Question

Elephant seals are abundant in their population size but they have low genetic diversity within their species due to overhunting by humans in 1890s. Why might the survival of this species be threatened in the future?

Answer 1

Genetic diversity

Explanation:

If the environment changes, the species runs the risk of not having the genetic diversity to be adaptable to that change and could go extinct

• Genetic diversity is the diversity  or genetic variability within species
• The huge variety of different gene sets defines an individual or a whole population's ability to tolerate stress from any given environmental factor
• While some individuals might be able to tolerate an increased load of pollutants in their environment, others carrying different genes might suffer from infertility or even die under the exact same environmental conditions;the former will continue to live in the environment the latter will either have to leave it or die
• Any change in the environment - natural or human induced causes a selection of events that only the fittest survive
• In case of elephant seals,overhunting reduces the sum of genes available,thus leaving behind a population that is less capable of tolerating any further natural or human disturbances in environment
• The loss of genetic diversity within a species can result in the loss of useful and desirable traits