WFB 224 Conservation Biology
Conservation biology premises, relevant to genetics
(by the end of this course, you should be prepared to support or refute any of these)
1. Fitness is directly related to genetic variation
2. Genetic variation is critical for long-term survival of species
3. The goal of conservation biology is to prevent loss of genetic diversity
4. Genotype cannot be predicted from phenotype
5. Phenotype cannot be predicted from genotype
6. Asexual organisms have less potential to adapt than sexual species
7. Mutation does not restore lost variation
8. Mutation is a rare and random event
9. Most mutations are selectively neutral
10. Variation exists within individuals, within populations, and among populations; all these
levels of variation are important and should be conserved
11. Understanding inheritance is important for conserving variation and avoiding problems
due to inbreeding
12. The integrity of a population can be evaluated from a single genetic sample, using the
Hardy-Weinberg equation
13. Small populations do not evolve
14. Small populations are highly vulnerable to random events
15. Small populations usually go extinct
16. Populations within a species become locally adapted
17. Populations of a species should not be interbred (high levels of gene flow can reduce
local adaptation)
18. Breeding endangered species in captivity usually results in loss of variation
19. Maintaining species in captivity should only be done as a last resort
20. Conserving species without understanding their population structure is dangerous
21. Evolution has not stopped
22. Loss of genetic variation leads to extinction (due to inbreeding and inability to adapt)
23. Extinction is forever (you can’t go back)
24. A species is not the basic unit of conservation