In vitro conservation and preliminary molecular identification of some Turkish domestic animal genetic resources

Abstract

Changing environmental conditions (rapid increase in population, global warming, disordered structuring, and environmental pollution) change the flora and fauna of the world irreversibly and negatively. Studies carried out have showed that 27,000 animal and plant species per year disappear from nature forever. Today production of farm animals verges on an uniform pattern in the world. These lineages known as culture lineages are just animals with improved efficiency properties. However, no one has emphasized the resistance of them to environmental conditions or their disease resistances so far. Besides changes in environmental conditions, bioterrorism targets not only the life of people but also animals' life. These unfavourable factors have threatened the future of many species and lineages seriously. However, endemic domestic animals that preserve genetic variation are recognized as insurance of the future with these properties. The subject of this project has been discussed on various platforms in Turkey for a long time and declared as a priority area. Various action plans have been prepared and put into development plans but this issue has not been solved so far. This national issue that should be solved immediately would be resolved to some extent with a big project by the contribution of Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, TUBITAK and 10 universities from all regions of Turkey. This project aims to establish banks (Gene banks) which preserve animal genetic resources, to start characterization of endemic domestic animal species to use gained knowledge in registration studies, to build national researcher capacity in animal genetics and biotechnology areas and to combine and disseminate knowledge. These banks would guarantee not just five years, a hundred years of our country. Samples from 1,500 individuals belong to total 5 species would be preserved.