Currently, there are more than 157,100 species listed on the IUCN Red List, with more than 44,000 species threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 36% of reef building corals, 34% of conifers, 26% of mammals and 12% of birds (https://www.iucnredlist.org/). Considering the decline in biodiversity, restoration of extinct populations has become more and more important. Therefore, restoration efforts have emerged as a critical intervention to safeguard highly endangered species.
In this pursuit, genetics and genomics have become indispensable tools, contributing significantly to the success of restoration initiatives over the past decades. Restoration genetics and genomics address important topics of any conservation program, including inbreeding and outbreeding depression, preservation of native genetic diversity and local adaptation. Ignorance of a species’ genetic makeup can contribute to restoration failures, especially when individuals are ill-suited to their new environment. Therefore, a proactive consideration of genetics enhances the success rate of species restoration and improves the long-term survival prospects of reintroduced individuals. By acknowledging genetic dimensions, restoration efforts become more robust, ensuring the resilience and adaptability of populations of threatened taxa.
In particular, we are interested in manuscripts:
• Explaining why it is important to consider genetic or genomic tools in restoration projects.
• Case studies, models, or other demonstrations of genetic or genomic investigations.
• Lessons from successful or failed restoration projects. Why was a restoration successful? What were the reasons that it failed?
• Showing how genetic variation has changed in a restored population.
Besides these topics, we are encouraging the submissions of manuscripts dealing with any aspect of restoration genetics and genomics.
Keywords:
conservation, restoration, genetics, monitoring, reintroduction
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Currently, there are more than 157,100 species listed on the IUCN Red List, with more than 44,000 species threatened with extinction, including 41% of amphibians, 36% of reef building corals, 34% of conifers, 26% of mammals and 12% of birds (https://www.iucnredlist.org/). Considering the decline in biodiversity, restoration of extinct populations has become more and more important. Therefore, restoration efforts have emerged as a critical intervention to safeguard highly endangered species.
In this pursuit, genetics and genomics have become indispensable tools, contributing significantly to the success of restoration initiatives over the past decades. Restoration genetics and genomics address important topics of any conservation program, including inbreeding and outbreeding depression, preservation of native genetic diversity and local adaptation. Ignorance of a species’ genetic makeup can contribute to restoration failures, especially when individuals are ill-suited to their new environment. Therefore, a proactive consideration of genetics enhances the success rate of species restoration and improves the long-term survival prospects of reintroduced individuals. By acknowledging genetic dimensions, restoration efforts become more robust, ensuring the resilience and adaptability of populations of threatened taxa.
In particular, we are interested in manuscripts:
• Explaining why it is important to consider genetic or genomic tools in restoration projects.
• Case studies, models, or other demonstrations of genetic or genomic investigations.
• Lessons from successful or failed restoration projects. Why was a restoration successful? What were the reasons that it failed?
• Showing how genetic variation has changed in a restored population.
Besides these topics, we are encouraging the submissions of manuscripts dealing with any aspect of restoration genetics and genomics.
Keywords:
conservation, restoration, genetics, monitoring, reintroduction
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.