Counting underwater vital for marine conservation

What is it about?

We identified regions of high and low multi-species genetic diversity in Australia’s marine waters. To do this we gathered existing data on the genetic diversity of populations from a broad range of marine species around Australia, generating a database that can be used by all researchers. It was amazing to realize how much data already existed to start taking a look at patterns of marine genetic diversity. By publishing in an open access journal, and including the database, we really hope this will be a useful resource for other scientists to add to, or take in different directions. With this information we examined the genetic diversity of more than 1000 populations from more than 100 species in marine regions around Australia. Using a statistical analysis method, that took into account factors such as the relationships among species and the size of the sample, we determined that region and latitude explained a large amount of the variation in genetic diversity of populations at this broad geographic scale.

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Why is it important?

Understanding how genetic diversity occurs within species is paramount for conservation. Higher genetic diversity offers a greater chance of adapting to climate change, and so regions of high diversity could be included in the decision process for designating marine reserves. Understanding patterns of diversity within species can also help us understand species formation.

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