A program of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center’s Fisheries Ecology Division.
The Molecular Ecology and Genetic Analysis Team uses population genetic data and analytical techniques to address a broad array of questions in ecology, evolution, behavior, conservation, and management of marine and anadromous organisms. Our work is based on the collection and analysis of statistically robust molecular population genetic datasets. We actively implement novel methods for the acquisition and analysis of molecular data, providing inference for both specific and general problems in biology. Most of our research involves salmon, trout, and groundfish, but we also work on marine mammals and other fishes, and much of our methodology development is more broadly applicable. Our work supports federal, state, and local efforts to conserve and manage marine, anadromous, and coastal species and populations, particularly in California.
The team operates as a cooperative research unit of NOAA and University of California staff, postdoctoral researchers, graduate, and undergraduate students. We operate a modern molecular biology laboratory equipped with instrumentation and automation for high throughput DNA extraction, thermal cycling, DNA sequencing, and microsatellite and SNP genotyping capacity. We also maintain a collection of nearly half a million tissue samples and DNA extracts of fishes and mammals, primarily salmonids and rockfishes from California.
Our Team
Team Leader: John Carlos Garza
