The Iberian lynx has faced severe genetic diversity loss due to human activity, which has pushed them to dangerously low numbers, threatening their survival.
Interbreeding with the Eurasian lynx has allowed the Iberian lynx to potentially enhance its genetic diversity, which is crucial for adapting to environmental changes.
Conservationists often engage in genetic rescue to boost low-diversity populations, although it carries the risk of outbreeding depression, which can harm species survival.
Inbreeding depression poses a risk where closely related animals reproduce and produce less fit offspring, potentially driving populations toward extinction.
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