Journal article
Genetic rescue increases fitness and AIDS rapid recovery of an endangered marsupial population
AR Weeks, D Heinze, L Perrin, J Stoklosa, AA Hoffmann, A Van Rooyen, T Kelly, I Mansergh
Nature Communications | NATURE PORTFOLIO | Published : 2017
Abstract
Genetic rescue has now been attempted in several threatened species, but the contribution of genetics per se to any increase in population health can be hard to identify. Rescue is expected to be particularly useful when individuals are introduced into small isolated populations with low levels of genetic variation. Here we consider such a situation by documenting genetic rescue in the mountain pygmy possum, Burramys parvus. Rapid population recovery occurred in the target population after the introduction of a small number of males from a large genetically diverged population. Initial hybrid fitness was more than two-fold higher than non-hybrids; hybrid animals had a larger body size, and f..
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Grants
Awarded by Department of Sustainability and Environment
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank Rudi Pleschutschnig, Alison Kirkwood, Vinnie Antony, David McCoombe, Anthony Bock, Josh Griffiths and Paul Mitrovski for help with field work, Rupert Baker for veterinary support, Tom Pelly, Georgina Boardman and Jerry Alexander for logistical support, and Carla Sgro for comments on the manuscript. We also thank the Mt Buller Mt Stirling Resort Management Board for ongoing support of this project. Financial support was provided by the Mt Buller Mt Stirling Resort Management Board, FAME Ltd, the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) Victoria, and the Department of Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) Victoria (Hume Region). A.R.W. and A.A.H. also received financial support from the National Environment Science Program Threatened Species Recovery Hub (Federal Department of Environment and Energy) and the Australian Research Council Discovery grant scheme (DP160100661). Field work permits were provided by responsible state agencies (Animal Ethics: DSE ARI 10/16, DPI WSI 25.12, DEPI ARI 14/10; Wildlife Research Permits: 10004130, 10005612, 10006441, 10007208).