Landscape and Conservation Genetics Flashcards
What is landscape genetics?
Combines population genetics and landscape ecology. It is used to understand how geographical and environmental features structure genetic variation.
Define resistance distance.
Resistance in gene flow as a result of physical geographical barriers.
Define genetic distance.
The genetic divergence between species or between populations within a species.
What does a small genetic distance infer?
Many similar alleles.
What are some landscape features that impact gene flow?
Aspect (direction an area faces).
Rivers/Roads.
Land cover.
Topographic complexity.
As topographic complexity increases, what happens to gene flow resistance?
Gene flow resistance also increases.
As land cover increases, what happens to gene flow resistance?
Gene flow resistance decreases.
Define conservation genetics.
The application of genetics to preserve species as dynamic entities capable of coping with environmental change.
Define conservation.
It deals with threats to biodiversity and with preserving the biological and genetic diversity of plants and animals.
What are conservation units?
Genetically differentiated populations with high priority for separate management and conservation.
What are the aims of conservation?
To preserve evolutionary processes and adaptive potential.
To conserve both species and genetic variation.
What are evolutionary significant units?
Genetically differentiated populations that have a high priority for separate management and conservation.
What are management units?
Represent demographically independent populations that show divergence in allele frequencies at mtDNA or nuclear loci.
