Open 9 am - 4 pm (Early Close)
Become a Member Get Tickets

Five Conservation Questions Answered with DNA

Featured

When you think about genetic research and DNA analysis, you may picture your favorite crime shows, tracing family trees through ancestry or cloning sheep. But did you know scientists at Shedd Aquarium and around the world are using genetic research methods to better protect and understand the natural world?

This exciting and quickly growing field in which DNA analysis and sequencing are applied to ecological projects is called conservation genetics. Here at Shedd, we’re using conservation genetics to answer research questions near and far, from the Chicago River to Patagonia and the Caribbean!

Here are five questions that Shedd scientists are working to answer using conservation genetics:

Related Content

Magellanic penguins have short, squat legs and waddle awkwardly around on land, but their torpedo-shaped bodies and thin, crescent-shaped wings propel them easily through water!

1. What do penguins eat?

While we know what the penguins in Polar Play Zone are having for dinner, it’s harder to know what wild penguins are snacking on when they forage in open waters. Shedd scientists and global partners came up with a creative way to find out: by analyzing their poop! The samples, collected by field researchers in Patagonia, Argentina, are analyzed in our Molecular and Microbial Ecology lab. The penguins at Shedd contributed, too: their guano, or poop, was used to test the best ways to transport, store and analyze samples. Protecting animals also means protecting their food sources — with these techniques, we can better inform conservation practices to make sure wild penguin populations stay healthy and fed.
Austin researching water quality on Chicago's south branch

2. What fishes are in the Chicago River?

After over a century of industrial development, the Chicago River is recovering as a habitat for aquatic species. To effectively restore life to the river, we need to understand what species are already living there and what they need to thrive. In 2019, Shedd researchers began sampling fishes from the Wild Mile. There was a problem, though — many young, larval fishes look the same, even to the trained eye! Genetic testing revealed what species were using the area as spawning habitat. Since then, sampling sites expanded to include the river’s South Branch. All in all, researchers have identified 25 distinct fish species spawning within the Chicago River, a fast improvement from the 5 or fewer present before the 1980s.
Shark expert Steve Kessel wipes a swab along a shark's skin from the back of Shedd's research vessel, the Coral Reef II, in the Caribbean.

3. How far do sharks travel?

You may think that aquarium scientists know everything there is to know about sharks, but even experts are still discovering how and where many shark species spend their lives. We’ve learned a lot about their movements through tracking them in the wild, and now genetic sequencing methods can tell us more.

In collaboration with the Field Museum’s Pritzker DNA Lab, scientists at Shedd are trying to understand how Caribbean reef shark populations are related and connected. Modern sequencing methods allow the team to efficiently analyze hundreds of tiny fin clip samples. Using these data, we can build “shark family trees” that reveal how far the Caribbean reef shark travels to mate. Ultimately, this information can help scientists inform where shark sanctuaries and other marine protected areas will be most effective at protecting these important predators.
Two hands holding various large mussels above a river

4. How many species of freshwater mussels exist?

Can you tell the difference between these mussels? Until genetic research reached the mussel world, neither could scientists! Using DNA analysis,researchers can accurately detect how many species of freshwater mussels exist — more than 900 and counting! But, it’s a race against time to document freshwater mussel biodiversity as many species are considered endangered, or are disappearing before they can even be discovered. Mussels are fundamental to ecosystems; they stabilize sediment and filter harmful bacteria such as E. Coli out of the water. Understanding how to help mussel populations starts with knowing what species exist. Genetic research will be critical to catalogue biodiversity and the conditions under which these mussels thrive.
A diver ties dangling coral polyps to a tall propagation frame.

5. Why can some corals survive bleaching events?

Corals are tiny animals that live in symbiosis with algae, relying on them for food and their bright colors! These critical relationships can be disrupted by rising ocean temperatures, which cause corals to expel the algae, resulting in stark white, unhealthy corals called coral bleaching. However, some corals are more resilient to high water temperatures than others, and researchers are trying to understand why.

Using genetic methods, specific coral and algae species can be identified, telling us both about the biodiversity of the community as well as what species would survive through climate change. Eventually, scientists may be able to propagate these more resilient species, helping coral reefs survive stressful events.
A person in a lab coat works in a laboratory.

Conservation genetics aren’t just being used for aquatic animals. Worldwide, plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms are being researched and understood through DNA analysis in ways that would have sounded like science fiction a century ago. This era of discovery comes with an entirely new series of questions for researchers to ask about our world — and answers that can benefit everyone and everything that lives in it.

- Karen Figueroa, Conservation Research Shark Genetics Intern, Winter 2023

Featured