Reasons for Conservation (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology): Revision Note

Reasons for conservation: Extended

Extended Tier Only

• There are numerous reasons why conservation programmes are important:

  • maintaining or increasing biodiversity - which allows ecosystems to remain stable

  • reducing extinction - helps to retain iconic species and maintain biodiversity

  • protecting vulnerable ecosystems which would have been quickly lost to human activity

  • maintaining ecosystem functions:

    • nutrient cycling e.g. carbon cycling to limit impact on climate change

    • resource provision, such as:

      • food - making sure there is enough for the population

      • drugs - having access to plants for plant-based remedies

      • fuel - for important activities such as cooking

      • genes - so the gene pool remains wide and variety exists in all species

Conservation techniques: Extended

Extended Tier Only

• Certain conservation techniques can be used to maintain biodiversity

• Artificial insemination (AI) is a technique used in captive breeding programmes:

• AI involves inserting sperm from a male into the reproductive tract of a female, e.g. using a syringe

• The advantage of this is that sperm can be transported around the world between different zoos, for use in AI, reducing the need to transport animals

• In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is another technique used in captive breeding programmes:

• IVF involves using sperm to fertilise egg cells in a lab; the resulting fertilised egg cell can then be implanted into a female for development

• This allows gametes with known alleles to be used, ensuring that the next generation remains genetically diverse

Risks to a species

• If its population size decreases, a species will experience reduced genetic variation

• This renders the species more susceptible to environmental change

• The species is less resilient and has a greater risk of extinction