20.5Human Influences on Ecosystems
Artificial insemination and IVF in conservation — Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 Revision Notes & Topical Questions
5 min read 10 parts Lesson 5 of 5 1 quiz
Lesson summary
20.5 Artificial insemination and IVF in conservation — IGCSE BIOLOGY notes: Explain why small populations are at risk and how artificial insemination, IVF, captive breeding and seed banks conserve species.Habitat destruction.Hunting and over-harvesting.Pollution.Introduced specie…
- Reduced variation
- Inbreeding
- Reproduction
- Chance events
- Resilience
- Implantation
Section 1 of 10Why species become endangered
- Habitat destruction.
- Hunting and over-harvesting.
- Pollution.
- Introduced species.
- Climate change.
Section 2 of 10Risks of a small population
Reduced variation
- Reduced variation less ability to adapt to change, such as a new disease.
Inbreeding
- Inbreeding breeding between close relatives makes harmful recessive alleles more likely to pair and be expressed.
Reproduction
- Reproduction lower fertility and survival of young.
Chance events
- Chance events can wipe the population out.
Resilience
- Resilience the species is less resilient and at greater risk of extinction.
Section 3 of 10Captive breeding
Setting
- Setting animals are bred in zoos or reserves, safe from predators and poachers.
Release
- Release numbers rise, then some are released into a protected habitat.
Studbooks
- Studbooks breeding records are kept so unrelated animals are paired.
Section 4 of 10Artificial insemination (AI)
AI
AI inserting sperm from a male into the reproductive tract of a female, for example using a syringe.
Transport
- Transport sperm can be frozen, stored and sent between zoos around the world, so animals need not be moved.
Stress
- Stress avoids moving large, stressed animals.
Inbreeding
- Inbreeding unrelated males can father young, reducing inbreeding.
Section 5 of 10In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
IVF
IVF using sperm to fertilise egg cells in a laboratory dish.
Implantation
- Implantation the fertilised egg is placed into a female for development.
Surrogates
- Surrogates the female may be a closely related, more common species.
Genetic diversity
- Genetic diversity gametes with known alleles can be chosen so the next generation remains diverse.
Embryos
- Embryos can be frozen for later use.
Offspring
- Offspring more young can be produced from rare females.
Section 6 of 10Seed banks
Storage
- Storage seeds are dried and kept at low temperature, which keeps them alive but dormant for many years.
Variety
- Variety samples are taken from many individuals to keep genetic variety.
Uses
- Uses seeds can be germinated to test viability, grown for research or used to restore a habitat.
Space
- Space they take up little room compared with living plants.
Section 7 of 10Limitations
Cost
- Cost the techniques are expensive and need specialist skills.
Success rates
- Success rates can be low.
Causes
- Causes they do not fix the cause, such as habitat loss.
Captive animals
- Captive animals may lack survival skills when released.
Section 8 of 10More from the specification
More from the specification
Habitat protection and fossil fuels reduction
- Habitat protection and fossil fuels reduction reducing combustion of dirty fossil fuels provides a direct means to protect vulnerable wildlife habitats.
Artificial insemination in wildlife conservation
- Semen collected from genetically valuable male animals is cryopreserved and introduced into receptive females to maintain gene diversity.
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) and embryo transfer
- Oocytes harvested from endangered females are fertilised in vitro and implanted into surrogate mothers, boosting reproductive rates.
Maintaining genetic diversity in small populations
- Assisted reproduction prevents inbreeding depression in fragmented populations, ensuring evolutionary adaptability.
Conservation of biodiversity
- Conservation of biodiversity preserving diverse natural habitats protects endangered species and maintains essential ecosystem resources for human survival.
Deforestation and carbon dioxide
- Deforestation and carbon dioxide felling trees for agricultural farming removes carbon sinks,
- increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperatures.
Aquatic ecosystem water quality
- Aquatic ecosystem water quality preventing agricultural runoff into rivers prevents eutrophication, maintaining dissolved oxygen levels for aquatic life.
Intensive farming
- Producing as much food as possible from limited land and resources.
Biodiversity
- The number of different species in an area.
Sustainable
- Able to continue without damaging resources for the future.
Carbon
- Element with four valence electrons that forms the backbone of organic molecules.
Endangered
- At risk of extinction.
Monoculture
- Growing one type of crop on a large area.
Endangered species
- A species at risk of extinction.
Global warming
- Rise in the mean temperature of Earth's surface and lower atmosphere.
Fossil fuel
- Fuel formed from long-dead organisms.
Section 9 of 10Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Artificial insemination | Placing sperm into a female's reproductive tract by a method other than mating. |
| IVF | Fertilising eggs with sperm in a laboratory. |
| Captive breeding | Breeding endangered species in zoos or reserves. |
| Inbreeding | Breeding between close relatives. |
| Genetic variation | Differences in alleles within a population. |
| Seed bank | A store of seeds of many plant species. |
Section 10 of 10Exam technique
1
Saying captive breeding replaces habitat protection — it does not remove the original cause.
2
Saying inbreeding increases variation — it reduces it and increases genetic disorders.
3
Saying AI moves the animals — the sperm is moved instead.
4
Saying IVF takes place inside the female — fertilisation happens in a dish.
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