Cloning and Genetic Diversity of Endangered Species

This research focuses on the issue of genetic diversity of endangered animals and how the use of cloning may or may not help the species overall.

Main Causes of Extinction

Habitat Loss

Deforestation
Habitat Pollution

Over Exploitation

Over Hunting
Illegal Poaching

Loss of Genetic Variation

Small Population Numbers
Genetically Similar Individuals

Why Is Genetic Variation Important?

With small populations of species there is a small number of genetically different individuals, this often leads to inbreeding which lessens the genetic diversity more
Inbreeding can lead to many other problems for animals which might make them less likely to survive or function as they typically should
Lower genetic diversity reduces the viability of species populations and decreases the resilience of ecosystems (Laikre, 2010).
Inbred species are often more susceptible to illnesses and have a lower survival rate than non-inbred species.

What is Cloning?

Copying an animal, through the use of science and technology, making a genetically identical "twin"

More About Cloning

In 1996 the first animal was successfully cloned, a sheep named Dolly
To clone an animal, cells containing DNA are needed
Cells can be collected from blood, sperm, skin, bones or even roadkill (Jabr, 2013)
Cloning has been used for farm and livestock successfully to sort out specific traits

Cloning could be significant to endangered animals because it adds to the population

With small populations of species there is a small number of genetically different individuals, the more samples of individuals cells they collect earlier on, the more chances there are for genetic diversity.

The Case of Black Footed Ferrets

Black-footed ferrets were once a endangered species. Scientists successfully cloned the ferret, creating a ferret named Elizabeth Ann. This was used to increase the overall population of black-footed ferrets to where they were no longer endangered. Now every ferret today is somehow related. The species has little genetic variation, but has high enough numbers to not go extinct.

Research Question

How does cloning affect genetic diversity and stabilization of endangered species?

Methods/Justifications

A meta analysis pulling data from many cloning and animal population reports
- Successful cloning experiments
  - Success rates
  - Interaction with other animals
  - Health of individuals
- Studies on different sized animal populations
  - trends in pop. numbers
  - genetic diversity
  - Population health
- Data on biological processes (i.e. gene flow) will be gathered to contextualize the study

Theoretical Framework

The Pragmatist approach revolves around the practicality of a event
Functionalism is a theory that looks at different constructs and helps explain how society accomplishes their goals or purposes (Drew, 2023).
Functionalism recognizes that the concepts have intentional and unintentional consequences
All factors impact each other and play some role in contributing to the survival goal of endangered species.

References

Avise, J. C. (1989). A role for Molecular Genetics in the recognition and conservation of Endangered Species. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 4(9), 279–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-5347(89)90203-6

Corley-Smith, G. E., & Brandhorst, B. P. (1999). Preservation of Endangered Species and populations: A role for genome banking, somatic cell cloning, and androgenesis? Molecular Reproduction and Development, 53(3), 363–367. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1098-2795(199907)53:3<363::aid-mrd12>3.0.co;2-0

Drew, C. (2023, September 26). 31 theoretical framework examples. Helpful Professor. https://helpfulprofessor.com/theoretical-framework-examples/

Fritts, R. (2022). Cloning goes wild. Science, 375(6577), 134–137. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.acz9982

Jabr, F. (2013, March 11). Will cloning ever save endangered animals?. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cloning-endangered-animals/

Laikre, L. (2010). Genetic diversity is overlooked in international conservation policy implementation. Conservation Genetics, 11(2), 349–354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-009-0037-4

Lee, K. (2001). Can cloning save endangered species? Current Biology, 11(7). https://doi.org/10.1016/s0960-9822(01)00126-9

Looby, C. (2022). For Species on the Very Brink of Extinction, Cloning Is a Loaded Last Resort. https://news.mongabay.com/2022/01/for-species-on-the-very-brink-of-extinction-cloning-is-a-loaded-last-resort/#:~:text=’Providing%20genetic%20fodder’,potentially%20even%20marsupials%2C%20Novak%20says.

McMonagle, R., (2020). The use of content analysis to explore news articles and congressional hearings in energy and environmental policy. In Sage Research Methods Cases Part 1. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529724257

Reinette Biggs, Alta de Vos, Rika Preiser, Hayley Clements, Kristine Maciejewski, & Maja Schlüter. (2021). “Part 1.3” The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems. Routledge.

Rossant, J. (1997). The science of animal cloning. https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/530259/cc2.pdf?sequence=1

Weeks, A. R., Stoklosa, J., & Hoffmann, A. A. (2016). Conservation of genetic uniqueness of populations may increase extinction likelihood of endangered species: The case of Australian mammals. Frontiers in Zoology, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-016-0163-z

Yanagimachi, R. (2002). Cloning: Experience from the mouse and other animals. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 187(1–2), 241–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0303-7207(01)00697-9