FWC Fish And Wildlife Research Institute issued the following announcement on Jan. 13.
Diversified: The Florida Panther Story
Centuries of unregulated hunting and habitat loss drove the Florida Panther population to near extinction - by the early 1980’s, only 20-30 wild panthers roamed the wilderness of south and southwest Florida. As the population size dwindled, so did genetic diversity – causing a genetic bottleneck as a result of inbreeding.
Genetic diversity is paramount to a species ability to successfully reproduce and maintain a viable population size; the loss of genetic diversity as a result of inbreeding can result in the expression of traits that are detrimental to the fitness of individuals in a population. Check out the trailer below for the short film titled Diversified: The Florida Panther Story. The film details the panthers past difficulties associated with the loss of genetic diversity and what issues continue to impact the population today.
This short film was developed by Olivia Andrus, a recent graduate from Montana State University-Bozeman, as part of her degree requirements while earning a Master of Fine Arts in Science and Natural History Filmmaking. The film features one of our FWRI Research Scientists, Dave Onorato, who works on the Florida Panther Project and discusses the past, current, and future challenges that the panther face with regards to genetic variation and population recovery.
The full short film is available here: https://vimeo.com/424911353
For more information on the Florida Panther and genetic diversity: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabi.../wildlife/panther/genetics/
Original source can be found here
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