Locally Fixed Alleles: A method to localize gene drive to island populations.

ABSTRACT: Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity on islands. While successes have been achieved using traditional removal methods, such as toxicants aimed at rodents, these approaches have limitations and various off-target effects on island ecosystems. Gene drive technologies designed to eliminate a population provide an alternative approach, but the potential for drive-bearing individuals to escape from the target release area and impact populations elsewhere is a major concern. Here we propose the "Locally Fixed Alleles" approach as a novel means for localizing elimination by a drive to an island population that exhibits significant genetic isolation from neighboring populations. Our approach is based on the assumption that in small island populations of rodents, genetic drift will

SUBMITTER: Sudweeks J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6825234 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature