African Lion Safari Attends the Evolution 2024 Conference

The in-person portion of the Evolution 2024 conference took place in Montreal, QC, Canada from July 26-30, 2024. It is the joint meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, the Society of Systematic Biologists, and the Society for the Study of Evolution. This conference is one of the premiere international opportunities for sharing research on evolutionary biology. With a diverse range of sessions, workshops, symposiums, and special events, the conference provided an opportunity for researchers and experts to share their latest findings and network with peers.

African Lion Safari was well-represented at the conference, with several members of their research team actively participating and showcasing their work. Dr. Drew Sauve presented his research on genetic adaptation within zoos and conservation breeding programs. His presentation was part of the symposium titled “Conservation Genetics Across Multiple Species” on July 27, 2024. Learn more “Evolution in Zoos and Conservation Breeding Programs”

In addition to Dr. Sauve’s presentation, Drew and Ginger Elliott co-hosted a symposium, “Evolution in Zoos and Conservation Breeding Programs,” in which 5 presenters from around the world presented their research related to the topic.

Lastly, Hana Thompson, research assistant for the Canada BioGenome Project and another member of African Lion Safari’s research team, presented “Investigating variation in fecundity in conservation breeding programs” during the poster session.

Her research focuses on fecundity, which refers to the ability of an organism to produce offspring. Thompson’s work explores how environmental changes affect fecundity or how many eggs/ hatchlings an individual has. Conservation breeding programs can offer an opportunity to examine variations in reproduction between different breeding facilities and between captive and wild environments.

The poster illustrated proposed focal species, research methodology, and expected outcomes, using simulated data to explore alternate scenarios. By having a higher understanding of how fecundity varies in response to environmental variation in conservation breeding and release programs, we can be better informed on how to manage self-sustaining, wild populations.

The opportunity to attend and present at the poster session allowed industry experts and researchers from around the world to view Thompson’s ideas and provide their opinions and critiques! Their feedback will be instrumental as she moves forward with project design, ensuring that her research is scientifically rigorous. Thompson was also able to attend talks given by other scientists working with conservation breeding programs. Attending these talks and conversing with the presenters was a great way to share knowledge and get inspired with new ideas for research.

The Evolution 2024 conference was an exciting experience for African Lion Safari’s research team, offering an excellent opportunity to contribute to and learn from the global scientific community.