A Sea Change: Genetics in Conservation of the Rich and Strange

摘要

Introduction of theoretical population genetics and practical molecular genetics to the biological sciences has wrought a sea-change to our understanding of species, their interactions with their environments and their potential for longterm stability, or at least persistence. Early 20~(th) century genetic concepts envisioned environments as constant, or constantly variable, so that organisms evolved fixed, specialized adaptations to maximize fitness given their genetic potential. Much more recent is our understanding of environmental variability, both spatial and temporal, and its impact on resident organisms. This understanding led to the prediction that intraspecific genetic variation for all traits, including those directly affecting fitness, will persist both within and among populations of a species.