Population Genomics of Dugongs in Northern Australia

Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are herbivorous marine mammals with immense ecological and cultural significance. Their populations are fragmented throughout their Indo-Pacific range. Australia is one of the last strongholds of dugongs, where approximately 160,000 animals inhabit the shallow waters along the northern coast of Australia from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Moreton Bay in Queensland. The genetic diversity of dugongs across their north-northwest range (from Shark Bay to the Torres Strait) is poorly understood. In this project, we will collaborate with multiple partners, including First Nations people of Australia, rangers, and researchers in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. This collaboration will rely on a two-way skill and knowledge exchange: we will train rangers and relevant members of communities to take tissue samples with user friendly sampling kits, and collaborate on understanding the results of our genetic analyses with the local communities where the dugongs live, learning from the Traditional Owners’ knowledge. We will use novel genomic approaches to fill important knowledge gaps about the health and connectivity of dugong populations in northern Australia and compare this with smaller dugong populations at the eastern edge of their range in New Caledonia and Vanuatu. We will employ next-generation sequencing to determine genetic diversity, connectivity and to detect bottlenecks. This research will enhance our understanding of the level of connectivity or fragmentation of dugong populations across their Australian range and enable a more targeted approach to the conservation of dugongs. Population genomics of Risso's

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25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals: Culture and conservation: fishing for change

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