Biodiversity & Ecosystems

Measuring Genetic Diversity

Mark Allocation Practical 6

Measuring Genetic Diversity

Does the report have

a title & a brief outline of the problem c citations & references? I Is the summary from page 7 included? [1 1/2 marks]

Are the populations of each species different from each other ? Does one species have more [1 1/2 marks]

between population diversity than the other? Which one ?

How will you allocate your scarce funds for wetland acquisition ? Justify your decision in [2 marks] [1 mark]

terms of preserving the maximum amount of genetic diversity that characterizes these two species.

What considerations other than genetic ones might influence your choice ?

Recall that our goal in this exercise is to capture as much of the genetic diversity that

characterizes these species as is possible, given a limited budget. Note that both alleles at the locus surveyed are already found in each population of both species. Why does it matter that more than a single population of each species be protected ? [2 marks]

In the reading by Eldridge(1998) Trouble in Paradise, how did the scientists maximize the [2 marks]

genetic diversity in the re-introduced population? Why didnt they just choose to use animals from just one of the islands ?