GENETIC DIVERSITY PREDICTS POPULATION FITNESS AND PERSISTENCE: THE VALUE OF GENETIC RESCUE INCONSERVATION

Genetic rescue is a conservation tool that uses translocations to restore gene flow in isolated populations. Despite successes, this tool remains relatively underused, likely due to lack of understanding and long term data. Here, we review all genetic rescue attempts to date to promote a better understanding of the method. We found that the increase in genetic diversity conferred from genetic rescue was the strongest predictor of population fitness in the short-term. Further, we found no evidence for outbreeding depression among studies. To learn more about long-term effects of genetic rescue, we conducted a case study using a small, isolated, population simulating genetic rescue using a population viability analysis. We found that translocations resulted in long lasting increases in genetic diversity, however, find that increased likelihood of persistence was only evident after repeated translocations. Further, we find that without addressing underlying stressors, genetic rescue along is insufficient in the long-term.