Welcome to #AGA2024!! Here we will share some bits, pieces, and anecdotes from this year’s presidential symposium! Our president Beth Shapiro put together a great list of speakers and we have many excellent poster presenters.
The Council of the American Genetic Association selects the Journal of Heredity Outstanding Student-Authored Paper Award each year. The 2022 awardee was Allison Miller for her paper, Population genomics of New Zealand pouched lamprey (kanakana; piharau; Geotria australis).
The evaluation committee had the following comments on this top-ranked article:
“Well-written manuscript, with clear goals, good geographic and genomic sampling, and thoughtful discussion with clearly articulated conservation management implications.”
Allison received a $2,000 prize, a certificate, and up to $1,500 toward expenses to attend #AGA2024 and present a talk. For more about this study and its significance, see Allison’s post in the AGA Blog.
Allison K. Miller is a conservation geneticist and PhD graduate from the University of Otago. Her thesis work focused on assessing the use of genomic tools to better understand, and improve the management of, elusive species by using pouched lamprey as a case study. Before this work, she studied coral reef ecology at the University of Guam where her master’s thesis research focused on holothuroid (sea cucumber) phylogenetics. She then worked as a biological technician for the US National Park Service in Guam and is currently working as a natural science curator at the Otago Museum.
Lessons from lamprey: building human relationships to better understand the genetic relationships of a New Zealand fish
- New Zealand/Aotearoa was an English commonwealth until 1986. The country has a strong commitment to biculturalism.
- Pouched lamprey are native to New Zealand, serving as an important food source for many species. They are currently considered threatened and are a treasured (taonga) species by the Māori
- In 2011 lamprey returning to freshwater to spawn on the South Island were struck by a massive die-off attributed to lamprey reddening syndrome (LRS), characterized by an excess of mucus and bleeding.
- To determine population metrics and facilitate the conservation of the pouched lamprey, RADseq, targeted sequencing, and a whole genome assembly were completed.
- Sampled lamprey had very subtle population structure and no isolation by distance. It is still unclear what the cause of LRS is.
- Learning from biculturalism:
- It takes time, commitment, and restraint to build trust with Indigenous collaborators, which is key to developing meaningful relationships.
- Be conscientious in understanding the limitations of Indigenous collaborators and that their priorities may be very different than your own.
- Open, continuous communication with clear expectations will help keep collaborations as beneficial for all as possible.