how do endangered species deal with inbreeding?

Question

how do endangered species deal with inbreeding?

In: 614

Answer 1

Some falls in population size can actually be helpful for a species to adapt to changes in their environment. The rate at which mutations spread through a population is increased in small populations, so beneficial mutations are more likely to spread. This can lead to population-wide adaptations taking hold quickly and can result in resurgences in the population. This is called “evolutionary rescue,” if I recall correctly. Conservationists that supplement wild populations with captive-bred members of endangered species can sometimes accidentally dilute the gene pool of wild populations, causing those populations to lose their beneficial mutations and die out.