A specific minimum population size is required to maintain genetic diversity
Maintaining a minimum population size is critical to prevent excessive genetic drift, inbreeding depression, and the loss of genetic diversity.
The retrieved papers consistently support the claim that populations require a minimum size to avoid the negative genetic consequences of drift and inbreeding, with several studies specifically modeling or testing minimum viable population thresholds.
David H. Reed, Edwin H. Bryant. Experimental tests of minimum viable population size. 2000. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2000.tb00082.x
Paper [0] demonstrates through experimental tests that populations must maintain effective sizes above certain thresholds to retain fitness and avoid extinction.
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Peter Nabutanyi, Meike J. Wittmann. Modeling minimum viable population size with multiple genetic problems of small populations. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13940
Paper [1] uses eco-evolutionary models to define minimum viable population sizes required to avoid extinction vortices driven by genetic drift and inbreeding.
Peter Nabutanyi, Meike J. Wittmann. Modeling minimum viable population size with multiple genetic problems of small populations. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.02.454753
Paper [2] models how small populations face genetic problems like mutation accumulation and loss of diversity, which helps determine minimum viable population thresholds.
Noelia Pérez Pereira. Impact of purging, genetic drift and inbreeding depression on populations of reduced size. https://doi.org/10.35869/11093/4213
Paper [3] highlights that small population sizes increase inbreeding and reduce fitness, underscoring the genetic risks of low population numbers.
Eugenio López-Cortegano, Brian Charlesworth. The effect of a reduction in population size on mean fitness and inbreeding depression. 2026. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.15.725556
Paper [6] shows that a sudden reduction in population size increases genetic drift and homozygosity, reinforcing the importance of maintaining sufficient population size.
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