Genetic Engineering and Conservation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Genetic Engineering and Conservation - Essay Example Today, most species face stress factors ranging from global warming, habitat destruction to conflicts and poaching leading to the great reduction in numbers of some species. Conservationists are seeking the help of modern science for designing interventions to control these losses. Genetic engineering is the science of altering one's gene by introduction of a foreign gene for beneficial purposes such as adaptation. Genetic engineering has already contributed to the growth of the agricultural sector making the Genetically modified seed sector alone worth $ 15 million (Thomas et al,2013). However, genetic engineering is not considered a modern strategy since it was used even decades back to make plants more tolerant to certain conditions such as temperature and pest attack, thereby making the genetic tool a reliable tool. Genetic engineering could be used to introduce lost genetic diversity among a threatened population to enable stabilization. For example, in Florida, the population of Florida Panther increase by 100% after members of another closely related species-Puma concolor stanleyana was introduced which worked by decreasing inbreeding (Thomas.et al,2013). Genetic engineering would play an important part in refining this methodology. Another way in which genetic engineering could aid conservation is by recognizing certain beneficial genes and introducing them into vulnerable species. Aquaculture researchers recognized an allele in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that made them withstand high heat. These genes could be introduced through modern tools into the genomes of fish eggs to make them more tolerant of changing conditions.