Gene Banks

Key Stage 3

Meaning

A Gene Bank is a place where sperm, egg cells and seeds are stored in case a species becomes extinct or does not have enough biodiversity.

Meaning

There are number of gene banks in the world.

The gene banks began by storing the sperm and egg cells from endangered animals in case they became extinct. They then started storing seeds from endangered plants. They are gradually moving on to collect the genetic material of all species on Earth so that they can be re-introduced in case they become extinct.