Re: Genetic diversity not central to conservation

Nigel Hurneyman (NHurneyman@softwar1.demon.co.uk)
Mon, 30 Dec 1996 11:47:59 -0000

I agree that conservation in captivity is very much a last, desperate
resort and currently of uncertain value. However when people say that
species conservation is far more important than conserving varieties and
variants it worries me because the distinctions seem so subjective.
Hopefully one day complete DNA sequences will be unravelled and
Communications Theory applied to the results, so that mathematically
rigorous genetic distances can be calculated.

As an anecdote, I have just been reading a saga about two strains of
dock. They are identical in all field measurable respects - flower
structure, plant structure, habit etc. However there are clear
cytological and phytochemical differences between them. The only
reproducible difference between them that an amateur like myself could
use, is how easy it is to remove the nut from its seed capsule.
Currently the two strains are taxonomically differentiated by variety
status.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year, NigelH