In 5 sentences or less, describe a plan for solving this hypothetical problem. B
ID: 6012 • Letter: I
Question
In 5 sentences or less, describe a plan for solving this hypothetical problem. Be as specific as possible.A new problem is reducing the population of the river dolphin in the isolated region of Palawan. This problem seems to run in families and causes a general destruction of the immune system. Dolphins with this disease not only develop serious infections, but also tend to spread infections to otherwise-healthy dolphins. Because this species is critically endangered, you cannot survey a very large number of dolphins to look for widespread genetic variation. These dolphins can live to be more than 30 years old if healthy but are now reduced to a total population of less than 100 animals. The Palawan dolphin genome has not been sequenced, though the genome of the most closely related species (the orca) is ~50% complete.
The World Wildlife Fund has given your research lab a large grant and 2 years to determine how to best help the Palawan River Dolphins. If you can find a way to treat affected dolphins, the WWF wants you to do that. If not, they want to know which dolphins are likely to be affected so that they can be removed before they make others ill. Describe your best possible plan.
Explanation / Answer
The problem you have here is caused by inbreeding, and it is in a recessive gene. So, the solution is to bring other dolphins that don't have that same genetic malfunction and let the isolated dolphin breed with them. That way the effect of the recessive gene won't show.