{
  "id": 614165,
  "title": "Genomics used to find endangered fish populations most vulnerable to climate change",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/genomics-used-to-find-endangered-fish-populations-most-vulnerable-to",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-12T00:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-genomics-endangered-fish-populations-vulnerable.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Genomics offers a powerful tool for identifying which fish populations are most at risk from climate change, according to a new study led by researchers at Flinders University. By merging climate models with genome-wide data from hundreds of endangered southern pygmy perch in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin, scientists pinpointed the populations most vulnerable to warming trends. This approach demonstrates that conservation efforts can prioritize genetic management strategies to preserve the species' adaptability to future environmental shifts. Lead author Dr. Emily Booth emphasizes the growing role of genomics in conservation, revealing that upland streams across the Murray–Darling Basin were found to be more susceptible to climate change, with elevation serving as a key indicator of risk. The study also highlights successful conservation breeding that maintained the adaptive capacity of reintroduced fish, offering hope for other threatened freshwater species worldwide.",
  "summary": "Scientists have demonstrated that genomics can help identify which wild populations are most vulnerable to climate change, offering practical guidance for conserving threatened species before declines become irreversible. A study led by researchers from Flinders University's Molecular Ecology Laboratory and published in the Journal of Heredity examined the endangered southern pygmy perch across Australia's Murray-Darling Basin, using climate modeling combined with genome-wide data from hundreds of fish to identify the populations most likely to struggle as the climate continues to warm. Lead author Dr. Emily Booth highlighted how genomics is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for conservation, noting that climate change doesn't affect all populations equally and that combining genomic data with climate modeling can identify the populations most at risk, helping conservation managers prioritize where actions are likely to have the greatest impact.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}