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Do population size bottlenecks reduce evolutionary potential?
Author(s) -
Frankham Richard,
Lees Kelly,
Montgomery Margaret E.,
England Phillip R.,
Lowe Edwin H.,
Briscoe David A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
animal conservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.111
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1469-1795
pISSN - 1367-9430
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-1795.1999.tb00071.x
Subject(s) - inbreeding , effective population size , biology , population , population size , evolutionary biology , population bottleneck , genetic variation , population fragmentation , genetic drift , ecology , inbreeding depression , zoology , allele , genetics , demography , microsatellite , sociology , gene
Single locus neutralist models predict that population size bottlenecks will reduce genetic variation and increase inbreeding, thereby reducing evolutionary potential. However, experimental evaluations of the effects of bottlenecks on quantitative genetic variation do not always follow predictions, especially for characters related to reproductive fitness. Populations of Drosophila melanogaster were subjected to population bottlenecks of a single pair for one or three generations, and their ability to tolerate increasing concentrations of NaCl was compared with those of their outbred base populations, and related highly inbred lines. Bottlenecked populations became extinct at significantly lower concentrations of NaCl than their non‐bottlenecked base populations. Population bottlenecks should be avoided in managing species of conservation concern.