Research overview: population genetics of fragmented felid populations

Habitat loss and fragmentation increasingly isolate cat populations into small patches separated by inhospitable terrain, reducing effective population size and gene flow. This overview surveys how conservation geneticists use microsatellites, mitochondrial markers, and now whole genomes to detect reduced diversity, genetic structure, and elevated inbreeding across species ranging from tigers and lions to ocelots and wildcats. It discusses metrics such as effective population size, migration rates, and genetic load, and the management responses they motivate, including corridors, translocations, and genetic rescue. The survey emphasizes that maintaining connectivity is often as important as protecting individual habitat patches for long-term genetic health.