Fundamentals of Conservation Biology. Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr.. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr.
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
Серия:
Жанр произведения: Биология
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9781119144175
Скачать книгу
the Hardy–Weinberg equation is

equation

      Consequently, He for MDH‐1 is 0.48 (2 × 0.6 × 0.4 = 0.48). The He based on all genes for these five bison is 0.48/24 = 0.02, which is close to the Ho of 0.017. So in other words, the bison population is likely operating as if most individuals were reproducing and interacting with one another, as you would hope for in a healthy herd. But what if only a few females are producing most of the calves? Or just one male? Ho would depart strongly from He. In a small population this can be problematic as generally we seek genetic contributions from most individuals to preserve what genetic variation remains. Departures of Ho from He can therefore provide a useful and quick glimpse into a population’s reproductive dynamics, and point to management actions to address problems revealed. We expand on this issue further on in this chapter.

Schematic illustration of the genetic diversity that is partitioned within versus among populations to varying degrees with important implications for conservation strategies.

       Quantitative Variation

Photo depicts the native annual plant, Collinsia sparsiflora, grows on and off in serpentine soils with plants from serpentine habitats growing best in serpentine habitats, and plants from nonserpentine habitats doing best in nonserpentine habitats.

      (Adapted from Wright et al. 2006 [left]; Don Loarie [right])

      We have touched on the importance of genetic diversity already. To really understand the importance of genetic diversity, it is useful to think of genes as units of information rather than tangible things. As tiny aggregations of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and some other common elements, genes have little value in and of themselves. Indeed, when DNA is extracted from any organism and concentrated in the bottom of a test tube it appears as a small, sticky, gray, and rather unattractive blob. As sources of information, however,