My research interests lie primarily in population restoration, population ecology, conservation genetics and evolutionary studies involving phylogeny reconstruction. A central focus is the theoretical and practical aspects of endangered species conservation and the application of population, genetic, morphological and phylogenetic studies to enhance our understanding of the biological processes that guide the conservation trajectory of endangered species.

My background of conservation work on island species in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius and Seychelles) and the Pacific (Hawaiian islands) has combined the practice of field monitoring and population recovery techniques with the more theoretical approaches of evolutionary phylogenetics and conservation genetics at the population level.

My research group focuses on the evolution, population genetics and conservation of endangered populations, with a particular emphasis on endemic island species. Islands are justifiably celebrated as living laboratories for evolutionary studies as well as a focus for efforts to conserve their biodiversity. Valuable insights for conservation can be gained from studying island endemics in view of their history of isolation from ancestral mainland populations, together with the problems they can encounter from introduced species and diseases.

My work is supported by my research group who primarily work out of our Modern DNA and Museum DNA Lab.

Recent Publications

Fabre, P-H., M. Irestedt, J. Fjeldså, R. Bristol, J. J. Groombridge, M. Irham & K. A. Jønsson (2012). Dynamic colonization exchanges between continents and islands drive diversification in paradise-flycatchers (Terpsiphone, Monarchidae). Journal of Biogeography, In Press.

Kundu, S., C. G. Faulkes, A. G. Greenwood, C. G. Jones, P. Kaiser, O. D. Lyne, S. A. Black, A. Chowrimootoo & J. J. Groombridge (2012). Tracking viral evolution during a disease outbreak: the rapid and complete selective sweep of a circovirus in the endangered echo parakeet. Journal of Virology doi: 10.1128/​JVI.06504-11.

Raisin, C., A. C. Frantz, S. Kundu, A. Greenwood, C. G. Jones, N. Zuel and Jim J. Groombridge (2012). Genetic consequences of intensive conservation management for the Mauritius parakeet. Conservation Genetics.doi: 10.1007/s10592-012-0319-0.

Paredes, U. M., R. Prys-Jones, M. Adams, J. J. Groombridge, S. Kundu, P. Agapow & R. L. Abel (2012). Micro-CT x-rays rays do not fragment DNA in preserved bird skins. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research In Press.

Taylor, M. L., N. Bunbury,  L. Chong-Seng, N. Doak, S. Kundu, R. A. Griffiths and J. J. Groombridge (2012). Evidence for evolutionary distinctiveness of a newly discovered population of sooglossid frogs on Praslin Island, Seychelles. Conservation Genetics, DOI 10.1007/s10592-011-0307-9.

Kundu, S., Jones, C.G., Prys-Jones, R.P. and Groombridge, J.J. (2012). The Evolution of the Indian Ocean parrots (family: Psittaciformes): Extinction, eustacy and tectonism. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62, 296-305

Pickles, R. S. A., J. J. Groombridge, V. D. Zambrana Rojas, P. Van Damme, D. Gottelli, C. V. Ariani, and W. C. Jordan (2011). Genetic diversity and population structure in the endangered giant otter, Pteronura brasiliensis. Conservation Genetics, DOI 10.1007/s10592-011-0279-9.

Black, S., Meredith, H. M. R. and Groombridge, J. J. (2011). Biodiversity Conservation: applying new criteria to assess excellence. Total Quality Management 22, 1–14.

Groombridge, J. J., C. Raisin, R. M. Bristol & D. S. Richardson (2011). Genetic consequences of reintroductions and insights from population history. In: Reintroduction biology: integrating science and management (Ewen, J.G., Armstrong, D.P., Parker, K.A. & Seddon, P.J. Editors). Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK. ISBN 978-1-4051-8674-2.

More extensive list of selected publications

BSc in Wildlife Conservation

DI508 - Skills for Conservation Biologists

DI521 - Species Conservation

DI503 - Evolutionary Genetics and Conservation

MSc in Conservation Biology

DI879 - Foundations in Natural Sciences for Conservation

DI836 - Conservation of Species

Island Species-Led Action (ISLA): I teach conservation genetics on this two week course, which has been run each year by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust; Jersey (2004), St. Lucia (2005), Galapagos (2006), Mauritius (2007), Guam (2008). The 2009 course was held in Fiji. Further information is available here.

My research group focuses on the evolution, population genetics and conservation of endangered populations. The groups’ current avian research focuses on endemic and endangered species of the Indian Ocean and Hawaiian islands, including a historical genetic study of the Seychelles kestrel, phylogenetic reconstruction of the extinct and surviving Psittacula parakeets, (Systematics Research Fund/Linnean Society of London Award), historical genetics of Hawaiian honeycreepers (NERC New Investigators Award), conservation genetics and restoration of Mauritius parakeets (Leverhulme award and two NERC CASE studentships), Seychelles paradise flycatchers (Darwin initiative award) and Maui Parrotbills (USFWS federal grant). I supervise a group of PhD students whose projects focus on these or related projects. The group has recently expanded its research emphasis on evolutionary genetics of historical populations and has subsequently set up a ‘Museum DNA Laboratory’ within DICE. This facility, isolated from the main laboratory, is dedicated to extraction and analysis of DNA from museum-aged (100-200-year-old) material, and hosts conservation genetic research projects that focus on a variety of endangered and extinct taxa.

PhD/Research students

Rachel Bristol, DICE. Ecology, conservation genetics and restoration of the critically-endangered Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, and a comparison of the evolutionary history of Indian Ocean flycatchers.

Claire Browne, DICE, Genetic variation of native white clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) populations across south-east England.

Hazel Jackson, DICE. Population genetics of invasive species: characterising population genetic history and disease prevalence in the introduced population of ringneck parakeets (Psittacula krameri) in the UK.

Hanna Mounce, DICE. Recovery of the endangered Kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill, Pseudonestor xanthophrys): population dynamics, conservation genetics and strategies for reintroduction.

Siobhan Simpson, DICE, Molecular genetics and infectious disease in red squirrels on Jersey.

Simon Tollington, DICE, Inbreeding, immune function and disease in endemic and bird populations on Mauritius. NERC Studentship. Collaboration with Mauritius Wildlife Foundation and Wildlife Vets International (CASE partner)

Editorial

Review board editor for the journal Endangered Species Research

Associate Editor for Conservation Genetics