To mix or not to mix gene pools for threatened species management? Few studies use genetic data to examine the risks of both actions, but failing to do so leads …

E Liddell, P Sunnucks, CN Cook - Biological Conservation, 2021 - Elsevier
Many small, isolated populations lose genetic variation and suffer inbreeding, increasing
their extinction risk. Augmenting gene flow may alleviate these issues if populations are …

[HTML][HTML] How can genomics help or hinder wildlife conservation?

TL Schmidt, JA Thia, AA Hoffmann - Annual Review of Animal …, 2024 - annualreviews.org
Genomic data are becoming increasingly affordable and easy to collect, and new tools for
their analysis are appearing rapidly. Conservation biologists are interested in using this …

The long‐standing significance of genetic diversity in conservation

JA DeWoody, AM Harder, S Mathur… - Molecular …, 2021 - Wiley Online Library
Since allozymes were first used to assess genetic diversity in the 1960s and 1970s,
biologists have attempted to characterize gene pools and conserve the diversity observed in …

Genetic rescue: A critique of the evidence supports maximizing genetic diversity rather than minimizing the introduction of putatively harmful genetic variation

K Ralls, P Sunnucks, RC Lacy, R Frankham - Biological Conservation, 2020 - Elsevier
Genetic rescue–ameliorating inbreeding depression and restoring genetic diversity of inbred
populations through gene flow-is valuable in wildlife conservation. Empirically validated …

Genetic mixing for population management: From genetic rescue to provenancing

AA Hoffmann, AD Miller, AR Weeks - Evolutionary Applications, 2021 - Wiley Online Library
Animal and plant species around the world are being challenged by the deleterious effects
of inbreeding, loss of genetic diversity, and maladaptation due to widespread habitat …

[HTML][HTML] Genetic architecture and lifetime dynamics of inbreeding depression in a wild mammal

MA Stoffel, SE Johnston, JG Pilkington… - Nature …, 2021 - nature.com
Inbreeding depression is ubiquitous, but we still know little about its genetic architecture and
precise effects in wild populations. Here, we combine long-term life-history data with 417 K …

[HTML][HTML] Offspring survival changes over generations of captive breeding

KA Farquharson, CJ Hogg, CE Grueber - Nature Communications, 2021 - nature.com
Conservation breeding programs such as zoos play a major role in preventing extinction, but
their sustainability may be impeded by neutral and adaptive population genetic change …

Severe inbreeding, increased mutation load and gene loss-of-function in the critically endangered Devils Hole pupfish

D Tian, AH Patton, BJ Turner… - Proceedings of the …, 2022 - royalsocietypublishing.org
Small populations with limited range are often threatened by inbreeding and reduced
genetic diversity, which can reduce fitness and exacerbate population decline. One of the …

Genomic signatures of inbreeding depression for a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand passerine

L Duntsch, A Whibley, P de Villemereuil… - Molecular …, 2023 - Wiley Online Library
For small and isolated populations, the increased chance of mating between related
individuals can result in a substantial reduction in individual and population fitness. Despite …

Genomic data of different resolutions reveal consistent inbreeding estimates but contrasting homozygosity landscapes for the threatened Aotearoa New Zealand hihi

L Duntsch, A Whibley, P Brekke, JG Ewen… - Molecular …, 2021 - Wiley Online Library
Inbreeding can lead to a loss of heterozygosity in a population and when combined with
genetic drift may reduce the adaptive potential of a species. However, there is uncertainty …