Alessandra Bresnan received a B.A. in Global Politics and an M.A. in Economy in Rome, Italy before working at the Climate Change Division of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization where she realized how passionate she was about wildlife conservation, but she felt she lacked the necessary scientific training and background. Therefore, Alessandra decided to re-enroll in university for a B.Sc. in International Wildlife Biology in Cardiff, UK where she discovered that the application of genetics can facilitate wildlife conservation. Alessandra carried out her thesis on investigating African leopard diet via genetics and then continued onto a Masters in Conservation Genetics. She then decided to move back to the United States after living 11 years abroad to pursue a doctoral degree at Louisiana State University in Dr. Sabrina Taylor’s Conservation Genetics Lab.
- Tell us about your research interests.
Since tigers face potential extinction in the wild, it becomes increasingly important to have a genetically viable captive population. However, captive populations face several threats: they may lose genetic diversity, become inbred, and/or adapt to captivity. These issues can be addressed by incorporating genetic management in captive breeding plans; my research seeks to do just this by employing genome-wide molecular data on the captive tiger population. My research can help plan breeding between captive individuals to maximize genetic variability as well as identify genomic regions associated with adaptation to captivity that might affect fitness in the wild.
- What does the tiger mean to you?
I’ve always been an avid fan of cats in general, but tigers have held a special place in my heart since my childhood thanks to their beauty and strength. I also have great respect for them thanks to their important role as apex predators, maintaining the health and diversity of their ecosystems. While the tiger is my favorite animal, I am passionate about conservation of endangered species and habitats, so I recognize that conserving the tiger safeguards the biodiversity of their ecosystem as a whole. I feel it’s important to use the tiger as a powerful umbrella species that can bring funds, attention and action to conservation.
- Why do you work on tiger conservation?
Despite being one of the world’s most iconic species, the tiger is at risk of extinction. In the wild they are threatened by habitat loss, poaching and declining prey base. While their plight in the wild is near and dear to my heart, I wanted to concentrate my efforts where I thought I could make the most impact with my research and skill set, so I developed a project that would help captive tigers in the US. It’s important for captive breeding programs to retain the most genetic diversity as possible if they are to be successful in providing a reservoir population, either as stock for artificial insemination of wild tigers or as candidates for eventual re-introduction. I am hoping to use my research to contribute towards this mission.
- Professionally speaking, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Following the completion of my PhD, my dream is to join Panthera’s team as a researcher. Panthera is an NGO at the forefront of big cat conservation that only recruits the best scientists. I would like to be able to establish and participate in their conservation projects for endangered felid species by integrating genetic applications where possible. I believe the future of effective conservation is intrinsically linked with the widespread application of new genetic technologies since genetics can promote greater understanding of endangered populations, their ecology, and identify cases of wildlife trafficking
