Genetic management of captive populations for reintroduction

Two major types of harmful genetic change can occur during captivity: loss of genetic variation due to finite population size, and genetic adaptation to the captive environment. There is strong evidence for genetic adaptation in fish, plants and Drosophila, plus anecdotal evidence for other species. Genetic adaptation to captivity reduces the reproductive performance of populations when they are reintroduced into the wild. Consequently, captive populations of rare and endangered species should be managed to minimize genetic adaptation to captivity. Equations have been derived for predicting the extent of genetic adaptation to captivity and used as a focus for discussing procedures to minimize it. Time in captivity, mortality and selection should be minimized, and family size equalized. The captive environment should be made as close a possible to the wild and the generation interval maximized. -from Author