In National Parks, genetic diversity is maintained by -

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, In-situ conservation. In-situ ('on-site') conservation protects species in their natural habitats, so wild populations — and the genetic diversity/gene pool they carry — keep evolving under natural selection. National parks, wildlife sanctuaries and biosphere reserves are the classic in-situ tools: by conserving the whole ecosystem they preserve the genetic variation of wild populations in place. A national park therefore maintains genetic diversity by the in-situ method.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Ex-situ ('off-site') conservation keeps organisms outside their natural habitat — zoos, botanical gardens, seed/gene banks, captive breeding. It typically maintains only limited genetic diversity. A national park, by definition, conserves species in their habitat (in situ), which is the opposite of ex-situ.  (c) The gene pool is the total genetic variation of a population — it is the thing being conserved, not a method of conservation. It answers 'what is maintained', not 'how a national park maintains it', so it does not fit the sentence.  (d) Incorrect, because option (a) in-situ conservation is precisely the method by which national parks maintain genetic diversity — so 'none of the above' cannot be right.

Concept: Biodiversity conservation is of two broad kinds. In-situ conservation protects species within their natural habitats — national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, sacred groves, conservation and community reserves — conserving whole ecosystems and their gene pools in place. Ex-situ conservation keeps organisms away from their habitat — zoos, botanical gardens, seed/gene banks, cryopreservation and tissue culture.

State PCS 2023 Q29 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q29 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer