Question

Write short notes on Ex-situ conservation.

Answer 1

Hint: The meaning of Ex-situ conservation is off-site conservation. The word conservation refers to the act of protecting and preserving the species.

Complete answer: The process of conservation of selected rare animals or plants in places outside their natural habitat is known as Ex-situ conservation. Off-site collection and gene banks are included in Ex-situ conservation. Off-site collection can be defined as the live collection of life and domesticated species in the botanical garden. Ex-situ conservation involves the process of removal of a part of the population from a threatened habitat and locating it to a new location. The new area is modified into an artificial environment which is similar to the natural habitat of the respective animal. The management of Ex-situ can occur within or outside a species natural geographic range. Gene bank refers to the bank where samples of species are stored in order to conserve the genetic resources of major crop plants and their wild relatives. Some examples of species that were endangered but were discovered later in the year 1993 are showy Indian clover, Trifolium amoenum, etc. Another example of a plant that is preserved using Ex-situ conservation is Wollemi pine.

Note: The degree of human control or modification of the natural dynamics of the managed population varies widely. Reproductive patterns, access to resources, alteration of living environments, and protection from predation and mortality are factors which affect the rate of conservation. Ex-situ conservation also involves agricultural biodiversity. The most conventional method of Ex-situ conservation is botanical gardens and zoos.