You make a very good point here, that various human interventions can
significantly affect allele frequencies in populations or species and have
very dramatic effects in just a few generations. This is a major problem for
captive conservation programs. One of the more interesting examples of that
is what has happened to several "arked" populations of Devil's Hole pupfish
in USFWS operated refugia in the southwest. Keeping these populations in
concrete pools has become a form of artificial selection, so that the refuge
populations have become bigger (if I remember correctly) and the males show
different breeding coloration. Simply put, a measurably different fish was
unintentionally created. Would they be fit if put back into Devil's Hole? No
one has tried that experiment...
--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL, US of A
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org