Hi, There was this seminar conducted in our research center and it was a guest lecture on cloning… They spoke about the cloning being conducted on animals that are on the verge of extinction or are already extinct so that their numbers can increase… I posed this question to him and didn’t get an answer so I was wondering if anyone could help me on this… If animals go extinct following the theory of natural selection and we try to bring them back through cloning, then will the species survive or go extinct again? and if it does survive, will it adversely affect the ecosystem where it is introduced through species richness?
Hi Sachin
While I’m not an Ecologist. Bringing back an extinct species is challenging and even if it is done, its extinction is based on multiple factors and is a complex process. Nature balances itself in amazing ways. Re-introduction of any species can have drastic impact on the ecosystem and its stability. Mostly positive though. One of the classical examples is of “Re-Introduction of Wolves in Yellow Stone National Park” which has changed the course of the ecology, leading to afforestation, introduction of many other species, enriched biodiversity and even led to change in the course of rivers. You can review the popular article online
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