Conservation Genetics

Plant and animal conservation is needed because species are rapidly going extinct and many others are threatened and endangered. Areas of high species endemism, such as New Zealand, are of high priority

Intraspecific variation

• Understanding the role of genetically based intraspecific variation is necessary for re-establishment of threatened species and management of isolated populations in protected areas.

• The high degree of intraspecific variation found in the New Zealand flora suggests that much of the speciation is relatively recent. This makes study of genetic variation particularly relevant to understanding evolutionary processes in this country.

• Both the pattern and rate of evolution is dependent in part on the existence of genetic variation and its distribution within and among populations.

• Conservation genetics is carried out through a combined effort. It requires input from many different sources and is both a basic and an applied science.

• Population genetic studies can supply conservation scientists and ecological managers with information on the extent of genetic diversity and gene flow.

• Without using genetics, we can be left conserving the wrong population, or wasting valuable resources on a population that isn't endangered!