It is both a basic and an applied science. Scientists must first understand the genetic relationships of the organisms under study. Once this basic science is understood by scientists, management techniques must then be applied by wildlife managers to preserve biological diversity in these species. The organisms under investigation are usually endangered or threatened populations. Information about the genetic diversity of the animals under study assists scientists and managers in forming strategies to preserve and protect the diversity of plants and animals worldwide.
Genetic diversity is a measure of the possible choices of different information at a gene.
For example, a particular gene may determine the flower color of a plant. In each case, the same gene determines flower color, but the exact DNA sequence of the alleles of that gene are different. When all or nearly all the members of a population have the same allele at a gene, that population is said to have low genetic diversity at that gene. If many varients exist for a gene sequence, that population has high genetic diversity at that gene. If genetic diversity becomes low at many genes of a species, that species becomes increasingly at risk.