by B.H.S. Thimmappa
Management and Conservation of Genetic Resources
A gene bank is a type of biorepository that preserve genetic material under controlled conditions. The main activities in the management and conservation of a gene bank include collecting (seeds, tissue cultures), processing (quality, viability, storage preparation), storage (clod store, laboratory, field), regeneration and multiplication, characterization and evaluation, documentation, inventory, and distribution to requesters. In-vitro storage, freezing plant cuttings, seeds stocking, sperm/egg freezing, and coral fragment storage in water tanks until further need are typical examples of genetic material preservation. Freezing in liquid nitrogen (-196 oC), using a controlled nutrient medium, or artificial ecosystems are the different ways to preserve genetic materials for future use. A living female is necessary for artificial insemination in the case of animals while in plants it is possible to propagate by unfreezing the material. Today, we have a much-improved tissue banking system because of improvements in tissue source tracking, better quality storage equipment, disease testing facilities, and improved community relations and donor pool.
Biodiversity Conservation for Future Generations
The value of biodiversity in making our ecosystems resilient plays a pivotal role in creating stable societies. It is the range of biodiversity that we must care for rather than a few selected species. A national livestock gene bank can save endangered farm animals or various animal species and in-situ conservation of medicinal plant genetic resources can save selected medicinal plants or forest species. The purpose of gene banks includes the following; i) conservation of genetic diversity ii) storehouses of plant genetic resources iii) protection of genetic heredity iv) safety measures against disastrous losses for limited numbers of seeds, and v) as a backup plan for future generations. They exist to conserve the genetic diversity of wild and domesticated organisms that humans depend on for food, fiber, medicine, and energy. Preserving agricultural biodiversity/forest species and information about those resources helps in improving the productivity, nutritional quality, and sustainability of agricultural systems. In an ex-situ collection, the deposits are made with the intention of later withdrawal, and the risks of genetic erosion because of human development pressures are reduced to some extent. The research study facilitated by such collections of flagship species extends knowledge of conservation biology.
Types of Gene Banks Investing in Our Future
The seed bank collects and stores the dried disease-free seeds at very low temperatures (-10 to -20 oC). They remain in good condition for many years and need to be germinated and grown to produce replacement seeds. A seed or embryo is preserved at liquid nitrogen temperatures (-196 oC) in a cryobank and this is specifically useful for the conservation of animal species facing extinction. Similarly, pollen grains are stored at very low temperatures. This technique is useful to prepare plants with one set of chromosomes and for crossbreeding. A field gene bank involves a method of planting plants in an artificially created ecosystem using land, soil weather, and so on. We can compare the differences among plants of different species (e.g. varieties of rice). In the in-vitro bank, buds, protocorms, and meristematic cells are preserved in a nutrient medium under controlled light and temperature conditions. This method is useful to preserve seedless plants, commercial cultivars, and those that reproduce asexually. There are several cryopreserved and live fish gene banks across the world for the preservation of indigenous species. For instance, a tissue bank is used to preserve seedless plants and those that reproduce asexually. The zoological gardens/parks, sperm/ova banks, DNA banks in the animal kingdom and botanical garden, seed/pollen/tissue/fungal spore gene banks, in-vitro cultures, and DNA banks in the plank kingdom are the main types of ex-situ collections. The filed gene banks are exposed to pathogens/insects and sometimes damaged by natural disasters like floods/forest fires. Further, the maintenance of items in field gene banks is a costly affair.
Genetic Resources for the Future of Humanity
In-situ plant preservation by national park/sanctuary/biosphere and ex-situ via botanical garden/in-vitro storage/cryopreservation. The methods of conservation include protection by law, the establishment of protected areas, restoration of the original habitat, providing better living conditions, educating common people, and training in plant/animal management. It is essential to conserve the genetic traits of endangered or commercially valuable species. It plays an important role in balancing the environment and provides stability to different natural processes. The goal of conservation is to ensure that nature will be available for future generations to enjoy. The national bureau of plant genetic resources (NBPGR) and the national bureau of animal genetic resources (NBAGR) in India are focusing on the development of gene banks for conservation.
Gene bank has become an increasingly important service due to the negative effects of multiple human activities. The conservation movement seeks to manage and protect natural resources (animals/plants/fungus) and their habitat for the future. It is essential to combine elements of the global with the domestic and speculative thought experiments with extensive laboratory experiments, especially due to the wide and varied beneficiaries. A strong conservation policy and nature conservation management actions would go a long way in protecting natural resources for future generations. An intense, realistic narrative projects a living landscape of a utopian universe and environmental impact. Sunny days are ahead for gene banking to stay in operation to leave the footprints behind. It is an empowering journey from science education to the conservation practice that connects the past with the present and the future, beyond the life of the ordinary. Protecting the seeds of the future and biodiversity conservation must happen across the whole range rather than a selected special species. It is always better to look out of the window at the hopeful promise of the future!
Useful Web-resources
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_bank
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_movement
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/gene-bank
4. https://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/seeds-pgr/gbs/en/
7. https://nbagr.icar.gov.in/en/home/
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/
10. https://www.ddbj.nig.ac.jp/index-e.html
About the Author:
B.H.S. Thimmappa is a writer from Udupi, India