Over previous decades, the fields of phylogeography, macroecology, and macrophysiology have helped us to understand natural systems and how they respond to anthropogenic disturbance. Advances in these fields have provided the analytical means to explore lineage diversity, species distributions, and variation in physiological traits at a global scale. The increasing availability of genetic datasets now means that these approaches can be extended to the world of population genetics. Termed 'macrogenetics', this emerging field is enabling us to study the patterns and predictors of intraspecific diversity across multiple species and biomes.

In this seminar, I will present a range of macrogenetic case studies (with some macroecology thrown in for good measure), ranging from bats, rodents and small marsupials in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, through to global initiatives to synthesise intraspecific genetic diversity across hundreds to thousands of species. Through these examples, I will illustrate how macrogenetics and its application can help safeguard an often-overlooked, but essential, component of biodiversity: intraspecific genetic diversity.