Conservation genetics of the Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) in the Mediterranean Sea

Seabird populations globally face decline from threats on breeding grounds and at sea. Seabirds form spatially structured populations and limited understanding of population connectivity hinders their conservation. Genomic approaches, generally underutilised in seabird conservation, allows to assess population connectivity and the driving historical and contemporary factors and aids in identifying relevant conservation units. This research focuses on the Yelkouan Shearwater, a Mediterranean-endemic seabird facing conservation challenges. Employing next generation sequencing and diverse analytical methods, this study unveils, for the first time, the population genomic structure of the Yelkouan Shearwater. It also evaluates contemporary factors influencing this structure and tests its utility for the conservation of the Yelkouan Shearwater. The results of this dissertation highlight the pivotal role of comprehensive range-wide sampling and high-resolution sequencing data in unravelling the population genomic structure of seabirds. It also underscores the intricate relationship between seascape features and seabird genomic structure. Given the high pace of global change and biodiversity loss, these findings should inform future seabird research and conservation management, extending their relevance beyond the Mediterranean.