The Impact of Genetic Diversity on Population Survival

Abstract

Genetic diversity is the variation in genetic characteristics among individuals within a population. It provides the raw material on which natural selection acts and can influence a population's capacity to respond to environmental change, disease, habitat disturbance, and other ecological pressures. Populations with greater genetic variation may contain a wider range of traits that allow some individuals to survive and reproduce when conditions change. Conversely, low genetic diversity can increase the effects of inbreeding, reduce adaptive potential, and increase vulnerability to stochastic events. This paper examines nine major aspects of the relationship between genetic diversity and population survival, including sources of diversity, natural selection, adaptation, inbreeding, population bottlenecks, disease resistance, environmental change, conservation genetics, and future management strategies.