Jo Howard-McCombe
PhD student
Determining levels of hybridisation and introgression in the Scottish wildcat: implications for conservation
My PhD project aims to fully understand wildcat and domestic cat hybridisation in Scotland. I will use genomic data and statistical modelling to examine the history of hybridisation in Britain, quantify current hybridisation levels and model future conservation management options for Scottish wildcat. My project aims to support conservation work carried out by the RZSS as part of the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan.
Supervisors
Prof. Mark Beaumont
Dr. Helen Senn (RZSS)
Dr. Dan Lawson
Dr. Andrew Kitchener
Prof. Mike Bruford
Background
BSc (Cardiff University) Molecular Biology
Location
University of Bristol, UK
Latest News
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Blog
01/07/2020
Following the feathers - counting capercaillie in the Cairngorms
It's possible that there are now less than 1,000 capercaillie left in the UK and almost all of them live in the Cairngorms National Park. Read on to find out more about how Jal and Jean-Marc from the RZSS WildGenes team are using DNA from feathers to help the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project understand more about the population in the wild.
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Blog
10/06/2020
Always smile at a (Siamese) crocodile
For the past three years, the RZSS WildGenes laboratory has been working with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) to develop the first conservation genetics laboratory in Cambodia. Our very first training visit began back in 2016.