If a small group of animals with no connection to other groups die out due to lack of diversity (the wrangle island mammoths), isn’t saving critically endangered species pointless?
In: Biology
Lack of diversity isn’t necessarily a death blow to a species, it just makes it more difficult for that population to survive changes in the environment because there are no individuals that may be better suited to the new conditions.
The isolated mammoths died out, but they had already greatly outlived their mainland relatives who were similarly unable to adapt in time. Isolation was probably working in their favor for most of that time.
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