Université du Québec à Montréal
Postdoctoral fellow candidate
Supervisor: Denis Réale
Start: 2023-08-15
End: 2025-08-15
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Project

Contemporary genetic adaptation in zoos and conservation breeding programs
Conservation breeding programs can be vital for combating biodiversity loss, but optimization of these programs is crucial for success. Genetic adaptation to captivity is suspected to hinder reintroductions yet remains largely untested. Using an extensive dataset of breeding programs,we assessed adaptive genetic change in 31 vertebrate populations, marking the broadest estimation of additive genetic variance of fitness to date. Our findings indicate widespread, adaptive genetic change in ex situ populations, with estimates comparable to wild populations. While this adaptation may enhance fitness in captivity, concerns arise regarding how genetic divergence could impact reintroduction success. Our results confirm the importance of anthropogenic effects on microevolution and highlight the need for a better understanding of genetic adaptation in captivity to ensure breeding populations can fulfill their potential.

Publications

1- The Effects of Weather on Avian Growth and Implications for Adaptation to Climate Change
Sauve, Drew, Vicki L. Friesen, Anne Charmantier
2021 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

2- Phenotypic plasticity or evolutionary change? An examination of the phenological response of an arctic seabird to climate change
Sauve, Drew, George Divoky, Vicki L. Friesen,
2019 Functional Ecology

3- Do candidate genes for migration and behavior explain migratory variation in bluebirds (Sialia spp.)?
Sauve, Drew, Catherine A. Dale, Anna Tigano, Laurene M. Ratcliffe, Vicki L. Friesen
2021 The Wilson Journal of Ornithology

4- Environmental conditions variably affect growth across the breeding season in a subarctic seabird
Sauve, Drew, Anne Charmantier, Scott A. Hatch, Vicki L. Friesen
2021 Oecologia

5- Shifting environmental predictors of phenotypes under climate change: a case study of growth in high latitude seabirds
Sauve, Drew, Vicki L. Friesen, Scott A. Hatch, Kyle H. Elliott, Anne Charmantier
2023 Journal of Avian Biology

6- Improving species conservation plans under IUCN’s One Plan Approach using quantitative genetic methods
Sauve, Drew, Jane Hudecki, Jessica Steiner, Hazel Wheeler, Colleen Lynch, Amy A. Chabot
2022 Peer Community Journal

7- The magnitude of selection on growth varies among years and increases under warming conditions in a subarctic seabird
Sauve, Drew, Anne Charmantier, Scott A Hatch, Vicki L Friesen
2024 Evolution Letters

8- Examining the representation of locally threatened species in North American zoos
Kerr, K. C. R., D. Sauve, S. A. Winton, T. J. Thorne, A. A. Chabot
2022 Animal Conservation