Inbreeding is high among many of Western Canada’s caribou populations, Charlotte Bourbon says. And the University of Calgary veterinary medicine PhD candidate says this has the potential to cause dire problems down the road. Bourbon looked at caribou DNA and genetic diversity for a study now published in the journal Evolutionary Application. She did the research under Jocelyn Poissant and Marco Musiani. She said the work started with a reach-out from the Government of British Columbia. “They were looking for more input and information about the DNA of the caribou,” she told CTV News. “Something that was missing in the story was inbreeding. “They had no idea about the inbreeding patterns across caribou in B.C.” Bourbon looked at 45 of B.C.’s 54 caribou populations. She found more than 28 had high amounts of inbreeding. “My research showed they might not have enough genetic diversity to survive in the long term,” she said. “If we lost some populations locally, it could impact more populations around them.” Bourbon believes the damage could stretch beyond just caribou populations. She says caribou have a broader value—that they’re ecologically important. “When we spend money and time to work on caribou ... help them survive in the long term, we also help a large pattern of species,” she said. The research will be put to use in future B.C. government conservation plans. It could be useful for other provincial governments, and other levels of government, as well. “A possibility to improve genetic diversity is making the connectivity better,” Bourbon said. “We can do habitat restoration, habitat protection, in order to maintain corridors to help individuals move between populations.”
