233Effective population size

#### 233 Effective population size 233 Effective population size > Effective population size is the number of mature individuals of a species or population that contribute to the production of viable offspring and the maintenance of genetic variation. > > Note. > > Effective population size is usually much less than total population size due to the presence of juveniles, old (senescent), diseased, moribund and other non-breeding individuals, uneven sex ratios, unsuitable environmental conditions for breeding and recruitment at some localities and in some years, variation between family sizes and fluctuating population sizes between generations.