Conservation genetics gets a textbook

Abstract

DOI: 10.1016/S0168952502027889An Introduction to Conservation Geneticsby R. Frankham, J.D. Ballou and D.A. BriscoeCambridge University Press, 2002. US$50/£34.95 pbk (xiii + 617 pages) ISBN 0521639859Does conservation genetics matter in the effort to save the Earth's biodiversity? Some of the major conservation organizations don't think so and would rather focus on species inventories wholly ignorant of the ecological, evolutionary and genetic processes that are inherent in maintaining natural populations. The new text by Frankham, Ballou and Briscoe could help to convince some that genetics does matter and that there is a need to preserve not only the pattern of biodiversity, but also the processes that produce and maintain it.The past three decades have seen the genesis and dramatic expansion of conservation genetics. Although journals now bulge at the seams with both empirical and theoretical papers, and several edited volumes have appeared detailing case studies and techniques, there has been no comprehensive textbook devoted exclusively to the field. Thus, An Introduction to Conservation Genetics fills an empty niche and should provide a nice foundation for courses in conservation genetics.My initial reaction was that the authors were trying a bit too hard to reach the naive reader, but after the introductory chapters the book finds its stride and does a good job covering topics from quantitative genetics to natural selection in small populations. One of the more notable attributes of the textbook is the attention the authors have given to the recent literature, with many of the examples and case studies taken from the last two years – a commendable feat for a book of over 600 pages.The book is subdivided into three sections. The first, comprising seven chapters, provides a thorough overview of the evolutionary genetics of natural populations. Although much of this material can be found in any introductory genetics text, the authors do a good job of providing case studies from a conservation perspective. For example, the fundamentals of genotype–environment interactions are first described, then they are discussed in the context of translocating individuals into new habitats. In a similar fashion, heritabilities are defined, followed by examples demonstrating how they are calculated in natural populations of various endangered species.The second section of the book is entirely devoted to the effects of small population size on genetic diversity and its causes. These five chapters emphasize the classic themes of conservation genetics – problems associated with small populations, inbreeding, habitat fragmentation and the challenges of retaining evolutionary potential within finite populations.The final section entitled ‘From Theory to Practice’ attempts to synthesize some of the major issues in conservation genetics. Rather than focusing on the more ubiquitous, but fundamentally flawed, evolutionary significant units (ESU) – an approach based solely on neutral genetic variation – I was pleased to see inclusion of a recent treatment of conservation units emphasizing the importance of adaptive variation [1xConsidering evolutionary processes in conservation biology: an alternative to ‘evolutionary significant units’. Crandall, K.A et al. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2000; 15: 290–295Abstract | Full Text | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (990)See all References[1].In the past, students interested in conservation genetics would need first to get the basics from the standard genetics texts, then to head to the primary literature. This new text book, intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, assumes a basic foundation in genetics and covers most, if not all, of the major topics in conservation genetics. Students will also appreciate several features of the book: important concepts are highlighted in a sentence or two at the edge of each page; boxes contain case studies or supplementary information to complement the text; and a concise summary section appears at the end of each chapter, along with problem sets (with answers in the back), suggested reading for the inspired and a comprehensive glossary. Some might quibble over the authors’ strong emphasis on some topics, such as small population size, but given its breadth and up-to-date treatment of the literature, the text should be of considerable value to students interested in conservation genetics and to the professional who needs a complete reference.