List three reasons that make it important to conserve endangered plant species.
The tree $\textit{Vatica guangxiensis}$ is an endangered species. There are only three wild populations, and all of them are in south-western China. Conservation work for this species started in the 1980s. The conservation approaches used included efforts to protect the habitat of the wild populations and the creation of a fourth population at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. In 2002, the genetic diversity of all four populations was measured. This involved analysing DNA samples from several individuals. • Twenty different regions of DNA were examined using electrophoresis. • For each population, the proportion of samples showing differences in DNA structure, seen as different bands on the DNA ‘fingerprint’, was calculated. • This value was written down as the percentage of polymorphic bands. A greater percentage of polymorphic bands indicates greater genetic diversity within the population. Table 4.1 presents the results.
Using Table 4.1, compare the genetic diversity of $\textit{V. guangxiensis}$ in the botanic garden with that in the wild populations.
Suggest reasons for the comparatively low percentage of polymorphic bands measured in wild population C.
Explain why it matters for a species to have high genetic diversity.
Using Table 4.1, compare the genetic diversity of \textit{V. guangxiensis} in the botanic garden with that in the wild populations.
Suggest reasons for the comparatively low percentage of polymorphic bands measured in wild population C.
Explain why high genetic diversity matters for a species.
The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden is only tens of kilometres from the habitats of the wild populations of $\textit{V. guangxiensis}$. Suggest how this may aid the long-term conservation of this species.
Explain why storing seeds may conserve the species more successfully than maintaining a population of growing plants.
Suggest why a sample of each seed type kept in a seed bank is germinated every few years.