Applying gene flow science to environmental policy needs: a boundary work perspective

Ridley, Caroline E.; Alexander, Laurie C.

doi:10.1111/eva.12393

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 104 publications

(184 reference statements)

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“…Future efforts should be devoted to an improved understanding of the conditions favourable to hybridization, as better predictions of when and where it occurs can inform models of the spread of insecticide or parasite resistance, as well as gene drive. Moreover, in much the same way understanding the rates and outcomes of hybridization has been important for risk assessment and the regulation of genetically engineered crops (Ridley & Alexander, ), defining the spatial and temporal dynamics of gene flow across species and populations of malaria vectors can help setting policies and regulations, and assist decision‐makers when considering mosquito genetic control technologies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissecting functional components of reproductive isolation among closely related sympatric species of theAnopheles gambiaecomplex

Pombi

Kengne

Gimonneau

et al. 2017

Evolutionary Applications

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Explaining how and why reproductive isolation evolves and determining which forms of reproductive isolation have the largest impact on the process of population divergence are major goals in the study of speciation. By studying recent adaptive radiations in incompletely isolated taxa, it is possible to identify barriers involved at early divergence before other confounding barriers emerge after speciation is complete. Sibling species of the Anopheles gambiae complex offer opportunities to provide insights into speciation mechanisms. Here, we studied patterns of reproductive isolation among three taxa, Anopheles coluzzii, An. gambiae s.s. and Anopheles arabiensis, to compare its strength at different spatial scales, to dissect the relative contribution of pre‐ versus postmating isolation, and to infer the involvement of ecological divergence on hybridization. Because F1 hybrids are viable, fertile and not uncommon, understanding the dynamics of hybridization in this trio of major malaria vectors has important implications for how adaptations arise and spread across the group, and in planning studies of the safety and efficacy of gene drive as a means of malaria control. We first performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of published surveys reporting on hybrid prevalence, showing strong reproductive isolation at a continental scale despite geographically restricted exceptions. Second, we exploited our own extensive field data sets collected at a regional scale in two contrasting environmental settings, to assess: (i) levels of premating isolation; (ii) spatio/temporal and frequency‐dependent dynamics of hybridization, (iii) relationship between reproductive isolation and ecological divergence and (iv) hybrid viability penalty. Results are in accordance with ecological speciation theory predicting a positive association between the strength of reproductive isolation and degree of ecological divergence, and indicate that postmating isolation does contribute to reproductive isolation among these species. Specifically, only postmating isolation was positively associated with ecological divergence, whereas premating isolation was correlated with phylogenetic distance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissecting functional components of reproductive isolation among closely related sympatric species of theAnopheles gambiaecomplex

Pombi

Kengne

Gimonneau

et al. 2017

Evolutionary Applications

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“…Use gene flow to disrupt the evolution of resistance by increasing gene flow from susceptible populations (Tabashnik et al, 2013) Ensure protected areas are well connected to facilitate gene flow among populations (Ridley & Alexander, 2016).…”

Section: Selecting Individuals For Captive Breeding Should Focus On Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding managers’ and scientists’ perspectives on opportunities to achieve more evolutionarily enlightened management in conservation

Cook

Sgrò

2018

Evolutionary Applications

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Despite wide acceptance that conservation could benefit from greater attention to principles and processes from evolutionary biology, little attention has been given to quantifying the degree to which relevant evolutionary concepts are being integrated into management practices. There has also been increasing discussion of the potential reasons for a lack of evolutionarily enlightened management, but no attempts to understand the challenges from the perspective of those making management decisions. In this study, we asked conservation managers and scientists for their views on the importance of a range of key evolutionary concepts, the degree to which these concepts are being integrated into management, and what would need to change to support better integration into management practices. We found that while managers recognize the importance of a wide range of evolutionary concepts for conservation outcomes, they acknowledge these concepts are rarely incorporated into management. Managers and scientists were in strong agreement about the range of barriers that need to be overcome, with a lack of knowledge reported as the most important barrier to better integration of evolutionary biology into conservation decision‐making. Although managers tended to be more focused on the need for more training in evolutionary biology, scientists reported greater engagement between managers and evolutionary biologists as most important to achieve the necessary change. Nevertheless, the challenges appear to be multifaceted, and several are outside the control of managers, suggesting solutions will need to be multidimensional.

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“…It is increasingly recognised that for science to be translated into practice it must address management-relevant questions (e.g., Fazey et al 2005), provide decision-support tools (e.g., Cook et al 2016) and be coupled with active engagement between scientists and managers (Cook et al 2013). Unfortunately, research into the translation of evolutionary biology into conservation practice is still in its infancy, with little more than anecdotal evidence of the uptake of theory (Smith et al 2014;Ridley & Alexander 2016). Finding effective solutions to improving the integration of evolutionary concepts requires understanding: 1) the current penetration of evolutionary concepts into conservation policy and practice, 2) the availability of research demonstrating the benefits of changing management practices; and 3) the guidance and tools available to improve management activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aligning science and policy to achieve evolutionarily enlightened conservation

Cook

Sgrò

2017

Conservation Biology

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There is increasing recognition among conservation scientists that long-term conservation outcomes could be improved through better integration of evolutionary theory into management practices. Despite concerns that the importance of key concepts emerging from evolutionary theory (i.e., evolutionary principles and processes) are not being recognized by managers, there has been little effort to determine the level of integration of evolutionary theory into conservation policy and practice. We assessed conservation policy at 3 scales (international, national, and provincial) on 3 continents to quantify the degree to which key evolutionary concepts, such as genetic diversity and gene flow, are being incorporated into conservation practice. We also evaluated the availability of clear guidance within the applied evolutionary biology literature as to how managers can change their management practices to achieve better conservation outcomes. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of maintaining genetic diversity, conservation policies provide little guidance about how this can be achieved in practice and other relevant evolutionary concepts, such as inbreeding depression, are mentioned rarely. In some cases the poor integration of evolutionary concepts into management reflects a lack of decision-support tools in the literature. Where these tools are available, such as risk-assessment frameworks, they are not being adopted by conservation policy makers, suggesting that the availability of a strong evidence base is not the only barrier to evolutionarily enlightened management. We believe there is a clear need for more engagement by evolutionary biologists with policy makers to develop practical guidelines that will help managers make changes to conservation practice. There is also an urgent need for more research to better understand the barriers to and opportunities for incorporating evolutionary theory into conservation practice.

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Applying gene flow science to environmental policy needs: a boundary work perspective

Cited by 11 publications

References 104 publications

Dissecting functional components of reproductive isolation among closely related sympatric species of theAnopheles gambiaecomplex

Dissecting functional components of reproductive isolation among closely related sympatric species of theAnopheles gambiaecomplex

Understanding managers’ and scientists’ perspectives on opportunities to achieve more evolutionarily enlightened management in conservation

Aligning science and policy to achieve evolutionarily enlightened conservation

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