🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Captive breeding programs often track genetic lineages to avoid inbreeding.
Genetic analyses of contemporary gharial populations indicate reduced diversity compared to historical baselines. Population crashes during the 20th century created bottlenecks that limited gene flow. Small, isolated groups now carry a narrower genetic pool. Reduced diversity can lower resilience to disease and environmental change. Conservation breeding programs aim to maximize genetic representation during reintroduction. However, restoring lost diversity is biologically impossible once eliminated. The species carries genomic scars from its decline.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Genetic bottlenecks reduce adaptive flexibility. When environmental pressures shift, limited variation restricts evolutionary response. Disease outbreaks may spread more easily in genetically similar populations. Maintaining connectivity between river systems becomes critical for long-term viability.
DNA evidence reframes conservation as both ecological and genetic restoration. Protecting habitat alone cannot recreate erased variation. The goal becomes preventing further erosion. Each surviving lineage represents irreplaceable evolutionary information millions of years in the making.
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