'Frozen Ark' to save animal DNA

[GHOSTDANCER]

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3928411.stm>

The genetic make-up of endangered species is to be preserved for the future in a major new UK-based project.

The 'Frozen Ark', launched on Tuesday, will collect DNA from mammals, birds, insects and reptiles near extinction.

The first samples, from endangered species such as the Socorro dove, Arabian Oryx and yellow sea-horse, were placed in deep freeze on Monday.

[Jack_DeLeon]

1. Good idea.

[WindRavenX]

2. this shouldn't happen

Everyone MUST read "The Future of Life", which explains why bio diversity is so critical and how badly human beings have destroyed that diversity.
This is a good idea, but this shouldn't have to happen.

[Khephra]

7. This is a good idea, but this shouldn't have to happen.

But it looks like it will. I'm at least glad that some people are thinking of future technological alternatives now instead of when it is too late. We are already down to the hundreds for many speciecs. I think it is too late for some animals. Lets hope that future generations can correct our current mistakes.

[hyphenate]

3. It's ironic

I wrote a story about 16 years ago about the need for storing DNA of all animals in order to sustain the species that were threatened. I definitely believe that man is heading for a horrendous future, where the only animals around are the small suburban animals that manage to eke out an existence, companion animals and those used for food and other nefarious purposes. All other species of animal on this planet will vanish completely and utterly.

Too many wise people have said it over and over again, that without the rest of life on this planet, that the human race would topple hard. But it's more than that--the soul of our planet and the soul of mankind will die when the diversity is gone.

As a cat lover, I see the most beautiful animals on Earth threatened by greed and selfishness. There are more tigers living in captivity than in the wild. Snow leopards, lions, jaguars, cheetahs, and every other beautiful cat species will summarily be destroyed. What kind of joy will exist once we've destroyed such on this earth?

[DemExpat]

5. Animal DNA and plant seeds should all go in this ARK.....

and perhaps have several of these "warehouses" around the world for safe-keeping.

I agree that it looks pretty dire.....:-(

:cry:

DemEx

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. There's already a seed bank project

run by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the plant equivalent of the Zoological Society of London.

http://www.kew.org/msbp/

[bread_and_roses]

4. Perhaps if there is a biologist among us

s/he will explain if the DNA from one or a few individuals could actually serve to restore a species even if we could "grow" the creature from the DNA? My (very imperfect and sketchy) understanding is that for a species to survive there must be a diversity of individuals within the population? As well, of course, as an availability of habitat, food, and other factors which we may not even know?

I am not sure that I understand the purpose of the project.

[blindpig]

8. this scares me

and is worrisome for several reasons. If the habitat that a species has evolved to live in is wiped, what's the point? So we can have zoo specimens and exotic pets for the rich? Much better to save entire ecosystems intact. I can see this as being used as a sop to animal lovers by the Earth hating mother rapers, "Don't worry , if we exterminate this species we'll just bring it back later." BS. Then there's the matter of genetic diversity, by my reading at least 50 breeders are required to have a any chance at maintaining enough diversity enough to give the species resilience for long term survival. And 500 breeders is the safe number. It has been done with less, the Mauritius Kestrel is an example, but these are special cases.
I strongly suggest reading Song of the Dodo by David Quammen for insight in this issue.
Let us preserve what is now and not leave things to chance.

[Coventina]

9. I thought the same thing

"Don't worry, we've got plenty of virtual animals in storage!"

Better than nothing....but looks and feels like a cop-out, or admission of failure.

[hatrack]

13. Which swiftly becomes "We've got virtual animals on this computer disc"

Which eventually becomes "What's a 'manatee', Dad?"

May God forgive us. Our descendants will not.

[Lisa]

11. good point ...

A small breeding pool isn't necessarily a show-stopper -- there are indications that species such as the cheetah have been reduced to small populations in the distant past, resulting in a genetic "bottleneck" -- but if good genes have been lost and bad genes retained, there seems to be a greater chance of defects. The "founder effect" limits the number of genes you've got to work with (subset of the entire species diversity) and in sexual organisms, "genetic drift" tends to eliminate some genes over time just due to random selection (you don't get to use all your sperm/eggs so some of your genes won't make it into your kids, no matter how many you have!).

I think they recently found that the effective number of breeding individuals for the California condor project is actually much lower than suspected, because some of the birds were related.

Your observation that this might create a false sense of security is right on, in my opinion ... we've had mixed success with trying to clone animals (and it gets harder when you have to rely on frozen eggs/sperm, let alone trying to extract DNA from minute tissue fragments that may have been in storage a long time).

More than a decade ago, Al Gore noted that a seed bank is next to useless if the seeds are allowed to deteriorate in storage. I've worked on an endangered species breeding project, and if anything this is even more pressing for animals. It's dicey enough trying to maintain healthy breeding populations in captivity in the hopes that you can save enough of the habitat to start re-introducing them in a decade or so. There are plenty of species which are so inbred that we're relying on getting "new blood" from wild stocks (not the way it's supposed to work ...) -- example, Goura victoria (the bane/beauty of my life!). Captive individuals are tracked through a "stud book", just like racehorses, in an effort to reduce inbreeding problems.

http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/Misc%20Species/Victoria%20Crowned%20Pigeon.htm

Germplasm storage should be a last-ditch precaution and shouldn't be a substitute for habitat protection.

[htuttle]

10. They should keep it in orbit

Something with climate controlled greenhouses, and cute little maintenance droids.

And Bruce Dern, maybe.

:shrug:

[quaoar]

12. Good idea, but...

I can see this being used as an excuse not to take steps to save a species or its habitat: "Well, we can go ahead and build that dam/bridge/road and if that endangered animal dies off, we'll always have its DNA."

I've read with fascination the speculation about whether a woolly mammoth could ever be brought back by inserting DNA from a frozen mammoth found in Siberia into the egg of an elephant.

But even if that one day succeeded, where would the mammoths roam?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

14. I froze my sperm for awhile, but I don't do it anymore

As I got older it became harder to fill up those damned ice trays.

[hatrack]

15. Buh-duh-BOOM!!!

Thanks, ladies & gentlemen, enjoy the creamed corn. I'll be here all week . . .

;-)