Extinction vortex dynamics in top predators isolated by urbanization

Building on long-term monitoring of pumas around Los Angeles, this study modelled how genetic and demographic factors could interact to drive small, urbanization-isolated populations toward an extinction vortex. The authors projected that if inbreeding depression manifested in reduced survival or reproduction, the Santa Monica and Santa Ana populations could face sharply increased extinction risk within decades despite occupying protected habitat. The analysis sharpened the warning that physical protection of habitat is insufficient when freeways sever gene flow, and it reinforced the urgency of restoring connectivity through wildlife crossings to rescue genetically stranded big cats in a major metropolitan region.