scholarly journals An analysis of genetic diversity actions, indicators and targets in 114 National Reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Hoban ◽  
Catriona Campbell ◽  
Jessica da Silva ◽  
Robert Ekblom ◽  
W Chris Funk ◽  
...  

AbstractGenetic diversity is critically important for all species-domesticated and wild- to adapt to environmental change, and for ecosystem resilience to extreme events. International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have committed to conserve and sustainably and equitably use all levels of biodiversity-genes, species and ecosystems-globally. However, assessment and monitoring of genetic diversity are often overlooked, and there are large knowledge and policy gaps regarding genetic diversity conservation. In this study, we present the first quantitative analysis of genetic diversity assessments conducted by Parties to the CBD. We conducted a detailed, systematic analysis of 114 CBD 5th (submitted 2014) and 6th (submitted 2018) National Reports to quantitatively assess actions, progress on targets, values and indicators related to genetic diversity. First, we found that the importance of genetic diversity is recognised by most Parties to the CBD, and that recognition increased over time. However, genetic targets mainly addressed genetic diversity within cultivated plants, farm animals, and crop wild relatives, with little focus on other wild species. Also, actions for conserving genetic diversity primarily concerned ex-situ facilities and policy, rather than monitoring and intervention for maintaining genetic diversity in situ. The most commonly used indicators of genetic diversity status were the number of genetic resources in conservation facilities, number of threatened breeds, and Red List Index, which are not well correlated to genetic erosion in most species -- highlighting that genetic change is poorly monitored by current indicators. Lastly, analyses of genetic data observations, indigenous use and knowledge of genetic diversity, and strategies being developed and implemented to conserve genetic diversity are highly under-reported. We make several recommendations for the post-2020 CBD Biodiversity Framework to improve awareness, assessment, and monitoring, and facilitate consistent and complete reporting of progress of genetic diversity in future National Reports.Article Impact StatementAn analysis of genetic diversity in CBD National Reports neglects non-domesticated species and demonstrates need for sufficient indicators.

Author(s):  
Aurel MAXIM ◽  
Mignon ŞANDOR ◽  
Lucia MIHALESCU ◽  
Ovidiu MAXIM ◽  
Oana MARE ROŞCA

During the second part of the twentieth century the cultivated plants have been faced with genetic erosion, because of the expandinding industrial farming systems. The sustainable agriculture can not exist without a rich genetic diversity. After the United Nations Conference from Rio de Janeiro (1992), when the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted, a series of acts and european references that protect agrobiodiversity had emerged. Between 2007 and 2010, at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine a program which aims to identify and conserve local vegetable varieties was conducted. Out of 290 cultivars, 171 (58.9%) were genuine local varieties. There were collected 12 cucumber cultivars from the following counties: Salaj (7), Cluj (3), Bistrita-Nasaud (1) and Satu-Mare (1). The morphologic caractheristics proved that all this 12 cultivars were authentic and valuable local varieties. The local varieties were agronomical, biological and biochemical characterized, both in field and laboratory. The seeds achieved from those 12 local varieties were preserved in the Suceava Gene Bank, from where stakeholders (farmers, agronomists, researchers) can obtain seeds.


2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (02) ◽  
pp. 163-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian V. Ford-Lloyd ◽  
Darshan Brar ◽  
Gurdev S. Khush ◽  
Michael T. Jackson ◽  
Parminder S. Virk

Changes in global biodiversity at the genetic level have proved difficult to determine for most organisms because of lack of standardized, repeated or historical data; this hampers the attempts to meet the convention on biological diversity (CBD) 2010 targets of reducing loss of genetic diversity, particularly of crop species. For rice, where germplasm and genetic data have been collected throughout South and Southeast Asia over many decades, contrary to popular opinion, we have been unable to detect a significant reduction of available genetic diversity in our study material. This absence of a decline may be viewed positively; over the 33-year timescale of our study, genetic diversity amongst landraces grown in traditional agricultural systems was still sufficiently abundant to be collected forex situconservation. However, if significant genetic erosion does take place in the future as a result of accelerating global warming and/or major changes in land use or agricultural practices, will it be catastrophic or gradual, and how will it be detected? We have shown a strong link between numbers of landraces collected (and therefore extant) and genetic diversity; hence, we have a clear indicator to detect loss of genetic diversity in the future. Our findings lend considerable support forex situconservation of germplasm; the more than substantial genetic resources already in genebanks are now safe. On the other hand, it is the germplasm growing in farmers' fields, continually adapting genetically to changing environmental conditions and evolving novel genetic forms, whose future has been much less certain but can now be effectively monitored using our criteria.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1557
Author(s):  
Johannes M. M. Engels ◽  
Andreas W. Ebert

The history of ex situ conservation is relatively short, not more than a century old. During the middle of last century, triggered by the realization that genetic erosion was threatening the existing landraces and wild relatives of the major food crops, global efforts to collect and conserve the genetic diversity of these threatened resources were initiated, predominantly orchestrated by FAO. National and international genebanks were established to store and maintain germplasm materials, conservation methodologies were created, standards developed, and coordinating efforts were put in place to ensure effective and efficient approaches and collaboration. In the spontaneously developing global conservation system, plant breeders played an important role, aiming at the availability of genetic diversity in their breeding work. Furthermore, long-term conservation and the safety of the collected materials were the other two overriding criteria that led to the emerging international network of ex situ base collections. The political framework for the conservation of plant genetic resources finds its roots in the International Undertaking of the FAO and became ‘turbulent rapid’ with the conclusion of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This paper reviews the history of the global ex situ conservation system with a focus on the international network of base collections. It assesses the major ex situ conservation approaches and methods with their strengths and weaknesses with respect to the global conservation system and highlights the importance of combining in situ and ex situ conservation.


AGROFOR ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoran MALETIC

Recently, highly productive breeds of various species of domestic animals have been used in livestock production, which has resulted in the destruction of indigenous breeds of domestic animals around the world, even in our area. This is the first reason why indigenous races and strains have been endangered. Another reason is that domestic, indigenous breeds were crossed with specialized breeds, which were imported, and in that way their genetic diversity was negatively affected. Resistance is lost, adaptation to the conditions in which they were created, the ability to survive in nature. Indigenous breeds of different species of domestic animals, which are recognized in the Republic of Srpska (BiH) are gatačko cattle and buša (cattle), Vlašić pramenka, Podveleška pramenka, Kupres pramenka (sheep), domestic Balkan horned goat (goats), Bosnian mountain horse (horses), mangulica (pigs) and pogrmuša hen or živičarka hen (poultry). By acceding to international conventions, BiH /Republic of Srpska has committed itself to establishing a system of measures that will enable the conservation of biological diversity and the protection of indigenous and endangered breeds of domestic animals. The choice of a strategy for the conservation of diversity, the establishment of an adequate conservation scheme, and the implementation of a conservation strategy are some of the key elements of any process for the conservation of genetic diversity. Preservation of autochthonous and protected breeds of domestic animals is possible through preservation in the original environment (in situ) and preservation outside the original environment (ex situ). There is a possibility of combining these models of conservation of animal genetic resources.


Author(s):  
Sergei Volis ◽  
Salit Kark

The study of biodiversity has received wide attention in recent decades. Biodiversity has been defined in various ways (Gaston and Spicer, 1998, Purvis and Hector 2000, and chapters in this volume). Discussion regarding its definitions is dynamic, with shifts between the more traditional emphasis on community structure to emphasis on the higher ecosystem level or the lower population levels (e.g., chapters in this volume, Poiani et al. 2000). One of the definitions, proposed in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity held in Rio de Janeiro (1992) is “the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.” The within-species component of diversity is further defined as “the frequency and diversity of different genes and/or genomes . . .” (IUCN 1993) as estimated by the genetic and morphological diversity within species. While research and conservation efforts in the past century have focused mainly on the community level, they have recently been extended to include the within-species (Hanski 1989) and the ecosystem levels. The component comprising within-species genetic and morphological diversity is increasingly emphasized as an important element of biodiversity (UN Convention 1992). Recent studies suggest that patterns of genetic diversity significantly influence the viability and persistence of local populations (Frankham 1996, Lacy 1997, Riddle 1996, Vrijenhoek et al. 1985). Revealing geographical patterns of genetic diversity is highly relevant to conservation biology and especially to explicit decision-making procedures allowing systematic rather than opportunistic selection of populations and areas for in situ protection (Pressey et al. 1993). Therefore, studying spatial patterns in within-species diversity may be vital in defining and prioritizing conservation efforts (Brooks et al. 1992). Local populations of a species often differ in the ecological conditions experienced by their members (Brown 1984, Gaston 1990, Lawton et al. 1994). These factors potentially affect population characteristics, structure, and within-population genetic and morphological diversity (Brussard 1984, Lawton 1995, Parsons 1991). The spatial location of a population within a species range may be related to its patterns of diversity (Lesica and Allendorf 1995). Thus, detecting within-species diversity patterns across distributional ranges is important for our understanding of ecological and evolutionary (e.g., speciation) processes (Smith et al. 1997), and for the determination of conservation priorities (Kark 1999).


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1446
Author(s):  
Lorraine Rodriguez-Bonilla ◽  
Karen A. Williams ◽  
Fabian Rodríguez Bonilla ◽  
Daniel Matusinec ◽  
Andrew Maule ◽  
...  

Knowledge of the genetic diversity in populations of crop wild relatives (CWR) can inform effective strategies for their conservation and facilitate utilization to solve agricultural challenges. Two crop wild relatives of the cultivated cranberry are widely distributed in the US. We studied 21 populations of Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton and 24 populations of Vaccinium oxycoccos L. across much of their native ranges in the US using 32 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. We observed high levels of heterozygosity for both species across populations with private alleles ranging from 0 to 26. For V. macrocarpon, we found a total of 613 alleles and high levels of heterozygosity (HO = 0.99, HT = 0.75). We also observed high numbers of alleles (881) and levels of heterozygosity (HO = 0.71, HT = 0.80) in V. oxycoccos (4x). Our genetic analyses confirmed the field identification of a native population of V. macrocarpon on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the state of Washington, far outside the previously reported range for the species. Our results will help to inform efforts of the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) to conserve the most diverse and unique wild cranberry populations through ex situ preservation of germplasm and in situ conservation in designated sites on National Forests.


2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 153-160
Author(s):  
Oz Barazani ◽  
Nir Hanin ◽  
Prabodh Kumar Bajpai ◽  
Yoni Waitz ◽  
Michal Barzilai ◽  
...  

The winter annuals Brassica tournefortii and Raphanus raphanistrum (Brassicaceae) share similar habitats and life-history traits, but differ in their reproduction system (self-compatibility vs. self-incompatibility, respectively). The two phylogenetically close species offer means to assess the effect of reproductive biology on genetic diversity between and within populations. In general, genetic diversity between populations of B. tournefortii was higher than that found between populations of R. raphanistrum, while higher genetic diversity indices were evident within populations of R. raphanistrum. In addition, the results of pairwise genetic distances indicated that the genetic distances between populations can be associated to the species’ reproductive biology and not to the population’s distribution pattern. We discuss whether knowledge of reproductive and habitat characteristics can be used to predict genetic diversity when planning sampling scheme for ex situ conservation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 49-59
Author(s):  
Bal Krishna Joshi

Agricultural biodiversity is the basis of human life and food security. Nepal with 577 cultivated species possesses huge diversity at varietal as well as landrace levels. In most agricultural crops the rapid genetic erosion due to several reasons is a common phenomenon. Thus, considering the importance of agricultural biodiversity declared by Convention on Biological Diversity for sustainable food production, National Agriculture Genetic Resources Center (NAGRC) has been established for conservation and sustainable utilization of agricultural biodiversity. This paper thus delineates the application of biotechnological tools adopted by NAGRC for effective and efficient conservation and use of agricultural plant genetic resources (APGRs). Among the adopted technologies, tissue bank using shoot tip culture of vegetatively propagating and recalcitrant crops eg potato, sugarcane, banana, sweet potato, etc are in function. Under the molecular marker technology, currently random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have been used for developing DNA profiles, identifying duplicates in the collections, assessing genetic diversity and screening accessions against economic traits. DNA bank has also been created for storing DNA of indigenous crops and these DNA can be accessed for research and study. Genotypic database has been developed for chayote, finger millet, wheat and maize for identification and selection of the accessions.Journal of Nepal Agricultural Research Council Vol.3 2017: 49-59


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihai Botu ◽  
Ion Botu ◽  
Gheorghe Achim ◽  
Silvia Preda ◽  
Anca Scutelnicu ◽  
...  

Abstract Conservation of fruit tree biodiversity is important for the mankind according to the Convention on Biological Diversity. In Romania, due to favorable environmental conditions, numerous genetic resources of plum, apple, walnut, hazelnut, sweet chestnut and other fruit crops are present. Identification, evaluation and conservation of fruit genetic resources activities were launched in 1970’ in order to limit the loss of the biodiversity due to erosion and genetic vulnerability. Fruit Growing Research & Extension Station (SCDP) of Valcea, which is belonging now to the University of Craiova, was assigned to deal with conservation of genetic resources for the Prunus, Juglans, Corylus and Castanea genera. As result, national hazelnut collection, the sweet chestnut collection and a part of the plum and walnut national collections are located here. Genetic resources of Malus, Pyrus, Sambucus, Carya and Salix are hold in the active collections too. The ex situ collections include 1160 accessions, out of those 48 species, 533 cultivars and 565 other types like hybrids, biotypes, mutants, etc. Autochthonous or ‘original’ accessions include 173 local cultivars and 565 other genotypes. Breeding activity based on valuable germplasm conducted to releasing of a total number of 31 cultivars and 8 rootstocks registered in the Romanian Official Catalogue for Varieties, 15 varieties have been patented in Romania and for one by CPVO. Identification, in situ evaluation, collection, ex situ evaluation, propagation and regeneration activities regarding fruit tree genetic resources have to be continued in order to conserve the local fruit tree biodiversity and to value it through breeding and use of the new varieties in the orchards.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 484-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Urazaliev ◽  
M. Yessimbekova ◽  
K. Mukin ◽  
A. Chirkin ◽  
G. Ismagulova

Cereal Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) are a very  important gene pool for cereal/wheat improvement. New genes for resistance to diseases and pests are urgently needed to avoid using pesticides and to raise adaptivity to the environmental stresses caused by global climate change. In this regard, the study is aimed at ex situ conservation of Aegilops L. genus local ecotypes’ genetic diversity, which is very relevant and promising for breeding. In order to establish breeding utility and form an ex situ collection reflecting the intra- and inter-specific diversity, the phenotypic screening of Kazakhstan’s local populations of Aegilops L. genus (Ae. cylindrica, Ae. tauschii, Ae. triuncialis and Ae. crassa) was conducted on the basis of multiple indicators. For the first time molecular-genetic analysis of 50 representatives of Aegilops L. genus from Kazakhstan’s flora was performed. The microsatellite analysis with the use of 11 EST-SSR markers revealed eight of them to be most effective. For each marker, allele frequency and average heterozygosity was calculated. For the most informative markers the presence of 5 and 6 respective allelic variations was found. A bank of genomic DNA was created and kept in ex situ storage (–70 °С, long-term) in the IMBB of the MES of RK.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document