Hybridization and Conservation Genomics of Natural Populations

Investigating the role of hybridization as a major acting force in evolution is the central interest of Raquel Godinho for the years to come. In this research project, she will focus on two major topics. First, on testing the intriguing hypothesis that the genetic composition of Iberian wolves has been enriched with genetic variation selected during dog domestication by means of introgressive hybridization. More specifically, she is interested to investigate if behavioural shifts that uniquely characterize Iberian wolves (like reduced dispersal distances and increased tolerance to humans) are the consequence of a process of self-domestication which may have been accelerated due to historical hybridization with the dog. Second, on analyzing the impact of interspecific hybridization in the conservation of small and critically endangered populations by using as a model the iconic Giant Sable of Angola. More specifically, she is interested in developing a conservation genomics model system that will illustrate the challenges associated with the conservation of small and genetically homogeneous populations, in addition under the threat of hybridization with a closely related species. In both cases, she will use the Genomics Platform facility that was recently awarded to CIBIO under a FP7 Capacities program to apply next-generation sequencing technologies and address the questions described above involving the two species.