Project Leader: 
Michael Hart

Lead Institution:  
Simon Fraser University
 
Research Funding Program: 
SOF 3

"Using genomic technologies to understand why Haida Gwaii biodiversity is so unique"

Haida Gwaii has many unique animal and plant populations that differ from those on the rest of the BC Coast. These differences may be the result of the geographic separation of Haida Gwaii from the rest of BC by the Queen Charlotte Sound for the last 80,000 years. These differences may also exist because the species in the rest of BC were forced to adapt to the glaciations that covered most of BC's ecosystems about 30,000 years ago, which did not reach as far west as Haida Gwaii. Understanding the differences that exist between the populations on Haida Gwaii and the rest of the BC Coast will help us to understand the potential impacts of the current climate changes that we are experiencing.

To understand how animal populations from Haida Gwaii are different from others in BC, Dr. Michael Hart from Simon Fraser University, will analyze the genomic biodiversity of Haida Gwaii using new technology combined with high-powered computational analysis. To ensure the technology can be applied to this problem, he will first conduct a small scale study focusing on specific differences in a test set of genes (e.g. reproductive genes) in intertidal bat stars (Patiria miniata) from Haida Gwaii and from Vancouver Island.

This research project, conducted in collaboration with Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre will involve high-throughput sequencing capabilities to analyse reproductive tissue from both bat star populations. Researchers will compare the data that is produced to the data already published in databases, to confirm that the identified genes are from the reproductive system. Then genes from different populations will then be compared to identify the differences.

Eventually Dr. Hart hopes to use this information to measure the difference in the rate of evolution between the two bat star populations, in order to understand how the previous climate change influenced genetics. Relating genetic changes to events in the past, will assist scientists to anticipate and predict the effects that the current and future climate change will have on all species. Dr. Hart's bat star project is the first step in understanding the biodiversity in Haida Gwaii, and will contribute to a larger international project to sequence the whole bat star genome with collaborators at the US National Human Genome Research Institute.