Barriers Broken: Genetic swamping in restored Brook Trout populations.

ABSTRACT: Scientists use reintroductions to restore native species to their historical ranges but sometimes overlook effects of dispersal on genetic structure of restored populations. Unidirectional or biased gene flow can result in genetic swamping, where unique variation in a recipient population is replaced by genotypes from the source population. In theory, this can result in loss of advantageous alleles and adaptive capacity. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park native Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are being restored to streams from which they had been extirpated. Multiple source lineages are mixed in restoration sites to maximize genetic diversity. However, in our study system, translocated fish were released unevenly along a rugged mountain stream, resulting in an upstream population

SUBMITTER: Smith RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12742775 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature