In molecular ecology, we use molecular techniques or study molecular patterns to identify and explain ecological patterns.

It's hard to keep track and stay on top of all the new technologies, techniques, and terminology. The expansion of the field started with the development of PCR, a technique many are now familiar with - or at least have heard of before. In PCR, specific pieces of genetic material are copied by first finding it, in which  primers attach to the beginnings and ends of it, and then nucleotides are added in a chain-like fashion that match/complement the original genetic material. This process is repeated through cycles of heating and cooling to create hundreds of thousands, upon millions, of copies of the original target material.

Since then, it seems like the number of techniques have exploded. One recent method that has gotten a lot of public media in recent years is the CRISPR family of techniques tand edit parts of the genome. This is no surprise in an age where genetic testing allows a person to get results about their ancestry and genetic traits and "designing" babies to have desirable genes is a looming possibility. What is CRISPR? Where did it come from? Where is it going?

CRISPR are palindromic repeats of nucleotides that were originally found in archaea and bacteria. They are part of the immune defense system, so that when a virus (for example) attacks, CRISPR sends enzymes to find specific parts of the attacker's genetic material for editing or removal. CRISPR is able to identify these offenders and the specific parts to neutralize based on copies of previous attackers' genetic materials that they have incorporated as "spacers" in between their palindromic repeats. These "spacers" are transcribed into RNA and act as a guide for the enzymes to find where on the virus to attack/cut.

The different types of CRISPR systems depend on which enzyme is used to cut the virus' genome, and how they cut. The two big ones are Cas9 and Cpf1. Cas9 was the first to be described, and it uses the RNA transcribed from the "spacer" as well as a second piece of RNA to cut both strands of the attacking genome. Various flavors of the Cas9 system exist. Then, there is Cpf1 which does not need the second piece of RNA, and it does not cut both strands of the attacking genome in quite the same place - instead, a bit staggered.

CRISPR has been used to explore to not just cut out, but also turn on, off, or edit parts of genomes. In addition to treating diseases and illnesses (cancer, muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease), applications also include the modification of food (yogurt) and agricultural products (corn), management of invasive species (rats, possums, stoats in New Zealand), de-extinction (WOAH!), and recently, diagnostics of viruses like Zika and Dengue (SHERLOCK). 

Clearly these potential applications could have massive consequences, both intended and unintended. The appropriateness of CRISPR applications in conservation and wildlife is hotly debated.

Introductions, shall we?

Greetings!

We’re excited to get the TWS Molecular Ecology Working Group blog up and running again! Our goal is to post and discuss a suite of topics related to the role of molecular ecology in wildlife conservation. We hope to accomplish our goal by highlighting the folks that have lead the charge in molecular ecology research, discuss the techniques they employ, and demonstrate how molecular ecology is advancing wildlife conservation and management. We’d like to start off by introducing our 2018 Molecular Ecology Working Group officers.

Dr. Stacie Robinson is our battle hardened-former leader (Past Chair) and is a research ecologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. Specifically, Stacie is a part of the Science-based Enhancement and Analytical Support (SEAS) team where she conducts research on sources of mortality and population trend for Hawaiian monk seals. 

Dr. Emily Latch is our fearless leader (Chair) and is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research lab is focused on the evolutionary response of species to intensive management practices, how the landscape shapes the genetic structure of a species, and the phylogeography of highly mobile species that are continuously distributed on the landscape.

Dr. Kristin Brzeski is our fearless leader-in-training (Chair-Elect) and is an Assistant Professor at Michigan Tech. Kristin’s research spans North American and includes projects on the noninvasive genetic sampling of otters in California, effects of inbreeding on red wolves in North Carolina, urbanization's role in the epigenetics of songbirds in Louisiana, and evaluating the ancestry genetics of North American canids. Kristin is also working internationally with the Biodiversity Initiative to study the effects of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity in Equatorial Guinea, Africa.

Dr. Liz Kierepka is jotting down our great ideas and counting the money (Secretary-Treasurer) while being a postdoctoral researcher at Trent University. Liz has a wide range of experience in molecular ecology research including projects on hybridization dynamics, genetic mark-recapture, phylogeography, genetic impacts of fragmentation and habitat loss, invasive species, and source-sink dynamics.

Dr. Valorie Titus ensures the MEWG message is reaching our members (Communications Director) and is an Assistant Professor at Green Mountain College. Valorie is researching the effects of natural and anthropogenic land use changes on amphibian and reptile populations. She is also interested in emerging disease impacts on reptile and amphibian communities.

Lastly, we have our board members who represent a wide array of sectors that employ and train molecular ecologists. Our board members serve as a resource to help provide leadership and participation in the working group. Dr. Kristin Brzeski is our communications enthusiasts representative. Dr. Sara Oyler-McCance represents federal and state agencies and works as a research geneticist with the USGS at the Fort Collins Science Center. Dr. Stephen Spear is our non-governmental organization representative and a scientist for The Wilds, which is a private, non-profit conservation center that combines conservation science and education programs. Dr. Randy DeYoung is an Associate Professor and Research Scientist at Texas A&M – Kingsville with molecular ecology research projects ranging from masked bobwhite quail to gray fox and mule deer. Allie DeCandia is our student representative and a Ph.D. student at Princeton University where she is researching disease susceptibility of wolves in Yellowstone National Park and assisting with the Canine Ancestry Project.

Phew! There were a few folks to introduce (and more behind the scenes serving on various committees), but we are excited to have them all working together and leading our working group to advance the field of molecular ecology. Stay tuned for future posts as in addition to the topics introduced in the beginning, we will also be previewing our workshop and symposium at the Annual TWS conference in Cleveland, OH this fall and releasing our newest in-the-works project, a podcast! 

Below are the minutes from our last meeting at the 2017 TWS Annual COnference in Albuquerque, NM.

The Wildlife Society MEWG Minutes from Meeting: September 26, 2017

As recorded by Secretary/Treasurer: Liz Kierepka

The Wildlife Society Current Membership: 68 members

-          50 members needed to maintain

-          Dues are main source of funds: $5 dues, $1 goes to TWS and $4 to MEWG

Treasury Update

-          Current Balance: $700.00

-          Main source of income is workshop

o   26 signed up, profit = $400.00-500.00

o   4 walk-ins were recorded in the workshop

-          Remaining issues with bank accounts – we are working with Mariah to address

2017 Annual Conference Events

-          Symposium (Genetics to Genomics: What we’ve learned and what’s next for wildlife management) – Monday 1-5

-          Workshop (Do the Genetics 101: Matching techniques and technologies to research questions in wildlife genetics) – Wednesday 1-5

-          Goal: Obtain comments from attendees after the workshop

-          Future considerations: Full day workshop? Github site for data? Hand-on component in fed/state/academic lab?

-          Informal Social organized by D. Wood (Tues night at Burt’s Tiki Bar)

-          MEWG Working Group meeting (Tues lunch)

New Business

-          New ideas for the MEWG besides symposium and workshop

o   Consider doing Genetics 101 workshop at regional conferences: lead needed

o   Targeted workshops for professionals or for MEWG members

o   Email group for questions

§  Idea: Matt Gould developed Google group and listserv, could be useful for MEWG (Facebook and email do not appear effective)

o   Periodic webinars for MEWG

§  Workshop into webinar

§  Facebook live?

§  Set up fee for non-members?

-          How should MEWG treasury be spent?

o   Student travel grants

o   Student awards

o   Bringing in a speaker (for us, or as plenary)

o   Recruitment Event/Party

o   Fee Waivers (e.g., for students attending workshop)

o   If we want to have students attend the workshop for free, we may just be able to waive the fee instead of using our funds to provide the student with an award to cover the workshop fee. Most support for the student travel grants and student awards, though some felt a recruitment event might be a good way to boost membership. Agreed to start a student awards committee to identify options.

-          New Committees

o   Anyone interested in joining committees contact committee chair

o   Student awards committee

§  Directive: how to best use funds for student awards. Report back to MEWG board by next quarterly meeting

§  R. DeYoung (chair), B. Lonsinger, L. Waits, K. Brzeski, L. Kierepka, D. Wood

o   Conference activities committee

§  Directive: find people to host workshops and symposia for 2018 conference. Help people meet deadlines (workshop and symposium deadlines usually early, ~ Jan or Feb). Ideas for activities to engage meeting attendees to become MEWG members and to facilitate interaction among existing MEWG members.

§  E. Latch, S. Robinson, J. Tucker, R. DeYoung, L. Kierepka, K. Brzeski

§  Early ideas – Lunch vouchers for students to take a professional to lunch, informal social remains popular, meet and greet with ‘celebrities’, maybe a regional-themed symposium like Great Lakes invasives

o   Social Media/Communications

§  V. Titus, M. Gould, I. Cancellare, others?

§  Early ideas – Google group

-          Fun/Fundraising

o   Logo for MEWG

§  Make it a contest with prize money?

§  Can use logo for swag – stickers for water bottles, nametags at meeting, T shirts, etc.

Elections

-          All positions have a 2 year term, 2 consecutive term limit (except Chair/Chair-  Elect)

-          Current Officers:

o   Past Chair - S. Robinson

o   Chair – E. Latch

o   Chair-Elect – OPEN

o   Secretary/Treasurer – L. Kierepka

o   Communications Coordinator – V. Titus

o   Board: R. DeYoung, S. Oyler-McCance, D. Wood, K. Brzeski, S. Spear

-          Open: Chair-Elect, Student Board Member

o   Chair-Elect Nominations

§  Kristin Brzeski

o   Student Board Member

§  Allie DeCandia

§  Jordan Youngman