Montana State researcher’s study on collection, use of genetic data highlighted in Science

BOZEMAN - A study by a Montana State University biologist about geographic disparities in the representation of species in scientific databases was highlighted recently in a Science.org article.

The article followed the October publication of findings by Ethan Linck, assistant professor in the Department of Ecology in the College of Letters and Science, in the journal Molecular Ecology. Based on extensive database and literature review, Linck and his coauthor conclude that scientific research efforts are disproportionately concentrated in high, northern latitudes, even though biological diversity is concentrated in lower latitudes near the equator.

The study by Linck and Carlos Daniel Cadena, evolutionary biologist at the University of Los Andes, concerns animal reference genomes, which scientists treat as the representative genome for a species and depend on for data analysis. These reference genomes also can be helpful when making decisions about conservation, according to Science.org writer Rodrigo Pérez Ortega.

The researchers surveyed more than 21,000 available reference genomes for mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. They found that, apart from the polar regions, areas in the Northern Hemisphere had reference genomes for an average of 38% of their species, whereas Southern Hemisphere areas only had about 24% of their species referenced.

The article reports more of Linck's findings. For example, even though the density of species is highest in the tropics, species in northern latitudes - particularly North America and Europe - are more likely to have a reference genome. This gap in genetic data for populations of various species may prevent experts from making the best management decisions for them. He also found that researchers in more economically developed areas of the world are more likely to be listed as authors in scientific publications, even when working in the tropics.

Quoted in the article, Linck said, "Even collaborations between researchers in the Global North and South face barriers because sequencing at a northern institution is often cheaper and easier ... If we're serious about conserving biodiversity, we need to ensure that the people living in the most biodiverse regions have the tools and opportunities to study and protect it."

Linck joined the MSU faculty in fall 2023. His research interests include population and conservation genetics, biogeography and evolutionary ecology.