Many Animals, Plants are Losing their Genetic Diversity, Becoming More Vulnerable

Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP
Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP
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Many Animals, Plants are Losing their Genetic Diversity, Becoming More Vulnerable

Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP
Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP

Two-thirds of animal and plant populations are declining in genetic diversity, which makes it harder to adapt to environmental changes, according to research published Wednesday.

Long before a species goes extinct, the population becomes smaller and more fragmented, shrinking the number of potential mates and therefore genetic mixing. This leaves a species more vulnerable to future threats such as disease.

“A surprisingly trend was that we saw genetic diversity declining even among” many species that aren’t considered at risk, said co-author Catherine Grueber, a conservation biologist at the University of Sydney, The Associated Press reported.

Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals.

Findings were published in the journal Nature.

“When a species has different genetic solutions, it’s better able to deal with changes,” said David Nogués-Bravo at the University of Copenhagen, who was not involved in the study.

If a new disease spreads through a population or climate change alters summer rainfall, some individuals will fare better than others, in part because of their genes. Higher genetic diversity also means there’s a greater chance of a species’ survival.

Conservation efforts to connect isolated populations — basically expanding the dating pool for a particular species – can help maintain or even restore genetic diversity.

Florida panthers are an endangered species that have steadily lost habitat to freeways and urban sprawl. By the mid-1990s, the remaining big cats in southern Florida showed clear signs of inbreeding – with kinked tails and low sperm counts in males.

Biologists brought eight female panthers from Texas to Florida. Twenty years later, the number of Florida panthers in the wild has grown significantly and genetic diversity increased.

“Isolated populations suffer,” said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not part of the research. “The solution is to reconnect them.”



Giant Sinkhole Unearths Forgotten Cave Mystery

Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA
Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA
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Giant Sinkhole Unearths Forgotten Cave Mystery

Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA
Giant sinkhole swallows up part of a road in Surrey - EPA

When a giant sinkhole swallowed up part of a road in Surrey it caused homes to be evacuated and left some residents "terrified".

But the hole in Godstone has also led many to question whether stories of a mysterious labyrinth of disused caves and quarries beneath the surface are to blame, BBC reported.

Peter Burgess, of the Wealden Cave and Mining Society, is an expert on the underground caves and crevices in and around Godstone.

He has been advising Surrey County Council on the risks posed by these long-forgotten caverns.

"The problem with the caves is they were all dug well before the days when such things had to be properly recorded," Burgess said.

"So once they were closed and abandoned, memories went and people forgot where they were – and that's why they cause a problem today.

"Because when they manifest themselves, people know they're around, but they don't know where they're going to pop up next."

"The caves in Godstone were dug for a very high-quality sand, it's called silver sand. It was dug for a variety of purposes – glassmaking, a lot of it went into horticulture and gardening, especially in the Victorian times," he said.

"Most of the underground workings closed by about 1900, and then the industry moved on to open casting, big open pits, which we can still see today."

On if caves could have caused the sinkhole, he said: "It's possible."

"We're not experts in what causes such things. That's down to the geologists and ground engineers.

"We're seen as a source of information on locations and where places might be should there be any other locations at risk. Sadly, in the village here, there's very little on record.

"Most of the sites are either unsurveyed or lost or collapsed or filled in."