Ecology: Introducing new genes for restoration purposes may affect local populations
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - 20:29
in Biology & Nature
Revegetation 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 risks are involved with introducing seeds from other locations to plants located near the damaged site? When new, foreign genes are introduced to a damaged site, neighboring populations may experience initial negative effects; however, over time, the negative effects may diminish and the maladapted foreign genes will decrease.