In 1957, officials released one male and one female wild sheep on a remote Kerguelen island; 46 years later, their isolated population had higher genetic diversity

A single pair of mouflon introduced to Haute Island in 1957 founded an isolated population. Researchers observed genetic diversity increasing over 46 years, defying standard drift models. This unexpected pattern was linked to a high twinning frequency in the mouflon herd. Selection related to reproductive costs may have maintained genetic diversity despite small founder size. The study highlights that factors beyond genetic drift shape isolated population genetics.
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