Genetic erosion
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Genetic erosion (also known as genetic depletion) is a process where the limited gene pool of an endangered species diminishes even more when reproductive individuals die off before reproducing with others in their endangered low population. The term is sometimes used in a narrow sense, such as when describing the loss of particular alleles or genes, as well as being used more broadly, as when referring to the loss of a phenotype or whole species.
Genetic erosion occurs because each individual organism has many unique genes which get lost when it dies without getting a chance to breed. Low genetic diversity in a population of wild animals and plants leads to a further diminishing gene pool – inbreeding and a weakening immune system can then "fast-track" that species towards eventual extinction.
By definition, endangered species suffer varying degrees of genetic erosion. Many species benefit from a human-assisted breeding program to keep their population viable,[citation needed] thereby avoiding extinction over long time-frames. Small populations are more susceptible to genetic erosion than larger populations.
Genetic erosion gets compounded and accelerated by
The
Processes and consequences
Population bottlenecks create shrinking gene pools, which leave fewer and fewer fertile mating partners. The genetic implications can be illustrated by considering the analogy of a high-stakes poker game with a crooked dealer. Consider that the game begins with a 52-card deck (representing high genetic diversity). Reduction of the number of breeding pairs with unique genes resembles the situation where the dealer deals only the same five cards over and over, producing only a few limited "hands".
As specimens begin to inbreed, both physical and reproductive congenital effects and defects appear more often. Abnormal sperm increases, infertility rises, and birthrates decline. "Most perilous are the effects on the immune defense systems, which become weakened and less and less able to fight off an increasing number of bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, and other disease-producing threats. Thus, even if an endangered species in a bottleneck can withstand whatever human development may be eating away at its habitat, it still faces the threat of an epidemic that could be fatal to the entire population."[1]
Loss of agricultural and livestock biodiversity
Genetic erosion in
The major driving forces behind genetic erosion in crops are variety replacement, land clearing, overexploitation of species, population pressure, environmental degradation, overgrazing, governmental policy, and changing agricultural systems. The main factor, however, is the replacement of local varieties of domestic plants and animals by other varieties or species that are non-local. A large number of varieties can also often be dramatically reduced when commercial varieties are introduced into traditional farming systems. Many researchers believe that the main problem related to agro-ecosystem management is the general tendency towards genetic and ecological uniformity imposed by the development of modern agriculture.
In the case of
Prevention by human intervention, modern science and safeguards
In situ conservation
With advances in modern bioscience, several techniques and safeguards have emerged to check the relentless advance of genetic erosion and the resulting acceleration of endangered species towards eventual extinction. However, many of these techniques and safeguards are too expensive yet to be practical, and so the best way to protect species is to protect their habitat and to let them live in it as naturally as possible. Complicating matters, the conservation of substantial amounts of genetic diversity often requires the maintenance of multiple independent populations across a species distribution.[3] For example, to conserve at least 90% of the genetic diversity of the northern quoll requires the conservation of at least eight populations across the continent of Australia.[3]
Ex situ conservation
Modern policies of
Costly (and sometimes controversial)
It can be possible to save an endangered species from extinction by preserving only parts of specimens, such as tissues, sperm, eggs, etc. – even after the death of a critically endangered animal, or collected from one found freshly dead, in captivity or from the wild. A new specimen can then be "resurrected" with the help of cloning, so as to give it another chance to breed its genes into the living population of the respective threatened species. Resurrection of dead critically endangered wildlife specimens with the help of cloning is still being perfected, and is still too expensive to be practical, but with time and further advancements in science and methodology it may well become a routine procedure not too far into the future.
Recently, strategies for finding an integrated approach to in situ and ex situ conservation techniques have been given considerable attention, and progress is being made.[4]
See also
- Center of origin
- Conservation biology
- Crop wild relative
- Gene bank
- Genetic pollution
- Genetics
- Mutational meltdown
- Neglected and underutilized crops
- Population genetics
References
- ^ Stephen J. O'Brien, Chief, Laboratory of Viral Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute (April 1992). "GENETIC EROSION A Global Dilemma". National Geographic. Posted online by Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory at the Department of Physics, UiO; The University of Oslo in Norway: 136. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
A population bottleneck creates a shrinking gene pool that leaves fewer and fewer mating partners. What are the genetic implications? The animals become part of a high stakes poker game – with a crooked dealer. After beginning with a 52-card deck, the players wind up with, say, five cards that they are dealt over and over. As they begin to inbreed, congenital effects appear, both physical and reproductive. Often abnormal sperm increase; infertility rises; the birthrate falls. Most perilous in the long run, each animal's immune defense system is weakened. Thus, even if an endangered species in a bottleneck can withstand whatever human development may be eating away at its habitat, it still faces the threat of an epidemic that could well be fatal to the entire population.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ FAO (2015). The Second Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
- ^ ISSN 0006-3207.
- ^ See DIVERSEEDS online discussion[permanent dead link] forum on the integrated approach.[dead link]