Unlocking the potential of genomic technologies for wildlife forensics

Abstract

Wildlife crime enforcement is increasingly relying on genetic techniques to deliver forensic evidence to investigators. Forensic DNA applications require robust molecular markers, informative at the level of the species, population and individual, in a wide range of taxa. Within species, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have long been recognized as offering many potential advantages over traditional microsatellite markers; however, the best methods for their discovery, validation and genotyping in non-model species remain an area of novel research and much discussion. The potential availability to wildlife geneticists of deep sequencing platforms and high-density genotyping arrays appears to promise an almost infinite source of variable markers for determining the geographic or individual origin of a sample. This study examines the drivers for developing SNP genotyping panels in wildlife forensics and their potential as applied tools, before examining a range of strategies that are being employed to try to unlock this potential and address current questions in wildlife conservation and enforcement.