Conservation Biology: The Story Of Genetic Diversity

In conservation biology, genetic diversity is fundamental in understanding populations and their evolution. Conservationists analyze the individuals of a population and try to understand how such individuals may be affected by circumstances like loss of habitat, environmental changes, and exploitation, which are more often than not caused by human activities. In order to ensure the survival of many populations, researchers look at the genes and the characteristics inherited from one generation to another, carefully measuring the diversity of information and making important estimates that will potentially prevent a population from becoming extinct in the future. Without a doubt, the life of all the species on Earth depends on the peculiar sequence written in their DNA, which may me beneficial or detrimental, ultimately writing the story of a population.
Genetic Diversity …show more content…
In fact, genetic diversity can be defined as the genetic variation of individuals within a population and between populations that is often associated with adaptation to local conditions (Campbell at al. 2014, pg. 1256). For instance, a species is said to lose genetic diversity when one of its populations, even geographically separated, becomes extinct. This happens because the overall potential of the species to adapt to environmental changes becomes eroded by the loss of genetic diversity. More specifically, genetic diversity occurs among higher taxonomic categories, among species, among populations, within populations, and within individuals (Hunter & Gibbs, 2007, pg. 86). In fact, a single species can have a great number of populations that are genetically distinct, which makes microevolution possible, and the loss of even one population of a specific species negatively affects the species as a