My journey into science journalism first started on a dock on Flathead Lake, where I spent many summers looking out at the immense lake, one of the largest in the West.
I leaned over, and looked into the clear green water as hundreds of native Northern pike minnow swim through gaps in the timber structure. In the warming water of spring, the fish are spawning. I’ve watched them since my childhood, carrying out the same cycle year after year, playfully swirling around each other.
How long will these fish keep their annual meetings under the dock? How long will the water stay clear?
A few years ago, I heard an alarming statistic. The world stood on average to lose 52 percent of total biodiversity by 2050 to climate change and a host of other human factors.
The world I know of complex ecosystems is changing as new species replace those that can’t compete and others slowly disappear into extinction. Aquatic ecosystems are especially vulnerable to increasing temperatures, mainly because species have no place to go.
New solutions are needed to face these challenges.
After reading about this stunning loss of whole species of animals and plants in the “Living Planet Report” by the World Wildlife Fund, I met Gordon Luikart, a conservation geneticist at the University of Montana. Luikart and his small team of scientists based in Missoula and on Flathead Lake are experimenting with new ideas in species management.
Conservation genetics stands out as an effective tool for discovering and monitoring rare, endangered or invasive populations of plants and animals. Particularly when compared to traditional search and capture methods, it provides more holistic studies to preserve the disappearing biodiversity of the American West and the world.
The technological advancements and falling costs of DNA technologies have allowed development and integration of genetics and genomics research into ecology and conservation, while before it was most commonly used in human health.
Of the hundreds of stories contained in DNA in vials filling the coolers of the small basement lab these are the ones I chose to explore:
Trout Rescue: A new hope for westslope cutthroat in Montana
How to save disappearing westslope cutthroat trout by adding genetic diversity to ensure future survival in increasingly warming waters without doing more harm than good.
New Invaders, New Solutions: Tracking invasive species movements with environmental DNA
Tracking the struggle to stop the spread of invasive species in Montana and the West, including environmental DNA, which can find if a single cell of an organism carried in a drop of water.
How finding where a salmon is born through DNA brings up complex questions about sustainability and labeling of fish sold in grocery stores and restaurants.
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The three stories show the development of genetic science to solve problems and the process of seeking knowledge with the intent of saving species and places. Recognizing that science itself may never have all the answers, fields like conservation genetics allow a movement toward knowledge of how to ensure the survival of as many species as possible on an Earth wounded by human use.
Stories that leave readers with new insight into genetics and species that often fly under the radar can generate answers to why this research and efforts to help a species or prevent the introduction of an invasive one matter.