Periodic Triggering of an Inducible Gene for Control of a Wild Population

A possible method of control for the management of wild populations consists of continual introgression of an inducible transgene by releasing transgenic individuals, with periodic exposure of the population to a trigger. Exposure to the trigger causes death or sterility in carriers of the transgene, but is otherwise benign. We investigate the effectiveness of various strategies for control. We show that suppression of the population density below any pre-specified level is possible using this technique. At the same time we show that too frequent or too efficient exposure to the trigger can select for non-transgenic genotypes at an intensity such that the population density will be largely unaffected by the trigger. Choices for management parameters can ensure that the latter scenario is avoided. We show that releasing individuals carrying the transgene at more than one locus facilitates density control.