Question

Breeding programs and habitat preserves have been established as an effort to protect the florida panther from extinction. studies indicate that a minimum of 50 adult panthers are needed in order to have a self-sustaining population, which is one that does not need to be supplemented with breeding programs. if a wild population of 40 panthers were left alone, which would most likely happen to the panther population?

Answer 1

The answer is ‘panthers will become extinct due to the lack of genetic diversity’. The population will enter what is referred to an extinction vortex. This is when environmental, demographic and genetic factors interact and reinforce each other in a downward spiral of a species. The lack of genetic diversity in the population causes inbreeding and lack of diversity on which natural selection can act upon for the population to adapt.