Biodiversity & Ecosystems

Measuring Genetic Diversity

Mark Allocation Practical 6

Measuring Genetic Diversity

Does the report have

a title & a brief outline of the problem citations & references? Is the summary from page 7 included? [1 1/2 marks]

Are the populations of each species different from each other ? Does one species have more between population diversity than the other? Which one ? [1 1/2 marks]

How will you allocate your scarce funds for wetland acquisition ? Justify your decision in terms of preserving the maximum amount of genetic diversity that characterizes these two species. [2 marks]

What considerations other than genetic ones might influence your choice ?

[1 mark]

Recall that our goal in this exercise is to capture as much of the genetic diversity that characterizes these species as is possible, given a limited budget. Note that both alleles at the locus surveyed are already found in each population of both species. Why does it matter that more than a single population of each species be protected ? [2 marks]

In the reading by Eldridge(1998) Trouble in Paradise, how did the scientists maximize the genetic diversity in the re-introduced population? Why didnt they just choose to use animals from just one of the islands ? [2 marks]