Ex Situ Wildlife Conservation in the Age of Population Genomics

As the loss of biodiversity accelerates, there is general recognition that managing species outside of their native range (ex situ) will become increasingly important as populations continue to decline. Well-grounded in population genetic theory, ex situ conservation strategies, such as captive breeding, have largely relied on pedigree-based management out of both necessity and preference, despite known violations of important assumptions. Since the advent of molecular markers, many studies have successfully used empirical genetic data for informing ex situ conservation, yet their utility has been questioned due to competing priorities and resources as well as concerns related to potential biases associated with estimating individual- and population-level parameters based on traditional suites of loci. Paired with modern genotyping-by-sequencing approaches, population genomics holds great promise for overcoming past limitations associated with the use of empirical genetic data in ex situ conservation, allowing for highly precise estimates of population genetic parameters and identification of specific loci underlying traits of interest. Here, we review available literature and discuss the clear advantages and ultimate potential of using genome-wide data when managing species outside of their native range, from refining breeding decisions and assessing lineage integrity to minimizing adaptation to the captive environment and informing interactive in situ/ex situ conservation strategies. With resource-driven and capacity-related barriers to adoption falling away, our ability to harness leading-edge technologies to mine the genomes of wildlife species will enable more effective and efficient planning, implementation and monitoring of ex situ conservation strategies moving forward.