ABSTRACT
Genetic diversity is the amount of variation in the sequence of four nucleotides (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine) that comprise deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) within individuals, populations, or species. The particular combination of nucleotides within an individual is called a genotype.[1] From an information theoretic approach, population genetic diversity represents the amount of information stored in DNA within a population above and beyond the information common to all individuals.[2,3] Thus, genetic diversity represents the maximum amount of information available to code for distinct physical characteristics (phenotypes) within a group. Less information means fewer distinct phenotypes, decreasing the likelihood that some individuals in a population have characteristics suited to the next environmental challenge. These challenges may include things like new diseases, introduced predators, or altered physical environments. In diploid organisms, inbreeding depression-like effects also may reduce individual fi tness when both copies of a segment of DNA within an individual are identical. The probability of this occurring is higher in populations with lower genetic diversity.
