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Considerations on the conservation of alleles and of genic heterozygosity in small managed populations
Author(s) -
Fuerst Paul A.,
Maruyama Takeo
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.1430050211
Subject(s) - loss of heterozygosity , biology , allele , population , allele frequency , genetics , small population size , evolutionary biology , population size , ecology , demography , gene , sociology , habitat
Data has been presented on the loss of alleles from populations of small fixed size. Emphasis has been placed on the effect which the allele frequency distribution and the interlocus distribution of heterozygosity will have on the pattern of allelic loss. Rare alleles are rapidly lost during the initial sampling period, and continue to be lost for several generations following the establishment of small population size. The nonequilibrium nature of the process of loss of genetic variability is stressed. The rapid loss of rare alleles and the preservation of intermediate and high frequency alleles will result in (1) heterozygosity declining much more slowly than allele number, and (2) the establishment of genetically similar populations when sampled from the same base population.