title: Hybridization and endangered species protection in the molecular era.
abstract: After decades of discussion, there is little consensus on the extent to which hybrids between endangered and nonendangered species should be protected by US law. As increasingly larger, genome-scale data sets are developed, we can identify individuals and populations with even trace levels of genetic admixture, making the 'hybrid problem' all the more difficult. We developed a decision-tree framework for evaluating hybrid protection, including both the processes that produced hybrids (human-mediated or natural) and the ecological impact of hybrids on natural ecosystems. We then evaluated our decision tree for four case studies drawn from our own work and briefly discuss several other cases from the literature. Throughout, we highlight the management outcomes that our approach provides and the nuances of hybridization as a conservation problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. South, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Wayne
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. South, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.|La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, 619 Charles E. Young Dr. South, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
authors.forename: H Bradley
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Shaffer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D003663:Decision Trees; D017753:Ecosystem; D056727:Endangered Species / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D014481:United States
keywords: California tiger salamander; Endangered Species Act; admixture; conservation genomics; intercross policy; wolf