Biometrics Applied to Molecular Analysis in Genetic Diversity
- Biotechnology and Plant Breeding: Applications and Approaches for Developing Improved Cultivars, March, p.47-81, 2014 .
Studies about genetic diversity have been of great importance for the purposes of genetic improvement and to evaluate the impact of human activity on biodiversity. They are equally important in the understanding of the microevolutionary and macroevolutionary mechanisms that act in the diversification of the species, involving population studies, as well as in the optimization of the conservation of genetic diversity. They are also fundamental in understanding how natural populations are structured in time and space and the effects of anthropogenic activities on this structure and, consequently, on their chances of survival and/or extinction. This information provides an aid in finding the genetic losses generated by the isolation of the populations and of the individuals, which will be reflected in future generations, allowing for the establishment of better strategies to increase and preserve species diversity and diversity within the species.