Some South African lions present unique phenotypic traits, including a white coat and light blue eyes. To the best of my knowledge, the only populations presenting such characteristics are located in the Kruger National Park and Namibia.
Considering the characteristic savannah environment, I was wondering why alleles that lead to such phenotypic features are not negatively selected by natural selection. Indeed, a white coat may be disadvantageous for predators as they are most easily detected by prey. I assume that such alleles were "fixed" in the populations as a consequence of genetic drift. So, maybe, white lion small populations are still capable to persist because of poor genetic flow among (meta)populations?
Thanks in advance.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/29/south-africa-wild-animals-at-risk-of-genetic-pollution
Found this article. Might be of help
Are there actually some white lion populations? Or just occasional individuals? I assume it is more of the later and it might occur so rarely that selection pressure against light colored morphs is not particularly strong.
Based on the latest research I realized, there are approximately 300 specimens left in the Timbavati Reserve and Kruger National Park. Occasionally, lion aggregations composed by more than one white individual were reported. Despite at low density, the population is still able to persist. Notwithstanding, I agree with you that in the future this coloured morphism will be most likely negatively selected. By the way, I suggest to read the article shared by Tusheema. It's very interesting.
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