About 12,000 years ago, a mass extinction event occurred and 75% of the world’s large mammal species were eliminated. While a small number of cheetahs managed to survive and restore the world’s population of cheetahs, this event caused an extreme reduction of the cheetah’s genetic diversity. Based on the principles of natural selection, which of the following is a consequence of their reduced genetic diversity?
a) Cheetahs within the same population do not vary in their reproductive success.
b) Cheetahs have never fully adapted to the current environment.
c) Cheetahs have very little heritable variation, which will make it difficult for them to adapt as the environment changes.
d) Cheetahs are unable to effectively compete with each other for resources.