The number of Florida Panther (Felis concolor) that survive in the wild today is estimated at about 80-100 animals. This very sm
all population is also very similar genetically. According to Darwin's theory of evolution, what is the MOST likely consequence for this panther population that is both small and genetically non-diverse?
The panther population is likely to become extinct due to several reasons related to its very small population number. Two reasons follow:
1) In small populations there is more inbreeding (breeding between individuals closely related). Inbreeding increases the chances of the offspring being affected by deletereus homozygous genotypes. Such homozygosis can make the offspring be less able to survive and cause the population number to decline even more.
2) The acquisition of a deleterious mutation in a small population is more likely to be spread in the population than in a large population. If the frequency of a deleterious mutation increases rapidly, more individuals in the population will be affected and will have less chance of survival.
The most logical answer that I can think from Darwin's Theory of Evolution is that that species had been isolated from other possible panthers to mate with. So after generations of that isolated group of panthers their offspring would eventually become increasingly similar.
Not sure if I'm correct but my best guess is the cell membrane seeing as it surrounds the cell itself and is responsible for allowing certain molecules to diffuse in or out of the cell. Good Luck! :)
