A Research Study On Conservation Genetics

However, over 98 percent of grizzly bears have been eliminated to the number around 800 to 1,000 in the Lower 48 states. 01/06/2016 The Brewing Battle Over Grizzly Delisting and Trophy Hunting in the Yellowstone Ecosystem TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wayne-pacelle/the-brewing-battle-over-g_b_8923316.html) As such, it was hard to argue that grizzlies are thriving. Since European colonization, they have lost half of their continental habitat, and even in BC around a third of populations have either die out or are currently endangered. (Anna Taylor) Overkill - trophy hunting slams BC's Grizzly bears 7th February 2014 Ecologist /Resurgence Trust (http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2271852/overkill_trophy_hunting_slams_bcs_grizzly_bears.html) Another point is that they have startling low reproductive rate among the terrestrial mammals. It takes ten years for a female grizzly to replace herself in the population, and she will stop breeding in her mid-to late 20s. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Grizzly (sponsor)/Biology & Behavior (title) (http://westernwildlife.org/grizzly-bear-outreach-project/biology-behavior/) A female can give birth to a maximum of 10 cubs over her lifetime, and half of the cubs will die within a year.(Ibid) What is more, grizzly bears play an important role in forest ecosystem as seed dispersers and nutrient providers. Generally they benefit the surroundings by transporting berry seed to enable them to geminate, or pile up their fresh manure as fertilizer. While they searching for tree roots or ground squirrels, they increased the amount of nitrogen through soil disturbance. (Ibid) As a predator, grizzlies can control prey population. They hunt vegetarian so that regional density of plants would not decline in large quantities. Grizzly bears can be said as a keystone species in their

Recently, DNA testing has been employed to create a genetic database of endangered animal species. Using this information, scientists have even cloned animals.

Biodiversity is life’s variety. It is the varying genetics that each species carries that makes it different and “unique”. Biodiversity is important, not only in evolution, but in survival; when sometimes those terms can mean the very same thing. Interestingly, biodiversity can mean a variance in the life itself – or within the genetics of a species. In keeping breeding habits within the same lineage, some animals risk lower biodiversity and sometimes even deformities and disease, as they are able to more easily pass on unfavorable hereditary traits. In increasing the overall biodiversity, the only risk is a

Conservation of our biodiversity not only demonstrates foresight, it protects the natural resources so vital to our own continued existence. The value of any single species to an ecosystem is immeasurable; the environment will not endure without its species, despite size or niche. These animals are not dispensable. And, they are apt to face extinction in the not too distant future, unless a resolve for their preservation is insisted by the public and enforced by governments internationally.

The Grizzly bears population has grown from about 200 in 1975 to approximately 600-1200 in the 18 million acers of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. (Yellowstone)

Over the past decades, scientists have developed numerous approach to de-extinct species through back breeding, cloning and genetic engineering. Bringing back extinct species has advantages for both humans and animals. The de-extinction of species such as woolly mammoth and saber tooth tigers would not only advanced scientific knowledge but also have environmental benefit such as restoring environment that are damaged or threatened with the help of certain now-extinct species. But the consequences to bringing extinct species back greatly outweighs the positive. While Victor Frankenstein pursuit for knowledge in itself is justified, playing with the boundaries between life and death is something that should not have tempered with. Extinct species could carry diseases that could potentially wipe humanity from the face of the planet or result in other unforeseen consequences. The de-extinction of species should not be tolerated in order to avoid consequences that could endanger the lives of humanity as well surrounding species.

As natural resources experience an increased impact by human activities, the list of endangered species of flora and fauna expands. This highlights the importance of bringing all aspects of conservation efforts to the forefront. These efforts are often restricted by funding and logistical components and so prioritization must take place to ensure the preservation of critical populations and habitats, rather than a species in its entire historical range. It is critical to preserve genetic diversity which, in turn, allows for the preservation of the ecological and evolutionary aspects that are required for a species to continue to exist.

Black bears in BC have a population that is 9 times that of the grizzlies, however, the results show that the grizzlies have inflicted 9.7 times more attacks on humans in the past 16 years. This goes to show that grizzly bears have a higher tendency to attack due to the natural factors and stresses that act on them cause them to be much more aggressive with less tolerance to threats (Herrero, Aspects of Evolution and Adaptation in American Black Bears (Ursus americanus Pallas) and Brown and Grizzly Bears (U. arctos Linne.) of North America n.d.). Many other papers such as Herrero’s study in both 1972 and 1985 showed the same results where grizzlies had higher rates of attacks compared to black bears in BC and so it clearly shows that there

In Yellowstone National Park, scientists have been carefully documenting the impacts of wolves on the ecosystem, noting many changes for the better since reintroduction, (Berger et al. 2008; Beschta and Ripple 2010). As the ecosystem depends on the Gray Wolf to properly function predation, the wolves also regulate distribution and group size of each species, which impacts overall native biodiversity. Wolves primarily prey on large hoofed mammals such as deers, elk and moose. By preying on the most vulnerable (diseased, young, old, weak or injured) individuals, wolves can help keep prey populations more healthy and strong, (Carbyn

A. Rus hoelze et al, studied the impact of intense hunting of Northern Elephant Seals in the late 19th century, whose genetic variation reduced due to this bottleneck. This reduced their population size to just about 20. They found that although it has since rebounded to over 30K now but compared to their southern counterparts i.e., Southern Elephant Seals they have much less genetic variation. The Southern Elephant Seals didn’t went through this bottleneck event. It is clear that the genes of Northern Elephant Seals still carrying the marks of this bottleneck.

Reintroduction of wolves brought about recovery of plants and animals in Yellowstone National Park. In 1990s, deer were overpopulated due to absence of its predator, wolves. Regardless of people’s efforts, the number of deer kept increasing. As a result,

Though it may seem that the issue of species revival through a means of genetic science is a modern idea, similar arguments throughout the past also hold relevance to the modern issue of genetic species revival. To better understand the issue as it becomes more prevalent, it is important to examen different perspectives that span many centuries time, generating new insight on the issue. Examining different perspectives on the perceived human influences on species extinction vs. natural law and lack of adaptability, and give a determination on the ethical implications to society and ecology from the above arguments and philosophies from each viewpoint. Through these key statements, the arguments on genetic species revival can be

Animal extinction is big a threat to some animal species. According to the text “ The Impact of Animal Protection”, many nature parks have supervised breeding programs that allow numbers to increase. Many people think that animals should be able to repopulate by themselves. Keeping animals protected has proven to be beneficial and increase the populations of endangered animals. According to the text “The Impact of Animal Protection” these programs have helped bring several animals - black footed

In the case of ring species, natural selection and sexual selection each play a role in the divergence of ring species. Selective pressures allowed one phenotype to survive better than others in a certain area; sexual selection could cause divergence because organisms choose mates based on phenotypes. In the case of salamanders, natural selection affected divergence because organisms with certain coloration survived better in coastal or inland environments. In warblers, sexual selection and natural selection seem to play a part in the divergence of the ring species, as forest density and migration distance is variable and affects survival of the species. Molecular and morphological evidence can be used to support multiple species by showing

In North America, the grizzly bear is a keystone species - not as a predator but as ecosystem engineers. They transfer nutrients from the oceanic ecosystem to the forest ecosystem. The first stage of the transfer