Genetic pollution

Genetic pollution happens when pure genes / gene pool of wild animals and plants become hybridized with domesticated varieties or with the genes of other subspecies from far away regions which would not have happened naturally. Genetic pollution usually happens as a result and a consequence of short-sighted actions of man.

Nowadays, with several domesticated and hybridized animals and plants living in and all around forests which still hold pure wild ancestor species and subspecies of their kind, Genetic Pollution has become a major threat to pure wild populations and their natural genetic makeup. Purebred wild populations of animals and plants have evolved naturally over millions of years through a process of Natural selection and are most adaptable to living in the particular regions of earth where they exist presently. They have scientifically the most endurable and viable genetic makeup to live where they live. Genetic pollution leads to hybridized animals and plants which, though they may look exactly the same, are not as strong as their pure wild ancestors to survive naturally for long; they have low immunity to diseases.

Widespread genetic pollution leads to quicker extinction of wild animals and plants.

In modern times national and international zoo associations have realized how important it is to maintain purebred animals which may have a chance to be reintroduced and survive in the wild. It has become mandatory for Zoos to maintain detailed breeding records of their wild animal stock and keep Studbooks. Random hybridization of wild animals with subspecies from different regions was a common practice which plagued all of world's zoos until recently.

Scientists today desperately want to conserve the pure wild gene stock and genetic makeup of wild animals and wild plants. They are considered to be a valuable source of strong genes which can in the future be used to hybridize domesticated varieties, to make them stronger and more resistant to climate and diseases, thus leading to an improvement in food stocks for humans.

Examples of Genetic Pollution

• Captive Asiatic Lions in zoos till recently in India were genetically polluted with genes of Circus confiscated African Lions which had been randomly hybridized with them.
• Wild Jungle fowl in India and South Asia are the ancestor of all Poultry Chickens. These are thought to be facing a serious threat of extinction because of genetic pollution near the domesticated free ranging chickens commonly kept in bordering villages and towns.
• Wild Asiatic Water Buffalo are threatened by genetic pollution when they come into contact with common domesticated water buffalo which live in and around forests. They daily come to graze within forests which have been designated as Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks for their wild ancestors.
• Many a herd of surviving American Bison, even though they look exactly the same, were hybridized with genes of beef cattle by landowners, leading to widespread genetic pollution in the surviving bisons in America.
• Wild varieties of Bananas are genetically polluted by cross pollination with domesticated varieties being grown in farms, towns and villages.

Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering today has become a serious and alarming cause of genetic pollution because artificially created and genetically engineered plants and animals in laboratories, which could never have evolved in nature even with hybridization, can live and breed on their own and interbreed with wild varieties. Genetically engineered crops today have become a common source for genetic pollution, not only of wild varieties but also of other domesticated varieties derived from relatively natural hybridization.

Also see

• Wildlife
• Fauna
• Flora
• Biome — a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities.
• Breeding
• Selective breeding
• Genetics
• Extinction
• Genetic Erosion
• Gene
• Natural selection
• Artificial selection
• Animal husbandry
• Genetic Engineering
• Cloning
• Endangered species
• Wildlife management
• Ex-situ conservation
• In-situ conservation
• Biodiversity
• Conservation biology
• Conservation ecology
• Natural history
• Zoo