Deleterious mutations decrease reproductive fitness and are ubiquitous in genomes. Given
that many organisms face ongoing threats of extinction, there is interest in elucidating the …

Our ability to assess the threat posed by the genetic load to small and declining populations
has been greatly improved by advances in genome sequencing and computational …

Small populations are vulnerable to increased genetic load and drift that can lead to
reductions in fitness and adaptive potential. By analyzing 66 individual whole genomes of …

Deleterious genetic variation is abundant in wild populations, and understanding the
ecological and conservation implications of such variation is an area of active research …

High intra-specific genetic diversity is associated with adaptive potential, which is key for
resilience to global change. However, high variation may also support deleterious alleles …

Wild populations are increasingly threatened by human-mediated climate change and land
use changes. As populations decline, the probability of inbreeding increases, along with the …

Genetic diversity underpins evolutionary potential that is essential for the long‐term viability
of wildlife populations. Captive populations harbor genetic diversity potentially lost in the …

Squamates include more than 11,000 extant species of lizards, snakes, and
amphisbaenians, and display a dazzling diversity of phenotypes across their over 200 …

Endangered species generally have small populations with low genetic diversity and a high
genetic load. Thuja sutchuenensis is an endangered conifer endemic to southwestern …

Critically endangered species are usually restricted to small and isolated populations. High
inbreeding without gene flow among populations further aggravates their threatened …