Population genomics of invasive rodents on islands: Genetic consequences of colonization and prospects for localized synthetic gene drive.

ABSTRACT: Introduced rodent populations pose significant threats worldwide, with particularly severe impacts on islands. Advancements in genome editing have motivated interest in synthetic gene drives that could potentially provide efficient and localized suppression of invasive rodent populations. Application of such technologies will require rigorous population genomic surveys to evaluate population connectivity, taxonomic identification, and to inform design of gene drive localization mechanisms. One proposed approach leverages the predicted shifts in genetic variation that accompany island colonization, wherein founder effects, genetic drift, and island-specific selection are expected to result in locally fixed alleles (LFA) that are variable in neighboring nontarget populations. Engineering of

SUBMITTER: Oh KP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8127709 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature