how genetic diversity can be sustained in emclosed water bodies?

Question

I was watching a lot of mountain fishing videos and i was wondering how the trout population can remain healthy and genetically diverse if no new trouts enter the gene pool?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I’m a fish ecologist in Nevada and a lot of our native fish species are really isolated and most springs and river systems in deserts have many fish species 25% of our native fish species are only found in Nevada. Also, almost every tiny spring has its own species of spring snails in it! Most of these systems were connected during the ice age when Nevada had many large lakes and rivers, but they have been isolated for the last 12 to 15 thousand years.