Pedigree reconstruction , mating systems, reproductive success and quantitative genetics of natural populations

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In recent years, there has been considerable interest in the possibility of using molecular information to infer genealogical (pedigree) relationships among individuals in natural populations or in cultivated populations where this pedigree information is lacking. When parental DNA profiles are available, this is easy. When parental data are not available, the problem of explicit pedigree reconstruction is considerably more complex and computer intensive approaches have to be used. The broad objectives of the proposed program are to further improve and broaden the computer programs that have been developed over the last few years for pedigree reconstruction, so that the research community can have access to powerful and user-friendly tools to study the distribution of relatedness and estimate key genetic parameters in natural and semi natural populations where this has been extremely difficult so far. This research will also use these approaches in two key model natural systems, two salmon populations experiencing severe decline and on the verge of disappearance and an aquatic invasive species that is spreading on Canada's Atlantic coast. This work will generate new findings in the study of mating systems, reproductive success, and spatio-temporal distribution of relatedness in the two endangered salmon populations. This will cast light on several crucial aspects of the evolution and conservation of small populations, such as the possible role of inbreeding in extinction and the genetic consequences of captive breeding programs. At the other end of the spectrum of biodiversity concerns, this program will result in new findings on the genetic dimension associated at several spatial scales with the explosive growth of an aquatic invasive species, and could help predict the dispersal and growth of tunicates "hot spots" populations on Canada's Atlantic coast.