Genetic Diversity within Species

Based on our review of literature and survey of geneticists working on California taxa, we find genetic information lacking for most species in the Sierra Nevada. This situation is likely to remain in the future, with specific groups of taxa or occasional rare or high-interest species receiving specific study. Where we do have empirical information, we find few generalities emerging, except occasionally within closely related or ecologically similar taxa. Despite these difficulties in assessing genetic diversity, we direct attention to situations estimated to be most deserving of attention from a genetic standpoint. Severe wildfire: With the significantly increased risk of severe fires currently facing the Sierra Nevada, large, stand-replacing fires present significant risks to gene pools of most middleand low-elevation Sierran forests, with direct and indirect consequences to the genetic diversity of plants and animals that live