ABSTRACT
If you stop and ask anyone walking down the street what 'genetic erosion' is, you are likely to get some furrowed brows as a response. To most people, 'genetic' has something to do with biology and those microscopic things called genes, while 'erosion' is what happens to soils and coastlines when they are washed or blown away. How on earth could genes get blown away? Yet if you go on to ask if anyone remembers something about an old and tasty apple or tomato that is nowhere to be found in the supermarkets any more, yes, that does ring a bell. What could these two questions possibly have to do with each other and why should anyone care?
