Use this information to answer the following questions
Many species once roamed across large areas of continents, and for millions of years these species were "shaped" by their environment. Today, numerous species, especially large carnivores, are found in national parks and nature reserves that are isolated by hundreds or thousands of kilometres of land now occupied by humans. The cheetah is one example of a species that has shown several dramatic decreases in numbers over time, and now occupies a small fraction of its historic range.
-Captive breeding programs have the potential to save species from extinction. Which factor(s)do biologists working with captive cheetahs have to pay particular attention to and why?
A)gene flow, because it is necessary to interbreed the different populations with one another
B)gene flow, because it will lead to stabilizing selection
C)genetic drift, because small populations are very susceptible to loss of genetic variation and fixation of deleterious alleles
D)genetic drift, because it may lead to allele frequencies changing randomly and may lead to an increase in heterozygosity
E)Two of the above statements are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Captive cheetah populations are usually small and isolated, making them vulnerable to genetic drift. As such, biologists must pay attention to genetic drift, as small populations are susceptible to loss of genetic variation and fixation of deleterious alleles.

Use This Information to Answer the Following Questions