Conservation Flashcards
What are some reasons for extinction?
Ocean warming + acidification, ice cap habitats melting, desertification, global warming
Define in situ and ex situ methods of conservation
In-situ (on-site) = conserving a species in its natural environment e.g. repopulation, gov. legislation
Ex-situ (off-site) = conserving a species by taking it out of its natural environment e.g. zoos and seedbanks
How do zoos conserve species?
Provide breeding programmes, reintroduction to habitat, education + research, provide funding for conservation projects
Define captive breeding
When zoos breed animals in their care to increase no of individuals of species, maintains genetic diversity
Define reintroduction
Breeding animals in captivity that are then returned to their natural habitats; may involve teaching species new skills to survive in wild
How do seed banks conserve species?
Store a representative seed sample from every known plant species in specific conditions to last decades
What conditions are seeds kept in seed banks?
Suspended preservation —> reduce water content, stored at freezing temperatures, sterilised; checked regularly to see if they will germinate
What are stud-books?
Advise on which animals should/shouldn’t breed + movement of animals between partner zoos to maximise genetic diversity within captive pop.
Give advantages of conservation techniques
+ keep populations alive which otherwise may have gone extinct
+ increase genetic variation through captive breeding programmes
+ can reintroduce animals, increases diversity
Give disadvantages of conservation techniques
— inbreeding in captive breeding programmes reduces genetic variation
— not all reintroduced animals will survive
— genetic drift —> in small populations, some alleles may randomly not be passed to offspring, reducing genetic variation
