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Question #45161
The Question
Conservationists apply a somatic gene therapy protocol—analogous to the retroviral vector method used for human ADA deficiency—to rescue a critically endangered mammalian species in a biodiversity hotspot from a lethal recessive immunodeficiency. While the population density rapidly recovers, what is the most critical long-term evolutionary consequence of this in-situ management strategy?
Options
- A.
The defective allele is permanently eradicated from the gene pool, restoring the species' natural genetic diversity.
- B.
It bypasses natural purifying selection, thereby increasing the genetic load and reducing the population's adaptive potential against future environmental shifts.
- C.
It triggers an artificial genetic bottleneck, drastically reducing the heterozygosity of the surviving population.
- D.
The retroviral vectors will undergo insertional mutagenesis, immediately causing sympatric speciation within the hotspot.
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Comparative_Analysis
Sharpen your ability to evaluate multiple scenarios and distinguish between competing potential answers.
Concepts Behind This Question
ADA Deficiency|Genetic Bottleneck|In-situ Conservation
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Distinguishing between demographic recovery (population size) and genetic recovery (genomic health).
A common misconception is that curing a genetic disease medically (somatic therapy) equates to removing the defective gene from the evolutionary gene pool.
Students must apply the NCERT fact that somatic gene therapy is not a permanent germline cure to an ecological scenario, realizing that artificially keeping unfit genotypes alive increases the evolutionary 'genetic load'.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Biotechnology and Its Applications - Class 12 |
| Concept | Gene Therapy Germline vs Somatic |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |