- It refers to the diversity or genetic variability in organisms belonging to the same species and plays an important role in the survival and adaptability of a species.
- It serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments. With more variation, it is more likely that some individuals in a population will possess variations of alleles that are suited for the environment. Those individuals are more likely to survive to produce offspring bearing that allele. This is called Natural Selection. The population will continue for more generations because of the success of these individuals.
- Any change in the environment – natural or human induced causes a selection of events that only the fittest survive.
- The loss of genetic diversity within a species can result in the loss of useful and desirable traits (e.g. resistance to parasites). Reduced diversity may eliminate options to use untapped resources for food production, industry and medicine.
- Genetic diversity is also essential for populations to evolve.