Are new genes always better?

Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 15:21 in Biology & Nature

Re-vegetation seems like a beneficial strategy for conserving and restoring damaged ecosystems, and using a variety of species can help increase biodiversity in these systems. But what are the risks involved with introducing seeds from other locations to plants located near the damaged site? Introduced populations often hybridize with the local populations from the same species, which can result in "polluting" neighboring populations with genes that are poorly adapted to local conditions. Long-term consequences of such "pollution" could negatively impact the survival of the existing native populations.

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