Analysis of demographic and genetic factors for the conservation of plant populations in a fragmented habitat

Abstract:

Several ecological (e.g., environmental variability, density dependence) and genetic (e.g., genetic variability, genetic drift, inbreeding depression) factors determine the dynamics of plant populations. Understanding the effect of such factors on population growth rate becomes crucial to design effective conservation plans to reduce extinction probability. This is especially relevant in a context of habitat fragmentation since fragmentation leads to decreasing population size and increasing isolation between extant populations. Traditionally conservation plans of fragmented plant species are purely based on demographic knowledge although it is accepted that genetic factors (such as inbreeding depression) play a significant role in determining extinction risks. In contrast, only a handful of conservation plans take into account the demographic effects of genetic factors. The goal of this paper is to highlight the importance of genetics for plant conservation as well as to explain approaches to quantify the demographic implications of genetic processes.

Año de publicación:

2005

Keywords:

Fuente:

scopus