Holly Ernest, DVM, PhD
Wildlife Population Health and Genetics
Unit Director and Senior Investigator: Wildlife Population Health and Genetics
Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, UC Davis
Associate Professor in Residence
Dept. of Population Health and ReproductionAddress
258 CCAH, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616Office Phone: (530) 754-8245
Lab Phone: (530) 752-5727
Email: hbernest (at) ucdavis.edu
Dedicated to
• developing and applying DNA, disease ecology, and biological sciences to the health and understanding of wild animal populations
• educating the next generation of genomic scientists, applied ecologists, and wildlife veterinarians
• providing wildlife population health service and information
Research
Interdisciplinary applied and basic research in ecological genetics, biology, and disease ecology for wildlife conservation and population health.
- Wild bird population genetics, natural history, ecology and population health.
- Free-ranging species of conservation & management concern.
- Threatened and endangered species.
- Raptors (birds of prey), Corvids (magpies, crows, and relatives), Hummingbirds.
- Population effects of diseases on wild birds (West Nile virus and others).
- Large mammals: carnivores, mountain lions, bobcats, wild pigs (feral hogs), sea otters.
Special interests in ecological genetics: Population Genetics; Molecular DNA to reconstruct of family trees to reveal ecological relationships among individuals, kin groups, populations and disease distributions.
Special interest species: Hummingbirds, Yellow-billed Magpie, Swainson's Hawk, Great Gray Owl, Mountain Lion, Sea Otter, Black Bear, Feral Hog in California (wild pig, wild boar).
Special interest diseases: Avian pox virus, West Nile virus, wildlife leptospirosis, and others
Special interest regions: California, Mexico, Chile; South/Central America; global interestsSee Research pages and Featured Research
Teaching and Education
- Engaging bright and motivated undergraduate, graduate, veterinary, and post-doctoral students who have scientific curiosity in the exciting and rapidly changing field of ecological genetics and wildlife population health.
- Provide a collaborative, intellectually-challenging, and nurturing atmosphere. My aim is for students to grow their appreciation and talents in the art and science of designing and conducting studies involving DNA, ecology, and population health analyses of free-ranging wildlife.
Graduate student opportunities
Courses: Ecological Genetics, Landscape Genetics with GIS (with Dr. Karen Beardsley), Population Genetics Data Analysis and Software, Molecular Markers for Ecology, Conservation, and Wildlife Population Health
Public and University Service
- Working with members of the public and professionals from state, federal, international, and nongovernmental agencies to advance science for wildlife conservation.
- Engaging Citizen Scientists of all ages (kids to senior citizens), such as with Magpie Monitor program and Hummingbird Health Program, to learn and work with us for wildlife science and conservation.
- Editorial Board (Associate Editor) Conservation Genetics journal
- Advisory Board, John Muir Center for the Environment
- School of Veterinary Medicine Curriculum redesign committees (Ecosystem Health, Population Health)
Education
- Ph.D. Ecology, with emphasis on Wildlife Genetics: University of California, Davis 2001. Dissertation research: Ecological Genetics of Mountain Lions.
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Cum Laude, Ohio State University, 1986.
- M.S., Ohio State University, Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, 1982.
- B.Sc., Cornell University, Biology (Animal Science and Marine Biology), 1980.
Projects
- Application of genetics to answer questions about ecology of wildlife diseases, including molecular pedigree reconstruction (DNA analysis to infer kinship); population genetics; landscape genetics; ecological genetics.
- Conservation genetics of species at risk for population loss.
- Hummingbird Health & Conservation Genetics, natural history, threats, and conservation genetics.
Hummingbird bander; Board member, Hummingbird Monitoring Network - Ecology and population genetics of Yellow-Billed Magpies
- Development and application of DNA markers for individual, kinship, and disease studies in California sea otters
- Landscape Genetics of Mountain lions (pumas), Black Bears, Feral Pigs in California
- Magpie Monitor program involving citizen scientists to monitor local bird populations for the effects of West Nile Virus
- Conservation Genetics of Threatened Swainson's Hawks
- Great Gray Owl ecology, conservation genetics, and habitat relationships
- Familial relationships of deer with Chronic Wasting Disease
- Bighorn Sheep Captive Breeding Plan
UC Davis affiliations
Department
Population Health and Reproduction (School of Veterinary Medicine)Main Center/Lab affiliation
Veterinary Genetics LaboratoryGraduate Groups
Animal Biology, Avian Sciences, Ecology, Epidemiology, Forensic Science, Genetics; and Masters in Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM)UC Davis Centers (affiliate faculty membership)
John Muir Center for the Environment
Wildlife Health Center
Genome Center
Center for Vectorborne Diseases
Center for Companion Animal Health
Professional Societies and Memberships
- Audubon Society (national and Yolo county)
- American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians
- American Ornithologists' Union
- Cooper Ornithological Society
- Ecological Society of America
- Raptor Research Foundation
- Society for Conservation Biology
- The Nature Conservancy
- The Wildlife Society, including Western section
- Wildlife Disease Association (Committee service: Student Awards Committee)
- Wilson Ornithological Society
Licensed California veterinarian
Hummingbird Bander subpermit
Banding Hummingbird at McLaughlin Nature Reserve near Clear Lake, CA
Investigating botulsim outbreak in bighorn sheep, Mojave desert, California
Tagging trees to monitor Yellow-billed Magpie nests
