4.2.8- Ex Situ Conservation Flashcards
List three examples that are used for ex situ conservation of a species.
Seed banks
Botanic gardens
Zoos
List four advantages of ex situ conservation.
Organisms are protected from predators and poaching/ genetic diversity of the population can be measured/ conservation sites can be used for education/ the health of the organisms can be measured and medical assistance given if needed.
List four disadvantages of ex situ conservation.
Limited emetic diversity in captive population/ nutritional issues can be difficult to manage/ may be hard to achieve and expensive to get the correct living conditions of the organisms/ when animals are reintroduced into the wild, there can be issues with acceptance by the existing wild members of their species.
Explain how species can be conserved in zoo’s.
Mainly by captive breeding; endangered species bred and research to benefit endangered species undertook. Also can be done by modern technology techniques, like artificial insemination, in vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer.
List four reasons why the conservation of plants ex situ is easier than that of animals (using botanic gardens).
Most plants have a dormant stage (seed), seeds produced in large numbers and can be collected without causing be much damage to the ecosystem, can be bred asexually, captive bred individuals can easily be replanted in the wild.
List four problems that come with the conservation do plants using the method of botanic gardens.
Plants bred asexually will be genetically identical- more reducing gdiversity, collecting seeds will cause some disturbance, conclusions made from a small sample may not be valid for a whole species, funding for the garden can be difficult- public tend to not see plant conservation to the same level of importance as animals.
Explain what a seed bank is.
A collection of seed samples used to conserve (ex situ) plants.
What is the aim of seed banks?
To store a representative sample of seeds from
Every known plant species. Including the rarest, most useful and threatened species.
Seed banks contain seeds that remain ________ for decades and maybe centuries.
Viable.
Explain two things that seed in seed banks can be used for, aside from simply storage.
Providing seeds for good crops and building materials for rural communities/ disease resistant crops for agriculture/ reclamation and reproduction of endangered habitats b
How do seed banks improve the viability of seeds? Explain why this works.
The seeds are stored in dry or freezing conditions. Makes the seeds resistant to desiccation and the less moisture in each seed, the longer the life span.
Why is it essential to test the seeds in seed banks at regular intervals?
To check the viability of the sends as they will deteriorate in storage. Ensures they can germinate so they’re alive.
Explain what ex situ conservation means.
Conservation outside of a species normal habitat.
