分子标记在濒危物种保护中的应用

分子标记可揭示种群遗传和进化信息, 为制定濒危物种保护措施、指导恢复实践提供重要依据。本文主要介绍了分子标记在濒危物种保护过程不同环节中的应用, 包括: (1)正确识别保护单元, 如排除隐存种和杂交种的影响; (2)确定优先保护单元, 包括优先保护区域、优先保护物种、优先保护种群等; (3)指导迁地保护; (4)对保护工作的动态监测和评估。文章最后探讨了分子标记应用于保护的发展方向, 如开展长期的种群遗传组成监测、切实应用于保护管理实践、将基因组学等遗传信息用于全球变化背景下保护策略的制定等, 期望为分子标记技术在生物多样性保护的研究和实践中提供参考。

Applications of molecular markers in conserving endangered species

Molecular markers have been widely applied in the conservation of endangered species for revealing their population genetic variation and evolutionary history, providing essential information for making conservation strategies and conducting restoration practices. Here, we introduced the applications of molecular markers at different stages of conservation efforts: (1) Molecular markers can be used to elevate the precision of identifying conservation units such as excluding the influence of cryptic species and hybridization. (2) Phylogenetic relationships are useful for distinguishing conservation priorities for biodiversity hotspots and discerning species and populations. (3) Molecular markers can contribute to instruct the strategies in ex situ conservation programs. (4) Dynamic monitoring and assessment of conservation activities can be achieved with molecular markers. Finally, we discussed the prospects of applying molecular markers for improving conservation strategies considering global change, including long-term monitoring of genetic dynamics, the use of conservation genetics in conservation management, and the development conservation genomics.