What significant risk is associated with attempting genetic rescue between the isolated Northern and Southern Hoiho populations?
Answer
Outbreeding depression due to mismatched local adaptations.
The genomic evidence firmly supports tailored conservation and advises against broad-spectrum interventions such as attempting to introduce genes from the Southern groups into the critically low Northern population. Introducing mismatched genetic material carries a significant and documented risk known as outbreeding depression. This phenomenon occurs when the offspring resulting from crosses between individuals adapted to vastly different local environments suffer reduced fitness because their inherited genes contain adaptations that are poorly suited or actively detrimental in the specific context of the receiving population, thereby undermining long-term survival prospects.
Related Questions
What fundamental finding dramatically redrew the evolutionary map of the Hoiho (Megadyptes antipodes)?Which sophisticated technique was employed to model the genealogical history across the Hoiho genome?What is the proposed scientific designation for the Enderby Island population of Hoiho?Approximately how long ago did the split occur between the Northern Hoiho subspecies and the Southern groups?Which distinct, smaller yellow-eyed penguin subspecies was found via ancient DNA analysis on the Chatham Islands?Despite carrying the Yellow-eyed penguin gyrovirus (YPGV), why do Southern Hoiho chicks avoid clinical Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)?What specific biological function showed distinct genetic signatures of local selection in Southern Hoiho subspecies?Genomic analysis showed enrichment for adaptations related to what environmental factors in the Northern Hoiho subspecies (M. a. murihiku)?What significant risk is associated with attempting genetic rescue between the isolated Northern and Southern Hoiho populations?Which principal iwi partnered with researchers regarding the proposed scientific designation of the Hoiho subspecies?Research on other penguin species shows a correlation between speciation and what geological event, which also influenced Hoiho evolution?