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At this month's ERGA Plenary meeting , taking place on Monday, February 17 at 15:00 CET, Giulio Formenti will explore the growing relevance of pangenome graphs in advancing biodiversity genomics research. More details can be found below. Watch the talk: Abstract Pangenome graphs and their applications in biodiversity genomics Complete datasets of genetic variants are key to biodiversity genomic studies. Long-read sequencing technologies allow the routine assembly of highly contiguous, haplotype-resolved reference genomes. However, even when complete, reference genomes from a single individual may bias downstream analyses and fail to adequately represent genetic diversity within a population or species. Pangenome graphs assembled from aligned collections of high-quality genomes can overcome representation bias by integrating sequence information from multiple genomes from the same population, species or genus into a single reference. Here, drawing from our experience with both human and non-human pangenomes, I will review the available tools and data structures to build, visualize and manipulate pangenome graphs while providing practical examples and discussing their applications in biodiversity and conservation genomics across the tree of life. 🔗 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-024-02029-6 Speaker's Bio Giulio Formenti Research Assistant Professor, co-Director, and Bioinformatics Lead of the Vertebrate Genome and Jarvis Labs at The Rockefeller University (NY, USA). Extensive experience in human and non-human genetics and genomics. Active member and leadership roles of several international consortia with a focus on genomics. Significant mentoring and teaching experience acquired over multiple years in European and US universities. Advisory and leadership skills acquired while serving in various university academic boards. Actively engaged in science outreach, including organization of conferences and meetings with national and international collaborators. 🔔 To receive the Zoom link and join this and our upcoming plenary meetings, register as an ERGA member .

Join the first ERGA BioGenome Analysis & Applications Seminar of 2025! This month featuring talks by Martin Mascher and Marina Pupke Marone from the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) . More details below. 🕚 Monday, February 24th 2025 - 11:00 AM CET 📅 Add the seminar to your calendar Join us live on YouTube: Structural variation in the pangenome of wild and domesticated barley Abstract Pangenomes, which are collections of annotated genome sequences from multiple individuals of a species, provide valuable insights into structural variants that enhance genetic analysis in crop plants. This study presents a barley pangenome comprising long-read assemblies from 76 wild and domesticated genomes, supplemented by short-read data from 1,315 genotypes. The expanded variation catalog reveals structurally complex loci enriched in gene copy number variation. The utility of the pangenome is demonstrated through analysis of selected loci related to disease resistance, plant architecture, nutrient release, and trichome development. Novel allelic variations were identified, including a powdery mildew resistance locus and population-specific copy number gains in a vegetative branching regulator. Additionally, an expanded enzyme family in elite malting barley varieties was linked to altered enzymatic activity in micro-malting trials, and the deletion of an enhancer motif was associated with changes in the development of hairy appendages on barley grains. These findings suggest that allelic diversity at structurally complex loci has facilitated crop adaptation to selective pressures in agricultural environments. Speaker Martin Mascher leads the ‘Domestication Genomics’ research group at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben. His lab investigates crop evolution and adaptation, focusing on how these processes shape genetic diversity in domesticated plants and their wild ancestors. His research centers on temperate cereals—barley, wheat, rye, and oats—leveraging the extensive collections of these crops and their wild relatives housed in the German national genebank. How to assemble plant genomes with TRITEX Abstract TRITEX is a computational pipeline for chromosome-scale assembly of plant genomes. TRITEX uses an input contig assembly (using HiFi long-reads, for example), Hi-C reads and a guide map (or reference genome) to assemble the genomes within a short time frame. Manual curation of contig placements is done intuitively with user-editable tables and plots. The pipeline is available at  https://tritexassembly.bitbucket.io/  and the related publication at  https://plantmethods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13007-022-00964-1 Speaker Marina Pupke Marone is a biologist with a degree from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, who started working with plant bioinformatics in 2016 during her master’s at the University of Campinas, Brazil. During her PhD in the same University, she completed a 9-month internship in the Domestication Genomics group at IPK in Germany, where she gained experience with the TRITEX pipeline and barley genomics. In 2023, she started her postdoc in the same group to start working in the barley pangenome. Related publications Marone, M.P., Singh, H.C., Pozniak, C.J. et al. A technical guide to TRITEX, a computational pipeline for chromosome-scale sequence assembly of plant genomes. Plant Methods 18 , 128 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-022-00964-1

The ERGA Data Analysis Committee  is thrilled to kick off 2025 with the launch of a new working group focused on Essential Biodiversity Variables  (EBVs). The EBVs serve as metrics for capturing biodiversity across genes, species, and ecosystems.  They facilitate our understanding of the changes that are taking place on our planet by bringing biodiversity data together in a consistent and meaningful way. This working group aims to conduct a meta-analysis of publicly available genomes from diverse ecosystems to estimate genomic-informed EBVs. All ERGA members  interested in participating in this working group are welcome to join our next DAC committee meeting, taking place on Monday, 24th of February at 11:00 AM. Hurry up because the registration will close at the end of February! Following a small literature review on the topic of EBVs, the working group is now collecting information on public genomic datasets,  possibly linked to phenotypic records. The following step will be to divide participants into different focus areas, including:  Aquatic environment (freshwater and marine) Terrestrial environment  Bioeconomy (e.g., pollinators) Dark/extreme habitats, whereby ‘dark’ we mean understudied/uncharacterised habitats The data analysis step will be coordinated among the 4 focus areas and will be carried out following the development of open pipelines made available through Galaxy ,  ensuring its openness and reproducibility. Results will be collected in a scientific publication led by the DAC committee.  If you would like to join this task force, follow these steps: Make sure you are a registered ERGA member. If not, please register here . Write an email to analysis@erga-biodiversity.eu  introducing yourself and expressing your interest before the 24th of February 2025. You will be added to the DAC mailing list to receive any updates on the upcoming meetings and will be asked to actively participate in the data gathering and subsequent steps.  We look forward to your participation!  Important links: What are EBVs? – GEO BON   Literature Review Essential Biodiversity Variables - Wikipedia   https://portal.geobon.org/datasets

Read the full interview with Fabrizio Ghiselli and James Fleming below: Can you introduce yourselves and share how you became interested in the topic of social justice? James: I'm James Fleming, I'm one of the two chairs of ERGA’s Social Justice committee. I'm a postdoc currently at Japan's Marine Science and Technology Institute  (JAMSTEC). I've been here for just 6 months and before that I was working in Europe. At some point I'll work on European genomes again. As for why I am particularly interested in social justice matters I think for me it's kind of always been there. Both of my parents are quite committed trade unionists in the UK, so I grew up in quite a strong left wing background in that respect. The political difficulties of people from marginalized groups was something that I grew up in a way to try and be as aware of as possible. Fabrizio: I'm Fabrizio Ghiseli and I'm an associate professor of zoology at the University of Bologna , Italy. I'm mostly interested in biodiversity genomics and molecular and genome evolution. There are two main reasons why I joined this committee: first because during my career and on the way to tenure I saw a lot of things that I didn't like and I want to change this reality or help changing it.  The second reason is that living in academia it's like living in a bubble and I wanted to get out of this bubble and learn about social justice applied to different scenarios - not only like to career paths - but also thinking of what is happening outside academia with minorities, with scientific colonialism and issues like these. James:   I always really appreciate Fabrizio’s perspective on social justice issues because he is at a much later career stage than I am  (I'm still kind of starting things off) but also because we come from very different places in Europe. We have very different perspectives on what impacts who and how. I think that that's actually something that the Social Justice committee has that's nice but could always use more of. So we are always looking for more perspectives and more members. Fabrizio: It’s the same for me. I'm learning a lot from James and the other members on some specific issues, while I can give a perspective on topics like teaching, for example. I teach a lot so I have experience with students and the relationship between tenure track or with the other people in academia so I think we complement really well. 2 . Can you describe what are the main goals and activities of the new ERGA Social Justice Committee? Fabrizio : In ERGA we are studying biodiversity but we need to keep in mind that people are also made of diversity. Our goal is to make the entire diversity of people in ERGA feel welcome and included. James : Yes, one of the different topics that we're interested in looking at are the effects of people's lived experiences within the biodiversity genomics community and how we can make ERGA and generally the universities and [research] institutions more comfortable, safer places to be. As part of that as well we're hoping to work a bit more with training and skills development and also with the outreach committees here in ERGA to look at how and to who we talk to when we communicate ERGA’s research, because we do a lot of really exciting stuff and it would be great to tell as many people about that as possible. 3. Why is it so important to embed social justice principles into biodiversity genomics research? James : Something that Fabrizio started the last question with which I think is really important is this idea that ERGA is made up of people. We aren't just scientific robots who produce papers, we are people who have lived experiences and who experience different challenges within the academic and within our personal environments. And I think valuing the members of ERGA as people is a very important part of doing the research properly. I think that also means valuing the communities that we do that research with - the people that live alongside the animals, plants and fungi the ERGA plans to sequence, and the people whose traditions and cultures are wrapped up in the existence of those organisms. We also have to explicitly confront that academia is not always a comfortable environment for people from a variety of marginalized communities and sometimes that's very intentional and sometimes it can be due to biases that we overlook. There are people who are restricted from access to downstream analyses, for example, because they can't make it into the field for whatever reason, or individuals who don't feel comfortable joining up with certain consortiums, or with certain groups for various valid reasons. And I think that it's very important that we try to confront that head on as well and make ERGA and the Earth BioGenome Project as a whole a place that's comfortable and fun for all researchers to be. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice - learn more about the ERGA SJC goals: https://www.erga-biodiversity.eu/social-justice 4. What do you see as the main challenge or challenges to the goal of achieving social justice diversity equity and inclusion economic research? James : I think from ERGA’s perspective and from a practical perspective as a member of the social justice committee the main challenge is that there is a lot of work to do. That makes trying to solve every problem at once really tempting. But considering we're a very small committee and that all of our funding comes from grants, of course our ambitions have to be commensurate with practicality in order to really make a difference. I can talk very loftily about the social justice principles and how it's important that we save the world but I think that it's important that we actually do something with that rather than just espouse our principles and I think for us that's really going to be our main challenge - particularly in the first two or three years. Another challenge is that achieving social justice in ERGA means making sure that the ERGA community takes us seriously, and that means achieving concrete provable positive results and I think that will hopefully start something that snowballs itself. Fabrizio: Yes, what James just said is really true and important. In my opinion the most difficult thing is that we need to change a lot and people don't like changes. It's difficult to convince people to make changes and so I think that’s the biggest challenge.  James: I think it's very easy when you ask people to make change - and this happens to me as well -  to get very defensive. I'm sure that there are some people who will read this interview and be like “oh well, he shouldn’t have said that” and I think that that's probably fine. I'm going to miss things out, but I think there are a lot of people in the community, myself included, who have very good intentions but every now and then we need to change what we're doing in order to make it better. I think particularly if you think you're doing the right thing, being told that you can do the right thing better is often one of the hardest things to take.  5. The SJC is the newest ERGA Committee, can you tell us what concrete actions and are you most excited to promote as a committee? Fabrizio : In the new social justice committee we need to be disruptive because a lot of change is needed and also we don't have much time. But changes need time and so it's a tricky situation - we need to be disruptive but in a positive way . We don't want to force people to do things. First because we can't and second because people don’t respond well to this kind of behavior. As James said, we need to showcase the positive results from this kind of behavior that we want to adopt and that is tricky. It's also exciting. James: We also have grant applications that are currently in progress under evaluation, which is really positive. Some of these grant applications are examining whether or not EDI (Equality, diversity and inclusion) initiatives in Europe are actually working. There's often a lot of cynicism about top-down EDI tracking management and evaluation systems. So our grant proposals are themed around asking scientists and academics - the people who are affected by these schemes - whether or not they do think that these schemes are working for them. Or how they think these schemes could be improved. As we come into this new year we're also going to be building our online social justice resources library through the ERGA Knowledge Hub  and helping build the early career research network with training and knowledge transfer. So hopefully we'll be able to start bringing more early career researchers into the ERGA Committees - I think it's important to acknowledge that early career researchers can often feel excluded from big groups like ERGA and can feel like these groups aren't for them or for them yet. So I think that it's important from a social justice perspective to be part of the career development of early career researchers as well. Fabrizio: Yes, absolutely. Early career researchers and also minorities are more sensitive to this kind of problem and so we can learn from them and from their experiences. They are also generally more willing to change and so it’s very important to include them. James: Yes, I think that's true and statistically with early career researchers each generation is always more diverse than the one before. I think that that's very important so we can try and address this leaky pipeline problem that we have in science: what happens is the older and older you get the more and more scientists end up looking like me because the more and more people who don't (look like me) tend to feel like they have been pressured out of the system. So making serious advances in the early career stages could be a way to help fix that problem. Conclusion James :  [Our final message is that] we're always looking for new members! We're energetic, we're quite young… There's one thing that I wanted to mention which is that we've been using these three buzzwords but they're not just buzzwords to make us feel better: solidarity, intersectionality and collective action: these things are the things that will actually make this social justice committee good. Listening to each other, working together and listening across our boundaries.  We’re always looking for new members and we're always excited for new members, wherever they're from, whatever they're interested in and whether they're people who have historically been activists or people who are just interested in these topics. We meet every first Thursday of the month at 11:00 Central European Time. Right now we're mostly discussing moving forward with grant proposals but we're also looking at preparing a new member session in the new year that will be a lot more focused for trying to welcome people in and get people to know each other a bit more in the committee to try and inspire some internal projects within us.  Fabrizio: So if you want to make a change, just stop complaining, join us and let's try to make it happen! Send an email to the Social Justice Committee and learn more about how you can participate!

In June 2024, a research group from the University of Eastern Finland  launched a new project under the BGE-ERGA umbrella. The project takes advantage of the natural experiment currently taking place in Finland, where the brown hare ,  a temperate climate-adapted species and a recent arrival in the region, is expanding its distribution range with the help of climate change, at the expense of the cold-adapted mountain hare .  The brown hare ( Lepus europaeus) and the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) had their genomes sequenced as part of the ERGA Pilot Project. While the two species hybridise and the hybrids are fertile, the gene flow between the species is highly unidirectional from mountain hares to brown hares. The factors causing this directionality as well as its consequences for the two hare species remain poorly understood. It seems likely that the brown hares outbreed mountain hares while obtaining locally adapted gene variants from these. Led by Prof. Jaakko Pohjoismäki, the project aims to showcase the utility of reference-quality genome assemblies in aiding and enabling detailed dissection of species’ colonisation histories, and the genetic impact of hybridisation and adaptation. The distribution as well as the habitat use of mountain hares and brown hares overlaps in Finland. Despite the peaceful coexistence of the individuals in the wild, brown hares are expanding their range at the expense of the mountain hares. Game camera photos from a previous study on the species interactions. The trap was used for catching and tagging the hares for satellite tracking. Note the GPS collar on the mountain hare. Courtesy of the UEF hare research group. To understand the genomic consequences of the species hybridization, pinpoint genomic regions under selection and reveal ancestral makeup as well as origins of the Finnish brown hare population, the group, in collaboration with researchers from CIBIO, Portugal, gathered genotype by sequencing datasets from a geographically representative sample of 200 mountain hares and 200 brown hares. As comparative “parental” populations, sequencing data was obtained from four brown hare populations (Germany, Austria, Pyrenees, and Hungary) and five mountain hare populations (Sweden, Ural Mountains, and the Russian Far East: Kolyma, Magadan, and Primorsky Krai). The reference genome assemblies previously generated by the research group for the brown hare  and the mountain hare  as part of the ERGA Pilot Project are essential for the analysis as they facilitate SNP calling, recognition of linked variants, and the precise identification of the genes under selection. Data have already revealed hybridization patterns, genomic ancestry, and possible subpopulation structures among the two hare species. The group is currently investigating possible sex-linked biases in the introgression pattern, which might allow identification of possible male-related incompatibilities in the hybrids, as well as trying to pinpoint genes under selection. A fertile first-generation hybrid between mountain hare and brown hare, confirmed by genotyping. Such hybrids seem to come with a cost to the mountain hare while potentially benefitting the local adaptation of brown hares. The background fence belongs to private property and is not related to keeping animals captive. Game camera photo, UEF hare research group. Understanding the dynamics of the unique genetic interaction between the two hare species not only teaches us about the evolutionary processes of local adaptation in species range expansion but also provides valuable insight for informed conservation efforts for the mountain hare. This project is funded by the Horizon Europe program, with additional previous support from the Research Council of Finland (the xHARES consortium, grant no. 329264), and Portuguese FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (doi: 10.54499/PTDC/BIA-EVL/1307/2020), to the Portuguese collaborators. We also thank BGE-ERGA for providing a collaborative platform that made this research possible. Chromosomal-level reference genome assemblies enable detailed analysis of species hybridisation, as these preliminary results of the presented study demonstrate. Upper panel: Example of mountain hare chromosomal segments in the genome of a brown hare individual from the Oulu region in Finland. The chromosomes appear in reverse alphabetical order from top to bottom. The Y-chromosome has been excluded as it lacks recombination. The red regions are homozygous, and the yellow regions are heterozygous with mountain hare genomic sequence. Lower panel: A closeup of the red section of chromosome 18, showing example gene loci in this region. Read more about the two genomes here . Image by Zsófia Fekete. Image by Zsófia Fekete. About the Author Prof. Jaakko Pohjoismäki is part of the ERGA Finland and participates in the ERGA Sampling and Sample Processing Committee , as well as its executive board. Besides the mitochondrial biology research group, he has led the hare research at the University of Eastern Finland since 2013 ( https://uefconnect.uef.fi/en/hare-research/ ).

The Wood Wide Ants (WWA) project started in the late winter of 2023, as a collaboration among research groups of the Italian Universities of Bologna, Firenze, and Pavia. It involves about 12 researchers and many bachelors and masters students. The wood ant Formica paralugubris  belongs to the threatened F. rufa  species complex, native to the Alps. F. paralugubris  is extremely important for forest ecosystems across multiple trophic levels. Starting from 1958, nests were transplanted to Apennines to fight important forest pest species. In introduction areas this species tends to be invasive outcompeting other ants and affecting arthropod communities. Alpine populations are characterised by low genetic variability and they have been subjected to local extinctions, thereby, transplanted populations may represent an important source of genetic diversity. A social interaction between workers of the same huge and widespread colony. These photos were shot on one of the sampled nests by Iacopo Nerozzi A worker ant carrying a fir needle. Photo by Iacopo Nerozzi The first objective of the WWA Project is to generate a high-quality, chromosome level, reference genome of Formica paralugubris , to be used for population genomics analyses on Illumina resequencing data. We seek to elucidate the population structure and demographic dynamics of both native (Alps) and introduced (Foreste Casentinesi National Park, Apennines) populations, while also including museum samples (Kosmos Museum, Pavia, Italy), which will allow us to investigate population differentiation over both space and time. Our findings will contribute to the conservation efforts for native populations, and enhance our understanding of the consequences of recent human-mediated introductions in forest ecosystems. Graphical Abstract: The history of the first introductions and our main goals. Art by Filippo Nicolini We collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders and our goal is to increase the awareness of the public about the role of  biodiversity genomics in conservation actions, especially towards less charismatic invertebrate species. We aim to promote the creation of more consistent legislation across various regions, thereby facilitating the protection of these species. In this context, F. paralugubris  may serve as a valuable model for disseminating the possible pros and cons of human-mediated introductions of alien species. In fact, although F. paralugubris  and red wood ants are classified as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN Red List, regulations governing their protection vary significantly across European countries. The introduced Formica paralugubris  colonies have a huge impact on local arthropods biodiversity and biomass. Photo by Iacopo Nerozzi This project is funded by the Horizon Europe program, by the European Union - NextGenerationEU, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Project title “National Biodiversity Future Center -NBFC” (project code CN_00000033), with additional support from the Canziani Bequest and “Ricerca Fondamentale Orientata” funds from the University of Bologna. We also thank BGE-ERGA for providing a collaborative platform that made this research possible. About the Authors Fabrizio Ghiselli is Associate Professor of Zoology at the University of Bologna, working on molecular evolution and comparative genomics. He is an ERGA member since 2021, and Co-Chair of the ERGA Social Justice Committee . He also participates in the ERGA Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) committee , and is interested in training, knowledge transfer, and citizen science. Enrico Strada (University of Bologna) is responsible for scientific and educational dissemination. He has curated Citizen Science and scientific communication activities, focusing on myrmecology and urban biodiversity. Two of his main missions are making the community discover the fascinating world of entomology, and emphasizing the fundamental role that each informed individual can have for the conservation of biodiversity and environments. This approach perfectly aligns with the goals of the WWA project! Filippo Nicolini is a postdoc at the University of Leicester (UK) and former PhD student at the University of Bologna (IT), working mainly on comparative and evolutionary genomics in invertebrate species. He is also an evo-devo and science communication enthusiast. WWA links: https://linktr.ee/antswoodwide

In this project, researchers from the University of Bologna, in Italy (Federica Costantini, Barbara Mikac, and Eugenio Fossi) and the University of Dubrovnik in Croatia (Marijana Pećarević and Kruno Bonačić) join their forces to study alien species of the polychaete genus Polydora, invading farmed oysters in the Adriatic Sea, with the support of BGE funding. Aquaculture is one of the main vectors for the introduction and transport of alien species in the Mediterranean Sea. Recently, researchers from the University of Bologna discovered for the first time in the Mediterranean new alien shell-boring poychaete oyster pests, from the genus Polydora , in oyster farms in the northern Adriatic   Sea. Their introduction may have severe ecological and economic impacts. Movements of young and adult oysters among farms, performed regularly as a farming practice, might contribute to further translocation of these hitchhikers, which could also infest wild mollusks. Joint action of the neighboring Adriatic countries is needed to address the problem. The objectives of this project are to confirm the identity and define the distribution of shell-boring Polydora  species in oyster farms along the Adriatic coasts, clarify the provenance and way of their introduction in the Adriatic, and strengthen connections between scientists, aquaculture companies, monitoring, and legislation institutions as a base for the implementation of management measures for these   pests. Images of an Oyster farm in the Sacca di Goro lagoon, Italy, Northern Adriatic Sea and oysters being sampled from the farm. Italian and Croatian scientists sampled Polydora  from several oyster farms along the Adriatic coasts and analyzed them morphologically and genetically. Population genomics based on a genome sequencing approach (RAD-seq) is going to be used on the sampled populations. The sequencing of the reference genome for Polydora  is fundamental to map the sequenced reads for each sample and to SNP discovery to estimate diversity measures in pest species and to identify loci and alleles important for local adaptation . Analyzed data will indicate information on the routes of introduction of the species in the Adriatic Sea, on the connectivity patterns among populations, and the phylogenomic relationships between species within the genus. Oyster infested by molluscs and Polydora worms. A close-up look at the Polydora worm parasite from an oyster sampled in the Adriatic Sea. Through a series of actions (presentations at national and international conferences, meetings and round tables, and sending of reports) the scientific results obtained from this research will be communicated to aquaculture companies, governing and legislative institutions, public bodies working in environmental monitoring, and other public and private research institutions.

At this month's ERGA Plenary meeting (Monday, December 16 at 15:00 CET) we will hear from Amber Hartman Scholz about the outcomes of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) that took place last October in Cali, Colombia and the consequences of the latest DSI decision for “real-world” scientists, database managers, and users of sequence data. The session will be moderated by Camila Mazzoni. Watch the talk: Abstract What happened at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 16) on Digital Sequence Information? Can I still use open public genetic sequence data? The Leibniz Institute DSMZ Science Policy and Internalization Department is actively engaged in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity as an academic stakeholder. At the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia in October 2024 and, indeed, for the past several years, we have closely followed negotiations on digital sequence information (DSI) and access and benefit-sharing. While the COP15 decision on DSI in 2022 was encouraging because it moved towards a multilateral benefit-sharing (unlike the Nagoya Protocol), no details on how the mechanism would work were decided. The recent COP16 DSI decision operationalizes this new benefit-sharing mechanism and creates new financial obligations and requirements for databases. The talk will explain what the DSI decision means for “real-world” scientists, database managers, and users of sequence data. And, in parallel, show what science policy work entails and what is happening on the ground during UN negotiations. Speaker's Bio - Amber Hartman Scholz Dr. Amber Hartman Scholz is a microbiologist and Head of the Science Policy & Internationalization Department at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ in Braunschweig, Germany. She leads projects on international science policy especially on access and benefit sharing and digital sequence information. She led the DSMZ’s implementation to become a Registered Collection under the EU’s Nagoya Protocol regulation (511/2014) and co-founded both the DSI Scientific Network  and German Nagoya Protocol Hub . She held previous science policy posts in the US Federal and California state governments including at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy. 🔔 To receive the Zoom link and join this and our upcoming plenary meetings, register as an ERGA member .

We are thrilled to announce the election of three new officers to the ERGA Executive Board ! Lada Lukić Bilela, Camila Mazzoni, and Jaakko Pohjoismäki have been appointed to three newly established officer roles. Their contributions will be instrumental in helping ERGA achieve its goals and bring its vision to life. Congratulations to our newly elected officers—we wish them great success! To learn more about each of the officers, check their introductory talks. This marks the third iteration of ERGA Executive Board elections, now a well-established process. The electoral procedure was followed closely by the voting ERGA Council, in accordance with the guidelines established by the ERGA governance Document .  The process also received crucial oversight from the Nominations Working Group and support from the Elections Supporting Team (Christian de Guttry, Diego de Panis and João Pimenta) and the JEDI Subcommittee . With these three new members, the ERGA Executive Board now comprises nine researchers with different roles. The new officer roles enhance the board’s reach and ability to support ERGA, enabling our community to grow and advance in new directions. Learn more about the newly created positions: Social Integration Officer This role ensures ERGA's ethical and socially responsible activities. The Integration Officer oversees Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI), media relations, community engagement, and knowledge transfer, aligning these efforts with ERGA’s strategic goals. The focus is on managing the ethical and societal impact of ERGA’s work and promoting meaningful connections with the public and stakeholders. Funding Opportunities Officer The Funding Opportunities Officer is responsible for identifying and securing financial resources to support ERGA's initiatives. This role involves actively searching for grants and funding opportunities. It also guides teams through the application process, and enhancing ERGA’s visibility to attract resources. The officer plays a key role in increasing ERGA's financial sustainability. Genomic Outreach Officer This position focuses on promoting the use and value of reference genomes within ERGA and the broader community. The Genomic Outreach Officer identifies opportunities for applying reference genomes in various contexts, such as research, industry, and conservation. By promoting collaborations in genomic applications, ERGA expands its impact and visibility. Playlist - ERGA Executive Board - Introductory talks

In April 2024, a team of researchers from three countries launched a collaborative project under the BGE-ERGA umbrella entitled “Genetic adaptation of Northern chamois ( Rupicapra rupicapra ) ecotypes to climate change and habitat loss: A case study on the endangered subspecies of Balkan chamois ( R. r. balcanica )”. A team of experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovenia led by Prof. Dr. Dragan Gačić is involved in this project, which is based at the University of Banja Luka - Faculty of Forestry. This case study will focus on the adaptive genetic variation observed in different ecotypes of the Northern chamoi s , with a special emphasis on the subspecies R. r. balcanica , the Balkan chamois,   which occupies central and southern Dinaric Mts. Recently, the species has been declining in Alpine and Dinaric areas and is sensitive to global increases in temperatures. The Balkan chamois occupies mountainous regions of the nine countries of the Balkan Peninsula, and in all these countries, populations are small and isolated. This subspecies is exposed to many threats, including: i) Shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns, ii) Habitat fragmentation and anthropogenic disturbances, iii) Hybridisation due to translocation of individuals of different subspecies.  The Balkan chamois in their natural habitat: climate change and habitat loss are some of the factors that threaten these high-mountain dwellers. Photo by Željko Sekulić. The primary goal of the project is to detect and understand hybridisation events/risks within selected populations, evaluate the resilience of populations in the face of environmental change, and comprehend the factors that influence their potential to persist and adapt. By utilising resequencing data, we can estimate the loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding resulting from population declines and fragmentation, which directly impact population fitness. In this study, we plan to incorporate samples/populations of Northern chamois from five different countries. Specifically, four countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro) will contribute samples of the Balkan chamois. Additionally, Slovenia will provide samples of the Alpine chamois for comparative analysis. Furthermore, within Croatia, we intend to include a population located in the established artificial hybridisation zone of both chamois subspecies. Altogether, 120 samples will be included in the study. This project brings together researchers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Slovenia in a collaborative effort to understand the adaptive genetic variation of the endangered Balkan chamois and support its conservation. Photos by Bojan Paprica and Stefan Maglić. Stakeholders from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia will be involved in interpretation and dissemination of results. The Hunting days meeting and workshops will be organised in collaboration with national parks and hunting organisations at international level, and separate training activities will be organized regarding hybridisation and the reintroduction action plan. Insights from this project will be essential for effective conservation, adjusting the management, and consequently, ensuring the long-term survival of Balkan chamois and other chamois subspecies. Stay tuned for more updates on our findings! Text by Dragan Gačić, University of Banja Luka - Faculty of Forestry.