Mexican wolves and the legacy of genetic bottleneck and founder effect

An infographic showing how Mexican wolf gene diversity was affect by near extinction and population recovery. It started with genetic bottleneck, which caused gene diversity to decrease when the population was dramatically reduced. This was followed by the founder effect, when gene diversity declined due to a small group being reintroduced to the wild from the captive population. Managing for gene diversity through efforts like cross fostering can help bring valuable genes into the wild population.

Photo By/Credit

Media Usage Rights/License

Public Domain

Image

Mexican wolf gene diversity has been affected by both genetic bottleneck and the founder effect. Managers can use cross-fostering to bring valuable gene diversity from the captive population into the wild population.

Species

Canis lupus baileyi

Subject tags

Captive breeding

Endangered and/or Threatened species

Species reintroduction