Many Animals, Plants are Losing their Genetic Diversity, Becoming More Vulnerable

Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP
Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP
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Many Animals, Plants are Losing their Genetic Diversity, Becoming More Vulnerable

Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP
Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals. - The AP

Two-thirds of animal and plant populations are declining in genetic diversity, which makes it harder to adapt to environmental changes, according to research published Wednesday.

Long before a species goes extinct, the population becomes smaller and more fragmented, shrinking the number of potential mates and therefore genetic mixing. This leaves a species more vulnerable to future threats such as disease.

“A surprisingly trend was that we saw genetic diversity declining even among” many species that aren’t considered at risk, said co-author Catherine Grueber, a conservation biologist at the University of Sydney, The Associated Press reported.

Researchers examined data for 628 species studied between 1985 and 2019. The greatest losses in genetic variation were seen in birds and mammals.

Findings were published in the journal Nature.

“When a species has different genetic solutions, it’s better able to deal with changes,” said David Nogués-Bravo at the University of Copenhagen, who was not involved in the study.

If a new disease spreads through a population or climate change alters summer rainfall, some individuals will fare better than others, in part because of their genes. Higher genetic diversity also means there’s a greater chance of a species’ survival.

Conservation efforts to connect isolated populations — basically expanding the dating pool for a particular species – can help maintain or even restore genetic diversity.

Florida panthers are an endangered species that have steadily lost habitat to freeways and urban sprawl. By the mid-1990s, the remaining big cats in southern Florida showed clear signs of inbreeding – with kinked tails and low sperm counts in males.

Biologists brought eight female panthers from Texas to Florida. Twenty years later, the number of Florida panthers in the wild has grown significantly and genetic diversity increased.

“Isolated populations suffer,” said Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not part of the research. “The solution is to reconnect them.”



Japan's Imperial Family to Start YouTube Account

People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
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Japan's Imperial Family to Start YouTube Account

People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
People ride on the boat near the blooming cherry blossoms at Inokashira Park in Tokyo on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

Japan's ancient imperial family will launch a YouTube account next week, the government said Friday, in the latest attempt at public outreach by the tradition-bound monarchy.
Last year the royals made their social media debut with an Instagram account which now has nearly two million followers.
Its posts show Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their family meeting foreign dignitaries, visiting victims of natural disasters or checking out prized art exhibits.
From Tuesday the family will also publish videos on YouTube, a spokesman at the Imperial Household Agency told AFP.
Naruhito, 65, ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019 after his father became the first emperor to abdicate in over two centuries.
The monarchy holds no political power under Japan's post-war constitution, instead acting as symbolic figureheads.
Although the family remain deeply adored and respected, especially among older citizens, they also face huge pressure to meet exacting standards of behavior and have sometimes become the target of online vitriol.
The emperor's brother Prince Akishino said last year that his family had been targeted by "bullying-like" messages.
When his daughter Mako married her college sweetheart in 2021, reports appeared in Japanese media about money troubles faced by his mother, a scandal seen as damaging to the royal family.
The couple opted not to have a public wedding ceremony and left Japan to live in the United States.