Editing Species reintroduction (section)

===''Ex situ'' sourcing===
In situations where ''in situ'' collection of individuals is not feasible, such as for rare and endangered species with too few individuals existing in the wild, [[Ex situ conservation|''ex situ'']] collection is possible.
''Ex situ'' collection methods allow storage of individuals that have high potential for reintroduction. Storage examples include [[germplasm]] stored in seed banks, sperm and egg banks, [[cryopreservation]], and tissue culture.<ref name="IUCN 2017 Ex Situ"/> Methods that allow for storage of a high numbers of individuals also aim to maximize genetic diversity. Stored materials generally have long lifespans in storage, but some species do lose viability when stored as seed.<ref name="Walters 2005">{{cite journal|last1=Walters|first1=Christina|last2=Wheeler|first2=Lana|last3=Grotenhuis|first3=Judith|title=Longevity of seeds stored in a genebank: species characteristics|journal=Seed Science Research|date=2005|volume=15|issue=1|pages=1–20|doi=10.1079/ssr2004195|s2cid=86085929}}</ref> Tissue culture and cryopreservation techniques have only been perfected for a few species.<ref name="Engelmann 2011">{{cite journal|last1=Engelmann|first1=Florent|title=Use of biotechnologies for the conservation of plant biodiversity|journal=In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant|date=2011|volume=47|issue=1|pages=5–16|doi=10.1007/s11627-010-9327-2|s2cid=23582569}}</ref>

Organisms may also be kept in living collections in captivity. Living collections are more costly than storing germplasm and hence can support only a fraction of the individuals that ''ex situ'' sourcing can.<ref name="IUCN 2017 Ex Situ"/> Risk increases when sourcing individuals to add to living collections. Loss of genetic diversity is a concern because fewer individuals stored.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Witzenberger|first1=Kathrin|last2=Hochkirch|first2=Axel|title=Ex situ conservation genetics: a review of molecular studies on the genetic consequences of captive breeding programmes for endangered animal species|journal=Biodiversity and Conservation|date=2011|volume=20|issue=9|pages=1843–1861|doi=10.1007/s10531-011-0074-4|bibcode=2011BiCon..20.1843W |s2cid=19255252}}</ref> Individuals may also become genetically adapted to captivity, which often adversely affects the reproductive fitness of individuals. Adaptation to captivity may make individuals less suitable for reintroduction to the wild. Thus, efforts should be made to replicate wild conditions and minimize time spent in captivity whenever possible.<ref name="Frankham 2008">{{cite journal|last1=Frankham|first1=Richard|title=Genetic adaptation to captivity in species conservation programs|journal=Molecular Ecology|date=2008|volume=17|issue=1|pages=325–333|doi=10.1111/j.1365-294x.2007.03399.x|pmid=18173504|bibcode=2008MolEc..17..325F |s2cid=8550230}}</ref>