Featured Genetic Diversity Resource

Genetic Diversity Node Image. [Graphic by CSS, Inc.]
[Graphic by CSS, Inc.]

The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)'s Genetic Diversity web site has information ranging from basic facts to more in depth information and quality resources about genetic diversity. Users can find out more about genetic diversity as it relates to agriculture, cell biology, forensics, lab analysis, population, and more.

Genetic Diversity and Biodiversity

Modern agriculture practice has evolved into the raising of monocultures of crops and livestock, in which most of the gene variants (alleles) are the same in every individual of a particular variety or breed. Present-day monocultures are highly productive, but their reduced genetic variability leaves them with a diminished capacity to deal with new diseases, pests, and other changes in environmental conditions.

As the world's population increases and the amount of arable (farmable) land decreases, humans are becoming more dependent on a few highly productive varieties, and on global, rather than local, food production. This greater dependence on varieties with little genetic variability has the potential for worldwide impact, should disease or other environmental change arise.

Genetic diversity and agriculture concerns also apply to growing crops for biofuels. An important issue for large-scale production of biofuel crops is agrobiodiversity, or the genetic diversity of crops. Land degradation, environmental alteration, and environmental devastation can result from monoculture biofuel cultivation because of the increased susceptibility of the crops to new pests and diseases. Genetic alteration in biofuel crops can also be detrimental to other crops, because of the risk of the alterations transferring to other crops. These risks apply not only to vascular plants as biofuels, but microbial organisms as well.

Crop rotation, intercropping, double cropping, conservation tillage, and the use of bio-char can help mitigate potential effects from biofuel production to genetic diversity and biodiversity. These management practices and protective regulations should be adopted when cultivating biofuels as a renewable energy source.

Source:
R.L. Ottinger. 2009. Biofuels: Potential, Problems & Solutions. Fordham Environmental Law Review.


Switchgrass as a Biofuel

Switchgrass plot [Photo: Natural Resources Conservation Service]
Switchgrass plot
[Photo: Natural Resources Conservation Service]

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial plant with a widespread distribution in North America. It has recently been identified as a crop that can be efficiently produced as a biofuel, because it grows quickly, has high nutrient efficiency, and requires little water for cultivation. In some states, it is considered a native plant species, but in others, it is considered non-native and can become weedy or invasive if not properly managed.

It has also been shown that switchgrass plots support nearly as many species of birds as native prairie areas, and more insect diversity than monocultures of corn. Although switchgrass is usually planted as a monoculture, it has been suggested through research that by planting a mixed grass community of switchgrasses, the positive biodiversity outcomes can be even further increased.

Bioprospecting in our National Parks

Sample vial [Photo: U.S. National Park Service]
Sample vial
[Photo: U.S. National Park Service]

Bioprospecting is "scientific research that looks for a useful application, process, or product in nature." Bioprospecting often looks for useful organic compounds through scientific inquiry in extreme environments such as deserts, rainforests, or thermal areas. Although bioprospecting can take place anywhere, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has identified a way to implement benefits-sharing agreements with scientists who conduct research specifically in U.S. National Parks. These agreements allow benefits from bioprospecting research to return to the National Park system and its visitors if the research that took place on NPS land leads to a commercial development.

The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Program of the U.S. Geological Survey
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