Week 25 Bio

Genetic diversity- Ex-situ conservations

Plants-

• Provide a living gene pool of plant material

• e.g. Kew Gardens – Millennium Seed Bank

• Concept - to preserve the seeds of every British plant and many from
desert regions of Africa and Asia

• Seeds will be dried and frozen -20oC to preserve for estimated 200 years

Animals-

• Breeding programmes for endangered and threatened species

• In depth studies on behaviour

• Stud books- parentage of all individuals of an endangered species held in

zoos worldwide

• Protection of endangered species

• Conservation of animal gene pools

• Reintroduction programmes

Problems-

• Insufficient space in zoos and parks for all endangered species – how do we
prioritise?

• Often difficult to provide right conditions for breeding – Giant Panda

difficult to breed in captivity even when conditions are ideal

• Re-introduction to wild can only happen if original reason for threat to the
species has been removed
• Adjustment problems from captive to wild living

• Reduced gene pool – minimised by use of outbreeding and stud books

• Re-introduction programmes are expensive and time-consuming and may

not succeed