Research overview: effective population size in felid conservation

Effective population size, the number of individuals genetically contributing to the next generation, is often far smaller than the census count and is a key predictor of how quickly a population loses diversity. This overview surveys how geneticists estimate effective size in cats from genetic markers, why social structure, sex ratio, and variance in reproductive success depress it, and how small effective sizes in species like the Amur tiger or isolated pumas drive inbreeding even when animals appear numerous. It discusses the management targets derived from effective-size theory and how genomic data refine these estimates to guide conservation of cat populations.