ex situ conservation Flashcards
(15 cards)
what does ex situ conservation mean
-out of the natural habitat
ex situ conservation methods
-botanical gardens
-seed banks
-captive breeding
-maintaining genetic diversity
how is a botanical garden a conservation method
-plants are actively managed and provided with nutrients, water and pest control
positive and negative for botanical gardens
positive- potential source of genes for future breeding
negative- wild relatives of selectively bred crops are under represented
how are seed banks an ex situ conservation method
-acts as a gene bank
-seeds dried and stored at less than -20degrees Celsius to slow down germination rates
-they are stores for future reintroduction, research, breeding and genetic engineering.
positives and negatives of seed banks
positive: back up against extinction
negative: tropical rainforest tree seeds don’t store well
how are captive breeding programmes an ex situ conservation method
-produce offspring in a human controlled environment
-provide shelter, food, breeding partners, absence of predators
-aim to eventually reintroduce into habitat
example of a captive breeding programme
-national marine aquarium in SW England
-several sea horse species now solely represented by animals in captivity
how does maintaining genetic diversity act as a ex situ conservation method
-arrange mating to maximise genetic diversity without moving adults
how can they arrange mating to maximise genetic diversity without moving adults
-artificial insemination
-embryo transfer
cryogenic storage of embryos
how do they identify genetic diversity (book)
international catalogue of genealogical data (book)
negatives of genetic diversity
-lack of resistance o local diseases
-some cant be released into the wild
-lack of learned wild behaviours
-may not be able to interbreed with wild populations anymore
why wouldn’t you reintroduce an animal to the wild after captivity/ keep it in the zoo
-genes already well represented in the breeding programme
-too expensive to release into the wild
advantages of ex situ conservation
-competition can be reduced
-manipulate breeding
-protection of individuals in controlled environment
-reintroduce species to the wild
-treat diseases easily
negatives of ex situ conservation
-expensive to maintain suitable environments
-become habituated to humans
-only small numbers cared for
-breeding is more difficult than wild
-lack of adaptation to new environments
