🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Genetic drift has a stronger impact in small populations than in large ones.
Genetic drift refers to random changes in gene frequencies that occur more rapidly in small populations. For the Tapanuli orangutan, with fewer than 800 individuals, drift can significantly influence genetic composition. Harmful mutations that would be diluted in large populations may become fixed. Reduced genetic diversity lowers resilience to disease and environmental change. Fragmented subgroups accelerate this process. Unlike selection, drift is indifferent to fitness consequences. Over generations, it can erode adaptive potential.
💥 Impact (click to read)
The danger is subtle yet profound: even without habitat loss, genetic erosion can progress. Small effective population size magnifies random shifts. Evolutionary flexibility narrows quietly. In a species already rare, such loss compounds other threats. Drift operates beneath visible population counts.
Maintaining gene flow between forest blocks counters drift by mixing alleles. Conservation connectivity is therefore a genetic safeguard. The Tapanuli orangutan’s future depends not only on survival but on maintaining healthy variation. Genetic drift reminds us that extinction risk can begin at the molecular level.
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