Conservation Genetics in the Neotropics

This book explores how genetics and the new technologies in genomics have been used for conservation of plants and animals in the Neotropics. It shows the new perspective for conservation genetics beyond the use of theoretical and methods in genetics at species level and presents how genetics and genomics can be used for assessing communities. Conservation genetics and genomics are presented as a helpful field of study for resolving taxonomic uncertainties and hidden biodiversity, understanding populations and extinction risk, genetic management, wildlife forensic genetics, assessing biology and molecular ecology, assessing communities, conservation genomics and the use of conservation biology and genetics in science learning, highlighting case studies in the Neotropics. Applications of conservation genetics for management or policy, decision making, planning, and implementation of conservation practice in the Neotropics are addressed across chapters. This book will interest to researchers and students in conservation genetics and biology conservation interested in the Neotropics. Stakeholders and decision makers in conservation biology may also find this book useful.

Dr. Pedro M. Galetti Jr is Full Professor of Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics at Federal University of São Carlos (Brazil). He leads a research group working on molecular ecology, population genetics, phylogeography, evolutionary and conservation genetics using molecular approaches with a focus on vertebrates. He is recognized among pioneering researchers on neotropical fish genetics and is now interested in the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the genetic diversity of fish, birds and mammals. Pedro Galetti has published more than two hundred papers in recognized journals. He was visiting professor at East Tennessee State University and visiting scholar at Stanford University. He was provost of Research and Graduate Studies and vice-rector of the Federal University of São Carlos, and president of the Brazilian Society of Genetics. He is editor of Temas Atuais em Biologia, a Brazilian electronic journal for scientific dissemination in Biology, and is associate editor of GENETICA (Springer). He has mentored several PhD students and postdocs.