NAME: XXXXXXXXXXDATE:_____________________
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PICK TWO OUT OF THE THREE AND ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS FOR THOSE
PROBLEM’S SCENARIO (40pts each)
Scenario instructions: For each scenario, you are now a new Conservation Geneticist that has
een
ought onto a team. You will be given certain information regarding each scenario and
ased upon the knowledge you have gained from lectures and reading you should be able to
provide information to your new team that will help with the protection and management of the
animal of concern. You be asked to summarize the information provided, and so in your own
words explain the information you are given so that a non-science person can understand. When
you use terms (i.e. heterozygosity, F, or genetic variation, etc.…) please define it in your own
words and not the definition you may find in your text or online. In other words, describe it as if
you were telling it to you mom or a friend.
Problem 1:
A medium-sized (avg 2’ tall), extremely agile but shy mammal was found on three islands. This
nocturnal (active during the night but sleeps during the day) animal was found to live where
ocky, rugged and steep te
ain seemed to provide daytime refuge. On island A (a small island)
the population is estimated at being approximately 175 individuals. This island is close to other
similar size island (Island B), and a third, much larger island (Island C). This mammal is
indigenous to all the islands. Recent surveys place the total number of animals at ~700 for the
entire species. There is no historical data of the number of species that existed on the islands.
Their total numbers and range have been drastically reduced since colonization. The last genetic
analysis of the populations was conducted many years ago (>25 years). The survey was
conducted utilizing 10 allozymes loci on island A, B and a sub-population on island C.
Below are the results:
Island Population
Name
Proportion of loci
that are polymorphic
Mean number of
alleles per locus
Avg Heterozygosity
A XXXXXXXXXX
B XXXXXXXXXX
C XXXXXXXXXX
Six alleles in total were identified with the 10 loci utilized in the previous study. The F
coefficients were examined; island A’s F=0.91, island B’s F=0.39. The animal was seen to live
in social groups of 10 to 100 individuals. Individuals typically reach sexual maturity at one to
two years of age, after which time
eeding can be continuous. The mammal rears only one
young at a time and can only rear 1 offspring approximately every two years. Breeding can be
affected by the rainfall. Predation is believed to come from small carnivores (foxes) and feral
cats. At the time of this study 52% of the females on island A were lactating, but 92% were
lactating on island C.
1. Briefly summarize the information you were given in your own words and your initial
concerns (if any). Remember from class we talked about ecology of the animal as well as
the genetic picture and how they affect each other. Tell me what you understand from
the information you were given and your concerns (Restate like you were telling a
family member):
2. Briefly explain the significance of the data provided with regards to island A and then as
a total species (Hint* IUCN status/criteria, ecology of the species, Ne, diversity, etc.…).
This is more specific than the information you provided in question 1.
3. As the new researcher on the team what would you do differently or add to research?
4. How would you increase the genetic diversity of the island populations with a low F
coefficient?
5. A. If you can increase the genetic diversity on island A what would you think would
happen with the F value and would this change be fast or slow, and why?
B. Can you use/ would you use Island A as an ideal source of restocking any other
population?
Problem 2:
Eighty years ago, a research team went deep in the jungles of “Waytoohot” and stumbled upon a
small a
oreal monogamous primate. This primate was found nowhere else in the world, and
esearchers discovered that their entire species was sub-divided into 10 isolated refugia within
that isolated region of “Waytoohot”. Surveys of the total population were estimated at being
close to 20,000 at the time of discovery. When a team returned many years later (Early 1980’s)
the primate’s numbers had dramatically reduced to 2% of its historical population (< XXXXXXXXXXOver
the 80 years since discovery the primate had been researched in the field and individuals
collected for further research. Besides the wild population, approximately 500 individuals now
exist in zoos around the world. These primates are monogamous, and the female will usually
have no more than 2 offspring at a time. In their normal group setting, female reproduction is
suppressed for all but one
eeding female. There is a 6-year generations time between births as
the female rears the young.
Data: 47 allozymes were looked at in 171 wild and captive individuals. The mean
heterozygosity was 0.01 and the frequency of common alleles was >90%. When the genetic
makeup of just the zoo animals was investigated, it was discovered that 75%, or 2/3 of the genes
of the captive population could be traced back to a single
eeding pair.
1. Briefly summarize the information you were given in your own words and your initial
concerns (if any). Remember from class we talked about ecology of the animal as well as the
genetic picture and how they affect each other. Tell me what you understand from the
information you were given and your concerns (Restate like you were telling a family
member):
2. Briefly explain the significance of the data provided with regards to the primate (Hint* IUCN
status/criteria, ecology of the species, Ne, diversity, etc.…). This is more specific than the
information you provided in question 1.
3. As the new researcher on the team what would you do differently or add to research?
4. Hypothesize what you feel happened to the initial population. Give me at least three examples.
5. How important is the zoo population to the survival of the wild population? Why? What can
the zoo populations add to the wild populations and how?
Problem 3:
You had a medium-sized bird that once thrived in the mature evergreen forests southern and
southeastern portions of region (Approximately the size of ¼ of the US). The bird requires the
mature forest to nest and find food (insects). In 35 years of being watched these birds have
declined steadily. The area where the bird’s main habitat was has become fragmented and the
once contiguous population of birds now survives in scattered and isolated sites. Initial data
shows an Fst of 0.14 with allozymes, and 0.19 with RAPD data. Not all populations are the same
size. Some populations range in size from 20 to approximately 600. The bird has NOT been seen
migrating between populations. The species excavates a number of cavities in trees within their
te
itory. It may take two years or more to completely dig out one cavity. Only when the cavity is
complete will the eggs be laid in this cavity. This bird is a cooperative
eeder, and lives in small
family groups composed of one
eeding pair and several helpers.
1. Briefly summarize the information you were given in your own words and your initial
concerns (if any). Remember from class we talked about ecology of the animal as well as the
genetic picture and how they affect each other. Tell me what you understand from the
information you were given and your concerns (Restate like you were telling a family
member):
2. Briefly explain the significance of the data provided with regards to the bird (Hint*
IUCN status/criteria, ecology of the species, Ne, diversity, etc.…). This is more specific than the
information you provided in question 1.
3. Please explain the migration between populations. What is the likely hood of in
eeding
depression within the populations and why.
4. Please explain the importance of the mature forest for this bird species and come up with a
plan(s) / idea to help with maintaining the forests. (Hint they eat insects/they are a nesting
ird)
5. Please hypothesize what would happen to a population or populations with the introduction of
a stochastic factor.
For the next 10 questions answer each question with short answers (2pts each). Just a few words
will suffice or one sentence.
1. A synonymous mutation is?
2. What is an intron?
3. What is a mutation?
4. What is allelic diversity (A)?
5. Define heterozygosity:
6. What is Ne?
7. What is Fst?
8. What is RAPD?
9. What is a locus?
10. What is genetic diversity?