Topic 10: Conservation Genetics

Question 1

Why do we need conservation, and why is the reality of threatened species more bleak than what we know?

Answer 1

• Need conservation to aid species in the light of habitat destruction, climate change, urbanization, etc.
• reality is bleak bc majority of species have not had their conservation status assessed, many species are not fully described (we may be underestimating amount of species), and status reports done are biased for certain groups (like mammals, and charismatic mega-fauna)

Question 2

what are the three types of biodiversity recognized by the international union for the conservation of nature (IUCN)

Answer 2

• ecosystem diversity
• species diversity
• genetic diversity

Question 3

What are general categories of conservation genetics research?

Answer 3

• describe species/ genetic pop structure. Identifying how many species there are, how they interact/genetically relate to one another
• management and reintroduction of captive species. ensuring high genetic diversity is attempted for these smaller pops
• detect and predict effects of habitat loss and fragmentation
• detect and predict hybridization, the inheritance of genes
• understanding the relationship between fitness of individuals and environmental factors (like how climate change effects species)

Question 4

What should we conserve?

Answer 4

• those that are most threatened to be extinct
• species that live in limited ranges or specific locations
• flagship/umbrella/keystone species
• species with significant economic, ecological, scientific, or cultural value
• conserve genetic diversity, so populations may be protected and so they can adapt and persist into the future

Question 5

What do we need to consider when deciding what species to focus conservation on

Answer 5

• considered the relationship between genetic diversity and conservation at multiple hierarchical levels (genes to individuals, individuals to populations, etc)
• need to consider evolutionary history, current diversity at a population structure, and future evolutionary potential (preserving genetic diversity so a species can change and adapt to changes)

Question 6

What are the general characteristics of a group of conservation concern?

Answer 6

• low number of individuals
• isolated from other populations
• overexploitation (via hunting, fishing, human means)
• low reproductive rates (longer generation times means species can’t respond/adapt quickly to environment changes)
• limited distributions, or species with specialized ecological niches (that man be more effected by climate change)

Question 7

How does random mating connect to conservation genetics?

Answer 7

• conservation concerns include low numbers and isolated populations.
• random mating cannot occur here, which means there could be an increase in inbreeding (+ loss of genetic diversity) and more genetic drift
• ex. galapagos tortoises in captivity can’t randomly breed

Question 8

How does mutation connect to conservation genetics?

Answer 8

• smaller population = less potential for mutation to arise
• but, when mutations do occur, they will be at a higher frequency in the population, due to smaller pop size. This also means they are more likely to become fixated, due to drift, even if the mutation is deleterious
• environmental factors may increase mutation rates, and with a changing environment (climate change) we may have an increase in mutations
• mullers rachets in smaller populations, smaller pop leads to increasing mutation load

Question 9

How does genetic drift connect to conservation genetics

Answer 9

• genetic drift has more influence on small populations
• increase in drift = accumulation of deleterious alleles, increasing inbreeding, decreased fitness –> leads to increased chance of extinction (extinction vortex)

Question 10

How does Natural selection connect to conservation genetics?

Answer 10

• conservation genetics concerned with small populations
• nat selection doesnt work on smaller populations as efficiently, drift is the dominant force
• populations will likely have less adaptive potential and less ability to respond to changing environments

Question 11

How does gene flow connect to conservation genetics?

Answer 11

• conservation concerned with small and isolated populations which leads to no gene flow, resulting in genetic differentiation between sub populations
• this is partially driven by increased inbreeding, which leads to increased risk of extinction

Question 12

What is the consideration of conservation genetics vs conservation genomics?

Answer 12

• genomics and gene sequencing is much much cheaper now than it was 20 years ago
• whole genome sequencing opens up new lines of research for conservation
• however, many applications in conservation can be addressed w relatively few genetic markers
• broad, core principles (pop size, genetic drift, inbreeding) can be addressed using few genetic markers
• while a few factors in conservation (migration rates, inbreeding and outbreeding depression) can be addressed using whole genomes

Question 13

What is the conservation genetics ‘gap’?

Answer 13

• the lack of integration of genetic data into conservation management, monitoring, policies and decisions.

Question 14

What drives the conservation genetics gap?

Answer 14

• genetic factors being perceived as long-term threats, and given lower priority than more immediate needs
• assumption that genetic data is expensive to produce
• lack of funding
• lack of technical knowledge on genetics and lack of who to approach for assistance

Question 15

How can we bridge the gap in conservation genetics in practice?

Answer 15

• having in-house geneticists in government organizations
• boundary organizations, such as NGOs, zoos
• integration of genetic metrics into threat classifications
• improved communication (less jargon)
• added inclusivity