Population genetics and the effects of a severe bottleneck in an ex situ population of critically endangered Hawaiian tree snails.

ABSTRACT: As wild populations decline, ex situ propagation provides a potential bank of genetic diversity and a hedge against extinction. These programs are unlikely to succeed if captive populations do not recover from the severe bottleneck imposed when they are founded with a limited number of individuals from remnant populations. In small captive populations allelic richness may be lost due to genetic drift, leading to a decline in fitness. Wild populations of the Hawaiian tree snail Achatinella lila, a hermaphroditic snail with a long life history, have declined precipitously due to introduced predators and other human impacts. A captive population initially thrived after its founding with seven snails, exceeding 600 captive individuals in 2009, but drastically declined in the last five years. M

SUBMITTER: Price MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4255004 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature