Robin S Waples

..Computer simulations suggest that the effects of variable population dynamics on N(e) observed in this dataset are not unexpected for species with a salmon life history, as random variation in productivity can lead to similar results...

..The above results assume loci are not physically linked; for tightly linked loci, the LD signal from past migration events can persist for many generations, with consequences for Ne estimates that remain to be evaluated...

....

....

..4) For chinook salmon, N(eH) (an estimator based on the harmonic mean number of breeders per year) is generally a good proxy for true N(e) and requires much less data to calculate...

..These effects are more important when sampling error is small (large numbers of individuals, loci and alleles) and with relatively small populations (frequently modelled by those interested in conservation)...

..If the Columbia River is ever returned to a quasinatural, free-flowing state, remaining populations might face a Darwinian debt (and temporarily reduced fitness) as they struggle to re-evolve historical adaptations...

..Because the other regions never contained more than limited amounts of good-quality lynx habitat, those areas are not considered to represent a significant portion of the species' range...

....

..This approach can provide insights into N(e)/N in highly fecund species, including some marine species in which N(e) has been estimated to be several orders of magnitude less than N...

....

..These results lead to some general conclusions about genetic estimates of Ne in iteroparous species with overlapping generations and identify areas in need of further research...

..With density-dependent compensation, Cov(kt, Nt) < 0, and Ne is further reduced because relatively few breeders make a disproportionate contribution to the next generation...

..Some recent theoretical developments and continued advances in computational power provide hope that this situation may change in the future...

..Alternatively, spacing the temporal samples many generations apart maximizes the drift signal compared to sampling biases associated with age structure...

..It is also evident that persistence of existing, and evolution of future, diversity will depend on the ability of Pacific salmon to adapt to anthropogenically altered habitats...

..We suggest that demographic models (e.g. population viability analyses) would benefit from a more explicit consideration of how phenotypic plasticity influences population responses to environmental change...

..The program also introduces a jackknife method for obtaining confidence intervals that appears to perform better than parametric methods currently in use...

..Here, we illustrate how DNA and population genetic data can provide valuable information, often unattainable via other approaches, for monitoring species of management, conservation and ecological interest...

..The linkage disequilibrium method, which requires data from only one sample, is robust to this type of bias, although it can be affected by other factors...

..This is the first study showing that reproductive interaction between different life-history forms can buffer the genetic impact of fluctuating census size on Ne...

....