The preservation of genetic variation is fundamental in biodiversity conservation, yet its importance for population viability remains contentious. Mixed-source reintroductions, where individuals are translocated into a single vacant habitat from multiple genetically divergent and often depauperate populations, provide an opportunity to evaluate how genetic variation and hybridization influence individual and relative population fitness. Population genetic theory predicts that individuals with higher genetic variation and hybrids among populations should have higher fitness. We tested these two hypotheses by analyzing individual and population-scale data for westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) in four mixed-source reintroductions. We observed more hybrid and fewer nonhybrid offspring than expected across four independent mixed-source reintroductions. We also found clear evidence that heterozygosity influenced individual reproductive and relative population fitness. Overall, we found a strong, positive relationship between genetic variation, hybridization, and transplant fitness, emphasizing the importance of genetic variation and population mixing in conservation.

中文翻译：

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遗传变异和杂交决定了保护性重新引入的结果


保护遗传变异是生物多样性保护的基础，但其对种群生存能力的重要性仍然存在争议。混合源再引入，即个体从多个遗传差异且通常贫乏的种群转移到单个空置的栖息地，为评估遗传变异和杂交如何影响个体和相对种群适应性提供了机会。种群遗传理论预测，具有较高遗传变异的个体和种群间杂交应该具有更高的适应度。我们通过分析四次混合来源重新引入的西坡割喉鳟鱼 （Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi） 的个体和种群规模数据来检验这两个假设。我们在四个独立的混合源重新引入中观察到比预期更多和非杂交后代更少。我们还发现了明确的证据表明杂合性影响个体繁殖和相对种群适应性。总体而言，我们发现遗传变异、杂交和移植适应性之间存在很强的正相关关系，强调了遗传变异和种群混合在保护中的重要性。