Hanging in There: Koalas Have Low Genetic Diversity (IMAGE)

BMC (BioMed Central)

Hanging in There: Koalas Have Low Genetic Diversity

Caption

A species relies on genetic diversity to survive and low diversity usually indicates that there has been inbreeding due to a decrease in population size. By looking at historic mitochondrial DNA from museum samples, new research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Genetics has found that koalas have had low genetic diversity for over 120 years.

Credit

Dr. Eveline Dungl of the Tierpark Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria

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