Saving Small Populations with Genetic Diversity

Small populations can be hard to save because they often lose genetic diversity. When variation is low, a species has fewer traits that may help it adapt to climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. That makes extinction more likely.

Large populations usually have a better ...

The priority for conservation biology is the preservation of biological diversity. To accomplish this goal, scientists must identify populations that are endangered with extinction. Small populations, such as the Florida panthers, are especially at risk because they have low genetic diversity, making it difficult for them to resist disease or ad...