Genetic pollution

Genetic pollution

 

 

Endemic species can be threatened with extinction^[ through the process of genetic pollution,

• i.e. uncontrolled hybridization, introgression and genetic swamping.
• Genetic pollution leads to homogenization or replacement of local genomes as a result of either a numerical and/or fitness advantage of an introduced species.
•  Hybridization and introgression are side-effects of introduction and invasion.
• These phenomena can be especially detrimental to rare species that come into contact with more abundant ones. The abundant species can interbreed with the rare species, swamping its gene pool. This problem is not always apparent from morphological (outward appearance) observations alone. Some degree of gene flow is normal adaptation, and not all gene and genotype constellations can be preserved. However, hybridization with or without introgression may, nevertheless, threaten a rare species' existence.^[