Final answer:
Human population recovery post-apocalypse will be difficult due to the bottleneck effect, inbreeding, lack of resilience against disasters, and the need for diverse skills and resources.
Step-by-step explanation:
The human species facing a zombie apocalypse scenario that reduces its population to a small group, such as the 100 people on an uninhabited island, will confront significant challenges in recovering. The recovery will be difficult due to the bottleneck effect, which indicates a sharp reduction in a population's genetic variability due to a reduction in size. This phenomenon alters the genetic makeup of the population, potentially leading to reduced genetic diversity and an increase in genetic-related health issues, as the survivors have a limited pool of genes to contribute to future generations.
Another aspect to consider is the possibility of inbreeding, which can lead to an accumulation of deleterious genes and increase the risk of health issues. Additionally, a small population has less resilience against further disasters, diseases, and environmental changes, making it harder to sustain large numbers. The recovery of the human population would also be hampered by the need for a wide range of skills and knowledge to rebuild society, which may be lacking in such a small and homogeneous group. Lastly, repopulation efforts can be constrained by social factors, such as the level of cooperation and harmony among individuals, and practical challenges like the availability of food and resources to sustain the growing population.
Examples in nature, such as the impact of natural disasters on animal populations like seabirds during a hurricane, demonstrate the randomness of survival and the subsequent changes in population genetics and characteristics. A comparison can be drawn to human-made disasters and destruction of habitats, which similarly affect the potential for species survival, including humans.