Pyrenean Ibex
Encyclopedia
The Pyrenean Ibex is an ibex, one of the two extinct
subspecies
of Spanish Ibex
. The subspecies once ranged across the Pyrenees
in France and Spain and the surrounding area, including the Basque Country
, Navarre
, north Aragon
and north Catalonia
. A few hundred years ago they were numerous, but by 1900 their numbers had fallen to fewer than 100. From 1910 onwards, their numbers never rose above 40, and the subspecies was found only in a small part of Ordesa National Park
, in Huesca
.
The last natural Pyrenean Ibex, a female named Celia, was found dead on January 6, 2000, killed by a falling tree. Although her cause of death is known, the reason for the extinction
of the subspecies as a whole is a mystery. Some hypotheses include the inability to compete with other species for food, infections and diseases, and poaching. The Pyrenean Ibex became the first taxon
ever to become "un-extinct", for a period of seven minutes in January 2009, when a cloned female Ibex was born alive and survived a short time, before dying from lung defects.
The diet of the Pyrenean Ibex consisted of grass, herbs and lichens. The ibex was paraxonic, with the plane of symmetry of each foot passing between the third and fourth digits. The third and fourth digits were quite large and bore most of the weight.
The biotechnology company Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced on October 8, 2000 that the Spanish government has agreed to their offer to use nuclear transfer
cloning
technology in collaboration with other scientific partners to clone the Pyrenean ibex from the tissue
that was taken in 1999. It was expected to be easier than the cloning experiment of endangered gaur
(Bos gaurus), as the reproductive biology of goats is better known and the normal gestation period
is only five months. ATC has agreed with the government of Aragon
that the future cloned Pyrenean Ibexes will be returned to their original habitat.
The project could be of useful conservation value only if multiple goats could be cloned to form a viable gene pool
. As it is, cloning one goat will not save the subspecies.
Celia was able to provide perfect tissue samples for cloning. However, attempts to clone Celia have highlighted a major problem: even if it were possible to produce another healthy Pyrenean Ibex, there are no males for the female clone to breed with. One solution could be to cross Celia's clones with males of another subspecies, although the offspring would not be pure Pyrenean Ibex. A more ambitious plan would be to remove one X chromosome
and add a Y chromosome
from another still-existing subspecies, creating a male Pyrenean Ibex, but such technology does not yet exist and it is not known whether this will be feasible at all without irreparably damaging the cell.
Three teams of scientists, two Spanish and one French, are involved in the cloning project. The project is coordinated by the Food and Agricultural Investigation Service of the Government of Aragon and by the National Institute of Investigation and Food and Agrarian Technology (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria). The National Institute of Agrarian Investigation of France is also involved in the project.
from the tissue and fused them with oocyte
s from goat
s that had their nucleus removed. The resultant embryos were transferred into a domestic goat (Capra hircus), to act as a surrogate mother. In 2003, it was announced that the first attempt to clone the Pyrenean Ibex failed. Of the 285 embryos reconstructed, 54 were transferred to 12 mountain goat and mountain goat-domesticated goat hybrids, but only two survived the initial two months of gestation before they too died.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Spanish Ibex
Spanish ibex
The Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat, or Iberian wild goat is a species of ibex with four subspecies. Of these, two can still be found on the Iberian Peninsula, but the remaining two are now extinct. The Portuguese subspecies became extinct in 1892 and the Pyrenean subspecies became...
. The subspecies once ranged across the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
in France and Spain and the surrounding area, including the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, north Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
and north Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. A few hundred years ago they were numerous, but by 1900 their numbers had fallen to fewer than 100. From 1910 onwards, their numbers never rose above 40, and the subspecies was found only in a small part of Ordesa National Park
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park is an IUCN Category II National Park situated in the Pyrenees of Huesca province, Aragon, Spain. There has been a National Park in the Ordesa Valley since 1918. Its protected area was enlarged in 1982 to cover the whole region amounting to 156.08 km².It has...
, in Huesca
Huesca
Huesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
.
The last natural Pyrenean Ibex, a female named Celia, was found dead on January 6, 2000, killed by a falling tree. Although her cause of death is known, the reason for the extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
of the subspecies as a whole is a mystery. Some hypotheses include the inability to compete with other species for food, infections and diseases, and poaching. The Pyrenean Ibex became the first taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
ever to become "un-extinct", for a period of seven minutes in January 2009, when a cloned female Ibex was born alive and survived a short time, before dying from lung defects.
The diet of the Pyrenean Ibex consisted of grass, herbs and lichens. The ibex was paraxonic, with the plane of symmetry of each foot passing between the third and fourth digits. The third and fourth digits were quite large and bore most of the weight.
Cloning project
Nuclear transfer
Nuclear Transfer is a form of cloning. The steps involve removing the DNA from an oocyte , and injecting the nucleus which contains the DNA to be cloned. In rare instances, the newly constructed cell will divide normally, replicating the new DNA while remaining in a pluripotent state...
cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
technology in collaboration with other scientific partners to clone the Pyrenean ibex from the tissue
Biological tissue
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
that was taken in 1999. It was expected to be easier than the cloning experiment of endangered gaur
Gaur
The gaur , also called Indian bison, is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986 as the population decline in parts of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations...
(Bos gaurus), as the reproductive biology of goats is better known and the normal gestation period
Gestation period
For mammals the gestation period is the time in which a fetus develops, beginning with fertilization and ending at birth. The duration of this period varies between species.-Duration:...
is only five months. ATC has agreed with the government of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
that the future cloned Pyrenean Ibexes will be returned to their original habitat.
The project could be of useful conservation value only if multiple goats could be cloned to form a viable gene pool
Gene pool
In population genetics, a gene pool is the complete set of unique alleles in a species or population.- Description :A large gene pool indicates extensive genetic diversity, which is associated with robust populations that can survive bouts of intense selection...
. As it is, cloning one goat will not save the subspecies.
Celia was able to provide perfect tissue samples for cloning. However, attempts to clone Celia have highlighted a major problem: even if it were possible to produce another healthy Pyrenean Ibex, there are no males for the female clone to breed with. One solution could be to cross Celia's clones with males of another subspecies, although the offspring would not be pure Pyrenean Ibex. A more ambitious plan would be to remove one X chromosome
X chromosome
The X chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in many animal species, including mammals and is common in both males and females. It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and X0 sex-determination system...
and add a Y chromosome
Y chromosome
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex-determining chromosomes in most mammals, including humans. In mammals, it contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis development if present. The human Y chromosome is composed of about 60 million base pairs...
from another still-existing subspecies, creating a male Pyrenean Ibex, but such technology does not yet exist and it is not known whether this will be feasible at all without irreparably damaging the cell.
Three teams of scientists, two Spanish and one French, are involved in the cloning project. The project is coordinated by the Food and Agricultural Investigation Service of the Government of Aragon and by the National Institute of Investigation and Food and Agrarian Technology (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria). The National Institute of Agrarian Investigation of France is also involved in the project.
First attempt fails
Researchers took adult Somatic cellSomatic cell
A somatic cell is any biological cell forming the body of an organism; that is, in a multicellular organism, any cell other than a gamete, germ cell, gametocyte or undifferentiated stem cell...
from the tissue and fused them with oocyte
Oocyte
An oocyte, ovocyte, or rarely ocyte, is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The female germ cells produce a primordial germ cell which undergoes a mitotic...
s from goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s that had their nucleus removed. The resultant embryos were transferred into a domestic goat (Capra hircus), to act as a surrogate mother. In 2003, it was announced that the first attempt to clone the Pyrenean Ibex failed. Of the 285 embryos reconstructed, 54 were transferred to 12 mountain goat and mountain goat-domesticated goat hybrids, but only two survived the initial two months of gestation before they too died.
Later attempt
In 2009, one clone was born alive, but died seven minutes later, due to physical defects in the lungs.External links
- Profile at The Sixth Extinction Website