heuring@uicsrd.CSRD.UIUC.EDU (12/16/86)
A question for the net experts on viable population sizes. Currently I keep killifish (Cyprinodontides) and as much of their natural habitat is being destroyed some question has arisen to can they be maintained for long periods of time in captivity. In some species color changes believed due to inbreeding occur in as little as 3 - 5 generations. The reason they are thought to be due to inbreeding is that by breeding with a new group the resulting offspring once again show the "correct" color patterns for the species. My questions are 1) Is this really the result of inbreeding of the species? I have no reason to believe that it is due to inadvertant hybridization. 2) What is the best way to reduce the effects of inbreeding? 3) Where does one normally look for this kind of information? Thanks, Jerry Heuring