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USGS · 70222055

Effective population size remains a suitable, pragmatic indicator of genetic diversity for all species, including forest trees

Sean M. Hoban·Ivan Paz-Vinas·Sally Aitken·Laura D. Bertola·Martin F Breed·Michael W. Bruford·W. Chris Funk·Catherine E. Grueber·Myriam Heuertz·Paul A. Hohenlohe·Margaret Hunter·Rodolfo Jaffé·Margarida Lopes Fernandes·Joachim Mergeay·Farideh Moharrek·David O’Brien·Gernot Segelbacher·Cristiano Vernesi·Lisette Waits·Linda Laikre
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Abstract

Fady & Bozzano highlight some challenges to a proposed Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) indicator of genetic diversity based on effective population size, Ne ( Fady and Bozzano, 2020 ; Hoban et al., 2020 ). We appreciate the thoughtful debate and concur that genetic diversity indicators must be reliable and scalable. We fully agree that “genetic diversity should be better considered in the CBD post-2020 framework to prevent the irreplaceable loss of biodiversity… existing indicators are far from satisfactory.” As Fady & Bozzano state, Ne is essential for monitoring vital aspects of genetic diversity: loss of genetic diversity due to drift (genetic erosion), inbreeding rate (genetic health), and potential for adaptation and long term survival (resilience) ( Fady and Bozzano, 2020 ).

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Sean M. Hoban, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Sally Aitken, Laura D. Bertola, Martin F Breed, Michael W. Bruford, W. Chris Funk, Catherine E. Grueber, Myriam Heuertz, Paul A. Hohenlohe, Margaret Hunter, Rodolfo Jaffé, Margarida Lopes Fernandes, Joachim Mergeay, Farideh Moharrek, David O’Brien, Gernot Segelbacher, Cristiano Vernesi, Lisette Waits, Linda Laikre. 2021. Effective population size remains a suitable, pragmatic indicator of genetic diversity for all species, including forest trees. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108906

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