Question

Which of the following is a disadvantage of ex-situ conservation?

• A. It is expensive
• B. It is ineffective in protecting species
• C. It can lead to loss of genetic diversity
• D. It leads to overpopulation of species

Hint:

A primary challenge of ex-situ conservation (like seed gene banks) is the high cost of maintaining artificial, controlled environments (such as refrigeration and liquid nitrogen) indefinitely.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Biodiversity conservation strategies are divided into in-situ conservation (conservation within natural habitats, such as national parks) and ex-situ conservation (conservation outside natural habitats, such as seed banks, gene banks, and botanical gardens).

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Ex-situ conservation plays a crucial role in safeguarding endangered species and crop germplasm from extinction.
However, it has several operational and biological disadvantages:
- High cost (expensive): Establishing and maintaining ex-situ facilities (like cryopreservation units, cold-storage seed gene banks, and botanical gardens) requires substantial long-term funding, specialized infrastructure, and continuous electrical power supply.
This makes it highly expensive compared to in-situ conservation.
- Biological limitations: Ex-situ conservation isolates species from their natural ecological contexts, halting the natural processes of co-evolution with pests, pathogens, and changing climates.
While it can sometimes lead to minor genetic drift or bottlenecks (Option C), the primary, immediate practical disadvantage of maintaining large-scale ex-situ facilities is the high cost.
The option stating it is ineffective (Option B) is false, as ex-situ conservation has saved many species from extinction.
Therefore, high cost is a major disadvantage of ex-situ conservation.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Hence, the correct option is (A).