Cheetahs Are Not a Healthy Species

question 43

Essay

Cheetahs are not a healthy species.Several million years ago they were widespread in Africa and Asia,but their numbers fell drastically during the last ice age and again when they were hunted to near extinction in the nineteenth century.Now,they suffer from low survivorship (a large number of animals dying),poor sperm quality,and greater susceptibility to disease.Normally,an animal will reject tissue transplanted from another animal,but cheetahs will not reject tissue grafted on to them from another cheetah.What happened to the cheetah? How did their genetic variation change? Where does genetic variation ultimately come from? What mechanism can maintain and increase genetic variation in natural populations?

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Definitions:

Schizophrenia

A chronic and severe mental disorder that affects a person's thinking, feeling, and behavior, often characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and disordered thought.

Psychologists

Professionals who study mental processes and behavior in humans and animals.

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders.

MMPI

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a standardized psychometric test of adult personality and psychopathology.