Biodiversity & Extinction

A gene pool is all the alleles in a population. A large gene pool means high genetic diversity — and more chance that some individuals carry the traits needed to survive a new selection pressure. Populations with low diversity are far more vulnerable to extinction.

A population bottleneck strips genetic diversity, leaving survivors more vulnerable.

Real examples of low diversity include cheetahs and Tasmanian devils. Human activities — habitat clearing, pollution and climate change — create powerful new selection pressures that have driven, and still threaten, many species to extinction. Maintaining biodiversity is an ethical obligation with long-term consequences.