Dive Into the Gene Pool
All of the genes in a population of organisms is called a gene pool. The gene pool contains all of the traits or genes in any one population that can be passed on from generation to generation. Sometimes the gene pool of a population lacks diversity or becomes contaminated with genes from a closely related species. When that happens, the species can become endangered.
The red wolf is in danger of going extinct because its gene pool has been impacted by mating with coyotes. If enough red wolves mate with coyotes, their gene pool will eventually disappear.
In some areas, the population of a species is so small that there are few choices when mating.
The Florida panther population is limited to a very small area. The gene pool of the species lacks variety because generation after generation is descended from the same animals. When a gene pool gets too small, negative characteristics can easily be passed from one generation to the next, endangering the survival of the entire species.
