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Genetic Diversity of Two-Thirds of Plant, Animal and Fungi Species Studied Is Declining, but Conservation Efforts Offer ‘Glimmers of Hope’

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02 Feb, 2025

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

The most comprehensive worldwide analysis of wildlife genetic diversity ever undertaken has found that it is plummeting at an astonishing rate, but that conservation efforts can help protect species.

Two-thirds of the populations studied were declining in genetic diversity. However, the researchers found that conservation was sustaining — and even increasing, in some cases — the genetic diversity of populations.

“Mitigating loss of genetic diversity is a major global biodiversity challenge. To meet recent international commitments to maintain genetic diversity within species, we need to understand relationships between threats, conservation management and genetic diversity change,” the authors wrote in the study.

Promising endeavors like animal translocations and habitat restorations were designed to grow populations, introduce new breeding individuals and improve environmental conditions.

“There is no getting around the fact that biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates across the globe – but there are glimmers of hope. The action of conservationists is reversing these losses and helping to create genetically diverse populations that can better meet the challenges of the future,” said associate professor Catherine Grueber with University of Sydney’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences in a press release.

The landmark study, “Global meta-analysis shows action is needed to halt genetic diversity loss,” was published in Nature, and was a collaboration between an international team of researchers from nations including Poland, Spain, Greece, Sweden, China and the United Kingdom.

The research team looked at 628 species across 882 studies over more than three decades — 1985 to 2019 — including plant, animal and fungi across most maritime and all terrestrial realms on Earth.

“If a new disease comes through, or there’s a heatwave, there may be some individuals in the population that have certain characteristics that enable them to tolerate those new conditions,” Grueber explained, as The Guardian reported. “Those characteristics will get passed on to the next generation, and the population will persist instead of going extinct.”

The team gained new insights into studies conducted decades earlier through the use of innovations in genetic analysis. They created a scale of common measurement that enabled them to compare studies, even when varying methodologies were used and genetic data was collected in different ways.

“This kind of comprehensive global study would not have been possible even 10 years ago,” Grueber said in the press release. “Advances in genetics and statistics have given us new tools that mean we can continue to learn from studies long after they were carried out – a huge benefit when we are looking at populations and trends on a global scale.”

Conservation efforts that could maintain or improve genetic diversity include translocations — animals being moved between populations for the benefit of a species or ecosystem — population control, restoration and controlling pest or feral species.

“Genetic diversity loss occurs globally and is a realistic prediction for many species, especially birds and mammals, in the face of threats such as land use change, disease, abiotic natural phenomena and harvesting or harassment. Conservation strategies designed to improve environmental conditions, increase population growth rates and introduce new individuals (for example, restoring connectivity or performing translocations) may maintain or even increase genetic diversity. Our findings underscore the urgent need for active, genetically informed conservation interventions to halt genetic diversity loss,” the authors of the study wrote.

Releasing golden bandicoots in Western Australia after genetic monitoring. Colleen Sims / WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, Attractions

Conservation success stories included reintroducing the golden bandicoot into parts of Western Australia; releasing Arctic foxes from Scandinavian captive breeding programs; translocating greater prairie chickens in North America into existing populations; and effective disease treatment within populations of black-tailed prairie dogs, which has improved colony health in north-central Montana.

The authors of the findings hope they will encourage further conservation efforts and bring increased protections to currently unmanaged populations.

“Despite successes, we can’t be complacent. Two-thirds of the populations analysed are facing threats, and among these populations less than half received any kind of conservation management. It’s vital that we learn from what is working so that we can protect species in the long-term,” said Dr. Robyn Shaw, co-first author of the study and a University of Canberra postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, in the press release.

The post Genetic Diversity of Two-Thirds of Plant, Animal and Fungi Species Studied Is Declining, but Conservation Efforts Offer ‘Glimmers of Hope’ appeared first on EcoWatch.

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Swinburne University of Technology researchers have been awarded close to $920,000 to advance two projects for battery life and EV cybersecurity, securing a portion of over $46 million shared across 75 new projects.

The university received the funding in the latest round of Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Projects 2024. The scheme, part of the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Program, funds research that delivers practical benefits and strengthens Australia’s innovation and industry capabilities.

Swinburne’s Deputy Vice Chancellor Research, Professor Karen Hapgood, said, “These projects demonstrate how our researchers are partnering with industry to deliver practical solutions, from extending the life of battery systems to securing Australia’s electric vehicle infrastructure. It’s a powerful example of how university research is driving innovation and supporting a more sustainable, technologically advanced future.”

The first of the two projects, led by Professor Weixiang Shen, received $449,882 to extend the lifetime of battery energy storage systems for power grids.

“This project will enable my team to develop an innovative control strategy to actively manage the operating conditions of an individual battery cell using digital twin technology. It offers an excellent opportunity to implement and validate our approach in inverter-less battery energy storage systems provided by our industry partner, which uniquely enables cell-level control within the system,” Shen said.

“The project’s outcomes will strengthen Australia’s leadership in advanced energy storage technologies, support the growth of the domestic manufacturing sector, and contribute to the creation of high-skilled jobs.”

Aiming to enhance energy storage performance, the three-year project will develop new strategies to slow battery aging within each cell. It will use digital twin technology, combining deep learning and electrochemical modelling, to predict the impact of operating conditions on battery aging and regulate these conditions to control the aging process and extend battery life.

Working in partnership with Relectrify Pty Ltd, the project team will support Australia’s transition to sustainable energy by delivering longer battery life and reduced downtime so that battery systems can produce more over time.

The second project, led by Professor Yang Xiang, received $474,531 to address cybersecurity challenges in electric vehicle charging stations.

“This grant will allow my team to build advanced cybersecurity tools that address the challenges posed by the interaction between EV charging stations, diverse EVs, the national power grid and wireless communication protocols,” Xiang said.

“It creates a unique opportunity to generate novel research insights, validate solutions in real-world settings, and produce tools with strong commercialisation potential. Its outcomes support sustainable economic growth by enabling the safe uptake of EVs, reducing emissions and creating jobs.”

Electric vehicle charging stations are widely deployed, but they face complex security risks due to the diversity of electric vehicles, their connection to the power grid, and wireless communication with users. The three-year project aims to address these challenges by functionality-guided, update-guided and greybox-guided fuzzing techniques.

Working in partnership with T-POWER Pty Ltd, the project team will explore methods for testing charging stations and developing advanced tools to secure EV infrastructure and improve cybersecurity within Australia’s expanding sustainable transport sector.

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