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Strongly deleterious mutations influence reproductive output and longevity in an endangered population

Author

Listed:
  • Malin Hasselgren

    (Stockholm University)

  • Nicolas Dussex

    (Stockholm University
    Svante Arrhenius väg 20C
    Swedish Museum of Natural History)

  • Johanna Seth

    (Stockholm University
    Svante Arrhenius väg 20C
    Swedish Museum of Natural History)

  • Anders Angerbjörn

    (Stockholm University)

  • Love Dalén

    (Stockholm University
    Svante Arrhenius väg 20C
    Swedish Museum of Natural History)

  • Karin Norén

    (Stockholm University)

Abstract

Inbreeding depression has been documented in various fitness traits in a wide range of species and taxa, however, the mutational basis is not yet well understood. We investigate how putatively deleterious variation influences fitness and is shaped by individual ancestry by re-sequencing complete genomes of 37 individuals in a natural arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) population subjected to both inbreeding depression and genetic rescue. We find that individuals with high proportion of homozygous loss of function genotypes (LoFs), which are predicted to exert a strong effect on fitness, generally have lower lifetime reproductive success and live shorter lives compared with individuals with lower proportion of LoFs. We also find that juvenile survival is negatively associated with the proportion of homozygous missense genotypes and positively associated with genome wide heterozygosity. Our results demonstrate that homozygosity of strongly and moderately deleterious mutations can be an important cause of trait specific inbreeding depression in wild populations, and mark an important step towards making more informed decisions using applied conservation genetics.

Suggested Citation

  • Malin Hasselgren & Nicolas Dussex & Johanna Seth & Anders Angerbjörn & Love Dalén & Karin Norén, 2024. "Strongly deleterious mutations influence reproductive output and longevity in an endangered population," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52741-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52741-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Christine Grossen & Frédéric Guillaume & Lukas F. Keller & Daniel Croll, 2020. "Purging of highly deleterious mutations through severe bottlenecks in Alpine ibex," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
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