Tammy Steeves

Chromosomal inversions are both engines of repeatability and innovation. They drive parallel genetic divergence between snail ecotypes across Europe, while also harbouring local variants that contribute to site-specific trait variations and adaptation: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/... Pajot et al 2026

Salient words from Dianne Brunton et al. on adaptive management, which is providing opportunities for learning and improving our response as the #BirdFlu outbreak in #Aotearoa unfolds. theconversation.com/bird-flu-is-...

#BirdFlu🦠 #Aotearoa #NewZealand🌏 More from me in conversation with Wallace Chapman at The Panel RNZ on the need to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Plus a few words about how ANZ’s response is world leading. (interview starts at 9 min 55 sec) www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

🦠🐦 H5N1 bird 'flu in NZ – Great breakdown on it all from Prof. Tammy Steeves @testeeves.bsky.social, Professor of Conservation Genomics, University of Canterbury NZ has spent years preparing for H5N1 bird flu. For some species, it may not be enough theconversation.com/nz-has-spent...

Essential reading from @nicgaston.bsky.social Luxon wants to ‘brutally commercialise’ science, but cuts threaten its foundation newsroom.co.nz/2026/07/30/l...

Could biodiversity genomics become more useful when local knowledge shapes a project before samples are collected? ERGA Citizen Science committee new paper offers a five-step framework for engaging European Local Communities, from early dialogue to knowledge transfer. doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...

Thrilled that our new review article on animal hybridization is now up on EcoEvoRxiv! 🎉 Working on this review with @mollyschumer.bsky.social was a blast, and it was such a wonderful opportunity to catch up on all the amazing work in animal hybridization over the last few years!

Te Pūnaha Matatini Postdoctoral Fellow Sidney Wong explores how transdisciplinary research is like a potluck → www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/posts/transd...

'Ongo mei he fonua – Sounds of soil (contamination)', the artwork created by our inaugural guest artist Sione Faletau, is on display at Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua until 19 July → pataka.org.nz/whats-on/exh...

The first recording from the Capital City Complex Systems Symposium 2026 is now available online. Tanya Allport and Tom Johnson share how Indigenous-led research can shape the way complex systems are understood, navigated, and changed → www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhv... #cccss26 #complexsystems 🧪

We're looking for a postdoctoral fellow to work at the intersection of ecology and data science 🧪 www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/posts/postdo... #movingtonewzealand #movingtonz

2026 Annual Review of Animal Biosciences now online! Most read article - Conserving Genetic and Genomic Diversity in Accordance with the Global Biodiversity Framework arevie.ws/3MLGitv @jess-dasilva.bsky.social @lauradbertola.bsky.social @testeeves.bsky.social @sibellevilaca.bsky.social

Finally out in its final form, Open Access: "Conserving Genetic and Genomic Diversity in Accordance with the Global Biodiversity Framework" www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

I want to talk about one of my previous PhD students and now collaborator, Erana Walker. Mostly to celebrate the release of a new paper out today 🧵🧪. royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...

Are you excited about pangenomics? If so, join us in Edinburgh on 8-9th June to discuss the latest methods & insights from using these approaches across biodiversity! More details here: royalsociety.org/science-even... Organised together with @henrylnorth.bsky.social & @joanameier.bsky.social!

What are the causes & consequences of behavioural diversity loss in a changing world? And how do we harness this knowledge for conservation? New open access paper led by @odedberger-tal.bsky.social with David Saltz and @mrmic1.bsky.social #BobWongLab royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

We've just published the programme for the Capital City Complex Systems Symposium 2026, and registrations are open 👀 #cccss26 #complexsystems www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/conferences/...

Flash-frozen tissues are considered the gold standard for DNA—but our analysis of field-collected samples found surprising degradation. Preserving in buffer before freezing may be more robust in real-world conditions. 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1755... #Museomics #Genomics #Fieldwork #DNApreservation

What are the ‘social dimensions’ of moving species for conservation and why does engaging with them matter? This is the focus of our new paper doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... on the cover of the Dec issue of TREE @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social led by @aisrayne.bsky.social 🙏 to Kevin Parker for the 📷

Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!

Accurate Runs of Homozygosity Estimation From Low Coverage Genome Sequences in Non-Model Species #popgen #consgen doi.org/10.1111/1755...

Stoked that the Kākāpō Files from Radio NZ will be back this summer. Follow to hear how this #kakapo breeding season - likely to be the biggest ever - unfolds! #conservation www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

We have another publication out! 🎉🎉🎉 “Hybrids along a natural–anthropogenic gradient: improving policy and management across all levels of biodiversity.” We explore how to deal with hybrids in conservation — scientifically and practically. A thread 🧵 conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

This report just posted addresses one of the biggest questions that countries always ask about the genetic diversity indicators: how often and how much monitoring is needed for the Ne500 indicator, in realistic situations? ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... @katherinehebert.bsky.social

We have just published a landmark article on genetic diversity and global biodiversity policy, focusing on the CBD. We aim to help researchers, practitioners, & other interested parties understand the KMGBF and achieve its commitments. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

New publication out, highlighting the link between genetic diversity (GD) and policy! 🧬📜 "Conserving genetic diversity in accordance with the Global Biodiversity Framework" www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... We summarize the highlights in this thread. 🧵

Our Q&A article on inbreeding for conservation is out in BMC Biology! We discuss some important key concepts related to inbreeding in the light of new genomic tools and what it means for conservation when we want to improve species survival. #consgen bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

New Zealand’s invasive starlings on the cover of Molecular Ecology! 🐦🧬 This collaborative project unpacks the invasion history of starlings in Aotearoa New Zealand, combining population genomics with historical records of human-mediated translocations. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🐧We researched one of the world’s rarest #penguins. The yellow‑eyed penguin (aka hoiho/takaraka) isn’t one homogeneous species after all! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #hoiho #conservation #genomics #birds #nzwildlife #endangered #wildlife #nature

🧵1/ Excited to share our new paper in Molecular Biology & Evolution! 👉 [https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf250] It started as a lab-meeting sanity check for another project — and ended up turning into a new way to interpret machine-learning models in population genomics.

📹 In collaborative wildlife conservation, Indigenous Peoples and Western science partners increasingly balance principles of open data with Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Potential tension is explored and nine recommendations to advance resolution provided➡️https://buff.ly/TOJHc4s

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Big shakeup for NZ’s research funding – Expert Reaction

What are the ‘social dimensions’ of moving species for conservation and why does engaging with them matter? This is the focus of our new paper doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... published in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social olevo.bsky.social led by ever talented @aisrayne.bsky.social 📷 Kevin Parker

"But it exposed how the system works: extract specialist knowledge at low cost and mostly without giving credit, repackage it into global claims and call it collaboration. I declined." @darmenteras.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

New manuscript out today in @ecol-evol.bsky.social, led by my grad student Anais. We collated data from thousands of recent animal pop-gen studies to test 3 simple hypotheses: does genomic (1) diversity decrease (yes), (2) differentiation increase (yes), both with increased IUCN-endangerment?

In an inaugural lecture, newly-minted professors often talk about their journey. But our co-director @cillaw.bsky.social used hers to challenge us to reimagine who we are as New Zealanders, and how that relates to the work we do as researchers and scientists → www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPcK... 🧪 🧵

Excited to share our new paper on genetic rescue in the Pacific pocket mouse! To conserve this endangered species, we sought to understand whether small populations at risk of outbreeding depression are better managed in isolation or with gene flow. @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

SLiM 5: Eco-evolutionary simulations across multiple chromosomes and full genomes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.07.669155v1

Recognised as a changemaker, our Director, Professor Amanda Black opens a brand-new series from the Nature podcast team — and how science, Indigenous knowledge, and leadership can shape the future of our ecosystems. 🎧 Listen now: zurl.co/aV3mu