In captive breeding programs for endangered species, such as the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi), small population sizes often lead to high levels of inbreeding. This results in a high frequency of homozygous recessive genetic disorders, such as cardiac defects and cryptorchidism.
Which of the following management strategies would be most effective at reducing the occurrence of these inherited genetic disorders in future generations?
Treating affected individuals with somatic gene therapy to correct the defective alleles before they are used for breeding.
Restricting the breeding program exclusively to a small cohort of elite individuals that show no visible symptoms of genetic disorders.
Introducing genetically distinct individuals from other populations to increase heterozygosity and mask deleterious recessive alleles.
Cloning the healthiest individuals to produce a highly uniform population that lacks any genetic variation.
