Ocelots like thorn-scrub, a difficult habitat which farmers tendto clear from their fields. Ocelot habitats have therefore becomeisolated from each other.
When the govt proposed establishing a wall along the borderbetween the US and Mexico, many scientists feared that this wouldcause additional isolation by preventing migration of Mexicanocelots into the US populations, which woul eventually cause the USpopulations to die off from lack of genetic diversity.
(A) What is the mechanism that would causethese isolated populations to lose genetic diversity and why wouldthat cause the population to die off?
(B) In an attempt to prevent the ocelots frombecoming extinct, some scientists have suggested that we establishnew populations of ocelots brought up from Mexico in unpopulatedareas. Assuming the ocelots thrived but remained in their area,would this help? Why or why not?
(C) The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department hasbeen trying to establish habitat corridors between the populationsand wildlife culverts under the roads. THey recommended wildlifeculverts on the wall as well. WIll this help? Why or why not?
(D) The best studied ocelot population in Texasis in the Laguna Atascosa State Park. The current population ofLaguna Atascosa is 12, with 5 females and 7 males. What is theeffective population of the park? If 2 of the females were hit bycars, what would be the effective population then? (Please showcalculations)