Wen Guannan, Xie Hongxin, Luo Shuyi, Yang Chunsheng, Tang Xianwu, Hu Yibo, Du Weiguo
Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1# Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, P.R. China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A# Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, P.R. China.
Curr Zool. 2024 Feb 27;70(6):721-727. doi: 10.1093/cz/zoae003. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity increase the extinction risk of small isolated populations. Genetic rescue by augmenting gene flow is a powerful means for the restoration of lost genetic variation. In this study, we used multigenerational pedigrees and neutral genetic markers to assess the consequences of outbreeding management in the Chinese and Vietnamese populations of the endangered crocodile lizard, . Compared with the purebred Chinese population, the outbreeding population exhibited greater molecular genetic variation and a 3-fold larger population size. Moreover, the first-generation hybrids had a longer lifespan than purebreds, suggesting that outbreeding depression did not occur, but the long-term fitness effect of outbreeding needs to be further evaluated. Our study provides valuable insights into the potential for genetic rescue in the endangered crocodile lizard, emphasizing the importance of an evidence-based genetic management approach to address the risks of inbreeding and outbreeding depression in threatened populations.
近亲繁殖和遗传多样性的丧失会增加小的孤立种群的灭绝风险。通过增加基因流动进行遗传拯救是恢复丧失的遗传变异的有力手段。在本研究中，我们使用多代谱系和中性遗传标记来评估对濒危鳄蜥中国种群和越南种群进行远交管理的后果。与纯种中国种群相比，远交种群表现出更大的分子遗传变异和三倍大的种群规模。此外，第一代杂种的寿命比纯种个体更长，这表明没有发生远交衰退，但远交对长期适应性的影响需要进一步评估。我们的研究为濒危鳄蜥的遗传拯救潜力提供了有价值的见解，强调了基于证据的遗传管理方法对于应对受威胁种群近亲繁殖和远交衰退风险的重要性。
