Why is the cheetah gene pool small today? (1 point)

Question

inbreeding in zoos
• multiple bottleneck events
• lack of advantageous traits
poor adaptability

Answer 1

The small gene pool of cheetahs today is primarily due to multiple bottleneck events. These events in the past significantly reduced the population size, leading to a loss of genetic diversity. Factors such as habitat loss, poaching, and climate change have contributed to these bottlenecks. In addition, while inbreeding in zoos can also impact genetic diversity, the historical bottlenecks are the main reason for the current low genetic variability in the cheetah population.