Conservation Genetics
By: Alex Harris, Marta Cano, Michelle Fletcher, and Orben Olson
Biodiversity
Key Terms
The variety of the earth's organisms, their genetic
diversity and the assemblages they form:
Genes – Population – Species – Communities – Biomes
Extinction
The loss of a species forever.
Conservation
Management of human use of the biosphere so that it
may yield the greatest sustainable benefit to present
generations while maintaining it’s potential to meet
needs and aspirations of future generations.
Species diversity: Beetle Example.
There are 200 beetles species for every mammal
species. We need to keep diversity in mind when
we talk about the importance of nature
What is Conservation Genetics?
A science that combines efforts to
maintain a healthy biological
environment and protect the genetic
makeup of the species by preserving
the traits passed on through
inheritance as plants and animals
reproduce.
Conservation biology studies individual and
populations of plants and animals with the
intent to gather pertinent data on habitat and
how it affects the organism.
When biological changes occur, it can endanger
a population with low genetic diversity.
Genetics is the study of traits passed on through
inheritance as plants and animals reproduce.
Several factors can affect the genetic diversity of
a given population; loss of biodiversity,
inbreeding, and geographic isolation.
Genetic diversity is important because the
consequences of extinction is equivalent to
the complete and permanent loss of genetic
information for a plant or animal species.
Genetic diversity assures that a population will
adapt to the changes and reproduce and
extinction is minimized.
Biodiversity
A diverse ecosystem has many varieties of
healthy, self-sustaining life forms living in
biological harmony.
Genetic Conservation Can Save
Threatened Species
Our planet is home to more than ten million
species of plants and animals, and nearly half
of these are threatened with extinction
because their natural habitat is being
destroyed.
How Ecosystems Become Stressed
It is easy for healthy ecosystems to bounce back
rapidly, but if a struggle for genetic diversity is
an issue, a stressed ecosystem could mean
extinction for many species.
Interbreeding and Genetic Bottleneck
Population isolation ultimately leads to
interbreeding, a situation where an organism
mates with relatives, which obviously has a
negative effect on the genetic diversity of a
population.