Abstract
Conservation strategy for food security using the plant genetic resources and that of the most highly under-represented species in Bhutan: the microbes could be effective in safeguarding the food security, and the microbial ecosystem functions and biotechnological applications in the face of climate change. As the diversity of plant genetic resources decreases with the changes in farming pattern and climatic conditions, it is of paramount importance that we ensure the preservation of these crop genetic resources in a safe location under permafrost condition and complement it with the conservation of microbes (highly under-represented in Bhutanese taxonomic studies) for soil fertility and other biotechnological applications. Discussion on the tremendous importance of such conservation initiatives should take a center stage in the face of climate change and environmental degradation and decline in biological diversity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
MOAF (2016) Land use and land cover of Bhutan 2016. Maps and Statistics, Forest Resources Management Division, DoFPS, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, Royal Government of Bhutan, Thimphu.
Understanding Evolution: monoculture and the Irish potato famine: cases of missing genetic variation. https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/agriculture_02
Tshewang U (2019) From the personal records of the founding Program Director of the National Biodiversity Centre from year 2000–2007, Former Envrionment Secretary of Bhutan, Lead scientist of the Assessment of Conservation Priorities for Bhutan Project, Taba-Ka-1, Thimphu, Bhutan.
NBC (2019) Bhutan crop seed bank checklist database. Plant Genetic Resources Program, National Biodiversity Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Thimphu
Tshering L, Phuntsho U, Tshering W (2018) Bhutan crop seed bank checklist. Plant Genetic Resources, National Biodiversity Centre, MoAF, Serbitang
GRAIN (2007 January 16) A gene bank in tatters. https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4203-a-genebank-in-tatters
The New Humanitarian (2012 September 12) Seed bank destruction may cause agriculture loss. http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2002/09/12/seed-bank-destruction-may-cause-agriculture-loss
Anderson R (2015 September 23) Rescuing ancient seeds from a war-torn city. The Atlantic: Science. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/09/rescuing-ancient-seeds-from-a-war-torn-city/406978/
Erlanger S (2005 June 12) After 2,000 years, a seed from ancient Judea Sprouts. New York Times. Retrieved 2010 Feb 03
Yashina S, Gubin S, Maksimovich S, Yashina A, Gakhova E, Gilichinsky D (2012) Regeneration of whole fertile plants from 30,000-y-old fruit tissue buried in Siberian permafrost. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109(10):4008–4013. Bibcode:2012PNAS..109.4008Y. PMC 3309767. PMID 22355102. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118386109
Shen-Miller, Mudgett MB, William Schopf J, Clarke S, Berger R et al (1995) Exceptional seed longevity and robust growth: ancient sacred lotus from China. Am J Bot 82(11):1367–1380. https://doi.org/10.2307/2445863. JSTOR 2445863
Qvenild M (2008) Svalbard global seed vault: a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for the world’s seeds. In: Development in practice, vol 18, no. 1. Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Oxfam GB, pp 110–116. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27751880
Griffith GW (2019) Do we need a global strategy for microbial conservation? Trends Ecol Evol 27:1–2. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51787845_Griffith_GW_Do_we_need_a_global_strategy_for_microbial_conservation_Trends_Ecol_Evol_27_1-2
Griffith GW (2019) Do we need a global strategy for microbial conservation? Trends Ecol Evol 27:1–2. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51787845_Griffith_GW_Do_we_need_a_global_strategy_for_microbial_conservation_Trends_Ecol_Evol_27_1-2. Accessed 22 Oct 2019
Sharma A, Shouche Y (2014) Microbial Culture Collection (MCC) and International Depositary Authority (IDA) at National Centre for Cell Science, Pune. Indian J Microbiol 54(2):129–133. Published online 2014 Feb 5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-014-0447-y
Sharma SK, Gupta AK, Shukla AK, Ahmad E, Sharma MP, Ramesh A (2016) Microbial conservation strategies and methodologies: status and challenges. Indian J Plant Genet Resour 29(3):340–342. https://doi.org/10.5958/0976-1926.2016.00062
Altieri M (1999) The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Agric Ecosyst Environ 74:19–31. CrossRef Google Scholar
Balser TC, Kinzig A, Firestone MK (2002) Linking soil microbial communities and ecosystem functioning. In: Kinzig A, Pacala S, Tilman D (eds) The functional consequences of biodiversity: empirical progress and theoretical extensions. Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp 265–293. [Google Scholar]
Parker SS (2010) Buried treasure: soil biodiversity and conservation. Biodivers Conserv 19(13):3743–3756
Cycoń M, Piotrowska-Seget Z (2007) Effect of selected pesticides on soil microflora involved in organic matter and nitrogen transformations: pot experiment. Pol J Ecol 55(2):207–220
Ladau J, Shi Y, Jing X, He J-S, Chen L, Lin X, Fierer N, Gilbert JA, Pollard KS, Chu H (2018) Existing climate change will lead to pronounced shifts in the diversity of soil prokaryotes. mSystems 3(5):e00167-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSyst.00167-18. PMCID: PMC6199470; PMID:30374458; Published online 2018 Oct 23
Scientific American: as earth warms, the diseases that may lie within permafrost become a bigger worry. Scientific American, November 1, 2016. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-earth-warms-the-diseases-that-may-lie-within-permafrost-become-a-bigger-worry/. Originally published as, What Lies Beneath in Scientific American 315(5): 11–12 (November 2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican1116-11
World Federation for Culture Collections. http://www.wfcc.info/#
Staddon WJ, Duchesne LL, Trevors JT (1996) Conservation of forest soil microbial diversity the impact of fire & research needs. Environ Rev 4(4):267–275
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tshewang, U., Tobias, M.C., Morrison, J.G. (2021). Conservation for Food Security and Under-Represented Microbes. In: Bhutan: Conservation and Environmental Protection in the Himalayas. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57824-4_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57824-4_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-57823-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-57824-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)