Abstract
The loss of genetic variation and genetic divergence from source populations are common problems for reintroductions that use captive animals or a small number of founders to establish a new population. This study evaluated the genetic changes occurring in a captive and a reintroduced population of the dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) that were established from multiple source populations over a twelve-year period, using 21 microsatellite loci. While the levels of genetic variation within the captive and reintroduced populations were relatively stable, and did not differ significantly from the source populations, their effective population size reduced 10–16-fold over the duration of this study. Evidence of some loss of genetic variation in the reintroduced population coincided with genetic bottlenecks that occurred after the population had become established. Detectable changes in the genetic composition of both captive and reintroduced populations were associated with the origins of the individuals introduced to the population. We show that interbreeding between individuals from different source populations lowered the genetic relatedness among the offspring, but this was short-lived. Our study highlights the importance of sourcing founders from multiple locations in conservation breeding programs to avoid inbreeding and maximize allelic diversity. The manipulation of genetic composition in a captive or reintroduced population is possible with careful management of the origins and timings of founder releases.
Highlights
Many species have experienced declines in their abundance and distribution, or have become extinct as a result of human activities [1]
Translocatedpopulations populationsoften oftenexperience experienceaasignificant significantloss lossof ofgenetic geneticvariation variationand and become genetically distinct from their source populations as a result of founder become genetically distinct from their source populations as a result of founder effects, effects, genetic bottlenecks and/or genetic drift [12,13,14]
We show that the initial rereintroduction resulted in a 10–16-fold reduction in Ne compared to the source population, introduction resulted in a 10–16-fold reduction in Ne compared to the source population, but no significant further loss of genetic diversity was detected after 10 generations
Summary
Many species have experienced declines in their abundance and distribution, or have become extinct as a result of human activities [1]. As these threats continue to endanger native populations, translocation, a conservation tool that involves moving individuals from one location to another, is frequently implemented to recover population numbers. The translocated and captive populations are prone to a loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding due to the founder effects, that is, establishing a new population with a limited number of individuals (e.g., [10,11]). Small numbers of founders often result in small effective population sizes, leading to fluctuations in the allele frequencies and genetic divergence between the new population and its source via genetic drift [12,13,14]
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