Abstract
Human activities are having a devastating effect on the survival of natural populations. The reduction in population size and changes in the connectivity of populations due to human disturbances enhance the effect of demographic and genetic factors that can lead to population extinction. This article provides an overview of our current understanding of the role of genetic factors in the extinction of populations. The three primary genetic factors are loss of genetic variability, inbreeding depression, and accumulation of mildly deleterious mutations. The effects of these factors are discussed in the context of three different scenarios: isolated populations, local populations with immigration, and metapopulations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 155-168 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Annales Zoologici Fennici |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
| Event | Conference on Extinction Thresholds - HELSINKI, Finland Duration: 2 Sept 2002 → 5 Sept 2002 |
Keywords
- HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX VARIATION
- COPEPOD TIGRIOPUS-CALIFORNICUS
- DELETERIOUS MUTATIONS
- SONG SPARROWS
- HYBRID BREAKDOWN
- CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
- DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER
- OUTBREEDING DEPRESSION
- SPARROWS MELOSPIZA-MELODIA
- INBREEDING DEPRESSION
