Gene:
- A gene is a small part of DNA and RNA in which the hereditary code is stored and is passed on from generation to generation.
Gene Pool.
- The gene pool of a particular species means the set of the diversity of the entire genes present in that population is called the gene pool of that population.
- The gene pool gives information about the total genetic diversity of a particular population.
What is Gene Pool Centre:
- This is the region on Earth where plants and animals are believed to have originated.
- This is the area where the wild ancestors of modern plants and animals originated.
Gene Pool center of the world:
Russian Biogeographer "Valvilov" identified the following major gene pool centers on the earth:
The following are gene pool centers:
- South American Gene Center
- South Mexican and Central North American Gene Centre
- Mediterraneab Gene Center
- South West and Middle East Asian Gene Center
- African Gene Center
- Indian Gene Center
- Central Asian Gene Center
- East Asian Gene Center
South American gene center: ( 7000 Bc-3000 BC):
- Starch-rich plants originated such as Sugarcane, tomato, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, etc are believed to be originated here.
- Centre: Peru, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay.
South Mexican and Central North American gene Centre: ( 3500 BC):
- Areas: Mexico, Panama, Coastal Rica,
- Plants: Cocoa, Pumpkin, cotton, sweet potato, tomato, etc are believed to be originated here.
Mediterranean gene center( 4000 BC);
- Wheat, lagune, algae, and cabbage are believed to be originated here.
South West and Middle East Asian gene center: ( 8000-6000 BC):
- Oats, apples, Wild barley, and wild wheat are believed to be originated here.
- Greece, Egypt, West Asia.
African Gene Centre: ( 5000 BC)
- Areas around Nile valley.
- Animal: Sheep, Goats, Swine are believed to be originated here.
- Plants: Legume, Barley, Millet, Indigo, etc are believed to be originated here.
Indian gene Centre:( 9000BC)
It has two parts:
- Indus valley gene center
- South and South Asia gene center:
- It spreads from Pakistan to Southeast Asian countries.
Central Asian Gene Center( 4000 Bc -3000 BC):
East Asia Gene Centre( 6000-5000 BC) or Chinese and Japanese gene Center.
- Cucumber, Cabbage, pea, walnut, sugarcane, etc are believed to be originated here.
Importance of gene pool center:
The gene pool center is a "good hope" for biodiversity conservation due to the following reasons,
- Populations that have a large gene pool have the ability to survive adverse conditions such as disease outbreaks, environmental changes, and suffer minimal damage. Similarly, the gene pool centers that contain gene pools of different species also perform well under adverse conditions.
- The world's main gene pool centers still have a lot of genetic diversity of modern-day plants and animals, for this reason, the gene pool center is a "good hope" for biodiversity conservation.
As per the FAO report,
- 75% of the world's crop genetic diversity has been lost due to the cultivation of genetically modified crops.
- According to the report, only nine plant species contribute more than 60% to global food production and most livestock production comes from 40 animal species.
- The genetic diversity of all species (both plants and animals) is declining, which is why the Gene Pool Center offers good hope for biodiversity conservation.
The following human activities are destroying the gene pool center:
- Deforestation
- Hunting
- Bioengineering
- Mining
- pollution
Try to solve the following questions:
- Gene pool centers are "Good Hope" for biodiversity conservation. Elucidate. ( UPSC 2021 geography paper 1, 10 Marks, 150 words)
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