Authors
Andrew R Whiteley, Sarah W Fitzpatrick, W Chris Funk, David A Tallmon
Publication date
2015/1/1
Source
Trends in ecology & evolution
Volume
30
Issue
1
Pages
42-49
Publisher
Elsevier
Description
Genetic rescue can increase the fitness of small, imperiled populations via immigration. A suite of studies from the past decade highlights the value of genetic rescue in increasing population fitness. Nonetheless, genetic rescue has not been widely applied to conserve many of the threatened populations that it could benefit. In this review, we highlight recent studies of genetic rescue and place it in the larger context of theoretical and empirical developments in evolutionary and conservation biology. We also propose directions to help shape future research on genetic rescue. Genetic rescue is a tool that can stem biodiversity loss more than has been appreciated, provides population resilience, and will become increasingly useful if integrated with molecular advances in population genomics.
Scholar articles
AR Whiteley, SW Fitzpatrick, WC Funk, DA Tallmon - Trends in ecology & evolution, 2015