Gene pool conservation and computer analysis
Gene pool conservation and computer analysis
复制标题
基因库保护和计算机分析
DOI:
10.1111/j.1748-1090.1977.tb00870.x
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发表时间:
1977
影响因子:
--
通讯作者:
N. Flesness
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
N. Flesness
The work of the last ten years in population biology has shown that natural populations are much more genetically diverse than had previously been thought. The importance of genetic variation, however, has been clear for much of this century. It is important at two levels-the population and the individual. Within the population, genetic variation is the basis for change. When the environment changes, the population must change equally as fast, or become extinct. How rapidly it can adapt is limited by how much relevant genetic variation it contains. If it has none, it cannot adapt at all. The importance of this has been better appreciated by those who work with plants: agricultural seed producers, as well as conservation groups, have found it necessary to maintain genetically diverse stocks in order to deal with continually evolving strains of disease. There is a second way in which genetic diversity may be important to populations. Genetic differences between individuals may allow them to utilise slightly different resources. In thus reducing competition, they would allow a larger size of population and probably improve stability of numbers. The magnitude of this effect is still not known. On an individual level, genetic variation-or heterozygosity-is related but not identical to genetic variation in populations. Both decline with inbreeding. In small, closed populationssuch as many existing zoo populations-some inbreeding is inevitable; in most respects it has been found to be individually harmful. Fleas, flies, mice, mites, rats, chickens, pigs, cattle, quail and humans all show inbreeding damage, usually called inbreeding depression. This shows up as a general loss of ‘vigour’and reduced viability, growth rate, fertility, fecundity, lactation and competitive ability. Damage is detectable at various levels of inbreeding, published reports showing deterioration at inbreeding coefficients of 0. z~ to 0.75 (0.23 is the amount of inbreeding from a brother-sister mating). Some zoo populations, for example the Przewalski horse Eqtius przewalskii, have already attained an inbreeding coefficient in individual instances as high as 0.6 or more.Inbreeding depression can include lowered fertility, and small populations which are inbred rapidly can become extinct. Attempts to produce inbred lines of laboratory animals by brothersister matings result in about 95% of cases in extinction. A slower rate of inbreeding causes much less damage as selection has an opportunity to counteract the deleterious effects. There is one situation where to minimise the rate of inbreeding might not be desirable. In current programmes aimed at the intentional domestication of certain wild species, eg the musk-ox Ovihos nioschatus in Alaska and the eland Taurotragus oryx in the Soviet Union, the deliberate selection of particular traits involves some degree of inbreeding. Slatis (1975) has recently discussed inbreeding in zoos from this perspective and has found reasons for recommending it. Nevertheless it is important to realise that the recommendations hold only if the goal is to change the animal concerned, not if it is to preserve it as it exists today. Further, the breeder of domestic animals has at his command a large population from which he may outcross as soon as inbreeding problems arise; to those who husband the last remnants of a less fortunate species, such an option is not available.