Genetics, Demography and Viability of Fragmented Populations

A detailed introduction to the genetic and demographic issues relevant to the conservation of fragmented populations.

Andrew G. Young (Edited by), Geoffrey M. Clarke (Edited by)

9780521794213, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 12 October 2000

460 pages, 69 b/w illus. 34 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.67 kg

'I really enjoyed some of the case studies … understanding deterministic decline and its cure represents the greatest challenges to conservation biology. However, Clarke and Young show that understanding small-population processes might help maintain populations until 'the patient' can be cured.' Ken Norris, Biologist

Habitat fragmentation is one of the most ubiquitous and serious environmental threats confronting the long-term survival of plant and animal species worldwide. As species become restricted to remnant habitats, effective management for long-term conservation requires a quantitative understanding of the genetic and demographic effects of habitat fragmentation, and the implications for population viability. This book provides a detailed introduction to the genetic and demographic issues relevant to the conservation of fragmented populations such as demographic stochasticity; genetic erosion; inbreeding; metapopulation biology and population viability analysis. Also presented are two sets of case studies, one on animals, the other on plants, which illustrate a variety of approaches, including the application of molecular genetic markers, the investigation of reproductive biology, and the combination of demographic monitoring and modeling, to examine long-term population viability.

Foreword P. Brussard
1. Introduction: genetics, demography and the conservation of fragmented populations G. Clarke and A. Young
Part I. Introductory Concepts: 2. Managing and monitoring genetic erosion W. Sherwin and C. Moritz
3. Inbreeding and outbreeding depression in fragmented populations M. Dudash and C. Fenster
4. Demography and extinction in small populations K. Holsinger
5. The metapopulation paradigm: a fragmented view of conservation biology P. Thrall, J. Burdon and B. Murray
6. Population viability analysis for conservation: the good, the bad and the undescribed M. Burgman and H. Possingham
7. Applications of population genetics and molecular techniques to conservation biology P. Hedrick
Part II. Animal Case Studies: 8. Inbreeding in small populations of red-cockaded woodpeckers: insights from a spatially-explicit individual-based model S. Daniels, J. Priddy and J. Walters
9. Genetic erosion in isolated small mammal populations following rain forest fragmentation S. Srikwan and D. Woodruff
10. The Tumut experiment - integrating demographic and genetic studies to unravel fragmentation effects: a case study of the native bush rat D. Lindenmayer and R. Peakall
11. Demographic evidence of inbreeding depression in wild golden lion tamarins J. Dietz, A. Baker and J. Ballou
12. Inferring demography from genetics - a case study of the endangered golden sun moth, Synemon plana G. Clarke
13. Genetic population structure in desert bighorn sheep: implications for conservation in Arizona G. Gutierreez-Espelta, S. Kalinowski and P. Hedrick
Part III. Plant Case Studies: 14. Limited forest fragmentation improves reproduction in the declining New Zealand mistletoe Peraxilla tetrapetala (Loranthaceae) D. Kelly, J. Ladley, A. Robertson and D. Norton
15. Ecology and genetics of Grevillea (Proteaceae)
16. Genetic and demographic influences on population persistence: gene flow and genetic rescue in Silene alba C. Richards
17. Fragmentation in central American dry forests - genetic impacts on Swietenia humulis (Meliaceae) G. White and D. Boshier
18. Population viability analysis of the rare Gentiana pneumonanthe: importance of genetics, demography and reproductive biology J. Oostermeijer
19. Genetic erosion, restricted mating and reduced viability in fragmented populations of the endangered grassland herb Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides A. Young, A. Brown, B. Murray, P. Thrall and C. Miller
Part IV. Conclusions and Future Directions: 20. What do we know about the genetic and demographic effects of habitat fragmentation and where do we go from here? A. Young and G. Clarke
Index.

Subject Areas: Conservation of wildlife & habitats [RNKH], Conservation of the environment [RNK], Applied ecology [RNC], Animal ecology [PSVS], Plant ecology [PSTS], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF]