Qualifications
Research Interests
My research interests focus on the ecological and evolutionary processes that contribute to the formation and maintenance of species boundaries, and the application of this knowledge to enhance the recovery of species at risk. I co-lead the Conservation, Systematics and Evolution Research Team (ConSERT) at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha/University of Canterbury. In partnership with relevant Māori (Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) tribes (iwi or hapū) and in collaboration with conservation practitioners, we use genomic and non-genomic data to co-develop conservation genetic management strategies for some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rarest taonga (treasured) species.
Recent Publications
- Digby A., Eason D., Catalina A., Lierz M., Galla S., Urban L., Le Lec MF., Guhlin J., Steeves TE. and Dearden PK. (2023) Hidden impacts of conservation management on fertility of the critically endangered kākāpō. PeerJ 11 http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14675.
- Wold JR., Guhlin JG., Dearden PK., Santure AW. and Steeves TE. (2023) The promise and challenges of characterizing genome-wide structural variants: A case study in a critically endangered parrot. Molecular Ecology Resources http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13783.
- Forsdick N., Adams C., Alexander A., Clark A., Collier-Robinson L., Cubrinovska I., Croll Dowgray M., Dowle E., Duntsch L. and Galla S. (2022) Current applications and future promise of genetic/genomic data for conservation in an Aotearoa New Zealand context. Science for conservation (Wellington).
- Galla SJ., Brown L., Couch-Lewis Ngāi Tahu Te Hapū O Ngāti Wheke Ngāti Waewae Y., Cubrinovska I., Eason D., Gooley RM., Hamilton JA., Heath JA., Hauser SS. and Latch EK. (2022) The relevance of pedigrees in the conservation genomics era. Molecular ecology 31(1): 41-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.16192.
- Hauser SS., Galla SJ., Putnam AS., Steeves TE. and Latch EK. (2022) Comparing genome-based estimates of relatedness for use in pedigree-based conservation management. Molecular Ecology Resources 22(7): 2546-2558. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13630.
Research group: www.ucconsert.org