Genetic rescue: a safe or risky bet?

Abstract

Small and isolated populations face threats from genetic drift and inbreeding. To rescue populations from these threats, conservation biologists can augment gene flow into small populations to increase variation and reduce inbreeding depression. Spectacular success stories include greater prairie chickens in Illinois (Westermeier etal. ), adders in Sweden (Madsen etal. ) and panthers in Florida (Johnson etal. ). However, we also know that performing such crosses risks introducing genes that may be poorly adapted to local conditions or genetic backgrounds. A classic example of such 'outbreeding depression' occurred when different subspecies of ibex from Turkey and the Sinai were introduced to assist recovery of an ibex population in Czechoslovakia (Templeton ). Despite being fertile, the hybrids birthed calves too early, causing the whole population to disappear. In the face of uncertainty, conservation biologists have tended to respect genetic identity, shying away from routinely crossing populations. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Frankham () compiles empirical data from experimental studies to assess the costs and benefits of between-population crosses (Fig.). Crosses screened to exclude those involving highly divergent populations or distinct habitats show large heterosis with few apparent risks of outbreeding depression. This leads Frankham to advocate for using assisted gene flow more widely. But do the studies analysed in this meta-analysis adequately test for latent outcrossing depression?