Small populations are subject to high losses of genetic diversity. Yet, there are examples of animal species that have gone through extreme population size bottlenecks and are now widespread and abundant. What are some examples of species that fit this scenario? Are their contemporary populations indeed characterized by low levels of genetic diversity? How is this relevant for conservation of endangered species? What role do humans play in causing and/or preventing population bottlenecks of living species? Can humans intervene in this process? Should we? Solution The population bottleneck is the sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental events or human activities. Surch events can reduce the variation in the gene pool of a population, there after, a smaller population with correspondingly less Genetic diversity, remains to pass on genes to future generations of offspring through sexual reproduction. In consequence of such population size reduction and loss of genetic variation the robustness of the population is reduced and its ability to survive selecting environmental changes like climate change for a shift in available resources is reduced. Convert 3 depending upon the causes of the bottleneck the survivors may have been the genetically sweetest individuals hands increasing the frequency of the foetus jeans with in the gene pool while shrinking it this genetic drift can change the proportional distribution of nll by chance unevenly to fixation or loss of alleles. Population bottleneck play an important role in conservation biology. The population of American Bison fell due to overhunting nearly leading to extinction around the year 1890, though it has sinces begin to recover. Another example -before Europeans arrived in North America , prairies served as habitats to Greater Prairie chickens In Illinois alone their numbers plummeted from over100 million in 1900 to about 50 in 1990. These declines in population were the result of hunting and Habitat destruction but the random consequences have also caused a great loss in species diversity. DNA analysis comparing the birds from 1990 and mid century show steepo genetic decline in recent decades. the greaterr Prairiey chicken is currently experiencing low reproductive success. Another example of bottleneck Northern elephant seals have reduced genetic variation probably because of a population bottleneck humans inflicted on them in 1890\'s hunting reduced their population size to as much as 20 individuals at the end of 19th century their population has since rebounded to over 30000 but their genes still carry the marks of bottlenecks - they have much less is genetic variation than a population of Southern elephant seals that was not so intensey hunted..

1. Small populations are subject to high losses of genetic diversity. Yet, there are examples of
animal species that have gone through extreme population size bottlenecks and are now
widespread and abundant. What are some examples of species that fit this scenario? Are their
contemporary populations indeed characterized by low levels of genetic diversity? How is this
relevant for conservation of endangered species? What role do humans play in causing and/or
preventing population bottlenecks of living species? Can humans intervene in this process?
Should we?
Solution
The population bottleneck is the sharp reduction in the size of a population due to environmental
events or human activities.
Surch events can reduce the variation in the gene pool of a population, there after, a smaller
population with correspondingly less Genetic diversity, remains to pass on genes to future
generations of offspring through sexual reproduction.
In consequence of such population size reduction and loss of genetic variation the robustness of
the population is reduced and its ability to survive selecting environmental changes like climate
change for a shift in available resources is reduced.
Convert 3 depending upon the causes of the bottleneck the survivors may have been the
genetically sweetest individuals hands increasing the frequency of the foetus jeans with in the
gene pool while shrinking it this genetic drift can change the proportional distribution of nll by
chance unevenly to fixation or loss of alleles.
Population bottleneck play an important role in conservation biology.
The population of American Bison fell due to overhunting nearly leading to extinction around
the year 1890, though it has sinces begin to recover.
Another example -before Europeans arrived in North America , prairies served as habitats to
Greater Prairie chickens In Illinois alone their numbers plummeted from over100 million in 1900
to about 50 in 1990. These declines in population were the result of hunting and Habitat
destruction but the random consequences have also caused a great loss in species diversity. DNA
analysis comparing the birds from 1990 and mid century show steepo genetic decline in recent
decades. the greaterr Prairiey chicken is currently experiencing low reproductive success.
Another example of bottleneck Northern elephant seals have reduced genetic variation probably
because of a population bottleneck humans inflicted on them in 1890's hunting reduced their
population size to as much as 20 individuals at the end of 19th century their population has since
rebounded to over 30000 but their genes still carry the marks of bottlenecks - they have much

2. less is genetic variation than a population of Southern elephant seals that was not so intensey
hunted.