On December 16th 2013, the SDMMP is hosting a workshop on the use of genetics to inform management and monitoring decisions. The workshop has been organized by USGS (Dr. Amy Vandergast) and will be held at the USGS office in San Diego. A brief overview of the workshop is provided below. There is limited space available and the size of the workshop has been limited, by invitation only, to allow for interaction between the speakers and workshop participants and among participants. We've also invited scientists with experience utilizing genetic tools to inform species management, develop long-term monitoring programs and refine research projects. The workshop agenda will provide opportunities for the invitees to interact both during the workshop and breaks.

Genetic Research Tools in Science-based Monitoring and Management Genetic methods are increasingly used to quantify information relevant to applied conservation of populations and species (for example population size, demographic history, population units and structure, gene flow, mating system, parentage, sex, diet). The purpose of this workshop is to review the use of genetic research in monitoring and management for a non-technical audience. A panel of population genetic experts will discuss concepts, marker selection and emerging techniques, and considerations in data interpretation and application of results.

Several specific topics will be covered including estimating gene flow among populations, effective population size, and genetic diversity; defining populations or evolutionary significant units; species detection, and capture/recapture of individuals.

Presentations: Genetics for Monitoring and Management, Andrew Bohonak (SDSU) [2.1MB] Estimating Gene Flow and Movement Among Populations, Amy Vandergast (USGS) [2.1MB] Genomics, Brad Shaffer (UCLA) [7.2MB] Plants are like Other Animals, Norman Ellstrand (UCR) [1.5MB] Managing for Genetic Variation: When, Why, and