Low population size is probably the single best predictor of extinction risk. Why are small populations generally at much greater risk of extinction than larger populations?

Biology Today and Tomorrow without Physiology (MindTap Course List)
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Chapter17: Communities And Ecosystems
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  1. Low population size is probably the single best predictor of extinction risk. Why are small populations generally at much greater risk of extinction than larger populations? 

 

 

Expert Solution
Step 1

Extinction is the removal of a kind of species or an organism.Extinction involves the death of last individual species.Extinction of species occurs when they are not able to survive in unfavourable conditions.Mass extinction occurs very rarely and isolation extinction is more frequent.

Step 2

Answer;

Small population has more tendency to lose genetic diversity at a fast rate, as compared to larger sizes population because of stochastic sampling error or genetic drift.Some version of a gene can be easily lost because of random chance in small population as compared to large population.

Effect of stochastic variation in demographic rates is more for small population.Stochastic variations leads to fluctuation in size of population.Smaller the population more is the probability that fluctuation will result in extinction.

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