EastBio CASE: Using museomics to understand extinctions and inform re-introductions of UK butterflies

During the last century a number of butterfly species have disappeared from the UK fauna and many others, such as the swallowtail Papilio machaon, remain vulnerable and currently occupy a fraction of their previous range. However, despite the many challenges butterflies face in a world of increasingly rapid change, the last decade has also seen some butterfly species expand their ranges in the UK. Moreover, two species that had gone extinct, the Large Blue and the Chequered Skipper, have been successfully reintroduced and one, the Large Tortoiseshell, has recently re-established UK colonies from an unknown source. This PhD project will generate and analyse population genomic data from butterfly species that have either gone extinct or are at risk of extinction in the UK. You will use a combination of historical and contemporary samples from the UK and continental Europe to address the following questions:

1. When and from which sources were UK populations of extinct or critically endangered butterfly species established?
2. How much gene flow from continental Europe have UK populations received in the past?
3. Do past UK populations of extinct or critically endangered butterflies show different deep population histories and/or an increased genetic load compared to species that have not experienced declines in the UK?
4. What are the most suitable source populations for potential re-introductions and genetic rescue of extinct or endangered butterfly species to the UK?

This project will generate new population genomic data from museum samples and make use of data generated by the Lohse Lab, Roger Vila (Barcelona) and other collaborators as well as the butterfly reference genomes generated by the Darwin Tree of Life project.

Research Training

The project is mostly computational but will also involve some molecular work and sampling in natural history collections. The project suits students who are willing to learn and further develop bioinformatic skills. The supervisors will provide cutting-edge training in museomics, bioinformatics and population genomics. The first year includes a five week course on population genomic analysis which provides a basis for the analytical work. Further training will be provided by Edinburgh Genomics coding and bioinformatics courses and EastBio workshops/symposia. The student will benefit from the network of international collaborators of the supervisors. This project is co-supervised by Restore (www.restorenature.com), an ecological restoration and species reintroduction consultancy and includes a 3-month placement with this industry partner in 2026 or 2027 at the native invertebrate breeding and research facility that Restore are developing in Devon.