts of anticoagulant rodenticides in 8% of sampled birds. These findings suggest that Red-tailed Hawks are being exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides somewhere along their migration route. Although this project is not my focus anymore you can find more awesome work on rodenticide exposure and raptor toxicology being done in my lab on our website.